History Main / TinCanTelephone

* In one of the team tasks in series 4 of ‘’Series/Taskmaster'', tin can telephones were used to hide the fact that the contestants were being given different, contradictory tasks.

Of course, now that cellular phones are cheap enough that even children have them, this is a sadly [[DiscreditedTrope disappearing relic]].

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

-->'''Joe:''' Sounds like things aren't going so well at the Griffins'.

-->'''Quagmire:''' I hate to do this, but Peter's been compromised. ''(cuts the string)''

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Throw It Away", Lois chides Peter for wanting to keep a tin can on a string, asking why a grown man would even have one, before cutting to his friends listening into he other can in their treehouse.

* 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]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Can you speak up? Your voice is a little tinny.]]

* One of the official ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' tie-in comics shows the gang pulling their first heist as gap-toothed youngsters in the orphanage, the cookie jar caper, using one of these as a communicator. [[spoiler:When Sly is almost sprung, it, seemingly accidentally, doubles as an extraction device, with Sly being pulled to safety before he is spotted when Murray pedals the getaway trike away.]]

* ''WesternAniomation/GoofTroop'': Max and PJ have tin can telephones connecting both their bedrooms.

* Manga/BlackButler officially takes this trope UpToEleven in chapter 71: '''''[[MomentOfAwesome paintings and gramophones?!]]'''''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "The First Telesmurf" uses this concept with overgrown smurfmelon vines, where a Smurf uses the same blossom both to speak into and to listen from.

* [[WebAnimation/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.

* The pirate captain in the first episode of ''SpaceshipAggaRuter'' has several paper cups attached to strings on the bridge of her ship, which she uses to, among other things, communicate with other vessels. The rest of her ship is fairly normal.