History Main / StyrofoamRocks

* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Ethics", [[TheWorfEffect Worf's]] spine is broken when a cargo container falls on him. It seems almost humourous, since the way it falls and bounces indicates that it's so light it wouldn't even hurt a human, let alone a big sturdy Klingon.
** There's another example in the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode "The Return of the Archons": A melon-sized "rock" bounces off a stuntman's head and he keeps running. Apparently it wasn't supposed to hit him at all, and was left in under time pressure.

* ''Series/{{Stargate SG-1}}'' has an episode with a flashback which reveals how Daniel Jackson's parents were killed. Apparently, they were crushed to death under the collapsing walls of an ancient cardboard temple.
** It was also parodied rather hilariously in the ''Wormhole X-Treme'' episode when they kept pelting the Jackson-analog with the "bricks" in multiple 'takes'.
* {{Nickelodeon}}'s ''LegendsOfTheHiddenTemple'' and ''[[NickelodeonGuts Guts]]'' were made of this trope. They were {{game show}}s for children, so it would have been disturbing if the effect were more convincing.

* This occurred in the series finale of ''SmallWonder'', when Ted gave a literal meaning to the term CardboardPrison. He offered to pay for the damage, but the movie director said there was no money in the budget for it.
* A common staple for PowerRangers.
* Rocks in ''MortalKombat: Annihilation'' tend to bounce a lot.

* Played with on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''; When they are constructing their life-sized replica of Niagra Falls, Ferb (on the ground) picks up a boulder and throws it all the way to the top of the structure. Phineas says that [[LampshadeHanging even though he knew that that was papier-mâché]], the throw was ''still'' very impressive.

* This occurred in several early ''Series/DoctorWho'' stories, but most notably in "An Unearthly Child" and "The Daleks." It was a variation in that rocks and rock walls were made of the stuff; the DVD of "The Daleks" points out where Ian accidentally pulls off a chunk of the rock face (!). It's entirely forgivable because the show was at the time confined to Lime Grove Studios.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000: {{Gamera}} vs. Guiron''. When a building collapses on the kid heroes, the SOL crew point out how little it looks like bricks.
-->'''Tom Servo:''' Maybe [Guiron] can help us clean up this styrofoam.

* During the climactic attack at the end of Disney's ''SwissFamilyRobinson'' when the titular family rolls the logs down the hill at the pirates, one of the "logs" collides with the head of an unfortunate pirate and makes a quite audible and very hollow, unwooden "bonk". It's hilarious.

[[AliceAndBob Alice and Bob]] are on an epic adventure to find a treasure buried deep underground. They are making their way through a maze of tunnels, with only a flashlight and an ancient treasure map keeping them from getting lost. But oh no! The villain hot on their heels accidently sets off a bomb and the ground starts shaking under the heroes' feet! The ancient tunnels aren't built sturdily enough to take the tremors and the walls crumble around them!

* ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'' has an episode with a flashback which reveals how Daniel Jackson's parents were killed. Apparently, they were crushed to death under the collapsing walls of an ancient cardboard temple.

* The end of ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' has debris falling from the top of a skyscraper, and in one shot you can see a rock, which had supposedly tumbled from several hundred feet in the air, fall straight down and bounce off of a ''wooden'' police barrier.

* Played with on ''PhineasAndFerb''; When they are constructing their life-sized replica of Niagra Falls, Ferb (on the ground) picks up a boulder and throws it all the way to the top of the structure. Phineas says that [[LampshadeHanging even though he knew that that was papier-mâché]], the throw was ''still'' very impressive.

* ''MysteryScienceTheater3000: {{Gamera}} vs. Guiron''. When a building collapses on the kid heroes, the SOL crew point out how little it looks like bricks.

* In the ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Ethics", [[TheWorfEffect Worf's]] spine is broken when a cargo container falls on him. It seems almost humourous, since the way it falls and bounces indicates that it's so light it wouldn't even hurt a human, let alone a big sturdy Klingon.
** There's another example in the [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode "The Return of the Archons": A melon-sized "rock" bounces off a stuntman's head and he keeps running. Apparently it wasn't supposed to hit him at all, and was left in under time pressure.

* During the climactic attack at the end of the Disney ''Swiss Family Robinson'', when the titular family rolls the logs down the hill at the pirates, one of the "logs" collides with the head of an unfortunate pirate and makes a quite audible and very hollow, unwooden "bonk". It's hilarious.

* A famous goof in ''RadiersOfTheLostArk'' has Indy shove a loose cubical stone the size of a compact car hood out of a wall, and the shadow shows it bouncing several times as it hits the sand.

* In the commentary for ''{{Underworld}}'', the movie's creators point out in a scene towards the end of the movie that some of the stone debris from someone getting thrown through a wall can be seen to float in a pool of water. Oops.

* The opening to ''{{UHF}}'' makes fun of this, as a rock bounces right off George Newman's head mid-fantasy and does nothing to him.

* ''Mystery Science Theater 3000: {{Gamera}} vs. Guiron''. When a building collapses on the kid heroes, the SOL crew point out how little it looks like bricks.
-->'''Tom Servo:''' Maybe [Guiron] can help us clean up this styrofoam!

* This occurred in several early ''DoctorWho'' stories, but most notably in "An Unearthly Child" and "The Daleks." It was a variation in that rocks and rock walls were made of the stuff; the DVD of "The Daleks" points out where Ian accidentally pulls off a chunk of the rock face (!). It's entirely forgivable because the show was at the time confined to Lime Grove Studios.

* Lampshaded in one musical comedy play this troper was in. The stage directions instructed the actor playing the BigBad's minion to "struggle to lift a huge styrofoam rock".

* In Congo rocks fell from the cave roof, some bounced and those that landed in the underground river floated.

* Lampshaded in one musical comedy play this troper was in. The stage directions tell how the BigBad's minion "struggles to lift a huge styrofoam rock".

This trope is a kind of SpecialEffectsFailure and is applicable in situations where light objects, such as styrofoam, are meant to portray rocks, bricks or some other heavy material in a dramatic fashion, but fails to [[IncrediblyLamePun lend any weight]] to the seriousness of the situation.

Alice and Bob are on an epic adventure to find a treasure buried deep underground. They are making their way through a maze of tunnels, with only a flashlight and an ancient treasure map keeping them from getting lost. But oh no! The villain hot on their heels accidently sets off a bomb and the ground starts shaking under the heroes' feet! The ancient tunnels aren't built sturdily enough to take the tremors and the walls crumble around them!

* In Congo rocks fell from the cave roof with many landing in the underground river and floating.

* In Congo rocks fell from the cave roof and many landed in the underground river and floated.

** There's another example in the [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] episode "The Return Of The Archons"--a melon-sized "rock" bounces off a stuntman's head and he keeps running. Apparently it wasn't supposed to hit him at all, and was left in under time pressure.

** It was also parodied rather hilariously in the Wormhole X-Treme episode when they kept pelting the Jackson-analog with them in multiple 'takes'.
* Nickelodeon's ''LegendsOfTheHiddenTemple'' and ''[[NickelodeonGuts Guts]]'' were made of this trope. They were {{game show}}s for children, so it would have been disturbing if the effect were more convincing.

* A common staple for PowerRangers.

* Played with on ''PhineasAndFerb''--when constructing their life-sized replica of Niagra Falls, Ferb (on the ground) picks up a boulder and throws it all the way to the top of the structure. Phineas says that [[LampshadeHanging even knowing that that was papier-maché]], the throw was ''still'' very impressive.

* Rocks in ''MortalKombat : Annihilation tend to bounce a lot''.