History Main / DrawingStraws

* Done in one episode of ''[=~Gilligan's Island~=]'' to decide who has to stay outside the cave in a hurricane. Gilligan subverts the usual by breaking the straw so he will stay outside instead of endangering anyone else. At the end, however, everyone joins him outside before the cave is struck by lightning and the entrance collapses.

* HaruhiSuzumiya does this to decide how the alien/esper/time traveler-hunting groups would be divided up.

* On ''TheSimpsons'', Moe choses the designated driver of the night by having the others pick pickled eggs from a jar and seeing who gets the black one, "the same way the Vatican picks the new [[ThePope Pope]]".

* Inverted in an episode of ''CowAndChicken'' when Chicken's group of friends decide to draw straws to see who would go into the girls' bathroom. They literally ''draw'' on paper, and determine the loser by who drew the best. It was Chicken.

* This is done in ''{{Clue}}'' with matchsticks.

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* Wolf and Hans do this to decide who will stay on the moon in ''Film/WomanInTheMoon'', effectively dooming that person to death by dehydration. [[spoiler: Hans draws the short straw, but Wolf makes a HeroicSacrifice by secretly staying behind and letting Hans go on the rocket instead. Wolf then discovers that [[TearJerker Friede stayed behind too so they could die together.]]]]

::Eventually he just points to Harpo's character and says "'''You''' go."

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* In EdgarAllanPoe's ''Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'', the main characters are stranded on a becalmed ship in the middle of the ocean, and they draw straws to decide [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty who will be eaten]].

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* The groomsmen in ''HarpersIsland'' use this method to chose who buries the bag of money, alone at night in the middle of unfamiliar woods. It goes to poor [[HollywoodNerd Booth]] of course and he ends up [[spoiler:shooting himself in fright when a friend turns up to help and bleeding to death]]. It's an [[IdiotPlot Idiot Subplot]].

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* HaruhiSuzumiya does this to decide how the alien/esper/time traveler-hunting groups would be divided up.

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* Wolf and Hans do this to decide who will stay on the moon in ''WomanInTheMoon'', effectively dooming that person to death by dehydration. [[spoiler: Hans draws the short straw, but Wolf makes a HeroicSacrifice by secretly staying behind and letting Hans go on the rocket instead. Wolf then discovers that [[TearJerker Friede stayed behind too so they could die together.]]]]

Examples:

* In ''DuckSoup'', [[TheMarxBrothers Chico]][[FakeNationality lini]] decides who will join the battle:

* Used routinely in ''{{Animorphs}}''. To be fair, it's probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that they are doing most everything on the fly, and have to make decisions quickly if no one volunteers.
* Near the beginning of ''Shogun'', the local daimyo orders the Dutch sailors to choose one of their number to be executed, and they use this method.

* The groomsmen in HarpersIsland use this method to chose who buries the bag of money, alone at night in the middle of unfamiliar woods. It goes to poor [[HollywoodNerd Booth]] of course and he ends up [[spoiler:shooting himself in fright when a friend turns up to help and bleeding to death]]. It's an [[IdiotPlot Idiot Subplot]].
* MarriedWithChildren: Straws are drawn to determine who swims for help after Al/Peggy's cruise ship sinks.

* In the ''MontyPython'' sketch "[[http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/ypres2.htm Ypres 1914]]" the soldiers draw straws to find out which one will "[[BetterToDieThanBeKilled take the other way out]]." The Major gets the short straw, so he decides to do Eeny Meeny Miney Moe instead. He still gets picked, so he decides on RockPaperScissors, and he ''still'' loses.

* Inverted in an episode of ''CowAndChicken'' when Vhicken's group of friends decide to draw straws to see who would go into the girl's bathroom. They literally ''draw'' on paper, and determine the loser by who drew the best. It was Chicken.

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* On ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' the mice use their own tails as straws to choose who gets to act as a decoy for Lucifer while the others get breakfast.
* ''TheCore'' actually uses straws - [[spoiler:and the guy who wants to volunteer cheats to make sure he has the short one]].

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* Used over and over and over again in {{Animorphs}}. To be fair, it's probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that they are doing most everything on the fly, and have to make decisions quickly if no one volunteers.

* Done in one episode of ''[=~Gilligan's Island~=]'' to decide who has to stay outside of the cave in a hurricane. Gilligan subverts the usual by breaking the straw so he will stay outside instead of endangering anyone else. At the end however, everyone joins him outside before the cave is struck by lightning and the entrance collapses.

* StargateAtlantis: When the expedition accidentally starts destroying an alternate universe while attempting to unlock a power source, an Rodney [=McKay=] comes through to tell them to stop, having been chosen to do so because he drew the short straw. In a subversion, this is considered "Winning" by Alternate [=McKay=], since he saw it as a chance to save an entire universe.

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* In GreekMythology, Zeus knew that since Hades was the eldest brother he would get his pick over what kingdom to rule. Zeus instead convinced both his brothers to draw straws for their kingdoms, ending with Hades drawing the short straw and getting rule over the land of the dead. Poseidon, of course, got the kingdom of the sea, and Zeus became the king of gods with command over the heavens.

* In one Dilbert strip, Dilbert and his coworkers are drawing straws to decide who has to murder an annoying coworker. Dilbert gets a long straw, but is told they weren't drawing for short, they were drawing for the different colored straw (which he of course had.)

* Subverted on a Season 2 episode of ''SouthPark'' when the adult authority figures get trapped in a snowstorm while re-enacting when Dr. Mephesto got shot before revealing who Cartman's father was. They drew straws over who will be eaten first. However, ''everybody'' got the long straw.
* Inverted in an episode of CowAndChicken when chicken's group of friends decide to draw straws to see who would go into the girl's bathroom. They literally ''draw'' on paper, and determine the loser by who drew the best. It was chicken.

* Anne on ''SailorMoon'' has the girls draw for parts in Snow White.

* StargateAtlantis: When the expedition accidentally starts destroying an alternate universe while attempting to unlock a power source, an Rodney McKay comes through to tell them to stop, having been chosen to do so because he drew the short straw. In a subversion, this is considered "Winning" by Alternate McKay, since he saw it as a chance to save an entire universe.

* In ''DuckSoup'', Chicolini decides who will join the battle:

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