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{{trope}}
[[File:bb-
{{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]]}}
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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]].
See also [[Do Not Attempt]]
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* "Professional driver, closed course"
** Seen in one car commercial that parodied ''Field of Dreams,'' by having the character build a race track in his corn field. At the end it said "Professional driver on a closed cornfield." Later they changed it back to "closed course."
** In a particularly ludicrous case, a tire commercial displays this warning while showing ''astronauts driving a rover across the moon''.
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* 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.
* A [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn_pU0K8U0s British Kellogg's commercial] for one of its brands, Crunchy Nut, showed a man riding on the back of an Irish Wolfhound in order to get home to have a bowl of the product - this advert contained a "Don't try this with your dog at home" on-screen disclaimer during scenes of the man on dog-back. Ninety-three people complained to the UK [[Moral Guardian|Advertising Standards Authority]] about the commercial, but [https://web.archive.org/web/20060925213212/http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_41725.htm the complaints were not upheld].
* 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.
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* A Carl's Jr. commercial had a man in a convenience store eat a really hot burger and chug some mouthwash to cool down the intense heat; the disclaimer read "Dramatization. Do not attempt. Mouthwash fatal if swallowed.". Nevertheless, they re-shot it later so that the man rinses his mouth out with it instead.
* Averted with one refrigerator ad where a woman attempts to defrost her open freezer with a ''flame-thrower''. You'd think there'd be some sort of caption with a disclaimer warning people not to try such a stunt at home, but apparently they forgot.
== Anime and Manga ==
* The Anime series ''[[Hayate the Combat Butler]]'' parodies this
** In the manga version, the chapter where Hayate defeats a robotic butler by {{spoiler|sticking silverware into its joints and shorting it out}} is actually titled something like "Good Little Kids Shouldn't Try This At Home! And Neither Should The Bad Ones!"
*** Good boys and girls should never {{spoiler|jump out of a moving train}}.
* The anime ''[[
** Which is made more amusing by the fact that the tough delinquent characters hardly ever actually do anything dangerous or likely to get anyone in trouble.
* In the first episode of ''[[Sonic X]],'' Sonic jumps on top of an S-Team race car during a chase, causing the driver to protest that they don't want any kids copying him; Sonic duly warns the kids in the audience never to stand on moving cars.This is possibly a parodical [[Shout-Out]] to the original ''Sonic Sez'' segments of the first animated series.
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* At the beginning of every episode of [[Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?]], we're helpfully reminded "Our protagonist is a zombie. Do not try this at home!"
* ''[[Star Driver]]'' holds up a notice, when a character rides the top of the bus to school, that only people who live on the fictional island the show is set is allowed to ride on the roof of a bus.
* In one of the [[
* In the [[Cooking Duel]] of ''[[Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya]] 2wei'', while Suzuka was wrapping up Tatsuko like a mummy to prevent her from further screwing up the cake they were baking, Nanami breaks the fourth wall to address the readers.
{{quote|'''Nanami:''' Kids, be good and don't imitate this please!}}
* When Walker uses an [[Aerosol Flamethrower]] in the sixth ''[[Durarara!!]]'' [[Light Novel]], the narration notes that this is, in fact, a ''terrible'' idea and more likely to set ''you'' on fire than your opponent. It then notes that Walker knows this and does it anyway, [[Cloudcuckoolander|because he's Walker.]]
* In the second ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' OAD, packaged with vol. 43 of the manga in September 2011, Keiichi does the old Mentos and Diet Coke eruption trick by holding the Mentos in his mouth and spitting them into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. An onscreen caption says "He is using it the wrong way. Children, don't do what he's doing." (Putting the Mentos in his mouth would probably make them less effective anyway, since the nucleation points on their surfaces would dissolve away.)
* A shot in [[
== Comic Books ==
== Comics ==▼
* [[Squirrel Girl]] likes to take advantage of her fourth wall breaking recap pages by warning us kids that we should not replicate the questionable acts done made during the issues. She especially warns us against downloading stuff free of the Internet.
** But then this was subverted in the very first issue of ''[[Great Lakes Avengers|G.L.A. Misassembled]]'' when Grasshopper hops in and announces that there are no kids who read comic books, [[You Bastard|only overweight thirty-year-old men who still live with their parents]], so he encourages readers to [[Too Dumb to Live|try these very questionable acts]] and do the human gene pool a favor. And then this trope is subverted yet again when he dies during his very next appearance.
