Drop the Washtub

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Commonly used in Anime, a washtub falls on a character for Rule of Funny. Compare Anvil on Head, the western equivalent.

Compare Washtub Throw.

Examples of Drop the Washtub include:

Anime and Manga

  • Moon Phase uses this liberally throughout the whole series. Various characters will get bonked on the head numerous times by one whenever they do something remotely stupid. No one is exempt, not even the house. It's all for the Rule of Funny, and at one point one character actually realizes exactly what he's saying, and steps back to catch the tub.
  • Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou: the main character's only magical power is summoning basins from thin air. Expect a head to be on the washtub's trajectory more often than not.
    • In one episode, a particularly huge one is used by the cast to actually bathe in.
  • In one episode Pani Poni Dash!, there's a random PSA sign out on the streets that says "Watch for falling basins", while depicting a washtub falling from the sky.
  • In one episode of Ah! My Goddess, Keiichi ends up being cursed with exceptionally bad luck, having just about every misfortunate thing happen to him such as getting crapped on by a bird flying overhead, having the ground collapse beneath his foot while walking, and other stuff. When he gets hit in the head by a falling washtub basin, he even loudly questions if that was what it really was.

Keiichi: "Was that a washtub!?"

  • Another Keiichi is occasionally the victim of these, which Satoko can summon with the mere snap of her fingers.
  • In Mahou Sensei Negima (pictured), characters can make a washtub fall on others' heads by casting it as a spell.
  • In Rosario + Vampire, Yukari often does this with magic.
    • Her mother takes this to the extremes in the anime, having them fall from freakin' space at terminal velocity!
  • Sgt. Keroro uses the Kero Ball in episode 2 to drop a veritable rain of washtubs on Momoka in order to stop her from throwing dodgeballs at Tamama. In a later episode, Keroro gets a washtub dropped on him as one of the punishments for not focusing on his report assignments.
  • Pikachu inexplicably gets bonked on the head with a washtub after having a bunch of empty cardboard boxes fall on his head in a warehouse in the 3rd episode of Pokémon Black & White. It knocks him out cold.
  • This happens during a "game" in Fireball Charming.
  • This happens in the first episode of Maburaho. Two of them drop on Kazuki's head while his friends continue to talk about how worthless he is as both a magic user and a student at the school.
  • In an extra episode of Clannad, Tomoya and Sunohara hang a party ball over the school's entrance with a string attached that said something really interesting would happen. Nagisa is the only one who pulls it and suffers from a washtub falling in slow motion until it hits her. It did come with some inspirational words for her to read in the infirmary though.
  • Hanaukyo Maid Tai La Verite
    • Episode 2. During Ryuuka's contest with Mariel a washtub falls on her head. The idea was for the person to step out of the way and catch the washtub as it falls, which Mariel does perfectly.
    • Episode 7 "Unidentified Living Creature". While the protagonists are exploring an underground passageway Ryuuka and Ikuyo Suzuki deliberately set off a number of booby traps, some of which drop washtubs on poor Taro's head.
  • In Excel Saga, Excel and Hyatt are dealing with intruders in an Absurdly Spacious Sewer. They're presented a wall full of unmarked buttons, all of them being traps. Excel tells Hyatt to push a button, and Excel suddenly finds herself dodging a ton of spears falling from the ceiling. After weaving her way out of the mess, she tells Hyatt to push another one, and then gets bonked on the head by a washtub.
  • Happens to Ranma in Ranma ½. Not surprising, considering how water seems to be attracted to him throughout the series.

Video Games

  • It's a regular trap in the Deception series - doesn't do a lot of damage (generally), but enrages the victim, forcing him to charge towards you, even if he would otherwise act cautiously and run away/keep his distance. Useful for luring such cautious foes into the REALLY nasty traps...
  • Happens in Sonic Adventure Series if you fail inputting a password in the Eggcarrier.
  • In Animal Crossing City Folk, when you visit the fortune-teller Katrina, she reads the stars... specifically, the ones that circle your head after she makes a washtub fall on it.
  • In Suikoden IV, your hero can listen to characters' confessions and decide whether to 'forgive' or 'punish' them. Forgiveness entails dumping confetti on them from a hidden door; punishment results in either water, buckets, or a washtub falling instead.
  • During some of the boss battles in the 1994 Game Boy Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong would make heavy objects fall from the sky, including barbells, 16t weights, and washtubs.
  • This randomly happens to Chibi-Robo! after recharging and trying to unplug. His sidekick Telly Vision keeps a count of how many times this happens.
  • In the Mario Party 6 mini-game Seer Terror, this is one of many misfortunes that can befall your character.
  • In the Snowboard Kids games, one of the items you can use drops washtubs on all your opponents, squashing them flat for a short time.
  • In the Disgaea series, the Prinny's Priver Dance attack drops one of these on the target's head. Etna's Prinny Raid also drops a flaming one in addition to the expected Prinnies.
  • God Hand has a God Reel/Roulette with customizable outcomes, but two constant choices; one of those two choices sends a Washtub falling on top of Gene's head and damaging him. This is ridiculous since it actually deals some damage, not to mention the God Reel/Roulette is NOT random, so you would have to actively scroll to this outcome and CHOOSE it for it to happen. Though, it's in Japan only; it's absent in the US version.
  • This happens to you if you get a 'dud' when using the Lady Luck dressphere's reels ability in Final Fantasy X-2. Like the God Hand example, duds do damage. In fact, it knocks off three-quarters of your remaining health, which makes using reels a pain; however, this can be curbed by another ability you can get later.
  • Sitting in one of the chairs in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness causes one to fall on you, complete with canned laughter.
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