History Main / PityTheKidnapper

The single most powerful deterrent to kidnapping in all fiction, (and certainly in the mundane category), is to be so annoying that the kidnapper requires an active force of will to keep their sanity. What makes them annoying isn't important. In truly bizarre cases, the kidnappers can be annoyed because their victim insists on being [[AllLovingHero kind, upbeat, and forgiving]] even through torture. The point is, nobody wants to be around them and that ransom note looks increasingly unimportant as compared to the promise of not having to deal with the AnthropomorphicPersonification of "damned pest" day in and day out.

* Creator/OHenry's "[[https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Henry_Red_Chief.pdf The Ransom of Red Chief]]" is a TropeCodifier. The titular "Red Chief" (what the kid calls himself in his first game, CowboysAndIndians) is so bad, that the ''kidnappers'' had to pay a ransom to his father to take him back! Totally understandable, as the kid was no mere BrattyHalfPint, but rather both a MotorMouth and a precocious MagnificentBastard. One memorable scene involves one of the kidnappers being ambushed in his sleep and nearly scalped with his own knife.

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'': While she isn't thrown out, Bianca Castafiore's stay in a San Theodoran prison is very stressful on the guards, who keep coming out of her cell with spaghetti on their heads because it wasn't cooked to her liking. When she is rescued by Tintin and the revolutionaries, she wants to break into song, which is met by a hasty "No! No!" by Captain Haddock and the San Theodoran officer.
** Abdullah, the son of Emir Kalish Ezab, is a SpoiledBrat and an absolute terror who constantly pulls painful pranks on his captors, even when he's actively held at gunpoint by Dr. Mueller. This also leads to the villain's capture, as Mueller tries to shoot himself with the gun Abdullah gave him to avoid capture, but it turns out to be a squirt gun full of ink.

* ''Literature/WhenTheRobbersCameToCardamomTown'': he robbers kidnap aunt Sophie so that she can cook and clean for them. She immediately turns this around and makes them wash and clean not only their home, but [[HatesBaths themselves]] as well! When constable Bastian, the baker and the sausage maker show up to save her, she doesn’t want to leave, because she’s determined to make the robbers into decent people. In the end the robbers can’t take her ordering them around anymore, and when she falls asleep, they return her to her home.

Not to be confused with StockholmSyndrome, in which the kidnappee develops pity/amicability with the kidnapper; Contrast LimaSyndrome, in which the kidnapper actually starts to ''like'' or feel sympathy for the victim.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' provides the page quote. An example of this trope doesn't actually '''occur''' in the game, but, [[GenkiGirl given]] [[{{Tsundere}} Serra's]] [[WellExcuseMePrincess personality]], it becomes quickly apparent why [[DeadpanSnarker Erk]] would come to this conclusion about her.

* ''Film/FreshMeat'' :After springing Ritchie, the gang decides to hideout at the Crane family's house. Unfortunately, once it's revealed that Cranes' are a Cannibal Clan, it isn't long before Ritchie's gang are the ones that are in trouble.

[[folder:Film — Animation]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]

* [[DastardlyWhiplash Dan Backslide]] from the Creator/ChuckJones-directed [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] short ''WesternAnimation/TheDoverBoys'' manages to lock Dora in his shack, but every time he attempts to approach her from here, she violently lobs him into the opposite wall... [[DamselFightAndFlightResponse All while she's banging on the door calling to be rescued by Tom, Dick and Larry.]] Eventually, after she escapes on her own, it's ''Dan'' who's crying for them to save him.

* Similar to the Dover Boys example above, in the third theatrical ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon, "Blow Me Down", Bluto sneaks into Olive's dressing room. Some ruckus is heard as Olive calls for help and Popeye rushes to her rescue. As it turns out, she had knocked Bluto unconscious by beating him repeatedly over the head with a club, still calling for help the whole time!

-->-- '''Erk''', '''''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'''''

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': The plot of Episode 2 of Season 2, after Glimmer and Bo capture Catra.

* French movie ''Le Grand Chef'' is an adaptation of ''The Ransom of Red Chief''. You do the math.

* At the end of the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "The Whole Idea", an inventor finally tires of his stereotypically shrewish wife's nagging and drops her down one of the "portable holes" he'd invented. It apparently leads all the way to FireAndBrimstoneHell, as there's a burst of flame and then a mopey-looking demon appears, hauling her out by the collar of her blouse and asking the inventor, "Isn't it bad enough down here without ''her''?"