* One ''[[The Far Side]]'', showing a kid sticking his head in a missile silo, had the following caption:▼
{{quote|Don't ever, ''ever'' do this.}}▼
* Spoofed in one ''Rubes'' strip that showed a man's gravestone with the epitaph "He tried it at home". The widow viewing the grave says "I told him not to".▼
* Cliff Steele of the [[Doom Patrol]], to goggle-eyed youths with skateboards following one incident: "And remember kids, don't walk through plate-glass windows!"
* [[Fantastic Aesop|Parodied]] ([[Poe's Law|we hope]]) in [[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Archie Sonic]], which [http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0fs3rlKqg1r2tdnt.png advises you] to not try vibrating your molecules fast enough to slip past an energy barrier.
* In the first chapter of ''[[American Flagg!]]'' by [[Howard Chaykin]], an episode of 2031 TV program ''Bob Violence'' ends with the show's vigilante title character advising, "And remember, folks—''please'' don't try ''any'' of the wacky stunts you've seen tonight... ''You guys'' bleed—but ''I'm a hologram!''" This is [[Hypocritical Humor]], because the "Bob Violence" show is '''packed''' with [[Subliminal Seduction|subliminal messages]] designed to make viewers '''more''' likely to commit violent crimes.
== Fan Works ==
* A ''[[Vocaloid]]'' [[Fan Vid]] advises children not to try any of the things featured in the video at home... in ''three'' languages: Traditional Japanese, English, and then Kansai. Considering that it involves [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDdtMdGT3c Miku juggling balls while Akita's trying to chop her head off], it's pretty well advised.
** The "Kansai language" is a dialect of Japanese, which is why Miku just looks confused. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZx5QtxSbaU See for yourself.]
** Although it stretches the definition of "English" pretty thin...
** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QOF2A2yMOs Another] video of the same author advises, in much the same manner, not trying to juggle a soccer ball while walking the tightrope between two skyscrapers.
▲== Films ==
* In ''[[Stay Tuned]]'', Helen, in cartoon form, says "Kids, don't try this at home", as she and Roy are dumping a handheld hair dryer (still plugged in!) into a bathtub filled with water to disable Robo-Cat.
* ''[[Jimmy Neutron]]'', in the film, remarks to [[Robot Buddy|Goddard]], "Don't try that at home" after shooting a communications <s> toaster</s> satellite into orbit ''by hand''. The important question: why say this, when 99% of households do not contain the materials to produce an upper-atmosphere rocket large enough for two human children and a robot dog?
** The remaining 1% doesn't either, for the record...
* At the end of ''[[The Men Who Stare at Goats]]'' a note includes that people shouldn't try several of the attempted psychic abilities at home, including mind control and cloudbursting while driving. {{spoiler|But invisibility's okay. And note that [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|they specifically said "while driving"]].}}
**
* At the beginning of ''[[Beerfest]]'', a movie that (unsurprisingly) involves inhuman amounts of beer ingestion, the viewer is warned that "if you attempt to drink this much...You will die."
* The protagonist of the second [[The Crow|Crow movie]] says this before taking a mook's gun and [[Ate His Gun|shooting himself in the mouth.]]
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* ''[[Ice Age]]'' had a TV spot for its home video release that showed comic violence throughout the spot over an announcer admonishing "Don't try this at home... or this... or this... or this... [[Overly Long Gag|or this]]..."
* The 2012 ''[[The Three Stooges]]'' film ends with one of these disclaimers, featuring the directors [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]] and demonstrating how much of the physical humor was done with rubber props (the sound effects make it sound realistic) and with safety being the top priority for the production. Seeing that the target audience for the film happens to be children, this is very useful for a film of its type.
== Literature ==
* Every instance of someone climbing into the eponymous wardrobe in [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]'s first ''[[Narnia]]'' book, ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' is accompanied by the narrator's remarks on how dangerous it is to close oneself into a wardrobe, how smart Lucy and Peter are to leave the door ajar, and how foolish Edmund is to close it on
** This becomes [[Hilarious in Hindsight]] as of the Walden Media movie adaptation: one of the outtakes has Edmund climbing into the wardrobe and closing the door behind him... and getting locked in.
* ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'': the second book, ''The Reptile Room'', warns the reader to never, ever, ever, ever, ever (continued for slightly more than a page) ''ever'' stick things in an electric socket. ''Ever''.
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* ''[[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."
