History Main / KnuckleTattoos

* BA Baracus in the film adaptation of "The A-Team" sports the words 'Pity' and 'Fool' on his knuckles, as a MythologyNod.

* King Radical, a mafia boss in ''DrMcNinja'', has "MOST RAD." tattooed across his knuckles.

** One notable ShoutOut was in SpikeLee's ''Do The Right Thing''. Instead of a tattoo, it's jewelry, but it goes to the extent of telling a variation of the right-hand/left-hand story quoted at the top of this page.

* The "Hold Fast" guy from the ''[[{{Aubrey-Maturin}} Master and Commander]]'' movie. This is a tattoo that was common on sailing ships in the old days. So hooray for TruthInTelevision.

* Jerri Blank of ''StrangersWithCandy'' has "HARD" and "LUCK." According to Amy Sedaris, for some episodes [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar the L was changed to an F]].

* One of the bikers in ''GoodOmens'' is mentioned to have 'Love' and 'Hate' tattooed on their knuckles. Another has 'Fish' and 'Chip'. A ShoutOut was in ''Do The Right Thing''. Just instead of a tattoo, it was jewelry.* It even went to the extent of telling a variation of the right-hand/left-hand story quoted at the top of this page.

* [[JohnnyMaxwell Bigmac]] has "LOVE" and "HAT" (the "E" keeps rubbing off) written on his knuckles in biro. Yup, TerryPratchett loves this trope.

* CrazyAwesome singer Diamanda Galás has "We Are All HIV+" tattooed on the knuckles of one hand.

* The {{skinheads}} in ''{{This is England}}'', or at least the nationalist faction, have crosses tattooed on their left middle finger knuckles. In one scene, the leader of the gang gives Shaun one with a safety pin.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The "Cape Feare" episode of ''TheSimpsons'', Sideshow Bob has "LUV" and "HĀT", because [[FourFingeredHands he only has three fingers on each hand]]. This episode was primarily a parody of ''CapeFear'', which also starred Robert Mitchum.
* ''RenAndStimpy'': Stimpy has Love and Hate tattooed inside his lips, like a racehorse.
* ''LiloAndStitch'' has [[ScaryBlackMan Mr. Bubbles]], who has "Cobra" (implied to be his first name) tattooed on his knuckles. One of the few examples to use the thumb.
* The host of ''Bust 'Em'' from ''PhineasAndFerb'' has "Bust" and "Them" drawn on her knuckles, and did a ([[AnalogyBackfire slightly mangled]]) full-speech ShoutOut to ''TheNightOfTheHunter''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Trafalgar Law in ''OnePiece'' has "DETH" tattooed on his left hand knuckles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* [[ProfessionalWrestling Wrestler]] CM Punk has "Drug Free" tatooed across his knuckles, as he is Straight Edge.

->''Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil? H-A-T-E! It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low. L-O-V-E! You see these fingers, dear hearts? These fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. The right hand, friends, the hand of love. Now watch, and I'll show you the story of life. Those fingers, dear hearts, is always a-warring and a-tugging, one agin t'other. Now watch 'em! Old brother left hand, left hand he's a fighting, and it looks like love's a goner. But wait a minute! Hot dog, love's a winning! Yessirree! It's love that's won, and old left hand hate is down for the count!''
-->-- '''[[SinisterMinister Preacher]] [[SerialKiller Harry]] [[TheBluebeard Powell]]''', ''TheNightOfTheHunter''

* The "Cape Feare" episode of ''TheSimpsons'', Sideshow Bob has "LUV" and "HĀT", because [[FourFingeredHands he only has three fingers on each hand]]. This episode was primarily a parody of ''CapeFear'', which also starred Robert Mitchum.

