History Main / DrawingStraws

* LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya does this to decide how the alien/esper/time traveler-hunting groups would be divided up.
* Anne on ''Anime/SailorMoon'' has the girls draw for parts in Snow White. The ends are supposed to be color-coded by role (red for the Evil Queen, black for a dwarf, white for Snow White), but she cheats by marking one straw red and all the others black. When it's her turn to draw, she tears the tip of her straw, turning it white. [[FridgeLogic Lucky for her that the others didn't end up with an extra dwarf and no queen, or else they would have figured out her plot a lot sooner.]]
** In the original Japanese version, everyone but Usagi ''did'' fall for her trick... but let her get away with it out of sympathy for the newcomer.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}''

---> '''Dilbert:''' How was your donut?
---> '''Wally:''' The first two were great. The third was papery.

* In ''Leaving Normal'', [[DeadpanSnarker Darly]] tears various lengths off cigarettes and makes Marienne choose one to determine which way they drive.

* In ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', a golem confesses to some murders but is discovered to be lying (via INeverSaidItWasPoison in reverse; he answers "yes" to "did you beat his head in with an iron bar" when that wasn't the murder weapon). Angua follows the trail to where he was and discovers a place where several golems met and drew straws to decide which one of them would confess to the Watch, as they ''all'' felt responsible for building the golem that ''actually'' committed the murders.

* CBBC show ''Trapped!'' would subject the [[TenLittleMurderVictims Unfortunates]] to the Draw Straws if there was a tie in votes as to who [[TheMole the saboteur]] is (provided the team didn't [[InstantWinCondition win the challenge]] on a given floor). Whoever of the tied Unfortunates drew the shortest would be [[LockedInARoom trapped]], the others would move on to the next floor.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'', the mice use their own tails as straws to decide who gets to act as a decoy for Lucifer while the others get breakfast.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{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.

[[quoteright:331:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/drawing-straws_7581.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:331:Take your pick.]]

* In the UK ''Series/BigBrother'', the housemates are given a task of pointlessly standing in a line; the last to leave their post will win a prize. The final two housemates finally resolve the deadlock by drawing straws.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheProudFamily'', while on a HorribleCampingTrip, Oscar and Felix pass out straws to decide which pair will have to climb a nearby mountain. Oscar intends for Felix to give the shortest straw to Sugar Mama and Papi, but Felix mishears him and gives them the longest straws, leaving him and Oscar with the shortest two.
* ''WesternAnimation/SkylandersAcademy:'' During the episode "Belly of the Beast", a group of Skylanders trainees are being paired up with the main heroes. When all of them want Stealth Elf, Eon declares they will draw straws, only for all four remaining Skylanders to present drawings. Eon admits that wasn't what he meant, but gives Stealth Elf to Food Fight as he liked the way he did his drawing.

* A variation occurred in the ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' movie. The main characters needed to divide into groups when they infiltrated the invading aliens' space ship, but since none of them really wanted to work together, they drew straws to see who would have to team up together. [[SitcomArchNemesis France and England]], in particular, were not happy to be paired together.

* In the first chapter of ''VisualNovel/SuperDanganRonpa2'', Komaeda suggests they draw straws to decide who's in charge of cleaning up a lodge so that they can throw a party there. Ironically enough, despite his "[[BornLucky Super High School Level Good Luck]]", he draws the short straw. [[spoiler:It later turns out that his good luck got him exactly what he wanted. He wanted to clean the lodge so that he could set up a murder during the party.]]

See also LotteryOfDoom. The GhostLegLottery is an east Asian variant of assigning things randomly to people.

* At one point in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', the kids get trapped in an slowly flooding underwater base, and the only way out is a one-person escape pod. They decide to draw straws with the one colored red on the bottom being the "winner" who escapes their prison and tries to rescue the others. When they realize Cody is panicking, they plot to color ''all'' of the lots red and make him choose first. Not being stupid, Cody smacks Yolei's hand so that she drops them and exposes the deception. So his friends just bodily pick him up and force him out anyway.