* Aside from the ''[[Good Omens]]'' quote at the top of the page, [[Terry Pratchett]] pulls this trope in ''[[
** Another footnote, this time from ''[[
{{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.]]
* Another Pratchett example: ''[[Nation]]'' features an afterword discussing the truth behind some implausible-sounding things that happen in the story; most of them are accompanied with warnings that you should not try this at home. The last one ends, instead, with "Whether you try it at home is up to you." That last one is "Thinking."
* [[Stephen Colbert]]'s ''I Am America (And So Can You!)'' After a comment that the father's role in the family is as protector, so all men should sleep with a 9mm under their pillow and "wake up firing" at any sign of movement:
{{quote|'''PUBLISHER'S DISCLAIMER:''' [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|DO NOT SLEEP WITH A 9MM UNDER YOUR PILLOW AND SHOOT AT SHADOWS IMMEDIATELY UPON WAKING]].
'''''([[Footnote Fever|Margin note]]:''''' ''Do it.)'' }}
** [[Footnote Fever]] struck again when Stephen huffed Axe body spray on screen.
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* After describing the aftermath of a kitchen grease fire in ''Maggody and the Moonbeams'', Arly warns readers not to set off fire extinguishers indoors to find out if her description is accurate, or they'll be sorry.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* The Nickoloden game show Guts had a disclaimer from host Mike O Malley:
{{quote|Remember, all these events are made with our players safety in mind. They will be wearing safety equipment and will have stunt spotters and stunt coordinators with them at all times. So please, do not try this at home.}}
* "We're what you call 'experts'." Jamie and Adam on ''[[
{{quote|'''Adam:''' Please, don't try ''anything'' you're about to see us do at home.
'''Jamie:''' ''Ever!'' }}
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* "Neither you nor your dumb little buddies should attempt anything seen on this show." The original, funnier opening warning of ''[[Jackass]]''. Changed to a more serious disclaimer when [[Too Dumb to Live|one of their stunts]] ''[[Too Dumb to Live|was]]'' [[Too Dumb to Live|tried at home.]]
** The show also told viewers not to submit videos of their own stunts, and that any tapes they received would be thrown away unwatched.
* ''[[Brainiac: Science Abuse]]'' not only uses this a lot, but invariably reinforces it a few seconds later with "No, really -- Don't." Often associated with putting things in microwave ovens that cause them to explode.
** "No, really" was Richard Hammond's coda. When Vic Reeves took over, he changed it to "Don't try this at home -- or indeed any other place". This was probably because the producers realised that the phrase alone is so clichéd now that people don't actually register its meaning any more when they hear it.
* [[Penn & Teller]] produced a special entitled ''Don't Try This At Home!'' which subverted this by mostly containing stunts which were impossible to do at home anyway, such as enclosing themselves in a tent with a million bees, or counterweighting a truck with several tons of stage weights to drive it over Teller's chest. Further subverted for humourous effect later in the special, when they demonstrate the use of hydraulic squibs for producing blood effects by having Teller throw marshmallows at Penn's fake
* Back in the 1980s, on the David Letterman Show, Letterman would occasionally warn the viewers, "Don't try this at home." On at least one occasion, after witnessing an especially bizarre stunt, he looked at the camera and said, "Go to a friend's house instead."
** This punchline was also used by [[The Reduced Shakespeare Company]]. The guys are about to perform ''Hamlet'' really fast (as in the entire play in under a minute). They give a short disclaimer to the effect that props will be thrown about, etc., and the audience should not try this at home. Adam tosses back "go to a friend's house" as he assumes his position.
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* In ''[[Beakman's World]]'', one particularly dangerous demonstration involving ammonia and strong acids has a comical quick cut beforehand of all the characters turning in place with klaxons blaring and rotating red lights flashing before cutting a particularly urgent "Don't try this..." warning.
** On the whole, however, this trope is actually avoided, as with careful following of the instructions and parental supervision, you could do most of the experiments shown at home. The "safe" stunts had their own warning: "Experiments should be performed only with adult supervision, and all appropriate safety precautions should be taken. All directions should be followed exactly, and no substitutions should be used."
* ''[[That's Incredible]]'' was famous in the early 1980s for the use of this phrase to disclaim its many stunts, which was understandable considering how many real stuntmen were injured appearing on the show. However, they lampshaded themselves in a story on how a young girl spent a $5 bill containing a birthday inscription from her grandfather, and then received the same bill many years later as change for a purchase. The odds they gave (completely ignoring any multiplicity effects) for receiving that exact bill were something like six quintillion to one. The number is so high to count that they exhorted viewers '''Don't Try This At Home'''.
