History Main / FakeStatic

* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': In "Termite Terror", Mike calls Saul on his cellphone to forward a demand. Saul, who is at home, turns on his blender and says he's in a tunnel, finishing off by making static sounds into the phone as he goes to answer a knock at the door. Then it gets awkward when he opens the door, expecting it to be his wife Kim, and it's Mike standing there.

* Wario does this in the opening of ''VideoGame/WarioWare Gold'' after Mona asks him about how much she'll be paid to make games for him.

* In one ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' [[https://twitter.com/herzspalter/status/1156014777015001095?s=21 fancomic]], Doppio attempts this ''on his own split personality''.

* In ''Manor Cafe'' food critic Edgar Roux calls the cafe to remind Meg of his impending arrival.

* In ''Atlantis Odyssey'' Tar'per tries this on an Atlantean communications system.

* Played straight in ''Rogue Protocol'' when [[Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries Murderbot]] is trying to lure an AttackDrone by putting out a fake distress call assembled from clips of recorded audio, with the editing obscured by recordings of actual static. The drone in turn is putting out recorded bursts of static to make it sound like someone is trying to contact the caller, to encourage them to keep transmitting.

* Played with in one ''ComicBook/GastonLagaffe'' comic: while talking on the phone, Gaston is frying fish in his office. The resulting noise is mistaken for static by the guy on the other end of the line. Not a straight example of this trope since it's entirely unintentional on Gaston's part.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2'': Al claims to be going through a tunnel while talking to Mr. Konishi.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'', Anakin claims the radio connection is breaking up when Obi Wan orders him not to pursue a Sith fighter alone.
* In "Fighter Flight" from ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'', Zeb attempts some when speaking to Imperials on the ground from the stolen TIE fighter after they ask him for his operating number. They don't buy it and start ignoring his orders.

* Moltar does this to Space Ghost in ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''. Space Ghost calls him on it: "You're just making noises with your mouth!"

* Bumblebee in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' tried this once. When Prowl did it later, Ratchet replies that [[ContinuityNod Bumblebee's fake static was more believable]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch":
-->''(Zap Brannigan commandeers the videophone from Kif)''\\
'''Zap:''' Well, well, well. [[{{Malaproper}} Do my eyes believe me]], or is that my bosomy swan, Leela?\\
'''Leela:''' Say again? You're breaking up. ''(throws the book she's reading at the videophone)''
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' movie ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanMysteryOfTheBatwoman Mystery of the Batwoman]]'', Bruce is riding in his limousine with Tim, and talking on the phone with Barbara, who is away at college. When she begins grilling him about Batwoman and hinting that she wants to go out while she's in town for Spring Break, Bruce panics and resorts to pulling this on her.
-->'''Bruce:''' ''(while crumpling a piece of newspaper)'' Uh, Barb, we're... going through the East... tunnel now. 'fraid... signal's breaking up. Talk later.\\
'''Tim:''' Squeaked through again, didn't you?
::: Becomes a BrickJoke when they really do drive through a tunnel shortly after.
* Batman and Nightwing try the rumpling paper/food wrappers in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' and get immediately called on it. "That sounds like paper!" Their target was Booster Gold, who isn't the most appreciated, or sensible, of heroes.
* Jade of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' has done this to Jackie more than once.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' episode "The Animal Shelter," Dan does this to get out of a phone call with Elise. She gets annoyed that he isn't even bothering to make the noises, but is simply [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud saying "crackle" and "buzz"]].

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'':
** Comes up twice in the episode "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" First, Candace calls her mom to bust her brothers, but ends up talking to her crush, Jeremy, instead and freaks out, crinkling a ball of paper to fake static, claiming the call is breaking up. Second, Candace calms herself down and calls Jeremy, only for his little sister to pick up the phone and pull the same trick on her, which Candace calls her out on.
** Linda does it to Candace in "Bullseye!", prompting Candace to remark "I hate [[OhNoNotAgain when she does 'cshhhhhh']]!"
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': Lagoon Boy tries doing this while communicating telepathically with the rest of the team. Nightwing immediately calls foul.
-->'''Nightwing:''' There's no static on the psychic link!
* ''WesternAnimation/WingCommanderAcademy'': In "The Lords of the Sky", Maniac uses faked radio interference to ignore an order from Blair for the flight wing to stay together on a reconnaisance mission.
* Subverted on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when Homer gets a loaner car while his regular car gets repaired. When Homer and Marge are lustfully driving in the new car, Homer gets a call from the dealer saying his car is fixed, causing Homer to say they can keep it so he can keep the loaner. He then tells the man to listen to him and his wife making "sweet love", which is followed by static sounds.
-->'''Homer:''' That wasn't me, that was the transmission.