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "The Griffin Family History", burglars break into the house and take Meg hostage. By the time the family is rescued, [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe Meg has been charged with sexual harassment against the burglars]].

* ''Literature/JenniferTheJerkIsMissing'' has a group of kidnappers who can't stand their 8-year-old charge, even when she's tied to a chair, due to her constant complaining and mocking.

* Note: If you are kidnapped in real life, ''[[JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs do not attempt to invoke this trope in order to escape]]''. If you are unable to escape on your own or alert others of the kidnapping as it's happening, follow along with the kidnapper's demands until/unless it becomes life-threatening. Most real-life criminals will have little patience for people who try to annoy their way out of the kidnapping and, at best, will result in having your mouth taped shut and forcefully tied down or, at worst, [[DeadlyEuphemism result in them permanently shutting your mouth for you]].

* Doesn't work on the police, so don't bother trying. (They'll just beat you to a pulp, lawsuits be damned.)
** Prison guards [[WeHaveReserves are usually considered expendable]] in the event of a kidnapping, so they make poor hostages in the event of a riot or an attempted breakout. Visitors of maximum-security facilities are also obligated [[TheyKnewTheRisks to sign a waiver in which they accept in writing]] that the federal government will ''not'' negotiate for their safety if they are taken hostage before being allowed entry, which leaves them in the same place (you can see Music/{{Metallica}} getting this explained to them at the beginning of their music video for ''St. Anger'', as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ajl1ABdD8A can be seen here]]).

* In 2001, the FBI broke news about an attempt to kidnap Creator/RussellCrowe for ransom. At a press event, the infamously hot-tempered actor cracked that he could easily imagine the kidnappers, having been saddled with him for a few days, calling up and saying "we've passed the hat around, we've got a few hundred dollars, can you take him off our hands?"

* Bleach fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6320709/1/To-The-Limit To The Limit]]'' has Orihime using her powers of Rejection to give Aizen his "Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Week."

* An early episode of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' saw Goku, transformed into a child by the Black Star Dragon Balls, [[MuggingTheMonster get kidnapped by a gang of thugs]]. (Well, technically he goes along with them willingly, not realizing that they are kidnappers.) He forces them to spend all of their money on food for him, undermines their attempts to negotiate a ransom from his friends, and in the end simply flies away when it's time to go home.
* In ''Manga/SleepyPrincessInTheDemonCastle'', you will feel sorry for the demons who kidnapped Princess Syalis of the Human Nation as they constantly feel the wrath of the Princess in her quest for the perfect sleep.

* The MarvelUniverse robot character Machine Man (Aaron Stack) was nudged toward sentience by the alien Celestials at his creation. Years later, they abducted him and took him into space. They then returned him to Earth with little explanation for their actions. Suffering from self-esteem issues, Aaron claims they returned him because they thought he was boring and obnoxious.
** A flashback in ''ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}'' (which [[UnreliableNarrator may or may not be real]]) has the Celestials telling Aaron that he's a loser. Complete with L on the forehead. And they mock him further when he {{Wangst}}s about it.
--->'''Celestial:''' Aaron Stack, you who were called Machine Man. You have travelled with us for three hundred and sixty cycles by your reckoning of time. There is now something we have to tell you. You are total ☠☠☠☠.\\
'''Aaron:''' ... What?\\
'''Celestial:''' No. Really. You're ☠☠☠☠. We've taken a year of you. We're taking you back to that orbiting trashcan you call a planet. And dumping you there. ... You're turning away from us. We are speaking to you and you're turning away from us. This is exactly the kind of ☠☠☠☠ we're talking about here.
* In Franchise/TheDCU, Lobo, Karnevil, and ComicBook/TheJoker have all been kicked out of hell at one point or another. Lobo for throwing wild parties and causing massive damage to demons and property, Karnevil for annoying/freaking out the demons by constantly pointing out better torture methods, and the Joker for being the Joker.
* Features in a ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' story, where a criminal kidnaps a woman for ransom after she frees him in the mistaken belief that SocietyIsToBlame. Of course, she's so saccharinely annoying that he's soon begging to be taken to prison just to get away from her.

* ComicBook/LuckyLuke's fiancee in the album of the same name is kidnapped by the Dalton gang as bait to get Luke. Like most examples of this trope she gets on Joe's nerves and leads the rest of the boys to housework and chores. Instead of doing the obvious thing of tying her up and gagging her, they surrender.