* In the Spike series ''[[1000 Ways to Die]]'', the disclaimer is probably the one that gets the most to the point: "Do not attempt to try any of the actions depicted! YOU WILL DIE!"
** In bloody red letters to boot (no pun intended).
* On a ''[[Farscape]]'' transcript Ben Browder tells people not attempt Unity, a special alien mental bond. Since the closest anyone could come to it is banging their heads together and hoping for the best this probably wasn't necessary. [[Viewers are Morons|Probably.]]
* There was a programme on ITV with the title ''Don't Try This At Home''. It featured numerous dangerous acts including climbing up very high cliffs in awful weather and doing the tightrope inside a building.
* At the end of every [[Gladiators]] episode.
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* ''[[Tomica Hero Rescue Fire]]'' had a variation/lampshade. Ritsuka was fighting a pair of [[Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja|Ninja]] [[Mooks|Jakkast]] who were using a [[Improvised Weapon|giant spoon and a large metal pot]]. She attacked them because she didn't want to see any cute little kids imitating them.
* On an episode of ''[[QI]]'' it was revealed that custard is dense enough to walk on if you have, say, a kiddie pool full of it. The panel jumped at the opportunity to tell any kids watching that they definitely ''should'' try this at home.
** The footage shown of someone actually walking on custard was from an episode of [[Brainiac: Science Abuse]], which is already mentioned above. In fact, the occurence might be considered a [[Shout-Out]] to the show.
** The trope was also applied to [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|the pronounciation of]] [[Vincent van Gogh]].
* [[The Goodies|"We would like to point out that Ecky Thump is the ancient Lancastrian art of self defence. When practised by the untrained, it could be dangerous."]]
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* "''[[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.
** Zig Zagged with "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110120031542/http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=266264&title=surprise-trust-falls Surprise Trust Falls]". Subverted when Daniel follows his surprise trust falls by saying, "Feel free to send us your own surprise trust falls to our website, and be careful." Doubly subverted when Daniel is "forced" to ask people to stop doing them after people start sending in [https://web.archive.org/web/20101225093052/http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=267720&title=viewer-surprise-trust-falls their own videos]. Triply subverted when, after showing the surprise trust falls already sent in, Daniel says, "Screw it, keep sending them in!"
* 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.
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* ''[[Cake Boss]]'' has needed to invoke this on occasion. When they made a cake for Grucci Fireworks (which included live fireworks), the episode opened with a safety warning. And then Buddy blew up a test cake trying to see how this was going to work; maybe ''he'' should have watched the safety warning.
** When Buddy was asked to make a fire-breathing cake, he invoked this trope by name during a test run.
* [[Dick And Dom Go Wild]] open each show with a reminder that they're working with trained animal handlers and kids shouldn't approach wild animals on their own, and repeat it if they do anything particularly dangerous (or cute, like feeding fawns.) And when Dick did the notorious cow pregnancy test
== Music ==
* 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]].
* [[Songs to Wear Pants To]]'s "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130514131750/http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/songs/i-am-the-reason-why-girls-are-hot/ I am The Reason Why Girls Are Hot]" ends with "Yo I got a flamethrower and a microwave \ bring any girl to me and I'll make her real hot \ Don't try this at home, kids... bring her to ''my'' house".
* "Hellbent" by Self includes the line "I've been trying things at home that I saw on television, and I'm doin' 'em wrong!
== [[New Media]] ==
* The straightest, most serious and most thoroughly ''justified'' example imaginable appears at the beginning of one ''Escape Pod'' sci-fi short fiction podcast. The content warnings are usually delivered in a fairly lighthearted manner, but when one story featured auto-erotic asphyxiation by young children as a plot point, there was an audible note of fear in host Stephen Eley's voice as he delivered the warning. [http://escapepod.org/2008/07/11/ep166-the-something-dreaming-game/ Listen to it here,] and please, heed the warning.
* ''[[Cracked.com]]'''s list of [http://www.cracked.com/article_18803_6-death-defying-stunts-that-are-secretly-easy-to-do.html 6 Death-Defying Stunts That Are Secretly Easy to Do] repeatedly says "Seriously, don't try this yourself."
