Sticky Fingers: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"Hi, hi! The more important it is to others, the more it's worth to steal. [[For the Evulz|It's great watching dithered faces!]]"'' |'''[[Video Game Stealing|The Thief]]''', ''[[Disgaea]] 3''}}

 

 

In fiction it's the trait of a [[Loveable Rogue]] and is frequently played for laughs. "Sufferers" tend to outright enjoy the act of theft, steal anything that isn't nailed down (particularly if it's valuable, in contrast to [[Real Life]] sufferers), gleefully enjoy the material rewards and may well be a [[Karma Houdini]] for this. They are distinguished from other thief related tropes by the fact that they steal for the pleasure of stealing and frequently have trouble leaving something valuable be. They may or may not be outright described as suffering from kleptomania. Sympathetic characters are often [[Mr. Vice Guy]].

 

 

You know they've met their match when you hear the words "Oi - [[Give Me Back My Wallet]]!"

 

 

{{examples}}

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

** Also Asuza Shiratori, but only for things she sees as cute.

 

* Tabitha "Boom-Boom" Smith, in Warren Ellis's ''[[Nextwave]]'' "possesses the mutant powers of blowing things up and stealing all your stuff."

* ''[[Tank Girl]]''

* "Fingers", a stage magician and thief encountered by [[Lucky Luke]] once. Not only will he constantly pickpocket everyone around him (which means he cannot be kept in prison, because he will casually disarm the guards and steal their keys), but he will regularily offer you your wallet, gun and [[Impossible Thief|underwear]] back, as a gesture of goodwill.

 

 

== [[Film]] ==

* Allison from ''[[The Breakfast Club]]'', who steals the lock to Bender's locker, his knife, Brian's wallet and a patch from Andrew's jacket.

* There is a character from the movie ''If This Is Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium'' who starts the trip with an empty suitcase. By the end of the film, the suitcase is full of stuff he's pilfered, including a life preserver from a cruise boat.

* In the second ''[[Home Alone]]'' film, Marv engages in some petty theft with literal sticky fingers: covering one of his hands in tape and then sticking it into a Salvation Army bucket full of change as he walks by.

* Emmett Ray of ''[[Sweet And Lowdown]]'' appears to be an easily diagnosible kleptomaniac.

* [[The Marx Brothers|Harpo]] in most of his appearances.

* ''[[How High]]'': In the scene where Silas is making the "special brownies" for Dean Cain, [[Line-of-Sight Name|I Need Money]] tries (but fails) to steal the milk bottle.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

***** Also Nobby's ability to steal without being seen has come in handy a few times, and is part of the reason he is still employed

* Silk from ''[[The Belgariad]]''.

 

* Faith in her early appearances on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', and Dawn in season 6.

* Adrianna on ''90210''

* Mike Hamar of ''[[The Red Green Show]]'' is a robber on parole who hasn't had an honest day's work in his life. A [[Running Gag]] is that he frequently has to return small items to the people he's talking to, having picked their pockets out of force of habit.

* A more realistic than usual example on ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' of all things, with a recurring character who is shamefully compelled to steal pens and ''only'' pens, regardless of how many he has already, and regardless of the fact that he doesn't even ''want'' the pens. Still [[Played for Laughs]], though.

* The titular character of ''[[Sherlock]]''. He breaks his flatmate's computer password to use the laptop ("Mine was in the bedroom"), steals a police ID, and has taken the precaution of taking his older brother's ID in case he might ever need it.

 

== [[Music]] ==

* The Exodus song "Force Of Habit" is about someone fitting this trope.

 

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

** The Kender are convinced that they're only borrowing interesting things in good faith, and will certainly return them. Except they often wander off and forget the whole thing... but they're utterly convinced that they're not doing anything wrong. In fact, accuse a kender of being a thief and he will protest at length.

*** It must have fallen into my pouch by accident! Or maybe it fell off the table and I picked it up so it wouldn't roll under the couch. You would have lost it otherwise! You should be grateful!

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

* Marisa Kirisame in ''[[Touhou]]'' [[Insane Troll Logic|figures]] that since a human lifespan is so much shorter than a Youkai's, she can "borrow" whatever she wants, and they can have it back after she's dead.

** She's also working on an elixir of immortality, so...

* You can give your Sims the "Kleptomanic" trait in ''[[The Sims]] 3''. It lets you swipe three items per day. However, the item your Sim steals is random.

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* The pixie Feiht in ''[[Chasing the Sunset]]'' regards anything shiny as there for the taking. (Spelling her name backwards gives you a clue to her personality.)

* Sette Frummagem from ''[[Unsounded]]''. Her dad is a head of the thieves' guild, so it's no surprise that she would become a pickpocket. What ''is'' a surprise is how ''good'' she is at it.

 

 

== [[Western Animation]] ==

'''Bender:''' Wow, thanks buddy. Don't know what came over me. ''(sing-song) Oh, I love stealin'. I love takin' things.'' }}

* One of Zak's little friends from ''[[The Secret Saturdays]]'' is a thief.

* In an episode of ''[[Goof Troop]]'', Pete accidentally turns Goofy into one using hypnosis.

* Peep on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'', to compliment his father's [[Honest John's Dealership|dealership]].

** Said adoptive father might also count, given the first thing we see him do is steal Manic as a [[Door Step Baby]] (left on someone else's doorstep).

 

 

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[[Impossible Thief|But I don't even own a drivers license.]] }}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Steal This Index]]