History Main / BeTheBall

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' game ''Scream Arena'', one of the possible balls you can throw is the Morph Ball, which turns a competitor hit by it into a ball themself. In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Mike Wazowski can be thrown around like a bowling ball at the Heartless.

There are two basic approaches to this form of [[AmusingInjuries funny injury]] gags: one is a faster "disposal" gag which involves the balled-up character being kicked or thrown out, after which the character returns to normal; the second one is the "sports match" gag, which has the new "ball" be used in an actual sport (frequent choices tend to be basketball, volleyball and soccer, but just about any sport that uses a ball is fair game) - this variation requires some sort of setup, usually through the character getting [[ForciblyFormedPhysique scrunched up]] or [[InflatingBodyGag inflated]] into a ball, and the gag after tends to be on the longer side in terms of runtime. Sometimes, the person may proceed to get tossed around by a seal, in a play on the stereotype of [[BallBalancingSeal seals balancing balls on their head or nose]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls2019'' episode "[=#SheMightBeGiant=]", Giganta grabs Batgirl and uses her as a ball to play some bowling with mannequins as the pins.

* Rufus Crustbuster from his own titled comic strip in ''Jack And Jill'' magazine became a ball-shaped creature in an attempt to restore his actual anthropomorphic dog appearance after being turned into [[PaperPeople a living pancake]] by the Narrowegians.
* An ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' comic had a Roman squad that mixed the magic potion with a healing tonic inflating into balls. To make things worse, once deflated they were [[IncredibleShrinkingMan miniscule]].
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Reed sometimes uses his RubberMan powers to do this, usually so Ben can throw him at something.

* Bounder from the 2009 incarnation of ''R.E.B.E.L.S.'' wears an inflatable armoured suit that mimics the powers of Bouncing Boy (if "mimics" is the right word for someone who lives a thousand years earlier).

* ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} has been known to do this to Odie on occasion.

* Later versions of the Omnidroid from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' incorporated a spherical design that allowed it to pull in its arms and head to roll around at high speeds.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* A rare example of a LIVE person occurs in ''Film/SpaceJam'', with Michael Jordan squashed into a ball and bounced around by the Monstars thanks to the InUniverse ToonPhysics of the Looney Tunes' home.

* Hedgehogs are famously used as croquet balls on ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland''.

* One of the Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger's Beast Batteries, Pukuputor, causes its victim to swell up like a balloon; one episode particular sees the team use it on [[ButtMonkey Kyoryu Blue]] and bounce him around like a volleyball in order to counter the QuirkyMinibossSquad's own volleyball-themed special attack.
* The [[MonsterOfTheWeek Violence Dopant]] from ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' can turn himself into a wrecking ball.

* In the ''Series/OddSquad'' episode "Captain Fun", Otto activates the water travel mode on his suit, tucks his arms and legs in, and rolls like a ball across the bullpen floor to knock down bowling pins. He manages to get a strike and the support of a couple other agents for being voted the eponymous title.

* ''Film/CoolWorld'': Holli Would takes Jack Deebs to her favorite nightclub, which has TheBouncer at the door. A literal bouncer, as instead of legs, the man has a rubber ball below the waist, upon which he bounces in place. Jack thinks he recognizes this bouncer as Chico, but the reply is "I ain't no Chico." Holli can pass on sight, but the human Jack Deebs gets nixed, despite Holli vouching for him. "Sorry, doll, no noids." Mildly miffed, Holli points to [[TheBrue Bash]] of the QuirkyMinibossSquad, and states, "See him? He's with me, too." Bash seizes the bouncer, and throws him against the wall so hard that he spends the next hour bouncing off the various surfaces near the entrance.

* According to a joke he told to a little boy at the end of ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', Mike Wazowski was actually once used as a dodgeball.

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/SquadronSupreme https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pinball_Marvel_6742.jpg]]]]

There are two basic approaches to this form of [[AmusingInjuries funny injury]] gags: one is a faster "disposal" gag which involves the balled up character being kicked or thrown out, after which the character returns to normal; the second one is the "sports match" gag, which has the new "ball" be used in an actual sport (frequent choices tend to be basketball, volleyball and soccer, but just about any sport that uses a ball is fair game) - this variation requires some sort of setup, usually through the character getting [[ForciblyFormedPhysique scrunched up]] or [[InflatingBodyGag inflated]] into a ball, and the gag after tends to be on the longer side in terms of runtime. Sometimes, the person may proceed to get tossed around by a seal, in a play on the stereotype of [[BallBalancingSeal seals balancing balls on their head or nose]].

* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes''' Bouncing Boy has this as his superpower.

