History Main / ClamshellsAsMouths

[[quoteright:350: [[VideoGame/ClubPenguin https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/84eae106_6eb1_4103_aab8_cf25ee4f2508.jpeg]]]]

** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'': A Tiny Kong-based mission in [[GangplankGalleon Gloomy Galleon]] involves helping a mermaid getting her lost pearls back, as the Kremlings stole them and hid them inside of clams. Said clams have angry eyes on their upper shell, and even a large set of teeth. They open their ”mouths” in a repetitive fashion, requiring a [[IncredibleShrinkingMan shrunken Tiny]] to fetch the pearls while avoiding being crushed by their teeth.

* ''WesternAnimation/FishHooks'': Clamantha, a talking clam and one of the cast, is depicted speaking by opening her shell.

Well, no. In real life, the shell of a bivalve is actually the exoskeleton. This exoskeleton serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from mechanical damage and from predators; scallops even use their valves by flapping them together to swim in the water. The inside of a bivalve's shell contains various body parts such as its mantles, intestines, siphon, stomach intestine, heart, kidney, gills, shell-closing muscle, and ovary, with its foot sticking out and its mouth being a tiny part of its inside. Most fiction doesn't realize this fact, and many anthropomorphic clams are depicted as a vertically opening pair of jaws, making it more like a human face. They may be given features such as eyes on their top shell, or a tongue inside their shells; sometimes their eyes are inside their shells as well. This is usually so they can talk (with their "jaws" flapping as they speak) or so they can [[ClamTrap "eat" people]]. They also might just have a [[PerplexingPearlProduction pearl]] resting in their mouths as well. Often, this trope also means that the clam is symmetrical in the new horizontal direction (end of shell to end of shell).

* ''VideoGame/Pikmin1'': The Pearly Clamclamp enemy guards a pearl that it is very protective of, and will [[ClamTrap close its mouth over the Pikmin and eat them]] if they are not called back fast enough, even after they've recovered it.

* In ''Comicbook/SpiderHam, Doc Clamson, the Doc Samson parody, is shown as a clam with an entire humanoid body, and a shock of green hair on the top of his shell. The actual clam is represented as just being his head.

** Chloe the Clam was a reworking of Jean-Dodd van Clamme, the Mussel from Brussels, from ''Series/MuppetsTonight''.

Well, no. In real life, the shell of a bivalve is actually the exoskeleton. This exoskeleton serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from mechanical damage and from predators; scallops even use their valves by flapping them together to swim in the water. The inside of a bivalves shell contains various body parts such as its mantles, intestines, siphon, stomach intestine, heart, kidney, gills, shell-closing muscle, and ovary, with its foot sticking out and its mouth being a tiny part of its inside. Most fiction doesn't realize this fact, and many anthropomorphic clams are depicted as a vertically opening pair of jaws, making it more like a human face. They may be given features such as eyes on their top shell, or a tongue inside their shells; sometimes their eyes are inside their shells as well. This is usually so they can talk (with their "jaws" flapping as they speak) or so they can [[ClamTrap "eat" people]]. They also might just have a [[PerplexingPearlProduction pearl]] resting in their mouths as well. Often, this trope also means that the clam is symmetrical in the new horizontal direction (end of shell to end of shell).

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Clams and scallops are, like every other species in the series, sentient creatures -- their shells act as their jaws when they speak (though they can also act as wings since clams are a lot like birds in the world of [=SpongeBob=]).

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'': The first ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' game has a clam enemy called "Clambo" who has eyes and a tongue inside a shell that has a top and bottom half as its mouth.

Well, no. In real life, the shell of a bivalve is actually the exoskeleton. This exoskeleton serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from mechanical damage and from predators; scallops even use their valves by flapping them together to swim in the water. The inside of a bivalves shell contains various body parts such has its mantles, intestines, siphon, stomach intestine, heart, kidney, gills, shell-closing muscle, and ovary, with its foot sticking out and its mouth being a tiny part of its inside. Most fiction doesn't realize this fact, and many anthropomorphic clams are depicted as a vertically opening pair of jaws, making it more like a human face. They may be given features such as eyes on their top shell, or a tongue inside their shells; sometimes their eyes are inside their shells as well. This is usually so they can talk (with their "jaws" flapping as they speak) or so they can [[ClamTrap "eat" people]]. They also might just have a [[PerplexingPearlProduction pearl]] resting in their mouths as well. Often, this trope also means that the clam is symmetrical in the new horizontal direction (end of shell to end of shell).

