Don't Try This At Home: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''[[Fantastic Aesop|CAVEAT: Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt it in your own home.]]''|''[[Good Omens (Literature)|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]].

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]], [[Our Lawyers Advised This Trope]]. Contrast [[Never Be a Hero]].

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** The dub [[Spoof Aesop|plays it a little differently]]. Sonic does the same thing and receives the same complaint from the driver: "What if some kid tries this?" Sonic turns to the camera and says:

{{quote| '''Sonic''': Kids, don't use Formula One race cars to chase hedgehogs!}}

** In a later episode, a Chaos Emerald was found under a water, and [[~~Creators~~ Pet|Chris Thorndyke]] was helping Sonic go get it. During an attempt with a hosepipe, Chris holds up a sign saying, "Good kids: don't imitate this!!" Sonic then holds up a sign saying, "You mean I'm not a good kid?" This only happens in the Japanese version, as [[Four Kids Entertainment|4Kids]] ruined the joke by blanking out the signs and not bothering to put in any replacement text. This happens again a bit later, when Chris holds up a similar warning sign as they are about to use a bell in their scheme, and 4Kids, of course, blanked it out senselessly.

** In a later episode, a Chaos Emerald was found under a water, and [[Creator's Pet|Chris Thorndyke]] was helping Sonic go get it. During an attempt with a hosepipe, Chris holds up a sign saying, "Good kids: don't imitate this!!" Sonic then holds up a sign saying, "You mean I'm not a good kid?" This only happens in the Japanese version, as [[Four Kids Entertainment|4Kids]] ruined the joke by blanking out the signs and not bothering to put in any replacement text. This happens again a bit later, when Chris holds up a similar warning sign as they are about to use a bell in their scheme, and 4Kids, of course, blanked it out senselessly.

* In episode 10 of ''[[Fruits Basket]]'' Hatsuharu trips Kyo with a rope while Kyo is running (fortunately Kyo gets an [[Instant Bandages|Instant Bandage]]). Hatsuharu then [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|breaks the fourth wall]] to say that doing this could cause serious injury to anyone besides Kyo, so '''Don't Try This At Home'''.

{{quote| '''Kyo''': Don't try it here! [[Lampshade Hanging|Who are you even talking to?!]]}}

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{{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 (Manga)|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.)

* In the second ''[[Ah! My Goddess (Manga)|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 [[Sankarea]] that shows Chihiro's grandfather eating hydrangea leaves includes a warning to the viewer that hydrangea leaves are poisonous, and that the grandfather's acts should not be imitated.

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* 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]] ([[~~Poes~~ Law|we hope]]) in [[Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Book)|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.

* [[Fantastic Aesop|Parodied]] ([[Poe's Law|we hope]]) in [[Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog (Comic Book)|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.

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* ''[[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 and Teller|~~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 body -- near the end of the scene, Penn yells, "Guess what, kids? You ''can'' try this at home!"

* [[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 body -- near the end of the scene, Penn yells, "Guess what, kids? You ''can'' try this at home!"

* 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 the Spike series ''[[Thousand 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 (TV)|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.]]

* On a [[Farscape (TV)|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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** "Closed course" warning was also present in "Romancing the Bird", while making cornbread pudding blindfolded.

* A comedy sketch show featured a man who came to see a doctor because whenever he walked he would make a funny sound (he farted with every step). Eventually the doctor told the man to shut his eyes, he went to a window and opened it, said to the screen "don't try this at home" and leaped out.

* ''[[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.

* ''[[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 ~~Its~~ Not Awesome|the pronounciation of]] [[Vincent Van Gogh]].

** The trope was also applied to [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?|the pronounciation of]] [[Vincent Van Gogh]].

* [[The Goodies (TV)|"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."]]

* Aversion: Appears nowhere at all in ''[[Top Gear]]'', possibly because no one watching at home has the wherewithal to do most of their more outlandish stunts.