Don't Try This At Home: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''[[Fantastic Aesop|CAVEAT: Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home.]]''|''[[Good Omens]]'', by [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]}}

Mandatory disclaimer heard at least once, and often more times, during any show which presents outrageous stunts or death-defying acts of derring-do. Mandatory because there are more than a few [[Viewers are Morons|morons out there with so little common sense]] that they will actually ''try'' these things without the proper training and then [[Frivolous Lawsuit|sue everybody in sight]] when they get hurt (or their family will do it for them when [[Darwin Awards|they]] [[Too Dumb to Live|get killed]] or forgot/don't know how to sue.) Sometimes played for laughs ''within'' a show, as a character [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|turns to the audience]] and says "Do ''not'' try this at home" before beginning the most comically dangerous part of the [[Zany Scheme]].

 

 

== Advertising ==

* "Professional driver, closed course"—Any ad involving racing or car stunts. Or, in many cases, just plain driving. In fact, pretty much any ad that features a vehicle, really.

* There was an ad for what at the time was the latest version of Office that showed a man sitting at his office desk, which was racing through the desert. The disclaimer was again, "Do not attempt."

* In a recent Degree ad, a man, after smelling the deodorant they were advertising, proceeds to leap out an airplane, with his shopping cart, and land on the ground, riding the shopping cart down the freeway. Only when he makes it in between two 18-wheelers do we see the "Do not attempt" disclaimer.

* Ads showing a Post-it on a wall supporting a kid/a dog. Brief text says "Just Kidding. Cannot support a child/dog." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avsOSeXtGAw

* There was a British commercial for a brand of cereal (IIRC) that tasted so good a man ''ran back into a burning building'' to finish a bowl. There was a caption that read "In a real emergency get out and call the fire brigade", but that wasn't good enough for the regulators who pulled the ad off the air after a couple of days.

* ''[[The Red Green Show|The Red Green Book]]'' describes a fictional "game" that essentially involves drinking oneself into low-level alcohol poisoning. Understandably, that section of the book contains an editor's note that says "Do ''not'', under ''any'' circumstances, ''ever'' play this game."

* ''[[Curious George]]'': "George is a monkey, and he does things we can't do."

{{quote|"* A message from the author. Not all cauldrons are metal. You can boil water in a leather cauldron, if you know what you are doing. You can even make tea in a paper bag if you are careful and know how to do it. But please don't, or if you do, [[Plausible Deniability|don't tell anyone I told you]]."}}

** [[Call Back|One of the Tiffany Aching books had a Feegle queen boiling water in a leather cauldron.]]

* "''[[Captain Scarlet]]'' is indestructible. You are not. Remember this, Do not try to impersonate him."

* Frequently played around with on [[Tosh.0]]. Exaggerated when Daniel plays "Guess What Happens Next" with a video of an Asian kid who {{spoiler|lights his crotch on fire}}; he spends about a minute driving home the point that viewer should not try this at home.

* Web Soup has a segment called "Please, please, please, for the love of God, don't try this at home!"

* When ''[[Power Rangers]]'' first aired in the UK, it was broadcast in ITV's morning slot as part of their breakfast show GMTV. GMTV also included a fitness segment with "Mr Motivator", who would appear before ''Power Rangers'' to warn viewers that the Rangers were played by trained martial artists/stunt performers and kids should Not Try This At Home.

* The song "Cartoon Heroes" by [[Aqua]] features the line "What we do is what you just can't do" to remind kids not to try all the things they see their cartoon heroes doing.

* When the Irish music group Darby O'Gill covered [[Tom Lehrer]]'s ''The Irish Ballad'', they added this disclaimer after detailing one of the female protagonist's [[Self-Made Orphan|murders]].

* "Hellbent" by Self includes the line "I've been trying things at home that I saw on television, and I'm doin' 'em wrong!

 

** And recently they've been having wrestlers tell the viewers not to try any stunts at home about three times per two-hour episode, probably due to [[Executive Meddling]] caused by WWE now trying to pander to children as their main audience.

*** Now they've gone one further with their PSAs, saying "Don't try this." No at home. Don't try it '''anywhere'''. Someone probably used [[Exact Words]] and tried it somewhere other than at home.

 

== Radio ==

* Used in a more subtle way in ''[[Saints Row]]'', during a mission after trying to find out the recipe for Loa Dust, Tobia's wife tells about what is in the Loa Dust but does not explicitly tell what exactly it is made of to the player and gives it to Shaundi instead. Given the possible controversy of teaching gamers to produce real life chemical drugs. It was a good idea anyway.

* Used in the title of an Xbox game, ''Backyard Wrestling -- Don't Try This At Home'', featuring various characters (including members of [[Insane Clown Posse]]) mauling one-another with garden-tools and various common-household improvised-weaponry.

** "no actual or identifiable minor was used during the process of creating the artwork or characters portrayed in this game. " unidentifiable and and non actual minors on the other hand?

* If the player falls hard in ''[[Backyard Sports|Backyard Skateboarding]]'', Erik says "Don't try this at home, kids" after landing.

* A ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' episode entitled ''Lemon Aid'' had this. Long story short, Jon, Garfield and Odie were in Jon's car, chasing another out-of-control car down a pier. Garfield leans out the window holding a harness attached to a rope, as he is about to save the man in the other car, and says to the camera, "Kids, don't try this at home. We're professionals, and also [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|we're cartoon characters]]." It was a [[Talking Is a Free Action|really long pier]].

** In another episode, Garfield leads a pursuing dog into a box for sawing someone in half. Shortly after he starts sawing the box, he pauses to tell viewers, "Don't try this at home."

* Disney's newest animated show [[Kick Buttowski]] basically is a personification of the trope.

* In one episode of ''[[Sam and Max Freelance Police (animation)|Sam and Max Freelance Police]]'', Sam says "Remember, kids, we're professional cartoon characters. Don't try this at home!" and proceeds to use Max as a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u5M_kzeoN projectile battering ram] (just after the 4:00 mark).

 

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[[Category:Show Business]]

[[Category:Stock Phrases]]