Cat: Forget Red β let's go all the way up to Brown Alert! Kryten: There's no such thing as a Brown Alert, sir. Cat: You won't be saying that in a minute! And don't say I didn't alert you! Oh, Crap! With all the monsters , world-destroying lunatics , and clowns out there, the world can be a pretty frightening place.
Encounters with these things can break not only the resolve of the strongest, but their bladders and sphincters as well.
This is when somebody's response to a scare is to piss or crap their pants, though this may not always be shown. The reasons for using this trope vary, including robbing a particular character of their dignity, as a joke on the extent of their cowardice, or occasionally in an attempt to show just how frightening something is.
Most often this trope is used for comedic purposes, but there are a few serious examples as well. Unfortunately, much like the Groin Attack , this trope is played for laughs so often and by itself is so absurd that it's nearly impossible to take seriously when played for drama.
The character need not relieve themselves in their pants, but it happens in most of these examples. Truth in Television as sudden urination or defecation is one of the possible reactions to extreme stress. Scientists are unsure if it is to lose weight before running or to distract the attacker with the smell of the puddle or both, but it can be found in a variety of species.