* In WesternAnimation/TuffPuppy in the episode "Guard Dog" Kitty said to Dudley they were passing through a tunnel when she really just wanted to play with the cat toys in the cat car.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': Princess' limo driver tries to do this in the Christmas special when she asks him if she's naughty.

*** Becomes a BrickJoke when they really do drive through a tunnel shortly after.
** However, Batman and Nightwing try the same trick in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' and get immediately called on it. "That sounds like paper!"

* In a ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' fancomic[[https://twitter.com/herzspalter/status/1156014777015001095?s=21]], Doppio attempts this ''on his own split personality''.

* Used as psychological coercion in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}''. While King Roland is trying to convince Lone Starr and Barf to rescue Princess Vespa:

* A variation happens in the film BatleOFBritain. A flight of Polish Pilots and their RAF instructor/flight lead are given an order to return to base by RAF Command. The RAF Flight Lead passes the order to his trainees, but as he was getting the order, one of the Polish pilots spotted a couple of Luftwaffe Bombers without any escorts. The five Polish pilots gleefully take up the chance to kill some Nazis, all while telling their Flight Lead "Repeat Please" as he's telling them their instructions to RTB. He eventually gives up, and rolls in to fight along with his trainees. The Trainees are later told that they have been made fully operational.

* ''[[Literature/XWingSeries Wraith Squadron]]'' has a pair of pilots rubbing their gloves on their mics to simulate the sound while disobeying orders. Their commander is frustrated, knowing that he's [[MilitaryMaverick done that himself]], but he can't stop them. Both contribute hugely to the success of the mission, but both also [[AnyoneCanDie die.]]

** Played with again in an incident with some actual static interrupting a communication from Kira ordering the Defiant to move on to its rendezvous with a defenseless troop convoy rather than continue looking for Sisko's escape pod. Several of the bridge crew try to pretend they didn't understand what she was saying, but Worf is the commanding officer and after a moment of consideration he decides that he cannot justify pretending he didn't understand his orders even to rescue the captain.

* Employed several times in ''Series/BabylonFive'', but most prominently in the episode "The Fall of Night" when Captain Sheridan cuts off his [=BabCom=] conversation with an angry Ambassador Londo Mollari by saying that "the line was breaking up" even though it wasn't (and Mollari being aware of the lie with an exasperated "Captain!" before the channel is cut). Sheridan proceeds to order the computer to run a diagnostic in order for Mollari's call not to come through.

* Used in ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'', during their version of ''Film/AttackOfTheClones''.

'''Sisko:''' ''(static noises)'' Whats that sir? ''(static)'' You're breaking up! ''(static)''\\

** In "Panic in the Sky", Galatea is busy beating the crap out of Supergirl when her boss realizes Lex Luthor's treachery. Her boss tries to call off Galatea's attack, but she claims the signal is breaking up. Then she tells Supergirl it was a wrong number.

* Bumblebee in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' tried this once. When Prowl did this later Ratchet replies that [[ContinuityNod Bumblebee's fake static was more believable]].

* ''Series/JandaKembang'': When Salmah's first intermediary Jefri is calling her out via phone for leaving their client, Rais takes the phone and imitates static sound until Jefri thinks the signal is weak and hangs up.

* Subverted on ''TheSimpsons'', when Homer gets a loaner car while his regular car gets repaired. When Homer and Marge are lustfully driving in the new car, Homer gets a call from the dealer saying his car is fixed, causing Homer to say they can keep it so he can keep the loaner. He then tells the man to listen to him and his wife making "sweet love", which is followed by static sounds.

Alternate variant is to have a character claim that they "lost the connection" while communicating via satellite, radio, or SubspaceAnsible.

* In a ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo'' fancomic[[https://twitter.com/herzspalter/status/1156014777015001095?s=21]], Doppio attempts this ''on his own split personality''.

* [[http://notalwaysright.com/getting-landlines-tangled/7590 This incident]] at ''Website/NotAlwaysRight''.

* Marie tries this on her walkie-talkie in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' in order to avoid another one of [[MotorMouth Sheldon]]'s ravings. The joke comes from Marie blatantly not being ''anywhere'' near a tunnel.

* The French movie ''La Vérité si je Mens! 2'' has a character doing it, moving the phone back and forth away from his mouth, before hanging up.