Fantasy Helmet Enforcement

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Kiddies, you can never be too safe, even on your tricycles!

"Great, yeah, lock the door, Tommy, real good."

—Dr Tommy Oliver (as a robot T-rex bears down on his jeep), Power Rangers Dino Thunder

In many shows, mostly those made for kids, any scene showing the characters biking, "scootering", skating, or doing anything similar, one thing that won't be left at home is a bicycle helmet. The only time a character will go sans helmet is in a Very Special Episode about wearing your bicycle helmet, and/or show where the characters Can't Get Away with Nuthin', where said character will either A. Get caught by the parents, or B. get into an accident that results in an injury that could have been prevented if they had worn said helmet.

Knee and elbow pads can also appear in this trope, although not as frequently.

This trope can also contribute to a good amount of Fridge Logic in situations in which time is a priority, or during quick transitions of little time, yet the characters find time to strap on safety gear.

While there is nothing wrong with wearing a helmet, generally in Real Life, many people bike around without helmets, and don't usually find themselves getting in accidents caused by the wrath of helmet gods for not wearing any gear. Ditto for skating and other activities. Helmet laws do exist however, not necessarily for bikes, but much more often for motorcycles.

However, Moral Guardians wouldn't want their kids thinking if their favorite TV character doesn't wear a helmet, then why should they, thus, no head goes without a helmet.

It should also be noted, at least according to this site, that nobody really wore helmets as much as they do now until The Nineties. Ironically, accidents went up, because people believed if you wore a helmet, you were guaranteed safe from any accident. Face it, while a helmet does have some protective value, it's not going to make you invincible.

Examples of Fantasy Helmet Enforcement include:

Anime and Manga

  • In Cardcaptor Sakura, when she goes rollerblading to school, Sakura wears all the protective gear, including the helmet. The one exception to this rule was when she was trying to catch the Fly card or in a few other card-catching cases, but that first one was in the middle of the night and she was still wearing her pajamas.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
    • In one instance, Yusei has a spare helmet for a second rider even though there's no place to store it, and the bike wasn't designed to hold two people.
    • There could've been a compartment under the seat like in a lot of bikes. Though the double-seater has no excuse.
    • The Dark Signers who used D-Wheels still used helmets, though it's kind of odd why they thought it necessary. (They were already dead.) In fact, the only time anyone in the franchise had what might be considered a fatal motorcycle accident was when Placido lost to Yusei during the Diablo invasion, and he got rid of his helmet to switch his D-Wheel to Super Mode ; while the crash "killed" him, he was an android, and was eventually repaired.
    • In the first true D-Wheel duel in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yugo also just happens to have a spare helmet for Zuzu when they have to use his D-Wheel to escape Security, and it actually matches her outfit! oh, and in this reality, Zuzu reacts far more realistically than anyone in 5Ds when she realizes Yugo is dueling while driving a motorcycle at high speed - she panics.

Comic Books

Film

  • In Thunderball, James Bond would don a helmet before going to fly around in the Bell Rocket Belt. The filmmakers objected to the helmet, but the stunt man refused to fly the rocket without it.

Live-Action TV

  • In the 1960s Live Action Batman they Lampshaded several things in a The More You Know kind of way, including taking the time to properly buckle your safety belt.
  • Power Rangers has it easy, as helmets are part of Rangers' suits. However, there's one instance in Dino Thunder of a helmet appearing out of nowhere between shots, when Tommy has to drive a barely-conscious Elsa out of the area on an ATV. Earlier, Tommy also makes a point of fastening his seat belt before driving off even though the freaking Tyrannosaur chasing him seemed to be the greater safety hazard. Though, as the page quote shows, he does chide himself for it immediately afterwards.
    • Ziggy also has a strange moment where he stops to put on a helmet before driving off in a go-kart in order to get away from the deranged Attack Bot Tenaya 7. Slightly justified in that Tenaya is the type of character who deliberately prolongs her hunts to increase her enjoyment.
    • This also got a playful nod in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, part of the franchise that birthed Power Rangers. In the episode where the team encounters former Carranger leader Kyosuke Jinnai, the Gokaiger attack the Monster of the Week while riding vehicles like scooters and bicycles. Kyosuke admonishes Red and Green for riding double on a single bicycle, which is perfectly in character since he's been shown to be a traffic safety nut throughout the episode.
    • Speaking of Gekisou Sentai Carranger, that series' slogan was "Fighting for traffic safety!"
  • If the trope can be extended to seat belts, both Ice Road Truckers and, on occassion, Dirty Jobs subvert this by pointing out that while driving on iced-over bodies of water, you do not wear your seat belt since falling through the ice is a far likelier hazard than crashing, and undoing a seat belt wastes valuable seconds.
  • Angel doesn't need to wear a helmet for protection, but, as Wesley points out, it's the law in California. He just wishes it weren't bright pink.

