Mooning

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    You call me a cheeky monkey.

    Mooning: The time-honored tradition of pulling down one's pants and displaying one's buttocks. The term "mooning" has been in the English language for over 400 years, it wasn't until the late 1960's that it gained its modern slang usage.

    Mooning is typically done for sheer, pointless defiance, to taunt an enemy, or simply for laughs. The general idea is to do it within full view of people who don't expect or want to see a pair of bare buttocks.

    While this is often a male-oriented behavior, it's not unheard of for a woman to do the same. Of course, when a woman does this, it's often more for Fan Service than shock or offense.

    Performing the act from the window of a moving car is perhaps the most common form in modern America. This solves the problem of a quick getaway while one's pants are undone.

    In more unfortunate situations, the act of mooning may be followed by an Ass Shove.

    Compare Streaking, which is simultaneously more extreme but not intended to insult or offend (at least as much, in the latter case).

    Examples of Mooning include:

    Advertising

    • An ill-advised prank advertising the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

    Anime

    • Kid Trunks to Broly in all of the Dragonball Z movies.
      • It was also done by Kid Goku in GT, and his descendant Goku Jr. in his movie.
    • Hippo Team in Girls und Panzer has a symbol of a hippopotamus painted on their panzer — grinning over its shoulder as it presents its backside to anyone looking at it ... with a star-shape for an anus, just to make sure there's no misunderstanding.

    Fan Works

    • In Episode 13 of Final Stand of Death, while being trained via Virtual Reality, Melanie shoot her arrow into a random Scotsman for mooning both her and Emma. Groucho Marx remarks on getting a bull's eye.

    Film

    • Braveheart has this with the entire Scottish army. Well, it ended with one Scotsman being hit in the butt by an arrow, thanks to a British archer.
    • There's a "we have to change our clothes while the car is in motion" sequence in Johnny Dangerously that results in a mooning.
    • The Gamers 2: How do you worship a Moon God?
    • In the film version of Grease, the Headmistress announces that the FBI had experts examining images of the young men who did this on live television. During Blue Moon, no less.
    • The Alpha Beta fraternity in Revenge of the Nerds does this to the Tri-Lambs. Yes, the whole fraternity shows their hairy buttocks, among other things. While singing "Old MacDonald".
    • In Slap Shot the entire team and their followers do this out the windows of a bus in one town.
    • A rare female example takes place in American Graffiti when a high school girl flashes her backside at nerd character Toad.
    • Vicki (Pita Oliver) mooned the creepy school janitor in Prom Night.
    • Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) does this to the security staff at a mental institution while acting up in 12 Monkeys.
    • In Captain America: The First Avenger, the good Captain gets mooned on stage by a soldier who was unimpressed with his USO performance.
    • In the third Austin Powers movie, this is Mini-Me's statement to the World Council's sentencing him and Dr. Evil (who is quite amused by the display.)
    • In Dirty Work Mitch gets Sam to do this to a waiting line-up at a movie theater.
    • The Mountain Men starring Charlton Heston and Brian Keith included a scene where an Indian friend of theirs mooned some warriors from a hostile tribe. He found out the painful way that his butt wasn't quite out of arrow range...
    • Beavis and Butt-Head does this is Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.
    • Brave, Lord Dingwall's victory dance.

    Literature

    • According to Dave Barry's Guide to Guys, one of the immature activities which constitute the "business meetings" of the Arcola Broom Corn Festival involves

    a man climbing up a ladder and, using props, presenting a dramatic rendition of a song while the Rangers attempt to guess the title, which is not difficult because the song always involves the word "moon"

      • In the same book, he also states that mooning is one of the two things invented by guys, the other being Pez.
    • Alison moons her unsuccessful suitor Absolon through a window in the dark in "The Miller's Tale". . .while leading him to believe she's sticking her face out the window for a kiss. He "kist her naked ers", and Squick ensues. He then comes back with a red-hot iron, asks for another kiss, and shoves the iron "amidde the ers" of Alison's lover.
    • Mulch does this in the Artemis Fowl series.

