History Main / PeopleFallOffChairs

" ''Literature/MrMen'': While eating his supper, Mr. Clumsy leans back on his chair, and falls. Whoops!

** In the first episode, Light screens and falls out of his chair when he sees [[{{Shinigami}} Ryuk]] for the first time. To be fair, the reveal was accompanied by a flash of lightning and thunder.

** When L finds out that {{Shinigami}} might exist, he falls out of his chair. A far less funny version happens later [[spoiler:when Light kills him with the Death Note and he keels over mid-sentence]].
** The first episode features this reaction when Light sees Ryuk for the first time.

May be a consequence of SwivelChairAntics. Compare FaceFault, BreakingBadNewsGently (when it involves saying "You better sit down"), and DramaticDrop, though in this case the thing being dropped is yourself. Sister Trope of SpitTake, ForgotToMindTheirHead and DramaticSitDown. It's named after the non-trope Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs.

** When L finds out that {{Shinigami}} might exist, he falls out of his chair. A far less funny version happens later [[spoiler:when Light kills him with the Death Note and he keels over mid sentence]].

* In the episode "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace" from ''TheSimpsons'', when Homer is trying to think of an invention and Bart makes fun of Homer's lack of progress, Homer tips his chair far too back and he falls down. Later, as Homer laments that his inventing career was not working out after all, he once again leans back too far on his chair... but this time, he doesn't fall. He explains that he added hinged extra legs so he'll stop tipping over while trying to invent stuff. The family commends him for his idea, and Homer is satisfied... until he looks closely at his poster of Thomas Edison and sees hinged legs on Edison's own chair. Realising that his own inspiration had a secret invention, Homer decides to go to the Edison Museum and smash the chair, taking all credit for himself. In the end, Homer couldn't do it because Edison was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci, just as Homer was inspired by Edison.

[[quoteright:255:[[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heman_falling_off_chair.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:255:By the power of Gravity!]]

* In the 1993 version of ''[[Film/MuchAdoAboutNothing1993 Much Ado About Nothing]]'', Benedict does this after finding out that Beatrice is in love with him.

[[folder:Literature]]
* Used multiple times in ''Literature/LessonsForAPerfectDetectiveStory''. After Tenkaichi sets up a dramatic scene in the police station he asks to go to the bathroom, shocking everybody and causing some of them to fall of their chairs onto their face.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Literature/TheConditionsOfGreatDetectives'' Tenkaichi sneaks his way into the back of a meeting within a police station while they discuss a murder. He sets up a dramatic moment, as he has something say and grabs everybody's attention, but only asks where the toilet is and all of the policemen fall off their chairs in response.

* Used multiple times in ''Literature/TheConditionsOfGreatDetectives''. After Tenkaichi sets up a dramatic scene in the police station he asks to go to the bathroom, shocking everybody and causing some of them to fall of their chairs onto their face.

* In ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock'', Captain Kirk's most famous line is delivered from the floor in front of his captain's chair. Kirk stumbling off the chair was entirely accidental. But director Creator/LeonardNimoy thought it suited the scene (since Kirk had just learned of [[spoiler:the death of his son]]) and [[ThrowItIn left it in]].

[[folder:Theater]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* A RunningGag for [[WebVideo/Danisnotonfire Daniel Howell]], as he has done this many times in both livestreams and Let's Plays due to being startled, jumpscared, or plain old clumsy.

* In ''Film/{{Batman}}'', a news anchor does this as she [[DieLaughing dies laughing]] from the effects of ComicBook/TheJoker's "Smilex" chemical found in her makeup.

May be a consequence of SwivelChairAntics. Compare FaceFault, BreakingBadNewsGently (when it involves saying "You better sit down"), and DramaticDrop, though in this case the thing being dropped is yourself. Sister Trope of SpitTake and DramaticSitDown. It's named after the non-trope Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs.

'''Raven:''' ...How?

%% Commented out since WeblinksAreNotExamples * [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes Calvin's]] mother [[http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-ash1/v97/241/42/159101491/n159101491_30194056_5498.jpg here]].

** When L finds out that {{Shinigami}} might exist, he falls out of his chair. A far less funny version happens later [[spoiler:when Lights kills him with the Death Note and he keels over mid sentence]].