* In ''{{Discworld}}'', one of Cohen's barbarian horde has "Hate" tattooed on ''both'' knuckles.
* In ''TheLeagueOfGentlemen'', the town vicar gets these tattoos around the beginning of the second season.
* "Death or Glory" by TheClash has a probable ShoutOut in "Love 'n' hate tattooed across the knuckles of his hands/ Hands that slap his kids around 'cuz they don't understand."
* One of the bikers in ''GoodOmens'' is mentioned to have 'Love' and 'Hate' tattooed on their knuckles. Another has 'Fish' and 'Chip'. A ShoutOut was in ''Do The Right Thing''. Just instead of a tattoo, it was jewelry.* It even went to the extent of telling a variation of the right-hand/left-hand story quoted at the top of this page.
* ''RenAndStimpy'': Stimpy has Love and Hate tattooed inside his lips, like a racehorse.

* ''HomestarRunner'': Strong Bad writes "Deleted" on his knuckles, but he writes it backwards, so that when he punches Homestar, the ink will come off and leave a big "Deleted" on Homestar's face.

* [[http://www.knuckletattoos.com/ This website]] demonstrated just how much this is TruthInTelevision
* King Radical, a mafia boss in ''DrMcNinja'', has "MOST RAD." tattooed across his knuckles.
* In a dream Jerry has on ''{{Seinfeld}}'', Uncle Leo was in prison and had "Hello Jerry" tattooed across his knuckles.
* [[ProfessionalWrestling Wrestler]] CM Punk has "Drug Free" tatooed across his knuckles, as he is Straight Edge.
* Parodied with the ''TheNowShow'' [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/nowshow.shtml promotional image]]: reading left to right, we have written on the fists "THE", "NOW" and "SHOW"; then the last hand is opened up, with (I think) "On Fridays 6.30 BBC Radio 4" on the palm.

* Parodied in one design by Toy Machine skateboards had cartoon knuckles with the company name tattooed on them. First hand had three fingers, the second seven.
* Kat Von D, tattoo artist, and cast member of ''Miami Ink'' had various logos tattooed on her knuckles, as probably many other of the artists and customers on the show. Also, the shop owners' bar LOVE HATE seems to be a reference to the classical knuckle tattoos.
* The {{skinheads}} in ''{{This is England}}'', or at least the nationalist faction, have crosses tattooed on their left middle finger knuckles. In one scene, the leader of the gang giwes Shaun one with a safety pin.

* The cover art of The Pogues' album ''Peace and Love'' features a man with those very words across his knuckles. Both words fit by virtue of him having [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peace_Love.jpg six fingers on his right hand]].
* ''LiloAndStitch'' has [[ScaryBlackMan Mr. Bubbles]], who has "Cobra" (implied to be his first name) tattooed on his knuckles. One of the few examples to use the thumb.
* You can buy a [[http://www.worldwidefred.com/4x2.htm whole darn set of temporary knuckle tattoos]] now.

* Sort-of, but one finger: On the cover of ''{{Mercenaries}} 2: World In Flames'', if you look closely enough, Mattias has P-A-Y tattooed(carved?) on his [[FlippingTheBird middle finger]], though it's never used.

* The ads for ''AceOfCakes'' feature Duff baring knuckle tattoos of "BAKE" "CAKE", but he revealed that they're not only fake, but they had to use a hand model because his own knuckles were too hairy.

* The host of ''Bust 'Em'' from ''PhineasAndFerb'' has "Bust" and "Them" drawn on her knuckles, and did a ([[AnalogyBackfire slightly mangled]]) full-speech ShoutOut to ''TheNightOfTheHunter''.
* The ''[[TheATeam A-Team]]'' [[TheMovie Movie]] has B.A. sporting the words "[[MrT Pity]]" and "[[MemeticMutation Fool]]" on his knuckles.
* ''TheBattleForWesnoth'' has BilingualBonus KnuckleTattoos on the Dwarvish [[TheBerserker Ulfserker/Berseker]] [[http://svn.gna.org/viewcvs/*checkout*/wesnoth/trunk/data/core/images/portraits/dwarves/transparent/ulfserker.png?rev=34075 portrait]] - the runes read love and hate.