* Anne on ''Anime/SailorMoon'' has the girls draw for parts in Snow White. The ends are supposed to be color-coded by role (red for the evil queen, black for a dwarf, white for Snow White), but she cheats by marking one straw red and all the others black. When it's her turn to draw, she tears the tip off her straw, turning it white. [[FridgeLogic Lucky for her that the others didn't end up with an extra dwarf and no queen, or else they would have figured out her plot a lot sooner.]]
** In the original Japanese version, all of them but Usagi ''did'' tumble to her trick... but let her get away with it out of sympathy for the newcomer.

* ''Anime/TenchiMuyoGXP'': While staying on the Juraian homeworld, Seina and his UnwantedHarem (Amane, Ryoko and Kirko) are using a public bath separated by gender. One of the girls tries to sneak off to wash Seina's back, and the three start to bicker over who gets to do so. Their benefactor, Seto, suggests that they draw straws to settle the matter, and provides a cup with four straws (Seto tried to include herself, but Amane throws that straw out immediately). Kiriko wins the longest straw, but Amane throws them back in the cup and demands a redo, and keeps demanding redos on each loss. In the meantime, Seto snuck away to wash Seina anyway. The situation gets even more crazy from there.

* In ''Film/ShallowGrave'' Alex, Juliet and David do this to decide which one of them will be responsible for dismembering Hugo's body.

* In ''Film/MorningDeparture'', the remaining eight crew draw cards to see which four will use the remaining breathing sets to escape the sub, and which four will remain to wait for the rescue team. The captain [[GoingDownWithTheShip volunteers to stay]]. The three lowest draws will stay with him, and the four highest draws will escape with the breather sets. Snipe and Marks each draw a jack, and have to redraw for the fourth spot.

* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{IT}}'', the kids decide to go on a VisionQuest by filling their underground clubhouse with smoke, but they are aware of the potential danger in this, so decide that one person should stay outside and rescue the others if things go badly. Beverly lights a match, puts it out, then pulls out six unused matches, and each kid draws one in turn, with the agreement that whoever drew the burnt match would stay outside. However, despite the fact that they all saw Beverly burn the match, all seven of them end up with an unused match. They decide this means it that they are all fated to be part of the quest and should have faith that it will work out.

** Another in-line example comes when an unexploded bomb lands in the compound. Hawkeye, Trapper and Frank draw straws to see who has to go out and check the bomb for any serial numbers, and see if the bomb is still active. Frank pulls the short straw, and promptly faints as he's walking out the door.

* ''Series/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.

* Happens in ''Webcomic/TheStormrunners'' when the Martians and their human guests are under attack. Short straw gets to be first line of defense. The humans are excluded because they're "tourists".
* ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'': This is what the ursarer guard that has to drop Will off with his aunt, and break the news that her sister and brother in-law are dead at the start of the short story "''Will's induction''" is mulling over.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Moe chooses 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 [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope]]".

** ''WesternAnimation/HareLift:'' Bugs and Yosemite Sam are on board a crashing airplane with only one parachute. Bugs suggests they draw staws. Sam: "You draw the straws, I'm takin' the parachute!"

* ''WesternAnimation/SkylandersAcademy:'' During the episode "Belly of the Beast", a group of Skylanders trainee are being paried up with the main heroes. When all of them want Stealth Elf, Eon declares they will draw straws, only for all four remaining Skylanders to present drawings. Eon admits that wasn't what he meant, but gives Stealth Elf to Food Fight as he liked the way he did his drawing.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': During one of Jon's dates with Liz, he asks their regular waiter Armando while they always ends up with him. Armando replies by showing them a very, very tiny straw.

* In ''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.

* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' has the kids draw lots, with the one colored red on the bottom being the "winner" who escapes their prison and tries to rescue the others. When they realize Iori is frightened, they plot to color ''all'' of the lots red and make him choose first. Not being stupid, Iori smacks Miyako's hand so that she drops them and proves what they did. So his friends just bodily pick him up and force him out anyway.

* In ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'', a golem confesses to some murders but is discovered to be lying (via INeverSaidItWasPoison in reverse; he answers "yes" to "did you beat his head in with an iron bar" when that wasn't the murder weapon). Angua follows the trail to where he was and discovers a place where several golems met and drew straws to decide which one of them would confess to the Watch, as they ''all'' felt responsible for building the golem that ''actually'' committed the murders.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity'' the team is getting ready to go on a really big mission, but it turns out that you have to leave one team member behind, and draw straws to decide who stays behind