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7UmUX68KtE This] video starring the Swedish Chef of [[The Muppets]] fame warns at the beginning "The Swedish Chef is a trained professional. (Sort of) Do not try this at home. (Seriously) Thanks. (Really)"
▲== Newspaper Comics ==
▲* One ''[[The Far Side]]'', showing a kid sticking his head in a missile silo, had the following caption:
▲{{quote|Don't ever, ''ever'' do this.}}
▲* Spoofed in one ''Rubes'' strip that showed a man's gravestone with the epitaph "He tried it at home". The widow viewing the grave says "I told him not to".
== Professional Wrestling ==
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** 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.
* From Kaiju Big Battel's PSA: "[
== Radio ==
* Parodied in an episode of ''[[Hello Cheeky]]''. The gang present kung fu on radio, followed by about fifteen seconds of exaggerated yelling. This is followed by "Children are warned not to do what we have just done, because you feel a right ''berk''."
== Tabletop Games ==
* There is a rather hilarious "disclaimer" in ''[[Exalted]]'' first edition rulebook that goes "Exalted is not really the secret history of the world. You cannot really cast spells. You should not hit your friends or loved ones with swords. This game is not intended to be played by people who can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality."
** Of course, given how detailed and immersive the setting is, this might be helpful actually...
* A review of the notoriously panned ''[[FATAL]]'', which can be found [
* Many fantasy roleplaying games have a disclaimer in which the authors basically tell the reader not to become involved in the occult simply because the game world postulates that magic actually works. (The disclaimer in C. J. Carella's ''Witchcraft'' is particularly humorous in this regard.) Weis and Hickman's ''Darksword Adventures'' contains the rules for Phantasia, a roleplaying game set in the Darksword novels' world of Thimhallan. One of the book's conceits is that it was written by a character in the fictional world for Earth humans (a future advanced spacefaring culture, who refer to the planet as "Kinsky-3"), and that the game is actually played in the fictional world. In Thimhallan, magic is Life and Technology, or Death is considered Evil, and so the "author" cautions readers against playing characters who have no ability to use magic, and expresses reservations about discussing the "Dark Arts" of technology within the rules.
== Theatre ==
* Near the end of ''[[The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)||The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)]]'', the actors caution the audience 'do not try this at home,' and one adds as an aside, 'yeah, go over to a friend's house and do it!'
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Escape from Monkey Island]]'', just before he does a false alarm prank with a fire alarm on a school, Guybrush turns [[No Fourth Wall|to the player]] and says that you should never, ever do this in [[Real Life]].
** Also used in [[The Curse of Monkey Island|the previous game]], where Guybrush makes a similar disclaimer, with plenty of [[No Fourth Wall|fourth wall breaking]], right before cheerfully ingesting a spiked drink.
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** This is most likely a reference to a (in)famous scene the previous game, ''Maniac Mansion'', in which certain characters could blow up Weird Ed's hamster in the microwave. DOTT treat this event as canon: Ed is still traumatized by the loss of his hamster and has undergone several years of therapy. (Which makes it all the more amusing that the hamstersicle is also his pet).
*** Was it specifically for microwaving the hamster, or just intruders in his house stealing it? Because while you don't have to microwave the hamster in the course of the game, you ''do'' have to steal it to find the keycard that opens Dr. Fred's lab.
* "The skaters depicted in this game are either professionals, made-up, or just plain crazy."
* The ''[[Need for Speed]]'' series always included a short video disclaimer about safe driving, delivered by whomever was playing the hottie in the FMV cutscenes.
* Lampshaded in ''Ratchet: Deadlocked,'' which had Dallas, the male announcer spouting out random comments while you fight, say "Remember, don't try any of this at home. Go to a friend's house!"
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* 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.
* Some [[Eroge]] come packaged with a message like this. An example can be found [https://web.archive.org/web/20140828143828/http://forums.novelnews.net/showpost.php?p=59880&postcount=1 here].
** "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.
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* Both [[Jet Set Radio]] games have the following disclaimer at the start of the game.
{{quote|"Graffiti is art. However, graffiti as an act of vandalism is a crime. Every state/province has vandalism laws that apply to graffiti, and local entities such as cities and counties have anti-graffiti ordinances. Violation of these laws can result in a fine, probation, or a jail sentence. [[Sega]] does not condone the real life act of vandalism in any form."}}
== Web Comics ==
* [[Irregular Webcomic]]: In the annotations of [http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2568.html this comic.]
{{quote|And do not, under any circumstances, attempt to emulate Kyros. He is a trained idiot.}}
* Used seriously in ''[[Collar 6]]'', which has warnings that it's a fantasy world, ''NOT'' a guide to BDSM safety.