    Live Action Television

    • On an episode of Roseanne, Arnie laments that the only thing he and Nancy used to fight about was "who drives and who moons."
    • In one episode of The Wonder Years, Kevin and his moon an older couple in the next car, but is mortified when that couple turns out to be...[1]
    • On The Bob Newhart Show, Bob's old college pal, nicknamed "The Peeper", reveals that Bob's nickname was "The Mooner." Bob hastily claims it was because he liked the "Moon Mullins" comic strip, but then smiles as he remembers an old Studebaker they used to drive...
    • On That '70s Show, Eric invents the "Moon & Trench" which involves him "trenching" his teacher's lawn with the Vista Cruiser after mooning him at the door
    • On The Jeff Foxworth Show Jeff is the king of mooning in his hometown since at a major ball game his mooning attempt got caught on the jumbo-tron. Later that episode he and his son moon a car with three women in it. It turns out the women were his wife, sister-in-law, and brother's girlfriend.

    Music

    • The Toy Dolls song and album, "Bare Faced Cheek", the cover of which is shown above.
    • Perhaps not too surprisingly, Eminem is known to have done this at some of his concerts.
    • In Ray Stevens' "The Streak", it's to be expected that "I hollered, 'Don't look, Ethel!' But it was too late. She'd already been mooned."

    Newspaper Comics

    • This [dead link] Far Side cartoon shows us why it's a bad idea to moon people who are armed with projectile weapons.
      • There is another one featuring sheep having a night on the town.

    Professional Wrestling

    • Mr. Ass was well known for mooning the crowd before Right To Censor beat him up and make him stop. He got Torrie Wilson to join him once.

    Theatre

    • In Rent, during the lines "We raise our glass/You bet your ass" in "La Vie Boheme," Maureen gets up on the table and moons Benny and his associates.
    • There's a character in the stage play Grease who is known for this. The song "Mooning" is a Double Entendre.
    • The King's wives in The King and I, who at one point wear Gorgeous Period Dresses that did not come with undergarments, accidentally did this to some visitors from England. One of the visitors unintentionally scares them with his monocle, causing them to lift up their skirts and run away.

    Video Games

    • In the second entry of The Spellcasting Series, Ernie Eaglebeak has to moon the Queen of Peloria as a fraternity initiation prank. Hilarity Ensues.
    • Commander Keen does this as an Idle Animation in the Temple of the Moons when you leave yourself standing on a moon symbol.
    • In the very first Spyro the Dragon game, there are Gnorcs in the second hub who do this to you. Charge your big, pointy horns right at their big green posteriors!
      • Likewise, in the third game, a certain type of Rhynoc will do this to you in Frozen Altars.
    • Joe Higashi's infamous Taunt Button animation from the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series.
    • A rather easy-to-miss example in Free Space. If you look closely at the rear of the Ra-class Vasudan Escape Pod, you'll see a Vasudan's rear end in the window.

    Web Comics

    • In one Nodwick comic, Yeagar decides on a gesture of defiance after proving unable to answer the Riddle of the Sphinx. Fortunately, it turns out that the answer to the riddle is "Moon".
    • An old Goblin Hollow arc involved Ben and the gang mooning people from the back of his van. Sheldon, the turtle, refused, and was accused of being jealous "'cos you ain't got no butt". It ended with Ben explaining the never-seen resulting Disaster Dominoes to Lily:

    "So then it was my turn. I gave Sheldon the wheel, dropped my britches, and slapped my butt against the window. Naturally my belt got caught in the door handle just as we got stuck in traffic. Then that squad car pulled up ... You know, this confession would be a lot easier if you'd stop laughing."
    "Tell her the bit about the bus full of Japanese tourists!"

    Web Original

    Western Animation

    • This one of the many forms of torture that Eddy does to a grounded Kevin in Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy ep "A case of Ed"
    • Bart Simpson does this to the Australian government, having written "Don't Tread On Me" on his cheeks, as they attempt to punish him with a booting.

    Marge: I'm glad you're all right, honey, but I wish you'd chosen a more tasteful way to be patriotic.
    Lisa: I'm impressed you were able to write so legibly on your own butt.

      • Homer does this in an ill-considered comedy performance for Mr Burns' birthday. It doesn't go down well.