* ''[[Franchise/TheFlash Impulse]]'' #50: "Impulse Agent of the Bat". Bart is drawn into a Batman/Joker conflict and the combination of his SuperSpeed and [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny short attention span]] prove to be [[EveryoneHasStandards too annoying for The Joker.]]

* ''ComicBook/MortadeloYFilemon'': in the story where Mortadelo's and Filemón's nephews appear, they are kidnapped by a soon-to-be judged criminal that demands all proofs against him as payment. The two children proceed to make his life a living hell for his troubles. [[spoiler:Of course, it ends up working for him when the kids destroy those proofs as part of his games.]]

* One ''ComicStrip/PiranhaClub'' story arc had [[WhenEldersAttack Mother Packer]] being kidnapped. [[HilarityEnsues Much asskicking ensued]].

* An old ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty'' strip features Bill the Cat [[ItMakesSenseInContext being traded to the Soviets in a prisoner exchange]], causing one character to remark "Such a fate even the [[DirtyCommunists evil empire]] don't deserve!"

* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7005713/1/The-Ransom-at-the-Redhorn the Ransom At The Redhorn]]'' explores the situation where Elrond's wife Celebrían (daughter of Galadriel) is taken prisoner by Orcs. The canon tells us unspecified torments were suffered in the Orc-Den. But, as Thranduil Oropherion Redux points out, the reality of who ''suffered'' torments and who ''inflicted'' the torments might be rather different. It is noticeable Elrond was not in much of a hurry to get his wife back.

* In ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'':
** What happens when [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Meme]] is imprisoned in the AU arc.
** Also what happens to the poor, poor, [[TakeThat MAFIAA]]-serving mons tasked with taking Dintel to more or less the in-universe version of Hell. It ends up with them ''kicking him out of there''.
* {{Deconstructed}} in ''Fanfic/TheRiseOfDarthVulcan''. When Diamond Tiara gets kidnapped by Darth Vulcan, she whines and screams and cries and kvetches and does everything this trope involves--so the evil overlord just proceeds to treat her as brutally as possible until she lets it off. He later comments [[LampshadeHanging that this trope doesn't actually work in real life]].

* Bleach fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6320709/1/To-The-Limit To The Limit]]'' has Orihime using her powers of Rejection to give Aizen his "Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Week."
* In ''Fanfic/EarthAndSky'', at one point Diamond Tiara is abducted by the Changelings... and is shortly after kicked out of their hive, because [[EvenEvilHasStandards even they can't stand her]].

* In ''Fanfic/ConversationsWithACryptid'', this happens to the poor sods who decide to kidnap [[spoiler: Izuku. [[TheDreaded All for One]] is ''not happy'' about how they tortured his only child, and both rescues Izuku and turns the lot of them into chunky salsa.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'', The Bog King kidnaps the fairy princess Dawn in order to get back a {{love potion}}. Unfortunately, she's been hit with it, and [[AbhorrentAdmirer falls in love with him]] and can't [[JukeBoxMusical stop singing about it]], driving everyone in the castle up the walls. He solves this by using her desire to please him by convincing her to go to sleep.
* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}''; when Beans is kidnapped by the bad guys and gets defiant/irritating, Rattlesnake Jake just starts [[KickTheDog beating and choking her to force her to comply]]. When she continues resisting, he almost kills her and only stops [[BigDamnHeroes when Rango interrupts him]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld'' an attempt by the heroes to capture [[BigBad Grimmel the Grisly]] goes bad and, in their haste to retreat, Ruffnut is left behind. When Grimmel locks her up, she starts babbling literally non-stop about all sorts of trivial nonsense (including her annoying twin brother, her love life, and her hair braids) until he snaps, releases her, gives her a dragon fledgling to ride, and tells her to just get out. Ruffnut is quite proud of how she [[InvokedTrope used her talent to be annoying]] this way. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she's not nearly as clever as she thinks; [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Grimmel also heard her babbling about the Hooligan tribe's new island base and had her followed back to them]].]]

* In Music/WeirdAlYankovic's movie ''Film/{{UHF}}'' janitor/uber-popular children's show host Stanley Spadowski drives his Mafia captors crazy with his inane guessing games and loud rendition of the theme from ''{{Series/Bonanza}}''. [[TheDitz It's not entirely clear if he even knew he'd been kidnapped]]; he was blindfolded and being driven away at gunpoint before he realized that they weren't pizza delivery guys.
** To give an example as to how inane the guessing games were, Stanley was trying to get them to play I-Spy... [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} while he was blindfolded]].
--->''Stanley'': I'm thinking of something orange. Something orange. Give up? It's an orange!

