History Main / ClotheslineStealing

-->'''Luke:''' You look like a damn fool.

* ''Series/MakoMermaidsAnH2OAdventure'': Nixie, Lyla, and Sirena are NakedOnArrival when they turn themselves into humans. They jump back in the water and snatch clothes from the boats in the marina. In a later episode, Rita tells them to stop doing that because she can just buy them clothes.

* In issue nine of ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', Bruce tries to steal a shirt off a trailer park clothesline, only to get shot in the gut. Unfortunately for the shooter, this happens just before nightfall, which releases the Hulk - who proceeds to smash everything he owns except for the shirt. [[spoiler:And then Agent Burbank comes along later and shoots him.]]

* In issue nine of ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', Bruce tries to steal a shirt off a trailer park clothesline, only to get shot in the gut. Unfortunately for the shooter, this happens just before nightfall, which releases the Hulk - who proceeds to smash everything he owns except for the shirt. [[spoiler: And then Agent Burbank comes along later and shoots him.]]

* The crew of ''Series/TheOrville'' find a planet that swaps between their own universe and a parallel dimension that they later figure out the other dimension runs on NarniaTime (the planet spends 750 years in it's "home" universe which only takes 11 days to pass in The Orville's, then pops in to visit for a few hours each cycle where the time syncs up). On their first visit they just attend in their uniforms as the culture is roughly bronze age and they tried [[spoiler: and failed]] to stay hidden, but the second time they take clothes from a clothes line to try and blend in better with the now more Renaissance era equivalent locals.

* Russian band Music/OtavaYo set their folk-rock songs to video in various aspects of an idealised rural Russia. An incidental detail in the video for "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQ0xnJyb0A Sumetskaya]]", set in a peasant village in the country, involves Yulia Usova being distracted from hanging out her washing, enabling a furtive-looking Dimitri Shekhardin to sneak in and steals what looks like women's clothing items from the line, stuffing them inside his jacket and sneaking off.

* The crew of ''Series/TheOrville'' find a planet that swaps between their own universe and a parallel dimension that they later figure out the other dimension runs on NarniaTime (the planet spends 750 years in it's "home" universe which only takes 11 days to pass in The Orville's, then pops in to visit for a few hours each cycle where the time syncs up). On their first visit they just attend in their uniforms as the culture is roughly bronze age and they tried [[spoilers]]a failed[[//spoilers]] to stay hidden, but the second time they take clothes from a clothes line to try and blend in better with the now more Renaissance era equivalent locals.

* The crew of ''Series/TheOrville'' find a planet that swaps between their own universe and a parallel dimension that they later figure out the other dimension runs on NarniaTime (the planet spends 750 years in it's "home" universe which only takes 11 days to pass in The Orville's, then pops in to visit for a few hours each cycle where the time syncs up). On their first visit they just attend in their uniforms as the culture is roughly bronze age and they tried [[spoiler]]a failed[[//spoiler]] to stay hidden, but the second time they take clothes from a clothes line to try and blend in better with the now more Renaissance era equivalent locals.

* The crew of ''Series/TheOrville'' find a planet that swaps between their own universe and a parallel dimension that they later figure out the other dimension runs on NarniaTime (the planet spends 750 years in it's "home" universe which only takes 11 days to pass in The Orville's, then pops in to visit for a few hours each cycle where the time syncs up). On their first visit they just attend in their uniforms as the culture is roughly bronze age and they tried [[spoiler]]a failed[[/spoiler]] to stay hidden, but the second time they take clothes from a clothes line to try and blend in better with the now more Renaissance era equivalent locals.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Cavewoman}}: Shorts'', Meriem finds herself naked yet again, and 'borrow's a pair of [[WhoWearsShortShorts Daisy Dukes]] and a slightly too small shirt from a clothesline on the outskirts of Marshville.

Typically a {{Comedy}} trope where characters, who are in need of new clothes, take spare garments from the next best clothesline. Bonus point if the scene involves a close-up on a piece of clothing slowly moving across the screen as the clothesline is being pulled from one end. Often the stolen clothes are the wrong size, intended for a person [[UnplannedCrossdressing of the other gender]], or both.

%%* ''Film/TheFugitive'': Kimble steals a workman's uniform to get into a hospital, then steals a patient's clothing to get out.

* ''Film/TheFugitive'': Kimble steals a workman's uniform to get into a hospital, then steals a patient's clothing to get out.

* In the first ''[[Literature/OnTheRun Chasing the Falconers]]'' novel by Creator/GordonKorman, Meg and Aiden use this so they'll have an alternative to juvie jumpsuits.
* ''Literature/TheTimeTravelersWife'': Henry has involuntary time-travelling episodes and is NakedOnArrival. The first thing he has to do during a trip is find clothes, and this is one of his go-to methods.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E1SpearheadFromSpace The Third Doctor]] chooses his distinctive ensemble, [[SharpDressedMan cape and all]], from a hospital changing room (after [[{{Fanservice}} we watch him]] [[ShowerScene taking a shower]]).

* Occasionally on ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977'', David will find a clothesline with a shirt hanging in order to reclothe himself. (Since he has MagicPants he's not worried about below the waist.) Since he's an honest person, when he can he leaves a few dollars in its place so he's not stealing the shirt in question.

* ''Series/PsychopathDiary'': After escaping from prison Dong-sik has to get rid of his prison uniform, so he steals clothes from the nearest clothesline.

* Russian band Music/OtavaYo set their folk-rock songs to video in various aspects of an idealised rural Russia. An incidental detail in the video for ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQ0xnJyb0A Sumetskaya]]'', set in a peasant village in the country, involves Yulia Usova being distracted from hanging out her washing, enabling a furtive-looking Dimitri Shekhardin to sneak in and steals what looks like women's clothing items from the line, stuffing them inside his jacket and sneaking off.

* Happens in [[http://www.scarygoround.com/sgr/ar.php?date=20040929 this]] strip from ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound''

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' episode "The Headband", when the Gaang settles in the Fire Nation, they have to steal Fire Nation clothes from a clothesline to blend in. Aang doesn't realize that his chosen outfit is actually a school uniform; he's promptly picked up for truancy and sent "back" to class.

[[/folder]]

* Russian band Music/OtavaYo set their folk-rock songs to video in various aspects of an idealised rural Russia. An incidental detail in the video for ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQ0xnJyb0A Sumetskaya]]'', set in a peasant village in the country, involves Yulia Usova being distracted from hanging out her washing, enabling a furtive-looking Dimitri Shekhardin to sneak in and steals what looks like women's clothing items from the line, stuffing them inside his jacket and sneaking off. The video for this song provides the page image.

* Russian band Music/OtavaYo set their folk-rock songs to video in various aspects of an idealised rural Russia. An incidental detail in the video for ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JQ0xnJyb0A Sumetskaya]]'', set in a peasant village in the country, involves Yulia Usova being distracted from hanging out her washing, enabling a furtive-looking Dimitri Shekhardin to sneak in and steals what looks like women's clothing items from the line, stuffing them inside his jacket and sneaking off.

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ManOfSteel https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clark_kent_stealing_clothes.jpg]]]]

->''Arnold Layne had a strange hobby\\

Moonshine washing line\\

* Occasionally on ''Series/TheIncredibleHulk'', David will find a clothesline with a shirt hanging in order to reclothe himself. (Since he has MagicPants he's not worried about below the waist.) Since he's an honest person, when he can he leaves a few dollars in its place so he's not stealing the shirt in question.

* ''Film/TheFugitive'' Kimble steals a workman's uniform to get into a hospital, then steals a patient's clothing to get out.