# Cartoon characters and hammerspace **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427 "2005-09-26T02:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/1 "2005-09-26T02:45:36Z")
Most anybody who grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons is familiar with with [hammerspace](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerspace), of course, but in case anyone doesn’t know the term, here’s a definition: > [@](#): > > Hammerspace, in science fiction, is an extra-dimensional storage area that can be accessed instantly. The concept is jokingly used to explain how characters in animation, comics and games (Japanese ones in particular) are capable of producing objects out of thin air, usually from behind their backs or other hidden areas. The most famous form of this is generally in Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies and Disney animated cartoons. But can anybody name any cartoon characters especially notorious for their use of it? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/2 "2005-09-26T02:52:13Z")
Bugs Bunny, of course. And the Coyote. Where do you think he got the signs from? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/3 "2005-09-26T02:53:07Z")
The Roadrunner did this on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/4 "2005-09-26T03:01:51Z")
Why is Ranma such an insensative jerk? (Of Ranma 1/2) Because Akane is too active with her use of the hammer. It isn’t good for the poor boy. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/5 "2005-09-26T03:05:24Z")
I thought the Coyote mail ordered his stuff from Acme. In videogames, Snake from Metal Gear Solid and any of the Grand Theft Auto heros seem to pull stuff out of their ass. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/6 "2005-09-26T03:15:05Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Why is Ranma such an insensative jerk? (Of Ranma 1/2) > > Because Akane is too active with her use of the hammer. It isn’t good for the poor boy. Goddamn, I hate her. And what’s with pulling microphones out of thin air every five minutes (in the manga)? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/7 "2005-09-26T04:55:15Z")
It’s like a bag of holding! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/8 "2005-09-26T05:16:20Z")
WB made it an intrinsic part of Wacko’s character on Animaniac and even had in jokes about it. Capt Caveman is another, {if far less funny} example of where they took it to an extreme. And let us not forget Felix the Cat’s Magic Bag ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/9 "2005-09-26T05:19:06Z")
Bender from Futurama ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/10 "2005-09-26T05:37:51Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > In videogames, Snake from Metal Gear Solid and any of the Grand Theft Auto heros seem to pull stuff out of their ass. That’s been a staple of computer games since year dot. Way back in 1988 Leisure Suit Larry 2 made fun of this by animating the title character shoving a garbage can sized cup of coke into the hammerspace of his jacket pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/11 "2005-09-26T05:41:50Z")
Eric Cartman’s ass. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/12 "2005-09-26T05:47:38Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Eric Cartman’s ass. That was only twice that I recall and both had caroon logical reasons behind them. I don’t think it really Qualifies. But I will admit to the sheer size as being impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/13 "2005-09-26T06:01:57Z")
Screwy Squirrel. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/14 "2005-09-26T20:54:27Z")
Harpo Marx’s pockets were gateways to hammerspace. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/15 "2005-09-26T21:01:47Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Harpo Marx’s pockets were gateways to hammerspace. Agh, you beat me to it. The only real person I can think of who did the same thing with his coat… the fish, the flash, the flute, the flask… ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/16 "2005-09-26T23:13:32Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Agh, you beat me to it. The only real person I can think of who did the same thing with his coat… the fish, the flash, the flute, the flask… The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a candle. Burning. On both ends. Sheer genius. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/17 "2005-09-26T23:57:53Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > Screwy Squirrel. Have to admit, I’d never heard of Screwy Squirrel and thought you’d meant Secret Squirrel… but apparently Screwy is really real. How screwy. Anyway… the aforementioned Secret Squirrel could whip open his coat and have almost anything he needed. Inspector Gadget had a gadget for every situation too. I don’t know his name, but one of the Harlem Globetrotters (best known for a guest appearance on Scooby Doo, but they did have their own show for a while) who could draw almost anything out of his hair. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/18 "2005-09-27T00:11:45Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > Screwy Squirrel. Didn’t he costar with Boris the Bear? I loved Boris, not so much Wacky. (No, wait, it was Wacky Squirel I am thinking of. :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/19 "2005-09-27T00:54:25Z")
I have it on authority that Misty from Pokemon is especially notorious for this and it even involves a hammer. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427/20 "2005-09-27T01:15:31Z")
Screwy was great. The cruelest little S.O.B. Tex Avery made. A lot of hit toons would fit. Popeye somehow always had a can of spinach in his shirt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cartoon-characters-and-hammerspace/323427.md?page=2)