History Main / WackyCravings

* Subverted in both the play and film of ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'':

* An episode of ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'' once featured a pregnant woman eating ''coal''.

* Almost any 1970s British sitcom that featured a pregnancy at some point was required by ''law'' to feature these.

** The same thing happens in ''Series/TwoPintsOfLagerAndAPacketOfCrisps'', when Louise is pregnant. She takes out a large lump of coal and bites into it as one would an apple.
* In Latin America, this trope is often coupled with the old wives' tale that if you don't satisfy the craving, the kid will be born with a physical symbol of that unsatisfied desire, giving this trope a bigger sense of urgency. In one old SketchShow, a man tried to discredit that old tale, saying that while his mother was expecting him she craved watching Franchise/{{Tarzan}} movies (in an age before home video, when those movies were not available anyway), but he was born and grew up healthy and normal... [[HypocriticalHumor and then he makes the archetypical Tarzan yell]].
* In non-humorous examples, the mother having a bizarre craving can be a sign that [[FetusTerrible Something Is Terribly Wrong]].
** In ''Series/{{V 1983}}'', Robin, pregnant with a hybrid, craves red meat to the point that she wakes in the night and yanks it uncooked from the refrigerator to eat. Or, in the 2009 remake ''Series/{{V 2009}}'', [[spoiler: Valerie (also pregnant with a hybrid),]] almost eats a mouse caught in a trap.
** In ''Demon Seed'', the mother of the titular child, conceived through [[AppliedPhlebotinum similar methods]], also craves red meat to the point of eating it raw.

* Parodied in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' when Dr. Cox brought Jordan a live goat.

** There was a non-pregnancy one in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' where Granda Max got turned into a giant alien slug. After being turned back to normal, he said: "Why do I have this strange craving for rotten eggs in sugar water?"

* One ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' strip has a termite queen ordering her workers to bring pickles and ice cream.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Windfall}}'', Pinkie Pie mentions a few of the cravings had by an expecting Fluttershy, including [[AlliterativeList` pickles, pimentos, and pistachios]].

A [[PregnancyTropes Pregnancy Trope]]. During any pregnancy, at some point the mother will experience cravings -- however, they will never be cravings for any standard foodstuff (such as pickles, ice cream, etc), but will instead be cravings for the most ''[[HilarityEnsues hilariously]]'' inappropriate and mismatched foods (chocolate covered kippers, boiled eggs and ice cream, peanut butter-dipped pickles, etc). Bonus points are awarded if the woman craves something that is (a) extremely difficult if not ''[[BeyondTheImpossible physically impossible]]'' to find; (b) [[ExtremeOmnivore isn't actually ''food'']] or (c) both.

* ''Series/FullHouse'': Becky had a craving for sour cream and onion potato chips. By the time Jesse gets back from the market, she's changed her mind. Anticipating this, he bought "every chip known to man -- the Pregnancy Variety Pack." Alas, he didn't get any with ridges...

* Inverted in ''{{Webcomic/Shortpacked}}'' where the normally ExtremeOmnivore Robin finds herself [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=2011 craving a salad.]]

A case of TruthInTelevision -- some women actually ''do'' crave inedible things during pregnancy - but it tends to be exaggerated in fiction. In many cases, a woman doesn't even have to be pregnant. Some are prone to wild cravings during [[AllPeriodsArePMS "that time of the month,"]] to the confusion of any men present. This is probably a milder form of a condition known as "''pica''"; those afflicted with full-blown pica will crave all sorts of bizarre stuff 24/7, regardless of gender.

* In ''Fanfic/{{Windfall}}'', Pinkie Pie mentions a few of the cravings had by an expecting Fluttershy, including [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal pickles, pimentos, and pistachios]].

* Before the modern days of decent nutrition, pregnant women would crave for ''chalk'' -- it contains calcium, which is necessary to build up the bones and teeth of the baby.

* [[SubvertedTrope Nicely subverted]] in ''Film/{{Fargo}}'', as Marge Gunderson's appetite is pretty normal for any average woman... except the vast quantities of [[MustHaveCaffeine coffee]] Incidentally, the pregnancy was only written in to accommodate Creator/FrancesMacDormand.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' comedy special ''Recap/TheFiveishDoctorsReboot'' features a scene where a pregnant Georgia Moffett eats ice cream using an enormous celery stalk as a scoop. (Her father Creator/PeterDavison's Doctor costume famously featured a celery stalk.)

* D''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'':

* During Lindesfarne's pregnancy in ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'', she craves very specific exotic insects. (Since she's a hedgehog, insects in general aren't an example of the trope.)

A [[PregnancyTropes Pregnancy Trope]]. During any pregnancy, at some point the mother will experience cravings -- however, they will never be cravings for any standard foodstuff (such as pickles, ice cream, etc), but will instead be cravings for the most ''[[HilarityEnsues hilariously]]'' inappropriate and mismatched foods (chocolate covered kippers, boiled eggs and ice cream, peanut butter-dipped pickles, etc). Bonus points are awarded if the woman craves something that is either (a) extremely difficult if not ''[[BeyondTheImpossible physically impossible]]'' to find; (b) [[ExtremeOmnivore isn't actually ''food'']] or (c) both.

A rarer variant of this trope is where the "wackiness" of the cravings have less to do with the substance desired and more with the sheer ''quantity'' desired. In this form of wacky craving, the comedy is how "eating for two" turns into something more like "eating for two dozen", where the pregnant woman becomes a voracious glutton who uses her pregnancy as an excuse to eat like a pig, thus turning even the primmest and diet-minded expectant woman into a shameless BigEater.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6686569/1/Meeting-Bill Meeting Bill]]'' Hermione makes a concoction of peanut-butter curry, asparagus, rice and chicken.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7501505/5/Unexpected-developments Unexpected Developments]]'' a pregnant Harry has a cheese, banana and chocolate sauce toasty. Lucius comments that he thinks he preferred Harry's previous craving - cucumbers dipped in lime ice cream.

* [[SubvertedTrope Nicely subverted]] in ''Film/{{Fargo}}'', as Marge Gunderson's appetite is pretty normal for any average woman... except the vast quantities of [[MustHaveCaffeine coffee]]

* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/10930959/chapters/24333891 Ninja Wizard Book 4]]'' Sirius' wife has a late-night snack of cherry pie with pumpkin ice cream and mint sauce.

** The adaptation of ''The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg'' has the titular goose ask the king for pickles and ice cream before she starts laying a golden egg for real.