    Homer: I'll never bare my ass in public again.
    Lisa: I'd like to believe that this time.

      • Nelson does it as a distraction to allow Bart to steal the PA microphone from Skinner's office.
      • Mel Gibson and Homer moon a group of studio executives in one episode, with disastrous results when Homer is hit by a car. Homer got the idea from Braveheart, but mistakenly thought the mooning was how the heroes in the movie defeated their enemies.
      • Another moment leads to Bart's accidental mooning on the US flag causing him and his family to be branded as traitors to the country. When actually his shorts were eaten by a donkey and bends over to cover his privates and a photo was taken with a large flag behind him.
      • After egging his house, hoodlums Jimbo Jones, Dolph and Kearny moon Principal Skinner and his mother.
      • In "Bart's Comet" Bart manages to rig a weather balloon to make it look like a mooning Principal Skinner.
      • In "To Surveil with Love", After getting angry with the CCTV camera, controlled by Ned, Bart resort to this upon making it to the Simpsons' backyard, only to discover it was a blind spot.
    • The boys from South Park plan to do this to their new teacher, Ms Choksondik. However, on the first lesson she appears to be a Drill Sergeant Nasty, which scares all of them except Cartman out of doing it.
      • Either that or her disturbingly sagging bosssoms...
      • Also in the "Starvin' Marvin" episode, to keep with the Braveheart parody in the scene, Kyle proceeds to moon the turkey army.
    • Futurama had a hilarious example followed immediately by Hit the Retaliate Button
    • Used in Wallace & Gromit The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: Victor's pants get caught when stuck on the weathervane, and the vicar cries out, "Beware the moon!"
    • Occurred in King of the Hill when Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer tricked Hank into mooning the lobby from the hotel glass elevator (by saying they were all going to do it). Worse when former governor Ann Richards was in the lobby. Bill took the blame and apologized in front of her which leads to the plot of the episode.
    • In an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender Aang, Katara, and Sokka make off with a pirate ship. Zuko points and laughs [dead link] like a dorky ten-year-old. The pirates then make off with Zuko's boat. Note the pirate second from the left. [dead link]
    • Beavis and Butthead do this a few times in their movie.
      • Whenever Beavis says "Peek-a-Boo", this move then likely happens.
    • In Hey Arnold!, Sid, Stinky and Harold moon their principal. This leads to drama when Arnold, who knows they did it, refuses to rat them out and instead does 30 days of hard time in detention.
    • Done literally on The Amazing World of Gumball when the Sun gets mooned by... the Moon. With 3D butt cheeks.
    • Another quite literal example in Dexter's Laboratory. Dexter accidentally pulls the moon out of orbit, which causes it to fall on his house and crush his lab, burning his clothes in the process. Deedee comes in a few seconds later and sees her brother's backside, and tells her mother that Dexter is mooning her. All the while the moon itself is still clearly visible in the background.
    • In the Phineas and Ferb Elseworld episode "Doof Dynasty", during the song "The Way of the Platypus" Bufford moons the audience to show he has no beaver tail. Fortunately for the viewer, Perry the Platypus quickly covers it with a a fan.

    Stand-Up Comedy

    • Jeff Foxworthy claims to he was "all-state" in mooning his senior year of high school.

    "Wasn't mooning a great sport? Nobody ever got hurt, you didn't have to be in shape to play. Hell, the fatter you were the more you brought to the window."

    Real Life

    • In The Beatles song Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Paul McCartney laughs for no reason during a lyric. Rumour has it that John Lennon was mooning him from the studio.
    • There's a similar story about Bob Dylan, who laughs for no reason at the start of "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" allegedly due to Allen Ginsberg mooning him from the studio. Officially the laughter was because Dylan started playing before the rest of the band, but it's become a piece of song lore.
    • A very common technique used in Photo Bombing.
    • We have the Romans to thanks for starting this trope. In 66 A.D., Josephus recorded a case where some random Roman Solider mooned a group of Jewish pilgrims at the Jewish Temple while in Jerusalem during Passover. The Jews weren't impressed... to the point it meant war!
    1. ↑ his parents!
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