* ''Film/BabysDayOut'' has three bumbling kidnappers [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter completely unable to keep one baby corraled]], with [[AmusingInjuries hilariously painful results]]. The baby isn't ''trying'' to hurt anyone, he's just going about his adventure. It's the kidnappers themselves who are getting into trouble.
* French movie ''Le Grand Chef'' is an adaptation of ''The Ransom of Red Chief''. You do the math.
* ''Film/TheMummyReturns'', too, couldn't resist dragging this one out. [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons ("Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "NO!")]]
* In ''Film/MidnightRun'', Jack is a licensed bounty hunter, not a kidnapper, but otherwise the dynamic is the same, as Mardukas annoys the bejesus out of him with his constant irritating questions. The same film showcases a defiance of this trope when rival bounty hunter Marvin gets a hold of Mardukas: Mardukas starts trying to be annoying, but Marvin just knocks him out with one punch and by the time Mardukas wakes up again, they've made it all the way to Las Vegas and Marvin has handcuffed him to a toilet and [[spoiler:is taking pictures of him as proof he's got him so he can sell him out to TheMafia]].
* In ''Film/PureLuck'' (and the original French movie ''La Chèvre''), an [[WalkingDisasterArea extremely accident-prone woman]] goes on a vacation and ends up getting EasyAmnesia. A guy sees an opportunity (correctly assuming her family to be wealthy) and takes her, figuring he could get a lot of money for her return, once she remembers who she is, that is. By the time the detectives find the guy, he has lost all his money to her bad luck and is in debt to a drug dealer. He explains that he ended up passing her off to another guy. Naturally, things aren't much better for that guy either (she costs him a plane, for one).

* The entire plot of ''Film/TheRef''. A jewel thief takes a couple hostage while he tries to get out of town, only for him to find out the hard way how dysfunctional they are. And ''then'' the rest of the DysfunctionJunction shows up for Christmas dinner, which means he has to pretend to be the couple's marriage counselor in order to keep from arousing suspicion. HilarityEnsues.

* Creator/OHenry's "[[https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Henry_Red_Chief.pdf The Ransom of Red Chief]]" is a TropeCodifier. The titular "Red Chief" (what the kid calls himself in his first game, CowboysAndIndians) is so bad, that the ''kidnappers'' had to pay a ransom to his father to take him back! Totally understandable, as the kid was no mere BrattyHalfPint, but rather both a MotorMouth and a precocious MagnificentBastard. One memorable scene involves one of the kidnappers being ambushed in his sleep and nearly scalped with his own knife.
-->''"What you getting up so soon for, Sam?" asked Bill.''\\
''"Me?" says I. "Oh, I got a kind of a pain in my shoulder. I thought sitting up would rest it."''\\
''"You're a liar!" says Bill. "You're afraid. You was to be burned at sunrise, and you was afraid he'd do it."''
** When the hapless duo ''did'' finally get the boy back home, [[spoiler: he wanted to stay and play with his abductors, so his own father had to hold him back to give them time to flee on foot, with the fat Bill outrunning his fitter counterpart by a mile and a half in his haste to leave the terror behind]].
* The short story "A Good Boy" by Desmond Warzel references "The Ransom of Red Chief" by name. The titular boy turns out to be a lot more than just an annoyance, though...

* The now-out-of-print children's picture book ''Literature/TheBaronsBooty'' is about a [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain nefarious but soft-hearted]] [[AristocratsAreEvil Wicked Baron]] who kidnaps a nobleman's dozen-or-so young daughters while gloating in rhyme about the ransom he plans to demand for them. The children turn out to be cute but demanding, and the kind-hearted baron is worn down trying to keep them happy. To his shock, the girls' father declares that he is rather enjoying his break from them and sees no reason to take them all back. The baron ends up bankrupting himself bribing the father to let him return the kids.