Angel: It's just, y'know, the whole visibility issue, not to mention the whole hat-head thing, I mean when you, when you really think about how come I have to wear the lady's helmet?
Wesley: Stop being such a wanker and put it on... looks good. Hop on board, gorgeous.
Angel: You'll pay for this.

  • An episode of Blood Ties had a bizarre example, where a child is shown sneaking out of the house to ride his bike. Just because you are the evil spawn of a dark elf, sneaking out of the house to murder one of the neighborhood children, that's no reason to ignore bicycle safety.
  • Wonder Woman; Diana could do a double-spin on her Instant Costume Change to turn her regular costume into one that included roller skates, with a stylish helmet that matched the rest of her costume. Averted, however, the rare times she was shown piloting her Invisible Jet - she didn't use a helmet there.

Music

Video Games

  • In Grand Theft Auto IV, Niko and Luis will both pull a helmet out of thin air to put on when they get on a motorcycle. However, the player can easily just gun the gas as soon as they get on and drive off helmetless. The helmet actually has an advantage in reducing damage when you hit your head in a crash.
    • Made almost entirely pointless for the DLC episodes. Due to revamping bike handling to make gameplay easier for TLAD (an episode that focused heavily on motorcycle riding) it's absolutely impossible to fall off the bike, leading to situations where you can end up stuck upside-down, still on your bike—with getting off the bike the only way to correct it.
  • In Bully, you don't have to wear a helmet when you ride a regular bicycle, however, your trouble meter goes up if you go on a motorbike without helmets. Shown Their Work indeed.
  • In Nancy Drew: Danger at Deception Point, if you don't put your helmet on, Nancy has an accident and ends up in the hospital as a Game Over.
  • In the first Space Quest you can't start the emergency escape craft unless you first buckle your seat belt. (And seeing as there's only a limited amount of time for you to evacuate before the starship explodes, every second counts.) Even worse, if you manage to escape, then once you crash land, you can't exit the escape craft until you unbuckle it. And time matters here too, because after a while, a spider droid shows up to hunt for you.
  • In the Pokémon franchise, this was initially averted for years. Whether the trainer was using a bicycle, rollerblades, a live mount (including a legendary Pokémon like Latios/Latias in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), or a souped-up motorcycle like Wes has in Pokémon Colosseum they never used any safety gear. It's finally played straight in Pokémon Sun and Moon, where the trainer's riding outfit for the various Poké-Ride mounts includes a helmet and safety pads, plus a life jacket for surfing mounts. Most later main-series games (except for the Pokémon Let's Go! games) have also continued to follow suit with at least helmets, but not life jackets. Pokémon Sword and Shield even has customization options for the trainer's cycling outfit and helmet, and the Expansion Pass DLC includes a speed upgrade for the bike that also changes the standard helmet to a full-face one. Additionally, you now wear a helmet and protective gear whenever you ride your bike in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Western Animation

  • Hey Arnold! followed this rule.
  • In the Strawberry Shortcake episode "Back in the Saddle", all the girls are shown wearing helmets under their cowboy hats while riding horses.
  • Arthur brings the Fridge Logic on this, since the major characters have ears that stick through the air vents, making one wonder if they would be torn in a nasty crash.
    • Also there was one episode where Arthur and Buster are given crap by two skater kids for wearing safety straps.
  • Rocket Power, due to Executive Meddling. Nickelodeon would not pick up the show unless the kids were wearing appropriate safety gear during all of their extreme sports activities.
    • Justified in that they are required in almost all formally-sanctioned competitive events.
  • All Grown Up!
  • Johnny Test
  • Stanley had an episode that dealt with armadillos and wearing your bicycle helmet when he questioned its necessity.
  • In Phineas and Ferb, either they're lampshading the hell out of it, or they're really into helmets. There will be helmets under cowboy hats, turtles as helmets, the list goes on.
    • In "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted", they weren't wearing any. And then it was revealed that they had created head-shaped helmets, complete with hair. These helmets showed up again in later episodes.
    • And lets not forget Candace and the pool turned skate-park in "De Plane! De Plane!"...