* ''[[Amazing Super Powers]]'' did it in [http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/2008/05/watercooler/ the strip about the watercooler] (see [[Alt Text]]).
* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' warns you: [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-08-24 Put away that linear accelerator RIGHT NOW or I'm telling your mom.]
** Another thing you should ''not'' be trying at home is [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2013-07-11 "firing pulsed plasma weapons into giant thunderstorms"].
== Western Animation ==
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* Every episode of ''[[Total Drama Island]]'' begins with Chris informing us that "This episode of TDI contains scenes of extreme stunts performed by animated teens. Do not try any of what you see here at home. Seriously, you could get really messed up." The latest version has him going out of his way to stress the part about "Animated Teens"; as he says the words 'animated teens' very slowly, the letters A-N-I-M-A-T-E-D T-E-E-N-S are themselves animated to emphasize how stupid it would be to do what he forces his victims to do.
** Maybe in the original, but never in the American version. Considering our [[Media Watchdogs]], that's rather surprising.
* Supposedly part of an aborted [[Executive Meddling|plan]] to give [[American Dragon: Jake Long|Jake Long's dragon form]] helmet was based on the prospect of children imitating it. Yeah, children turning into a dragon and flying without a helmet, makes perfect sense.
* Sometimes in ''[[Animaniacs]]'' before they were about to viciously attack an enemy or do a dangerous stunt, Yakko would tell the audience "Kids don't try this at home."
* Sometimes before they were about to do something dangerous in the original ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' cartoon, Raphael would say, "Kids don't try this at home."
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* 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."
** Another episode, Nermal surprises Garfield, while the latter was trying to sleep. Garfield was able to climb on the ceiling and down the walls due to his claws. He addresses how that it takes strong claws, and "we're professionals".
* 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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*** In fact, he crushes a sea mine specifically labelled "Do not crush in Dad's vice".
* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' has Homer lecture Bart after taking him to see a UFC [[Expy]], telling him "Don't try this at home. Try it at school, somewhere where we can sue if you get hurt - and not ''just'' the school, but the county, the state, and that jackass Joe Biden!"
* [[
* In the [[Space Goofs]] [[Christmas Episode]], the aliens are trying to drive away Santa Claus by lighting explosives under the chimney:
{{quote|'''Etno''': "Remember folks, don't try this at home."
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{{quote|'''Igor:''' Kids, do '''''NOT''''' try this at home!!!}}
* Episode 4 of ''[[Ultimate Spider-Man (animation)|Ultimate Spider Man]] begins with Spidey riding the Spider-Cycle in a subway tunnel. He looks at the audience, in the way he often does on the show, and says, "No, I'm not allowed to do this. And neither are you."
== Real Life ==
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* At one of his concerts, [[Meat Loaf]] noticed some young children in the audience. He told them "Kids, don't talk like I do when you get home." (Meat Loaf tends to use swear words on stage.) And adds "Wait 'till you get to school!"
* One psychology textbook talks about neurosurgeons a half century ago discovering that stimulating different areas on the exposed motor cortex caused different parts of the body to respond. In parentheses, the book adds, "Kids, don't try this without parental supervision."
* In an interesting subversion, scientist Theodore Gray's rather awesome book ''Mad Science: Experiments you can do at home...but probably shouldn't'' contains fifty-odd experiments that go from making your own 1-volt batteries, casting zinc, anodising titanium and making copper penny foils, to an experiment with 30 pounds of mercury and making your own salt using chlorine and sodium!! In the front of the book Gray talks about how 'don't try this at home' is stifling the inquisitive natures required for tomorrow's chemists. Instead, he says that if you promise to protect your hands and eyes (especially eyes; he has nightmares about the mother of a child blinded doing his experiments telling him off) and use common sense, he will tell you what the real dangers are for each gnarly experiment. To this end, some of the actually doable experiments which have an element of danger are lacking somewhat in the instructions, meaning one will need a basic knowledge of the chemistry behind the experiment before it will work.
* ''Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities'' illustrates parity by describing a con-trick, requiring "three cups and [[The Mark|one mug]]". Stewart adds "Do not try this at home or anywhere else ... or if you do, keep me out of it."
* A live stage show at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, on Horror Movie Make-Up, warns children not to try this at home. "That's right. Try it at a friend's house."
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[[Category:Show Business]]
[[Category:Stock Phrases]]
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