** Buffalo Bill in ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs''
** Eddie (MeatLoaf) in ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', although it looks like he just wrote it on in pen.
** The "Cape Feare" episode of ''TheSimpsons'', Sideshow Bob has "LUV" and "HĀT", because [[FourFingeredHands he only has three fingers on each hand]]. This episode was primarily a parody of ''CapeFear'', which also starred Robert Mitchum.
** In ''The Last Remake of Beau Geste'', the sadistic sergeant played by Peter Ustinov has "Hate" tattooed on one hand -- and "Loathe" on the other.
** In ''{{Discworld}}'', one of Cohen's barbarian horde has "Hate" tattooed on ''both'' knuckles.
** In ''TheLeagueOfGentlemen'', the town vicar gets these tattoos around the beginning of the second season.
** "Death or Glory" by TheClash has a probable ShoutOut in "Love 'n' hate tattooed across the knuckles of his hands/ Hands that slap his kids around 'cuz they don't understand."
** One of the bikers in ''GoodOmens'' is mentioned to have 'Love' and 'Hate' tattooed on their knuckles. Another has 'Fish' and 'Chip'.
** A ShoutOut was in ''Do The Right Thing''. Just instead of a tattoo, it was jewelry.
*** It even went to the extent of telling a variation of the right-hand/left-hand story quoted at the top of this page.
** On one episode of ''RenAndStimpy'', Stimpy has Love and Hate tattooed inside his lips, like a racehorse.

* In one [[HomestarRunner Strong Bad Email]], Strong Bad writes "Deleted" on his knuckles, but he writes it backwards, so that when he punches Homestar, the ink will come off and leave a big "Deleted" on Homestar's face.
* The "Hold Fast" guy from the ''[[{{Aubrey-Maturin}} Master and Commander]]'' movie.
** This is a tattoo that was common on sailing ships in the old days. So hooray for TruthInTelevision.

* Parodied to the extreme with the music video of the song Pork and Beans by Weezer wherein at one point in the video several lines of lyrics are written all over one of the band members hands and flashed in time with the lyrics.
** That's a pastiche of Daft Hands, a viral video where the same thing was done with "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by DaftPunk.

[[quoteright:250:TheNightOfTheHunter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/love_hate_tattoos_1495.jpg]]]]

[[qutoeright:252:TheNightOfTheHunter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/love_hate_tattoos_1495.jpg]]]]

[[TheNightOfTheHunter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/love_hate_tattoos_1495.jpg]]

->''Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand? The story of good and evil? H-A-T-E! It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low. L-O-V-E! You see these fingers, dear hearts? These fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. The right hand, friends, the hand of love. Now watch, and I'll show you the story of life. Those fingers, dear hearts, is always a-warring and a-tugging, one agin t'other. Now watch 'em! Old brother left hand, left hand he's a fighting, and it looks like love's a goner. But wait a minute! Hot dog, love's a winning! Yessirree! It's love that's won, and old left hand hate is down for the count!''
-->-- '''[[SinisterMinister Preacher]] [[SerialKiller Harry]] [[TheBluebeard Powell]]''', ''TheNightOfTheHunter''

** The "Cape Feare" episode of ''TheSimpsons'', Sideshow Bob has "LUV" and "HĀT", because he only has three fingers on each hand. This episode was primarily a parody of ''CapeFear'', which also starred Robert Mitchum.

* The TropeMaker is, of course, Robert Mitchum's character in ''TheNightOfTheHunter'', who has "Love" and "Hate", and most examples since are {{Shout Out}}s.

[[TheNightOfTheHunter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/love_hate_tattoos_1495.jpg

[[TheNightOfTheHunter http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/harry.jpg]]

* The Skinheads in ''This is England'' have crosses tattooed on their left middle finger knuckles. In one scene, the leader of the gang giwes Shaun one with a safety pin.