Motivation on a Stick: Difference between revisions

 

Related to [[Food as Bribe]] and [[X on a Stick]]. Will often involve a [[Trademark Favorite Food]], or something from the [[Stock Animal Diet]].

 

* In ''[[Sasami: Magical Girls Club]]'', while riding on a cart pulled by an ox-like creature, Anri complains about how slow it is, so Washu pulls out an "Acceleration Device" that turns out to be a bundle of hay hanging from a stick. The ox takes off like a rocket and catches the hay once they reach their destination, with the quick stop flinging everyone out of the cart.

* The ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime episode "Pokemon Food Fight": Ash and his friends plan to lure a sleepy Snorlax into moving up and over a mountain by luring it with an apple attached to the end of a pole with a string. [[Subverted Trope|It wakes up just enough to eat the apple, then goes back to sleep before they could get it to move.]]

 

== Comic Books ==

** In another story, a variant is used to motivate to run faster for the track team. Jughead is outfitted with a special harness with a mirror in front that's positioned to let him see the photo mounted in back, so it looks like his [[Abhorrent Admirer]] is always right behind him.

 

* In ''[[Mulan]]'', the title character uses a dog and bone to feed the chickens. The bone-on-a-stick is tied to the dog's back so the bone is always in front of the dog, and the dog runs around with a feedbag leaking grain behind him.

* One of the ''[[Mad Max]]'' films used this with the hero being sent into exile on a donkey with a small jar of water hanging in front of its head.

* ''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Kids]]'' did this with an ant and a piece of the discarded food the kids found.

* In ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'', Detective Greenley humorously suggests that the only way they're going to catch the MacManus brothers is by "...dangling a potato on a string"—of course, they walk in just as he's saying this.

 

== Literature ==

* In [[Jack Vance]]'s novel ''[[Dying Earth (novel)|Cugel's Saga]]'', ships are powered by large wormlike sea creatures bound to either side of the vessel. Bait is hung in front of the ship to make them move.

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* ''[[The Benny Hill Show]]'': In a sketch, Benny is at a weight-loss camp and is jogging. Three girls show up in front of him and flash their breasts at him, so he speed up. He gets tired and slows down; they flash him again and he speed up again, etc.

 

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Scribblenauts]]'' allows you to set this up using a "plank", "glue" and something the character wants.

* In ''[[Zettai Hero Kaizou Keikaku]]'', the Appetite Engine accessory is a carrot on a stick worn on the player's head. It reduces EN consumption by 50% while equipped, and can be eaten to restore EN in a pinch.

 

== Web Comics ==

* Sam, the [[Cthulhumanoid]] protagonist of ''[[Freefall]]'', has done this with one of his own tentacles in order to ride an emu. (He's edible to most Earth species, including herbivores.)

* Used in [http://equestria.fadri.org/017-screw-aerodynamics this] strip of ''And That's How Equestria Was Made!!''

 

== Western Animation ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Index On a Stick]]

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:Political Cartoons]]

[[Category:Food Tropes]]