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19 of the Top MacGuffins in Popular Culture

Some of the most inconsequential important things.

19 of the Top MacGuffins in Popular Culture

August 29, 2022

For the few readers of Cracked that aren’t budding film majors, a MacGuffin is a term created by screenwriter Angus McPhail and popularized by talented director/creep Alfred Hitchcock that is reserved an object, device, or an event that drives the plot of a movie or TV show but serves no actually purpose aside from that.

A prime example is the Maltese Falcon in the classic film The Maltese Falcon. Sure, it’s the title and it seems important, but (SPOILERS FOR AN 80+ YEAR OLD MOVIE) it’s just a worthless item that motivated Sam Spade and all the other characters to interact together and turn itself into a movie. Sure, it’s a worthless prop, but it’s kind of the reason that caused tension or the call to adventure or whatever plot you wish to occur to happen in the first place.

Pop culture has a lot of MacGuffins that are great for various reasons, even if its importance is overblown.

19

The Briefcase in 'Pulp Fiction'

MacGuffins Pulp Fiction THE BRIEFCASE What's in the briefcase? It's never said in the movie and isn't even the primary focus, in spite of its mystery. Like a good MacGuffin, it's just an excuse for the characters to interact. CRACKED.COM — CBR

18

The One Ring in 'The Lord of the Rings'

MacGuffins The Lord of the Rings THE ONE RING The One Ring is said by all the characters to be this object of supreme power that's to be feared, yet the only thing we really see it do is make Elijah Wood invisible and Gollum thirst hard. CRACKED.COM — One Wiki to Rule Them All

17

The Rug in 'The Big Lebowski'

MacGuffins The Big Lebowski THE DUDE'S RUG One of the most celebrated noir comedies of this generation begins when a guy pees on another guy's rug. The rug becomes less of an issue as the film unfolds, and if the Dude just used some cleaning products, the adventure (misadventure?) never would've happened. ANOR CRACKED.COM — The Big Lebowiki

16

Private Ryan in 'Saving Private Ryan'

MacGuffins Saving Private Ryan PRIVATE RYAN Sometimes a MacGuffin can be a person. Private Ryan is the crux of the entire mission of Tom Hanks' team. Hanks' most prominent quote in the movie is about how Ryan is just a name. CRACKED.COM — Saving Private Ryan Wiki

15

The Ruby Slippers in 'The Wizard of Oz'

MacGuffins The Wizard of Oz RUBY SLIPPERS The slippers are what The Wicked Witch of the West desires the most (well, that and revenge for her sister's death), but are mostly forgotten until Dorothy is told to click her heels together to get back home. CRACKED.COM — Oz Wiki

14

Milton's Red Stapler in 'Office Space'

MacGuffins 4210 % GRA Histories - - = 4210 % GRA Bendalle - - - - Office Space MILTON'S STAPLER While the iconic red stapler can be seen as just that, one can interpret it as a physical manifestation of Milton's pride that starts his path of quiet rage. Swinglina CRACKED.COM — CBR

13

The Triforce in 'The Legend of Zelda'

MacGuffins The Legend of Zelda THE TRIFORCE Most of the games in the series feature Link needing to assemble the Triforce at one point or another during the main quest, but it's just an excuse for Link, Zelda, and Ganon to get into conflicts. CRACKED.COM — Zelda Wiki

12

A Way to go Back in Time in 'Samurai Jack'

MacGuffins Samurai Jack A WAY TO GO BACK IN TIME Occasionally, a MacGuffin isn't an object, but a premise or idea that's the hook of the show. Jack spends multiple episodes trying to find a way back to his own time, but that's typically just a partial goal. Some episodes don't even have that plot point at all! CRACKED.COM — Samurai Jack Wiki

11

Rosebud in 'Citizen Kane'

MacGuffins Citizen Kane ROSEB A ROSEBUD Who or what is Rosebud? is the question that causes the journalist to interview all of the folks in Charles Foster Kane's life, but the story is focused on the man rather than on Rosebud. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

10

The One Piece in 'One Piece'

MacGuffins One Piece THE ONE PIECE Out of the 1000+ episodes of the show, you can probably count on one hand how many are about the legendary One Piece treasure. CRACKED.COM — Screen Rant

9

The Heart of the Ocean in 'Titanic'

MacGuffins Titanic THE HEART OF THE OCEAN The 3+ hour love story starts not with a young rogue meeting a rich woman on a boat, but Bill Paxton trying to find a diamond necklace in the bottom of the sea. CRACKED.COM — Titanic Wiki

8

The Infinity Stones in the MCU

MacGuffins Marvel Cinematic Universe INFINITY STONES While the stones themselves are best known as the MacGuffins in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, many of the initial Marvel films revolved around them individually via the Tesseract, the Eye of Agamotto, and other MacGuffins. CRACKED.COM — Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki

7

The Green Destiny in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

MacGuffins Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon THE GREEN DESTINY Li Mu Bai's sword isn't really special, but is a symbol of his desire to give up the life of a warrior. Sometimes MacGuffins are objects and metaphors. CRACKED.COM — Paste Magazine

6

The Holy Grail

MacGuffins THE HOLY GRAIL Indiana Jones, Monty Python, Arthurian legend... So many tales revolve around a legendary cup of Christ, but we ask you: Could you outright tell us what the Holy Grail does? Like, definitively? Exactly. CRACKED.COM — History

5

The Soul Edge in 'Soulcalibur'

MacGuffins XX 490 Soulcalibur THE SOUL EDGE We've got all these cool weapon-based martial artists together, but why are they fighting each other? I don't know. They want some sword or something? That's the start and end of it. CRACKED.COM — Soulcalibur Wiki

4

The Dragon Balls in 'Dragon Ball'

MacGuffins Dragon Ball THE DRAGON BALLS So many episodes feature character development, soap opera conflict, and badass fighting that most viewers forget that it was originally about hunting down Dragon Balls, even though it's in the title. CRACKED.COM — Dragon Ball Wiki

3

White Castle Hamburgers in 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'

MacGuffins Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - WHITE CASTLE HAMBURGERS The sliders are the driving force that sparks Harold and Kumar's quest, but it's just an excuse for the characters to go on a jokey journey. It would've been the same movie if it was Wendy's, Taco Bell, or any other fast food joint. (Not Panera Bread, though.) CRACKED.COM — IMDb

2

Marvin Acme's Will in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'

MacGuffins Who Framed Roger Rabbit DEARJESTY Auntino NOV ILOV en James the home time LET Me COUR del TWE WAYS one! National proyes and all Y His NITE MIT 21000 acc y ICW u too MARVIN ACME'S WILL It's the missing item that the plot sort of revolves around, but takes a backseat to the relationship conflicts between Eddie and toons, Roger and Jessica, and figuring out Judge Doom's master plan (plus Doom's big reveal). CRACKED.COM — Disney Wiki

1

$40,000 in 'Psycho'

MacGuffins Psycho $40,000 When you think of Psycho, do you think of the money Janet Leigh stole that lit the fire of the plot? Or do you think of the murders, Norman Bates, or literally everything else in the film? That's MacGuffins, baby! CRACKED.COM — Filmsite

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