* Played with by Harry [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden]] in ''Literature/WhiteKnight''. He needs to protect himself, and another person, from an explosion in a cave. While he doesn't turn himself into a ball, he creates a spherical magic shield that protects both of them. It also has the added effect of using the force of the expanding fireball to propel both of them out of the way through one of the connecting tunnels... which makes him a [[JustForPun pinball wizard]].

* Turning into a ball is a ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' staple. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, practically all playable characters can charge up on the spot as a ball for speed, known in the series as the Spin Dash.

* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' has Samus Aran's ability, Morph Ball, which goes beyond an attack and is in fact one major factor of her mobility. Many puzzles require being in Morph Ball shape or making use of one of its upgrades, and Samus spends most of ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball'' in this state. A spinoff manga further expands on this, showing that (unusually for this trope) Samus actually ''loves'' when she's the ball!
** Her enemies the Space Pirates consider this one of her more peculiar abilities, and note the security risk it poses. ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' reveals that they once attempted their own version...which ''broke every bone in the test subject's body''. "Science Team wisely decided to move on" indeed.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' game ''Scream Arena'', one of the possible balls you can throw is the Morph Ball, which turns a competitor hit by it into a ball themself.
** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Mike Wazowski can be thrown around like a bowling ball at the Heartless.

* Later versions of the Omnidroid from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' incorporated a spherical design that allowed it to pull in its arms and head to roll around at high speeds.

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf: Joys of Seasons'' episode 85, Darker Wolf gets mad at Wolffy for calling him a numbskull, squishes him into a ball shape, and kicks him into the air.
* ''Animation/TikTakTail'': In "Rabbit Tak", Tak and Tail chase Tik from India to Africa, where both end up in a dark cave and Tik gives Tak what looks like a match to use to see around the interior. It's actually a lion's tail, and the lion is so mad that he bunches Tak and Tail into a ball and throws them through the tunnel they came from, bouncing them all the way back to India.
[[/folder]]

* Another live-action example is in ''Film/{{Kazaam}}'' with Shaquille O'Neal during the climax when Shaq's character uses his genie magic to turn the villain into a ball and slam dunks him into a garbage chute, since, you know, he's a basketball player.
* In ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', the kids of Superhero parents are divided into those with the abilities of heroes and those of sidekicks. One girl's power is to turn into a giant rubber beach ball. The [[Creator/BruceCampbell unimpressed Coach]] kicks her away shouting "SIDEKICK!"

* Occurs in ''Film/GodzillaFinalWars'' in which Godzilla and King Seesar have an imprompteau soccer match using Anguirus as the ball.
* ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze'' has [[TheBigGuy Rahzar]] hurling [[TheLeader Leonardo]] as a bowling ball towards a bunch of bunch of unfortunate [[{{Mooks}} Foot ninjas]] who [[SlapStick act as human sized bowling pins]]. The [[ManChild childlike minded Rahzar]] (probably) doesn't understand that the Foot is on his side.
* In ''Film/ItsSleazy'', a straight-to-video conceptual film by the shock rock band {{GWAR}}, several fake commercials are featured as music videos for their songs. One commercial for "Power Chum" (a sports drink made from [[ImAHumanitarian liquefied humans]]) features one of GWAR's pit slaves being scrunched into a ball and kicked around before being tossed into a giant meat grinder.
* ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'':
** When Robotnik's mini-drones are scanning Tom's attic, Sonic tries to blend in with a soccerball and a basketball. However, Sonic accidentally rolls away, causing the drones to spot him which ends up [[FromBadToWorse alerting Robotnik himself]].
** Tom uses Sonic in his spinball form as one for the indoor basketball game machine, allowing Sonic to rack up a new high score.
* The droidekas introduced in ''Franchise/StarWars Episode 1: Film/ThePhantomMenace'' curl themselves into a ball and roll into battle before emerging in a tripod stance and deploying their DeflectorShields.

* ''VideoGame/MarioPinballLand''. ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] gets turned into a ball in a fairground game, and has to save Princess Peach from Bowser by being used as a living pinball.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'', "The Yoshi Shuffle"

* In ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' ''New Testament Vol. 8'', [[PhysicalGod Othinus]] squashed [[SuperpowerLottery Teitoku]] [[SmugSuper Kakine]] into a ball. [[spoiler:Luckily for him, he had [[MesACrowd another version of himself]] still around... and unluckily for him, said other version [[DeathOfPersonality had already decided he didn't want to be "him" anymore]]]].

* In ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'', certain enemies, such as the Pepperoni Goblin (and its Goblinbot counterpart) and the big Cheese, can turn Peppino into a ball[[note]]the former by kicking him away, and the latter by grabbing and pitching him like a baseball[[/note]]. Being in this state will cause Peppino to continuously roll until he hits a wall, returning him to normal. Said form is often necessary to clear the way of obstacles, such as [[AbilityRequiredToProceed Stupid Rats]].