History Main / CargoConcealmentCaper

* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode [[Recap/PhineasAndFerbPhineasAndFerbAndTheTempleOfJuatchadoon "Phineas And Ferb And The Temple Of Juatchadoon"]], In an [[RaidersOfTheLostParody Indiana Jones parody]] Candace plays the role of the IntrepidReporter as she tries to get a story out of Phineas and Ferb. When she joins the group-off screen, Isabella points out "Well, it's a lucky thing you accidentally hammered yourself in that crate marked 'Temple Expedition Supplies' then, isn't it?" and Candace responds "Boy, I'll say" with [[ContrivedCoincidence zero hints of deception in her voice.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0023ae606e660ec5bd3325_5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Oh. Hey.]]

* In ''Film/ANewHope'', the heroes hide aboard smuggling crates in the Millennium Falcon to keep away from the stormtroopers searching the ship.

* ''Series/{{The Chosen|TVSeries}}: In the episode "Recap/TheChosenTVSeriesChristmasSpecialTheMessengers The Messengers" features Mary Magdalene hiding among a wagon's cargo to get past the Roman guard.

[[folder:Live-Action -- TV]]

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': In order to rob Forge Fitzwilliam's vault, Holga stows away on a carriage that's bringing cargo there.

[[folder: Films -- Animated]]

A Cargo Concealment Caper is when a character hides in cargo. This trope usually comes in two variations:

* '''Infiltrating via Cargo Shipment''': Someone sneaks into a cargo shipment in order to enter into a certain location.
* '''Escaping via Cargo Shipment''': Someone uses a cargo shipment in order to escape from a certain location.

Whatever happens during or after the plan is irrelevant to the trope. Also, this trope can apply to freight ship cargo, vehicle cargo holds, and cardboard boxes. Characters who do this may also want to go to where the vehicle is going, but without buying a ticket for it.

Incidentally, in RealLife, doing this with a plane is an excellent way to get killed. Cargo compartments in planes are not pressurized, so the stowaway is likely to suffocate or freeze, and while a plane has lots of nooks and crannies that look promising, most of them are not pressurized, either, not to mention heavy machinery moving within them. And stowaways hiding in pressurized parts of the plane are likely to be found out and deported.

SisterTrope to HumanMail, where instead of hiding in or among the cargo, the characters ''are'' the "cargo", and LittleStowaway, where children use their small size to hide within people's luggage to tag along. Supertrope to TrojanHorse, which is when soldiers hide in cargo while ''specifically'' intending to attack a target. StealthBasedMission usually requires the trope.

-->'''Item 181''', ''Main/EvilOverlordListCellblockA''

* ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'': In Recap/AsterixAndTheChieftainsShield, the Gauls hide from a Roman patrol by hiding in the coal reserves and then sneak into the Roman governor's palace by hiding inside the weekly delivery of coal. Much to Dogmatix's chagrin, because he'd been given a bath to clean up from the first one.

* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' Subverted in ''Recap/TintinTheBlueLotus'', where occupying Japanese soldiers check an outgoing cart full of ricebags by jabbing their bayonets in the bags before letting the cart leave. An armored car then rolls up and yells at the commander for letting Tintin escape in the rice bags, much to the commander's confusion. The car then leaves the city, where we see Tintin driving.

[[folder:Films —- Animated]]

* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}: In Recap/AsterixAndTheChieftainsShield, the Gauls hide from a Roman patrol by hiding in the coal reserves and then sneak into the Roman governor's palace by hiding inside the weekly delivery of coal. Much to Dogmatix's chagrin, because he'd been given a bath to clean up from the first one.

* In ''Series/{{The Chosen|TVSeries}}, the episode "Recap/TheChosenTVSeriesChristmasSpecialTheMessengers The Messengers" features Mary Magdalene hiding among a wagon's cargo to get past the Roman guard.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' episode, "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel", Mario, Luigi, and Toad sneak aboard King Koopa's Doomship by hiding in one of the crates that Koopa's henchmen load onto the ship.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace'' episode, "Ice Show Show-Off", Mr. Wilson takes Dennis to an ice show but makes the mistake of giving his ticket to Dennis. When Mr. Wilson is stopped at the front door of the arena by the manager, he tries to explain the situation to him, but the manager doesn't believe him. To get into the arena, Mr. Wilson hides in a barrel set to go on stage for an ice-skating routine. As the workers take the barrels inside, one of them complains about how heavy one of them is, not knowing Mr. Wilson is inside it. Mr. Wilson later finds out that the ice-skating routine involves a skater jumping over twelve barrels, and when he hears that the skater's blades are razor-sharp, he tries to escape by rolling his barrel but only ends up messing up the skater's routine and getting caught by the manager.

* ComicBook/{{Tintin}}: Subverted in Recap/TintinTheBlueLotus, where occupying Japanese soldiers check an outgoing cart full of ricebags by jabbing their bayonets in the bags before letting the cart leave. An armored car then rolls up and yells at the commander for letting Tintin escape in the rice bags, much to the commander's confusion. The car then leaves the city, where we see Tintin driving.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit:'' The episode [[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS4E6Angels Angels]] has two Central American boys, Jose and Ernesto trying to flee to their home country by hiding in the luggage compartment of a bus. The boys were 'adopted' by a pedophile and used as sex slaves, only for them to escape. Sadly, Jose did not live very long after fleeing.