* In ''Ratbags and Rascals'', a collection of short stories by Creator/RobinKlein, 'The Kidnapping of Clarissa Montgomery' is an example of this. Clarissa is an obnoxious RichBitch who complains constantly and bullies her kidnappers into submission, forcing them to learn French verbs, beating them at cards and even sending out her own ransom note and collecting the briefcase with the ransom in it as she can't trust the kidnappers to do a good job. [[spoiler:The briefcase contains no money, just a note from her guardian saying 'Do not want Clarissa back. She is too irritating and bossy. You can keep her. Glad to get rid of her.' Clarissa then takes over the gang.]]

* In the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles'', Herman the dwarf is really tired of helping [[Literature/{{Rumpelstiltskin}} girls spin straw into gold and then claiming their firstborn children along with a share of the cash]]. It's not that he doesn't like the children, it's just that they're expensive to feed, forcing him to run the same dodge all over again to get more money.
** His dialogue implies he's long since stopped ''trying'' to kidnap children; first he legally changed his name to Herman to make his name easy to guess (it never worked), then he tried moving out away from everybody. People still find him and keep managing to talk him into spinning more straw into gold, and he always gets stuck with more children. The children themselves are generally well-behaved, and he does like children and takes good care of them - it's the ''situation'' which is unfortunate.
* ''Literature/JenniferTheJerkIsMissing'' has a group of kidnappers who can't stand their 8-year-old charge, even when she's tied to a chair, due to her constant complaining and mocking.
-->'''Kidnapper:''' That kid's driving me nuts! I'm restraining myself all the time! I keep wanting to bust her in the chops every time she opens that big mouth of hers!
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' one Yeerk is practically driven ''insane'' by his own host. Said host constantly recited ''Theatre/HenryV'', so when the yeerk finds the [[TimeTravel Time Matrix]] the first thing he does with it is kill the inspiration for that play, just to silence him.

* Happened in the novel ''[[Literature/{{Dortmunder}} Jimmy The Kid]]'' (a sequel to ''Literature/TheHotRock'') by Donald Westlake, and the movie based on the book.
* In Creator/PGWodehouse's short story "Helping Freddie" (later rewritten for the ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' series as "Fixing It for Freddie"), a young UpperClassTwit comes up with a ZanyScheme to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin help his friend Freddie]], whose fianceé has broken up with him. He kidnaps a small boy who he thinks is the fianceé's cousin, intending for Freddie to bring the kid home and play the hero. Then the boy turns out to be unrelated to the fianceé, his actual guardian turns out to be in quarantine, and [[ComedicHero our hero]] is stuck with him for the rest of the story.
--> ''By Jove, you know, till I started to tramp the place with this infernal kid, I never had a notion it would have been so deuced difficult to restore a child to its anxious parents. It's a mystery to me how kidnappers ever get caught.''
* Jasmine's attempt to kidnap Matt from a casino hotel in ''Literature/TheAffix'' goes ''way'' south from the outset. Having lost a few marbles already, Matt is starting to understand the probability-breaking gem he's [[ClingyMacGuffin stuck with]], and uses it along with his newfound brashness to tweak her repeatedly until her eye twitches—then tries to make her other eye twitch. Then the kidnapping is interrupted by a third party and her night gets a whole lot worse.
* The kidnappers in "The Snatching of Bookie Bob" by Creator/DamonRunyon successfully get a $25,000 ransom for him. Unfortunately for them, they spent their time waiting for the payment gambling with Bob, and end up owing him $50,000.
* ''Literature/HondoOhnakasNotSoBigScore'': Hondo and his gang spend a lot of credits and go through a lot of humiliation as part of their scheme to kidnap several wealthy cruise ship passengers. They only people they kidnap (and grudgingly have to release for a ComicallySmallBribe of some alcohol) are a DefiantCaptive who won't beg to be released for money, a MockMillionaire, and a SpoiledBrat whose fiancee refuses to pay for her release.

* To add a male example, German folk song "Des Schneiders Höllenfahrt". Devils drag a tailor to hell so he makes them new clothes. They are in for a world of pain. ''Seitdem holt der Teufel keine Schneider mehr, es gehe, wie es wöll.'' [[note]]Since then the devil doesn't fetch any more tailors, hell be damned.[[/note]]

* In a comical skit in ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'', Nanaly Fletch imagines herself being a DamselInDistress. Then Loni Dunamis offers to be her KnightInShiningArmor... because he pities any villains that kidnap Nanaly for her tomboy-ness. Cue to the [[KnuckleCracking bonecrusher]].
* Used in ''VideoGame/SeriousSam 2'', where the literal dragon, after kidnapping the hilariously ugly princess, decided to surrender her to Sam without a fight; he refuses, and they fight over who has to take her. Sam wins and agrees to take her if he can also take the magic artifact he was after.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' provides the page quote. An example of this trope doesn't actually '''occur''' in the game, but, [[GenkiGirl given]] [[{{Tsundere}} Serra's]] [[WellExcuseMePrincess personality]], it becomes quickly apparent why [[DeadpanSnarker Erk]] would come to this conclusion about her.

