History Main / LivingProp

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' uses many of the same background characters, but except for a few, like the surfer fish, they have a different voice every time.

* ''Film/SleeplessInSeattle'' has a particularly notable one, where the living prop is on two different planes from Seattle to New York in the same day.

** Queen, later Senator, Amidala's assorted handmaidens ostensibly exist to follow Amidala around and provide a stylish backdrop for her more flamboyant fashions. (It turns out they are chosen to resemble her in case she needs to disappear: she can hide among them while a particularly loyal handmaid becomes "Amidala" as a BodyDouble).

* ''Film/TheRunaways'' is a biopic dramatising the all-female rock group [[Music/TheRunaways of the same name]]. Member Jackie Fox refused to let producers adapt her life story, so the film creates a character called Robin to stand in as the fifth member of the band. She gets almost no lines and just appears standing in the background of group shots.
* ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1961'' has very little character for Judy. About the only thing she does in the film is leave the house to go with Tom and Ben, and [[spoiler: get her jacket caught in the car, allowing herself and Tom to be killed]]. The character didn't exist in the first script, but was added in after they met actress Judith Ridley - who was so beautiful and charming they had to have her in the film somehow. The 1990 remake gives Judy much more of a role in the story.
* [[BigBad Henry F. Potter]] is one of the largest roles in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', and being an EvilCripple, he has an assistant to push his wheelchair. [[NoNameGiven This man is never named]], [[TheVoiceless doesn't have a single line]], and outside of pushing Potter's chair, doesn't do anything for the entire film, a story which spans years. And when this example says "doesn't do anything", that includes making facial expressions, as he keeps [[TheStoic the same blank look on his face for all his scenes]]. And as for the pushing of the chair, Potter is indoors and stationary for most of his scenes, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything meaning this man is barely ever shown doing his job]]. And considering Potter is one of the main characters, and he's always got his assistant by his side, that means this man is in contention for the largest role in any film where the actor does absolutely nothing for all their screentime.

* The Cro-Marmot from ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'' who shows up occasionally.

* ''Series/Vikings': In season 1 earl Haraldson had a cadre of housecarls, which appeared in almost every scene he was in. After Ragnar took over as earl, the bodyguards started serving him instead and continued to appear as background figures around Ragnar. According to pilot director Johan Renck, they all had names. From season 3, most of them had been phased out save for one distinctly tall man with a beard and shaved head, who Johan Renck's instagram refers to as "Igor". He continued to appear as Ragnar's bodyguard, even [[spoiler: carrying Ragnar's coffin during the Paris-ploy and after Ragnar's death]] serving Ivar and then Björn. He appeared in almost every episode of the first 4 seasons and ever so often in seasons 5 and 6. He was never named in the show and never got a line.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' has the members of Team CRDL, who are just there to be stereotypical bullies, or to otherwise fill up the background. Only two of them even have voice actors, and of those only their leader Cardin ever has any actual personality, and even he's relegated to background character after his plot line about them bullying Jaune is resolved. Whenever they pop up after that, it's [[ButtMonkey usually to get their asses kicked by a main character]], and they vanish entirely after Volume 3 and [[spoiler: the Fall Of Beacon]].

* In ''Anime/MaiHime'', Mai's class consists of a few named characters and a bunch of stable living props. Interestingly, the nameless girl with blue hair who sat in front of her for the whole series ended up being one of the main characters of the sequel/{{Elseworld}}, ''Anime/MaiOtome''. In a ''Anime/MaiOtome'' picture drama that takes place in the ''Anime/MaiHime'' universe, [[AscendedExtra she]] lets Arika and Erstin stay at her apartment after they find her cat, Nina.

* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS'' makes sneaky use of this character type's ability to be ignored by the audience by having one of these, [[spoiler:a girl secretary [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent we're actually shown skittishly edging towards]] [[GeneralRipper General Regius]] near the end of the season,]] turn out to be [[spoiler:the [[MasterOfDisguise disguised]] {{cyborg}} [[PsychoForHire assassin]]]].

* [[BigBad Henry F. Potter]] is one of the largest roles in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', and being an EvilCripple, he has an assistant to push his wheelchair. [[TheVoiceless This man doesn't have a single line]], and outside of pushing Potter's chair, doesn't do anything for the entire film, a story which spans years. And when this example says "doesn't do anything", that includes making facial expressions, as he keeps [[TheStoic the same blank look on his face for all his scenes]]. And as for the pushing of the chair, Potter is indoors and stationary for most of his scenes, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything meaning this man is barely ever shown doing his job]]. And considering Potter is one of the main characters, and he's always got his assistant by his side, that means this man is in contention for the largest role in any film where the actor does absolutely nothing for all their screentime.

* [[BigBad Henry F. Potter]] is one of the larger roles in ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'', and being an EvilCripple, he has an assistant to push his wheelchair. [[TheVoiceless This man doesn't have a single line]], and outside of pushing Potter's chair, doesn't do anything for the entire film, a story which spans years. And when this example says "doesn't do anything", that includes making facial expressions, as he keeps [[TheStoic the same blank look on his face for all his scenes]]. And as for the pushing of the chair, Potter is indoors and stationary for most of his scenes, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything meaning this man doesn't even get to do his job for most of his scenes]]. And considering Potter is one of the main characters, and he's always got his assistant by his side, that means this man is in contention for the largest role in any film where the actor does absolutely nothing for all their screentime.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Veggietales'' episodes the background characters/extras are usually anthromorphic peas and carrots. Where Peas are usually mooks or allies whereas carrots are mostly in place of people or henchman.

* In WesternAnimation/Veggietales episodes the background characters/extras are usually anthromorphic peas and carrots. Where Peas are usually mooks or allies whereas carrots are mostly in place of people or henchman.

* In Veggietales episodes the background characters/extras are usually anthromorphic peas and carrots. Where Peas are usually mooks or allies whereas carrots are mostly in place of people or henchman.

* Bobby Draper in ''Series/MadMen''. On his [[TheOtherDarrin fourth actor]], with only a handful of lines per season in increasing contrast [[PromotionToOpeningTitles to his big sister]].

** Kumiko, the Japanese Comic Book Guy's wife.

* ''Webcomic/SweetBroAndHellaJeff'': Geromy. While he's ostensibly the BlackBestFriend, he's a Living Prop in that he never even ''moves''...

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Miles O'Brien starts out the series as an unnamed helmsman in the show's pilot, but gets [[AscendedExtra promoted]] to a recurring secondary character as a transporter chief and then on to be a major character in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.

* ''Film/StarWars'':

** ''The [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha original series]] and ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'' had Allex and Landy, serving as male BridgeBunnies, but other than that, they don't have any other purpose in the series. Amy, who has a similar function and beyond completely overshadows them. ''[=StrikerS=]'' avoids this trope with the BridgeBunnies of Riot Force 6 (Shari, Alto and Lucino). All of three of them, particularly Shari, have a distinct personalities, different specialties and roles and they belong in different, albeit overlapping, friend groups.

* Pandaman from ''Manga/OnePiece''. Or is it Pandamen? Pandaman is an EasterGag-type of character who has multiple cameo appearances across the whole series and he's basically the ''One Piece'' equivalent of ''"Where's Waldo?"''.