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Dagger of the Mind", a criminal from a penal colony sneaks aboard by hiding in a cargo container that's beamed up to the ship.

* Happens accidentally in ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado''. Miguel and Tulio hide in barrels from their pursuers, but before they can climb out, the barrels are loaded into the ship of Hernan Cortes. They are found out and put on the brig, where they escape on a boat with Cortes' horse and end up discovering El Dorado.

* The Payday Gang use this trick a couple of times in '''VideoGame/Payday2''', to infiltrate Russian mobster The Commissar's headquarters in the "Hotline Miami" heist and the titular Murkywater black site "Henry's Rock".

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12650047/53/Strandpiel Strandpiel]]'', the rooftop Air Station from which the [[{{Pegasus}} Pegasus Service]] flies is - in theory - one of the most securely guarded locations in Ankh-Morpork. However, after covert observation, a young Assassin discovers a way of getting up there for a purpose of his own. The external cargo lift picks up fodder and hay bales from street level to service the rooftop stables occupied by the [[{{Pegasus}} very special equines]] housed there. Once the lift is loaded, nobody checks it again and it is raised automatically. An extra part of the cargo, on this occasion, is a black-clad Assassin. He isn't there to inhume anybody or plant any bombs. He is taking the risk because his girlfriend is a recruit to the Pegasus Service. And GirlsLoveChocolate.

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' learns that Bart has gotten himself and some schoolmates stranded in Oakridge. Springfield Nuclear has a branch office in Oakridge, so Homer orders a T-437 Safety Command Console from there. The console gets air freighted with Bart and company stowing away with it.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' has two Central American boys, Jose and Ernesto trying to flee to their home country by hiding in the luggage compartment of a bus. The boys were 'adopted' by a pedophile and used as sex slaves, only for them to escape. Sadly, Jose did not live very long after fleeing.

--> '''Item 181''', ''Main/EvilOverlordListCellblockA''

Whatever happens during or after the plan is irrelevant for the trope. Also, this trope can apply to either freight ship cargo, vehicle cargo holds and cardboard boxes. Characters who do this may also want to go to where the vehicle is going, but without buying a ticket for it.

SisterTrope to HumanMail, where instead of hiding in or among the cargo, the characters ''are'' the "cargo", and LittleStowaway, where children use their small size to hide within people's luggage to tagalong. Supertrope to TrojanHorse, which is when soldiers hide in cargo while ''specifically'' intending to attack a target. StealthBasedMission usually requires the trope.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''VideoGame/OperationNaPali'' (a campaign addon for ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament''): At one point, Agent 046 must infiltrate in a heavily guarded facility on complete lockdown. He does so by hiding in a crate near a delivery ship's crane, which sends him at the other side of the wall.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace'' episode, "Ice Show Show-Off", Mr. Wilson takes Dennis to an ice show, but makes the mistake of giving his ticket to Dennis. When Mr. Wilson is stopped at the front door of the arena by the manager, he tries to explain the situation to him, but the manager doesn't believe him. To get into the arena, Mr. Wilson hides in a barrel set to go on stage for an ice-skating routine. As the workers take the barrels inside, one of them complains about how heavy one of them is, not knowing Mr. Wilson is inside it. Mr. Wilson later finds out that the ice-skating routine involves a skater jumping over twelve barrels, and when he hears that the skater's blades are razor-sharp, he tries to escape by rolling his barrel, but only ends up messing up the skater's routine and getting caught by the manager.

* ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'': George hitches a ride back to his jungle home this way; unfortunately, he picks a small crate, leaving him cramped. He learns from this experience in the sequel, and uses a crate big enough for his whole family to sit comfortably in.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** In season 4's "Singled Out", a well-organized team of robbers successfully steals a load of rare and valuable coins from a hotel safe, and gets them out of the hotel by hiding them in a loaded laundry cart. However, when the cart reaches the robbers' truck, [[spoiler:it turns out that the NCIS team intercepted it; Ziva comes out from under the decoy laundry and takes down the leader in time to save the life of the robbers' hostage]].

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats'': The group discovers that Midas is exporting spray cologne that's really gold-dissolving mist. The whole gang hide in a cologne crate to hide from Midas's mooks, but Alan sneezes, blowing their cover. They escape anyway by using the crate to slide down the snowy mountain.

* Shows up in all three versions of ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheHauntsOfEvil'' (manga, original anime, remake). Doraemon and gang befriends Chippo, a peasant boy from [[SmallSecludedWorld Bauwan]] currently under citywide curfew. Chippo, posing as a farmer transporting hay, helps the gang travel around the city by sneaking them in his hay cart.

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]

SisterTrope to HumanMail, where instead of hiding in or among the cargo, the characters ''are'' the "cargo". Supertrope to TrojanHorse, which is when soldiers hide in cargo while ''specifically'' intending to attack a target. StealthBasedMission usually requires the trope.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/CityOfThieves1983'', one of the possible methods of escaping the titular location, Port Blacksand, is befriending a kindly old man driving a hay cart by killing the ruthless troll Sourbelly. The old man will help you escape by smuggling you in with his hay.
[[/folder]]