* In an episode from Black Box TV (a serious horror example of this trope), a couple kidnap a young girl with the intent to force her family to pay for her back, but then don't hear anything. No police report, no callback on their ransom, nothing. The couple, a man who does have some level of moral compass and a woman with a drug habit and surly attitude, begin becoming frustrated. Eventually, the kidnapped girl turns the tables, using her supernatural powers to lock the woman in her bedroom and viciously attack her with a supernatural teddy bear with razor teeth and sharp claws. The kidnapped girl then forces both the man and woman to become her "perfect parents", acting like a nuclear family out of the '50s. Should they refuse, the kidnapped girl will kill them both with her powers. It is essentially implied that the parents of the girl didn't want her back as this was the life they were forced to live as well, and likely split the second they were free.

* Subverted on ''WebVideo/SevenSecondRiddles''. One of the potential solutions for a riddle involves annoying a kidnapper into freeing you, but it's the wrong answer; the correct answer is to try and befriend the kidnapper, to make it harder for them to hurt you.

* At the end of the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "The Whole Idea", an inventor finally tires of his stereotypically shrewish wife's nagging and drops her down one of the "portable holes" he'd invented. It apparently leads all the way to FireAndBrimstoneHell, as there's a burst of flame and then a mopey-looking demon appears, hauling her out by the collar of her blouse and asking the inventor, "Isn't it bad enough down here without ''her''?"
* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePinkPanther'' cartoon "Pink Valiant", the king sends Pink Panther (as the pink knight) to rescue his daughter from a BlackKnight who kidnaps her for ransom, and after some trouble getting on his horse, he eventually trades his stubborn steed in for a dragon. By this time, the princess has become such a fierce fighter throwing everything short of the kitchen sink at the black knight that he is the one crying for help, and the pink knight [[GloveSlap brushes her aside with his gauntlet]] rescuing the Black Knight, only for the Pink Panther and Black Knight to be ChasedOffIntoTheSunset by the king riding a dragon.

* Subverted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeDinosaurs''. A scientist allows himself to become the hostage of the evil Raptors, but not before hinting his plan to the heroes by making reference to [[http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/o_henry/3/ "The Ransom of Red Chief"]]. Unfortunately, his plan backfires and he instead learns a valuable lesson.

* WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower: The plot of Episode 2 of Season 2, after Glimmer and Bo capture Catra.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode "Take Elmyra Please", Elmyra's father invents an environmentally friendly fuel and a rival fuel company kidnaps Elmyra for ransom so they can get the fuel's formula. Elmyra is oblivious because she believes the hideout is a TV studio for her own show and tortures the henchmen by making them do dangerous or humiliating segments. In the end, the henchmen surrender and disclose information about their boss because they want to get away from her.
* ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'':
** In the episode "Molly Coddled", [[CheerfulChild Molly]], dressed as her hero [[ShowWithinAShow Danger Woman]], is kidnapped by two gangsters, whom she repeatedly [[LittleGirlsKickShins kicks in the shins]] and raises a ruckus over until help arrives. This defense technique [[spoiler: is also used by her against the antagonist, smooth-talking Covington, in a getaway earlier in the episode.]]
** Baloo's pal Louie has an aunt who, in "The Ransom of Red Chimp", is abducted by Don Karnage... and proceeds to drive him up the wall when she [[AbhorrentAdmirer develops a crush on him]]. At the time of the abduction, Karnage demands thousands in ransom. By the time Baloo and Louie arrive to "rescue" Louise, the ransom has dropped to five bucks, and when it turns out that Louie didn't bring his wallet, Karnage pays ''him'' five bucks to take her.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Sam and Max|FreelancePolice}}'' cartoon, [[LoonyFan Lorne's]] first episode ''The Friend For Life'' features him kidnapping the Mad Thespian, who begs and pleads to be arrested due to Lorne's psychotic obsession with impressing Sam and Max.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' was once returned from Davey Jones' locker because the Flying Dutchman couldn't stand to have Spongebob around.
** The Flying Dutchman also enslaved [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick, but it turns out they were ''HORRIBLE'' minions. Unfortunately, the Flying Dutchman realized that they'd make better dinner than slaves.
** Not to mention "[=SpongeBob=] Meets the Strangler", where the Tattletale Strangler would rather be in prison than trying to strangle [=SpongeBob=] for ratting him out.
** And in another episode where Krabs [[LostHimInACardGame lost SpongeBob in a card game]] to Plankton. By the end of it, Plankton paid Krabs to take him back.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' had Jane attempting to get her driver's license. [[WomenDrivers Her driving was so awful]] that when a bank robber hijacked her and forced her to be his getaway car, her instructor pitied ''him''.
* The ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'' episode "The Ransom Of Eddie Spencer" has [[BigBad Prime Evil]] kidnapping the titular character, who manages to wreck Prime Evil's lair because he is such a screw-up. Prime Evil ends up pleading with the other heroes to take him back, even promising to call off the horde of thunder ghosts he's unleashed on the city if they do. (And he does.)
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'': In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyAndFriendsE15TheGreatRainbowCaper The Great Rainbow Caper]]", Danny and Surprise are held for ransom by the Gizmonks, two MadScientist monkeys who want to get their paws on the Rainbow of Light so they can study it. Danny manages to flatter the Gizmonks into letting them out of their cage, then he and Surprise proceed to screw with their inventions, free their test animals, and generally make a mess of the Gizmonks' lab. The episode ends with the Gizmonks fleeing their ruined lab and begging Megan to take the hostages back.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E19ADogAndPonyShow A Dog and Pony Show]]", Rarity gets kidnapped by a pack of Diamond Dogs who seek to exploit her ability to find gems and put her to work digging them up and hauling them around. She proceeds to drive them up the wall with her whining, crying, and complaints. When Rarity's friends come to her rescue, the Dogs are all too willing to let Rarity leave, ''with'' all the gems she'd found for them. Turns out Rarity was [[GuileHero doing it]] [[InvokedTrope on purpose]], too.
* A ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' short revolved around [[MadScientist Dr. Scientist]] snatching up Cerbee and trying to experiment on him. However, he quickly proved to be so energetic the doc couldn't handle him.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "The Griffin Family History", burglars break into the house and take Meg hostage. By the time the family is rescued, [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe Meg has been charged with sexual harassment against the burglars]].
** In "Not All Dogs Go To Heaven", Stewie kidnaps the entire cast of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' so he can spend time with them. They quickly get on Stewie's nerves, annoying him and complaining about trivial things, and piss him off to the point that before he sends them home, he dishes out a ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech blistering]]'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech speech]].
-->'''Stewie''': [[PunctuatedForEmphasis This. Was. Exhausting. This whole experience. Was absolutely.]] ''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Exhausting]]''. You people have '''[[DarthWiki/RuinedForever ruined]]''' ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' for me. You are absolutely the most insufferable group of jackasses that I have EVER had the misfortune of spending an extended period of time with. I hope you all [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] '''''DIE'''''.