Kid 1: Safety first! (throws a helmet on Candace)
Kid 2: Safety first! (throws knee and elbow pads on her)
Kid 3: Safety first! (hands her a steering wheel)
Candace: Steering wheel? How is this safe? (crashes and airbag deploys from the steering wheel)

  • Then Candace and Jeremy end up getting hurt anyway when Phineas and Ferb's passing airplane blots out the sun and causes Candace to crash into Jeremy.
  • Definitely lampshaded in "Tour de Ferb", when Candace drags Linda out of the shower to see Phineas and Ferb's latest project, and Linda quips "Lucky thing I picked today to wear my bike helmet in the shower."
  • Kim Possible: Any of her gadgets will strap on the necessary safety gear. When she pulls the cord to fire up a backpack-Jet Pack, a robot arm pops a helmet on her head.
    • Also played straight in the odd episode where it's not one of her gadgets but a borrowed jetski or something, she always puts on life-preservers and similar gear.
  • Plot point in Darkwing Duck: in 'Darkly Dawns the Duck', Darkwing always wears his Nice Hat on his motorcycle. Gosalyn finds a discarded helmet, and lectures him on bike safety; he then normally wears the helmet when riding. 'Dead Duck' features Darkwing skipping the helmet, as it had been destroyed (by a falling anvil). Guess what happens based on the episode title.
  • Fillmore!: They always hijack the helmet as well whenever they pull a Flashed Badge Hijack on a bike, scooter, whatever.
  • American Dragon: Jake Long: Supposedly, this was considered for the title character, but ultimately rejected, presumably because an impressionable youth is much more likely to bike without a helmet than turn into a dragon and fly, helmet or no.
  • The Incredibles 2 is an aversion; Elastigirl doesn't bother with a helmet while using her suped up super-cycle. Possibly justified for three reasons: she's working as a "superhero advocate", meaning its important that civilians see her face, the bike is specially designed to make use of her specific powers, and said powers include malleability, meaning a collision would probably not be life-threatening.
  • In X-Men, even Wolverine wears a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Presumably the in-universe issue is less safety than not getting a citation.
    • Same with X-Men: Evolution. This makes sense with Wolverine, as he's trying to blend in. But it's weird to see Sabretooth, of all people, wearing a helmet, as he makes no attempt to blend it, and can presumably... deal with any cop unluckly enough to pull him over.
  • Averted in Code Lyoko. Part of the complex excuse to use stock footage route the kids use to get to the factory and save the day involves riding skateboards (or in Jérémie and Aelita's case, a scooter) through an Absurdly Spacious Sewer, yet none of them keep any safety gear down there. You'd think at least safety-conscious Jérémie would stash a helmet with his scooter.
    • However, during a skateboard competition organized by the school, all the kids are wearing helmets and protective gears. Which is a good thing, because they tend to fall a lot... or even crash into each other.
  • In the premiere of Batman Beyond, Terry starts fighting with a motorcycle gang of Jokerz and grabs a spare bike (one of theirs?) to lead them away. As he takes off, there's a quick scene showing him reach back for a helmet conveniently sitting on the seat—you'd think that putting it on would interfere with his driving.
  • In a variant of the rule, British childrens cartoon Peppa Pig is to be seen in the future wearing safety belts while riding in a car, as well as helmets when riding bikes. And the creators of the show are also taking retroactive remedy in that all older episodes are to be edited to feature them wearing safety belts and helmets as well.
  • And then there's Dora the Explorer always buckling up. Additionally, Dora serves as a spokesgirl for St. Jude's safety trike-a-thon program..
  • Kick Buttowski always wears his helmet when performing stunts... because he never takes it off to begin with. (Never know when a stunt opportunity will present itself.)
  • Franklin, and like on Arthur, there's at least one character whose ears stick straight up through their helmet. There is no story about someone getting in trouble because they don't think helmets are cool. There is, however, one entirely focused around Franklin getting a fancy new helmet with a flashing light on top because he's outgrown his old one and some of the other kids find the new helmet goofy. When he hears the kids making fun of that type of helmet, he hides it and tries to borrow his friend Bear's to use for a bike safety rally, only to be told that you should never wear a helmet that hasn't been specifically fitted for you. In the end, another friend helps him to see that it doesn't matter if the other kids think the helmet is dorky and the bike safety officer suggests that the flashing light could be a useful safety feature. He is seen wearing this helmet throughout the rest of the series.
    • Fridge Logic again; Franklin being a turtle, wouldn't his head be at more risk since the helmet would prevent him from fully retracting his head into his shell?
  • In My Friends Tigger & Pooh, the Super Sleuths (Pooh, Tigger and Darby) always wear their helmets when riding their Sleuther Scooters. ("Somebody's needing our help today, so helmets on and scooters away!")
  • In "The Magic Skateboard" on The Backyardigans, the Backyardigans (minus Tasha, who is not in the story) all wear helmets and padding. Uniqua's antennae stick up through her helmet, Austin's ears stick up through his and Tyrone's antlers through his. Additionally, his ears stick out to the sides.
  • Seen on Gofrette, and yes, once again, there are anthropomorphic characters with ears that stick through their helmets.
  • Used on PB and J Otter.
  • Adventures from the Book of Virtues uses this.
  • Both Will and Dewitt always wear their helmets when riding or biking on Will & Dewitt
  • Though no bikes were involved, an episode of the Sam and Max Freelance Police animated series features Sam using Max to batter down a door, and he does indeed put a helmet on Max (and the duo give a warning about how they're cartoon characters who have "being fictional" as their stunt qualifications). The Effigy Mound, a now-out-of-print Sam & Max sketchbook, actually has materials from the production of this, revealing that the original drafts were more like Steve Purcell's comics. For that scene in particular is a note insisting on the helmet, and complaining that "it still seems like something a child could imitate at home with a pet rabbit".
  • My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic has this with the young pegasus Scootaloo and her scooter. Completely Justified because she uses her wings as a motor, meaning she goes insanely fast.
  • Lilo & Stitch: The Series had Stitch and Gantu put on helmets before getting on bikes. Which they had stolen. Also, it was the middle of a chase scene.
    • Makes less sense for Stitch than it does for Gantu, considering the experiment is stated several times to be indestructible (though Gantu's sheer size would likely make him tougher than humans). In the movie he gets run over by an 18-wheeler for god's sake.
  • Spider-Man the Animated Series - Spider-Man and Black Cat are fleeing from SHIELD agents on flying motorbikes. When Spidey runs out of web-fluid, Black Cat steals a motorcycle, donning the helmet between shots. Spidey puts a second one on, noting that he's probably gonna need it.
  • Parodied in an episode of The Simpsons. Marge has become a police officer, and notices Bart is about to go skateboarding without wearing a helmet or pads. She tells him that he has to wear them, saying it's for his safety. Cut to Bart getting wailed on by a group of bullies, stating that the equipment's soft padding makes it easier for them to beat him.
  • Snake Eyes is nearly always wearing a helmet when he's riding his motorcycle in G.I. Joe: Renegades. In one instance, he's first seen driving a stolen Cobra ATV, wearing a helmet, before he hops off, tossing the helmet off as he does...and then putting on a different helmet three seconds later when he hops on his motorcycle.
  • Jackie Chan Adventures has Jade fleeing the Shadowkahn in the second episode, and desperately searching for a way to get away faster. She spots a battered, patched-up skateboard in the trash and grabs it... along with a perfectly pristine helmet, which she of course stops to put on before skating away from the murderous ninjas that are after her.
  • Okay, most kids aren't going to get into a fight with a child-hating restaurant owner who's willing to feed kids to sharks to make money, like Chester is in Codename: Kids Next Door. Still, Numbuh Three certainly kicks his ass good — by herself — and probably the biggest reason is, she has the foresight to wear a helmet.

