History Main / TinCanTelephone

* The two hosts of the weekly WrestleCrap Radio podcast, R. D. Reynolds and Blade Braxton, are implied to be conversing on one of these.

* The ''WonderPets'' receive their calls of distress primarily through a tin can phone.

* Used a few times on ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', with some very bizarre SplitScreenPhoneCall effects going on (people actually travelling ''through'' the string, for instance, or [[CloudCuckoolander Ed]] using a sponge instead of a tin can).

* This was done a few times in {{Hanna-Barbera}}'s version of ''TheLittleRascals''.
* The farm on the U.S. Acres portion of ''GarfieldAndFriends'' has an entire system of tin cans for when intrabarnyard communication is desired.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', Squidward used one of these to apologize to [=SpongeBob=] without actually doing so to his face; however, the attempt was foiled because Patrick was [[{{Squick}} using the string as dental floss]].

* In the ''SchoolhouseRock'' short "Where The Money Goes", the father facetiously suggests to his son that if they stop paying the phone bill they can always resort to using "tin cans and a string."

* In the ''TennesseeTuxedoAndHisTales'' short "Telephone Terrors", Tennessee and Chumley set up a network of tin can telephones throughout the zoo to tell the other animals about Stanley Livingston's upcoming piano recital. Guess where Chumley got the wires?
* ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' and Brattus both communicate on one of these at the beginning of the episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E7BogusPrivateEye Bogus Private Eye]]".

* One of Anthony Buckeridge's ''{{Jennings}}'' novels features a brief craze for tin can phones at the title character's school.

[[folder:Commercials]]
* The Mueller commercials used this.
* Also used by Progresso [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFmzugixNrE here]], among other examples.
[[/folder]]

* Shaggy and ScoobyDoo do this in ''Monsters Unleashed'', except Scooby gets confused and holds the can to his mouth when he should be listening and to his ear when he should be talking.

* ''ComicStrip{{Peanuts}}'' had them at least twice. In a 1980s SundayStrip, Lucy gave Charlie Brown part of a tin can telephone for use during a baseball game. In a 1999 strip, Sally was playing with one when she asked, "How do you get an outside line?"

* An episode of ''HanamaruKindergarten'' has two toddlers playing with one of these only a few feet long, in a very loud classroom.
* ''NegimaSecondSeason'': Kaede and Setsuna tried to make these work between their rooms however as [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_arigato_3431.jpg Konoka explained]] they don't work between doors, much to their dismay causing them to gain [[RPGEpisode +5 Absentmindedness and -3 intelligence]], however it lets them hear the invisible CuteGhostGirl nearby leading to screams.

* Kristy of ''TheBabysittersClub'' recollects doing this with Mary Anne when they were children.

* The [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Neighborhood of Make Believe]] has tin phone cages that lower out of nowhere, allowing for communication.
* Used in ''Pee-Wee's Playhouse'' with the Picturephone, except this one is actually a telephone. In Pee-Wee's world, *everyone* uses a tin can on their Picturephones.

* ''{{Friends}}'':

* Used in ''CalvinAndHobbes'' once or twice.
* ''{{Peanuts}}'' had them at least twice. In a 1980s SundayStrip, Lucy gave Charlie Brown part of a tin can telephone for use during a baseball game. In a 1999 strip, Sally was playing with one when she asked, "How do you get an outside line?"

* In ''TheSimpsons'', Bart's tin can phone was once wiretapped.

* Used a few times on ''EdEddNEddy'', with some very bizarre SplitScreenPhoneCall effects going on (people actually travelling ''through'' the string, for instance, or [[CloudCuckoolander Ed]] using a sponge instead of a tin can).
* Played with in ''SouthPark's'' "Wacky Molestation Adventure": After the kids have taken over the town and the actual phone system is ruined, we see a scene where Cartman yells into a tin can that isn't connected to anything. Then another kid puts a lid on the can and leaves with it. He ends up coming back, Cartman removes the lid and gets a response.

* In an episode of ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', Squidward used one of these to apologize to [=SpongeBob=] without actually doing so to his face; however, the attempt was foiled because Patrick was [[{{Squick}} using the string as dental floss]].

* This has been used a few times in ''{{Recess}}''.

* [[HomestarRunner The Homestar Runner]] (you know, the 1930s version) was implied to be talking to modern-day Marzipan's answering machine on one of these.

-->--[[SpellMyNameWithAThe The]] HomestarRunner, [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/answer13.html Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 13.2]]

* In an episode of ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', Squidward used one of these to try and apologize to Spongebob without actually doing so to his face, however the attempt was foiled because Patrick was using the string as dental floss... ew.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Party of One" Pinkie Pie uses this to eavesdrop on Twilight Sparkle.
* In the ''SchoolhouseRock'' short "Where The Money Goes" the father facetiously suggests to his son that if they stop paying the phone bill they can always resort to using "tin cans and a string."

* This has been used a few times in ''{{Recess}}''

* A chapter of ''[[{{ptitle0oz11ebp3lfe}} Yotsuba&!]]'' has [[CheerfulChild Yotsuba]], [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Miura, and Ena]] playing with paper-cup versions. Yotsuba keeps hers, which shows up in later chapters as her "cell phone".

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* Mentioned in the second season of ''{{Torchwood}}''. Apparently they don't work when the "entire. telephone. network. is down."

* ''DadsArmy'' attempted to use this as a form of emergency communication in one episode but were foiled by the verger with his hedge shears.

* In ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Party of One" Pinkie Pie uses this to eavesdrop on Twilight Sparkle.

* D.W. once bugged {{Arthur}}'s room with one of these.

[[redirect:TinCanYouHearMeNow]]