* A recurring plot in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' involved Amberley getting kidnapped by the Urpneys, and spending the entire duration of her capture [[BrattyHalfPint verbally]] and [[CuteBruiser physically]] thrashing them. In the pilot, Zordrak has to [[TakenForGranite turn her into stone]] just to keep her quiet.
* [[DastardlyWhiplash Dan Backslide]] from the Creator/ChuckJones-directed [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] short ''WesternAnimation/TheDoverBoys'' manages to lock Dora in his shack, but every time he attempts to approach her from here, she violently lobs him into the opposite wall... [[DamselFightAndFlightResponse All while she's banging on the door calling to be rescued by Tom, Dick and Larry.]] Eventually, after she escapes on her own, it's ''Dan'' who's crying for them to save him.
* Happened in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' when Professor Dementor captured Kim's cousin Larry.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'' featured the Count ending up held for ransom (after some mix-up about sending a ransom note ''before'' the actual kidnapping) and inadvertently driving the abductors crazy by showing off his alleged musical skills.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'' had Shredder kidnap a teenage girl who was the young president of an explosives firm (he wanted their recipe for a powerful explosive). She refused to talk, so he tries to use a device that reads thoughts and emotions in an attempt to extract the recipe out of her. The girl, however, was an extreme brat who overloaded the machine with incessant complaints. Subverted in that she was eventually threatened with force to divulge, so she spills, but in the chaos of the Turtles rescuing her, there was no time to test it, allowing the girl to get away with one last insult: [[ILied she had given the wrong recipe]].
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeverlyHillsTeens'', [[AlphaBitch Bianca]] tries to play a WoundedGazelleGambit to get [[ChickMagnet Troy]]'s attention by arranging a fake kidnapping. Unfortunately, an actual criminal overhears the conversation and kidnaps her for real. Soon, it becomes apparent that the episode isn't titled "Take My Hostage, Please!" for nothing.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' episode "The World According to LARP", the demon warlord Maret told [[SurroundedByIdiots his two moronic henchmen]] to nab June's younger brother Ray Ray as a hostage, but they nabbed her teenage brother Dennis himself. Unfortunately for Maret, Dennis (who tends to drive even June up the wall) thought it was all part of his {{LARP}} group and his ranting gave Maret a bigger migraine worse than any of the armies, sorcerers, and dimensional hordes he had ever vanquished. (Eventually, he did get what he wanted - the [[ArtifactOfDoom Goblet of Nesteer]] - from him, only for June to show up [[FromBadToWorse and beat him senseless]].)
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'' short "Road Hogs", a group of bikers kidnap Minnie by tricking her into riding with them. When she proves too much for them to handle, throwing out the leader's stuff from his sidecar and cleaning him up ''as he's driving'', he begs Mickey to take her back, as she's nuts.
* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/SabansAdventureOfTheLittleMermaid'' has Hedwig [[FountainOfYouth transform Carol into a baby]], and kidnap her as leverage against Marina. Unfortunately for her, baby Carol wrecks her lair inside-out, to the point that Hedwig gives up her hostage instantly when Marina comes knocking.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "The Ransom of Greenspud" had three ghosts kidnap Slimer and hold him for ransom in an attempt to get the Ghostbusters to free their boss Spiderlegs from the Containment Unit. Slimer ends up driving the ghosts nuts before the Ghostbusters find them and come to Slimer's rescue.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/COPS1988'' episode "The Case of the Ransomed Rascal", Big Boss and his goons attempt to kidnap Prince Baddin of Rashiland to hold him for ransom. They quickly get tired of Baddin's brattiness and eventually send him to the C.O.P.S. wearing a T-shirt that reads "Take Him Back" on the front and "Please" on the back.
* Similar to the Dover Boys example above, in the third theatrical ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon, "Blow Me Down", Bluto sneaks into Olive's dressing room. Some ruckus is heard as Olive calls for help and Popeye rushes to her rescue. As it turns out, she had knocked Bluto unconscious by beating him repeatedly over the head with a club, still calling for help the whole time!

** The Nac Mac Feegle, a race of belligerent, six-inch tall, red-haired, kilt-wearing blue men (also known as pictsies) were rumoured to have been thrown out of Fairyland for being drunk and disorderly. This trope is even more perfectly exemplified in ''Literature/{{Wintersmith}}'', the third book featuring them, where they [[spoiler:accompany the young man Roland to the Underworld to rescue the goddess Summer. Roland gets across the river Styx by paying [[TheGrimReaper Death]] the classical two pennies, but when he retrieves Summer and wants to cross back the other way, Death demands another six pence, which Roland doesn't have. However, when the Feegles say that if Roland stays, they're obligated to stay with him, the ferryman quickly changes his mind and lets them go.]]

** One episode features something [[TastesLikeDiabetes so horrible]], even the Warner siblings can't deal with it: [[CaptainErsatz Baloney]] [[Series/BarneyAndFriends the Dinosaur]]. Even dropping multiple anvils on him only gains them a temporary respite.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' episode "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide", the Decepticons kidnap a girl named Astoria in an attempt to learn her father's formula. She drives them crazy with her constant whining, being TheJinx, and tearing the place apart.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "The Ransom of Greenspud" had three ghosts kidnap Slimer and hold him for ransom in an attempt to get the Ghostbusters to free their boss Spiderlegs from the Containment Unit. Slimer ends up driving the ghosts nuts before the Ghostbusters find them and come to Slimer's rescue.

* [[https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/taliban-kicked-arguing-last-afghani-jews-out-of-prison-stole-torah-606457 Zabulon Simentov]], an Afghan Jew. He was imprisoned by the Taliban for stealing Jewish artifacts but kicked out due to his constant bickering with another Jewish prisoner.