* ''[[VideoGame/FreddiFish Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds]]'': One of the items Freddi and Luther can get (and is in fact required to get one of the clue bottles, depending on how the game sets up the exploration path) is a pearl from a trio of oysters that you play a [[IncrediblyLamePun shell]] [[ShellGame game]] against, who also speak to the characters, and by extension, the player.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'', the Pearly Clam Clamp enemy guards a pearl that it is very protective of, and will [[ClamTrap close its mouth over the Pikmin and eat them]] if they are not called back fast enough, even after they've recovered it.

[[folder:Poetry]]
* The poem ''The Walrus and the Carpenter'' by Lewis Carroll describes how the titular pair went walking by the seaside with oysters while discussing deep subjects like "shoes, and ships, and sealing wax." The illustrations for this scene depict oysters standing on stick legs. The poem ends sadly (for the oysters), [[spoiler: since they have all been eaten!]]
[[/folder]]

Well, no. In real life, the shell of a bivalve is actually the exoskeleton. This exoskeleton serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from mechanical damage and from predators; scallops even use their valves by flapping them together to swim in the water. The inside of a bivalves shell contains various body parts such has its mantles, intestines, siphon, stomach intestine, heart, kidney, kills, shell-closing muscle, and ovary, with its foot sticking out and its mouth being a tiny part of its inside. Most fiction doesn't realize this fact, and many anthropomorphic clams are depicted as a vertically opening pair of jaws, making it more like a human face. They may be given features such as eyes on their top shell, or a tongue inside their shells; sometimes their eyes are inside their shells as well. This is usually so they can talk (with their "jaws" flapping as they speak) or so they can [[ClamTrap "eat" people]]. They also might just have a [[PerplexingPearlProduction pearl]] resting in their mouths as well. Often, this trope also means that the clam is symmetrical in the new horizontal direction (end of shell to end of shell).

* ''[[VideoGame/FreddiFish FreddiFishAndTheCaseOfTheMissingKelpSeeds]]'': One of the items Freddi and Luther can get (and is in fact required to get one of the clue bottles, depending on how the game sets up the exploration path) is a pearl from a trio of oysters that you play a [[IncrediblyLamePun shell]] [[ShellGame game]] against, who also speak to the characters, and by extension, the player.

* ''VideoGame/FreddiFishAndTheCaseOfTheMissingKelpSeeds'': One of the items Freddi and Luther can get (and is in fact required to get one of the clue bottles, depending on how the game sets up the exploration path) is a pearl from a trio of oysters that you play a [[IncrediblyLamePun shell]] [[ShellGame game]] against, who also speak to the characters, and by extension, the player.

* ''VideoGame/{{Insaniqurium}}'': Niko, a oyster, that opens up, to reveal a pearl, every so often, and has one of its shells laying down, with eyes on the other shell.

!!Examples

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* The poem ''TheWalrusAndTheCarpenter'' by Lewis Carroll describes how the titular pair went walking by the seaside with oysters while discussing deep subjects like "shoes, and ships, and sealing wax." The illustrations for this scene depict oysters standing on stick legs. The poem ends sadly (for the oysters), [[spoiler: since they have all been eaten!]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': Clams and scallops are, like every other species in the series, sentient creatures-- their shells act as their jaws when they speak (though they can also act as wings since clams are a lot like birds in the world of Spongebob)
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': Clams and scallops are, like every other species in the series, sentient creatures-- their shells act as their jaws when they speak.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'': The first ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' game has a clam enemy called "Clambo" who has eyes and a tongue inside a shell that has a top and bottom half.

* Clams in ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}'' not only appear with the top-bottom orientation, but use the two halves as a mouth, and even walk around on shore on two legs! They're most notable for observing some phenomenon, and broadcasting the news loudly, such as "DINOS GOT WHEELS!"
* ''ComicStrip/{{Mutts}}'': Mussels Marinara is drawn in the top-bottom orientation, and often converses with Mooch, Earl and Crabby. Mussels also sports a pair of eyes on his upper shell, and speaks with such fervency that he levitates.

!!Sponsor's Note: This trope is intended to replace the [=TLP=] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=0oofl66dl0vfoo9267qfr5o9 Clamshell Mouth]], which I grabbed and then later discarded for being in poor condition.