Real Life

  • Many bikers (especially sportbike riders) may compromise on other gear, but never on a helmet. This is, of course, because a helmet protects a rather important part of your body.
    • Part of the controversy is due to bad helmet design being found to be linked with increased head torsion injuries on impact. In short, you're less likely to split open your skull with a helmet, but more likely to break your neck.
    • Or, if the helmet is not properly set, to be strangled by the straps.
    • Of course, many bikers argue that if you can't properly shop for, fit, and adjust a helmet on your own maybe you shouldn't be on a motorcycle in the first place.
  • Sort of happens in Spain, where you can get fined by a cop for riding a bike without a helmet.
  • In some locations such as New Jersey, helmets are not even required for motorcycles.
    • However, in New Jersey, one must wear a helmet up to the age of 14 on a regular bike. After that, it's completely optional.
  • Real helmet enforcement apparently increased biking-related deaths in Australia; without helmet laws, people made up their own minds about whether or not to wear one if they commuted by bike, and thus bikers got good at not having accidents that got them thrown off the bike, and drivers got good at allowing for bikers on the road. When a law requiring them went into effect, the "I hate helmet hair" brigade found other ways to get around, reducing the overall number of bikers on the road, and causing drivers to get complacent about whether or not bikers were around. Compensatory mortality ensues.
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