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The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.

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Unsung Since: Jun, 2016
24th Dec, 2019 10:04:02 AM

Do we have something for when a spring or screw pops out or a cog rolls away when a machine breaks, without the eye?

Florestan Since: May, 2015
24th Dec, 2019 11:08:00 AM

"Cog rolls away when a machine breaks" may be covered by (or at least is related to) Free Wheel.

WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
24th Dec, 2019 11:31:22 AM

^^^ Erm, no? The examples I'm thinking of aren't played for any sort of drama. They're purely a gag, or done just to show that the robot is dead.

Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
KingOfStickers Since: Jul, 2014
eroock Since: Sep, 2012
25th Dec, 2019 03:16:21 AM

I could see this standing alone. Related to Cue the Falling Object.

I--Vanya--I Since: Jun, 2018
26th Dec, 2019 08:46:53 AM

I think Eye Scream can fit as an example, but this could be a sub-trope.

Vi: Well, it's not like we're getting attacked by a giant wasp spider guardian! | Leif: Never combine those words ever again.
eroock Since: Sep, 2012
26th Dec, 2019 10:07:03 AM

The trope could be made broader, like any spring popping up to indicate wreckage.

WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
Scorpion451 (Edited uphill both ways)
27th Dec, 2019 09:49:46 AM

^^3rding.

Also adding Explosive Instrumentation to Cue the Falling Object and Free Wheel as common overlapping tropes.

Key thing for this one is parts that should be on the inside popping/falling out as a "this is definitely broken" indicator.

There's a couple sound effects that tend to go with the visual, a wobbling jaw harp-type "sproing" being a popular one in cartoons. A sound like a can of coins or a mechanical alarm clock being shaken are also common.

Observation: the more parts sticking out and the more sound it makes, the worse the damage.

The red button is sticking out on a spring? The Gadgeteer Genius should have it working again in five minutes. The device makes a rattling sound and the antenna falls over to dangle by a couple wires. Make that ten minutes.

Edited by Scorpion451
Unsung Since: Jun, 2016
27th Dec, 2019 10:27:16 AM

4thed. Yeah, it's definitely a thing if we don't have it on its own. "Minor external damage is directly proportional to major internal damage" has gotta be something like one of the laws of comedy and cartoon physics.

WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
27th Dec, 2019 11:49:41 AM

This has become broader than I originally intended it to, so while I agree it's definitely a thing, someone else may be more suited than me to make a TLP draft.

Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
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