Rube Goldberg Device/Playing With

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Basic Trope: An elaborate machine utilizing a chain reaction to achieve a simple goal.

  • Straight: Bob sets up a machine to flush his toilet. It involves marbles rolling, dominos toppling over, and items falling.
  • Exaggerated: Bob sets up a machine to flush his toilet. It extends throughout the entire city, going as far as to even using bigger objects such as actual vehicles.
  • Downplayed: Bob sets up a machine to flush his toilet, which only consists of a marble rolling and knocking over some dominos.
  • Justified: Bob likes coming up with crazy contraptions.
  • Inverted: Bob uses a simple machine to perform a complex task.
  • Subverted: Bob appears to have a complex machine set up, but flushing his toilet is what sets it into motion.
  • Double Subverted: The machine actually opens a door elsewhere in Bob's house.
  • Parodied: ???
  • Zig Zagged: Many machines are set up, some performing simple tasks and some being triggered by them.
  • Averted: No elaborate machine is set up for anything that is simple.
  • Enforced: The creators wanted to show a huge chain reaction to invoke the Rule of Cool.
  • Lampshaded: "Wow! This complex machine is there to perform this simple task?"
  • Invoked: ???
  • Exploited: ???
  • Defied: Bob thinks about making a complex machine, then decides against it.
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: ???
  • Played For Laughs: The machine involves things such as pies being thrown or funny noises.
  • Played For Drama: The machine is very expensive to make and takes up lots of space in Bob's house.