Sometimes no size-changing is required; it can be a human using one of their hands to lift a fairy, or a giant using one of their hands to lift a human, or even a giant human robot lifting someone on their giant robot hands.
Humans and fairies are not the only ones that can ride on hands larger than them; it can also be an animal, a vehicle, or even a piece of land. As long as it is someone or something hitching a ride on a hand larger than it, and as long as the task is as easy as lifting a chess piece for the lifter.
It is not necessary for the lifter to have their entire body bigger than whoever or whatever they are lifting, if they are a Sizeshifter or shapeshifter that can choose to change only certain parts of their body instead of the whole entire body, such as making only their arms and hands bigger while the rest of the body remains normal size, and can still lift someone or something on the palms of their hands, it can count as well.
While most cases of this trope involve the lifter being gentle and caring towards whatever or whoever they are lifting, this is not always the case as the lifter could be lifting them for a while before subjecting them to doom
This trope differs from the Shoulder Teammate trope as this trope is about larger characters lifting smaller characters or objects on their hands, while the Shoulder Teammate trope is about larger characters letting a smaller character ride on their shoulders.
Sister Trope to Protection in Mouth as both tropes are about a much larger character carrying someone much smaller than them easily, but unlike that trope which has the larger character using their mouths, this trope has the larger character using their hands.
Compare Dangled by a Giant which is a far more threatening and less protective way for a giant character to carry a tiny one.
Examples:
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Advertising
- A Covergirl commercial featured Katy Perry as a giantess stomping around a city. At one point she scoops up a male onlooker and holds him in the palm of her hand. Katy flirtatiously bats her eyelashes at him, while her smaller boy toy looks both terrified and awestruck at the same time.
- An early ad with the Pillsbury Doughboy has him singing the Pillsbury jingle with a little girl (played by a pre-Brady Bunch Maureen McCormick), with one shot having the Doughboy standing on the palm of her hand. Noticeably, the hand that the animated Doughboy is standing on is a prop that was composited into the shot.
Anime & Manga
- The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You: Nano gets carried in Rentarou and Mei's palms in Chapter 72 after accidentally drinking one of Kusuri's body shrinking drugs.
- Astroganger, an anime about a a boy and his sentient humongous mecha features this constantly - Ganger is about a thousand times Kantaro's height, so he usually carries the little boy in his palms or on his shoulder. When they have to combine, Kantaro jumps into Ganger's chest.
- Also prominently featured
in some merchandise.
- Also prominently featured
- Doraemon: Nobita and the Steel Troops: Zanda Claus, a Humongous Mecha, tends to carry passengers in its palms in a few scenes, including a notable one where it saves Nobita who's been snatched away by a flying enemy robot before putting him down slowly in an outstretched palm.
- Doraemon: Nobita's Little Space War: Doraemon and friends meet Papi, their new alien friend from a planet of Lilliputians, and for most scenes on Earth Papi would either be carried in Nobita or Doraemon's hands, or kept in Doraemon's pockets. In the climax when Doraemon and gang revert to normal size thanks to the Shrink Light's effects wearing off, when Commander Dracorl's drones attacks, Nobita moves Papi away from the danger in his hands.
- Gundam Build Divers: Yukio requests he and Sarah ride in the Gundam 00 Diver's hands, and Riku happily obliques. Unfortunately, Riku gets caught up in the moment while flying and does a barrel roll, sending his passengers plummeting. He manages to save them but gets a scolding afterward from Yukio.
- The Laws of Eternity: After the Hermes mecha summoned by Ryuta defeats Niches, Hisler, and the latter's demonic elephant Bihimoss in Hell, Ryuta, Yuko, Roberto, and Patrick ride on its palms as it flies back to Heaven.
- Pop Team Epic: In one of the 4-Koma and one anime short of the first season, Pipimi appears as a giant, carrying Popuko in one hand, while she asked why she's so big.
Popuko: Pipimi-chaaaaaan! How you got so big!?Pipimi: Hmmmm... science.Popuko: Ooohhh, "science."
- The Secret World of Arrietty: Shawn carries Arrietty in the palm of his hand when they begin searching the house for her mother, but later switches to carrying her on his shoulder.
- Squid Girl: In episode five we are introduced to a "mini" Squid Girl, who is picked up and carried in the hand of Eiko Aizawa. The whole thing turns out to be a Dream Sequence from Squid Girl's Abhorrent Admirer, Sanae. However, it would not be the last appearance of the "mini" Squid Girl, as season 2 would have lifeguard Goro have a similar dream, and Squid Girl herself has an Imagine Spot where she's imagining herself riding in a leaf boat that she had made with Takeru and his friends. In each case, the "mini" Squid Girl is carried by someone in the palm of their hands.
- SSSS.GRIDMɅN: In episode three, after Akane's newest kaiju manages to thoroughly thrash Gridman, it returns to where she's watching in school and holds out its palm, allowing her to hop on as she gleefully celebrates her victory.
- Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Robotech
- There is an episode where Hikaru/Rick picks up Minmei in the hand of his giant robot to save her from the Zentradi.
- In one episode, when Max rescues Hikaru/Rick and Misa/Lisa, he picks them up in Battloid mode and puts them in the pocket of a Zentradi uniform he'd "borrowed".
- Transformers Victory: In an early episode, Autobot human ally Jan Minakaze is transfers to Schwimmbad School (situated in the Alps) shortly after arriving on Earth for the first time. His adopted father, Autobot commander Star Saber, offers the headmistress Sister Mayville a lift on his palm so they can speak eye-to-optic concerning the transfer. Presumably the good Sister found it a bit uncomfortable, as by the next scene she's seated on the roof of the school while she and Star Saber finalise the paperwork.
- Voltes V: Subverted in one of the DVD box posters. Heinel and Katherine standing in front of Godol, who has his palm extended, giving the illusion that they're in it - but he's actually behind them.
Asian Animation
- In the Lamput episode "Lamput and the Beanstalk", after Skinny is saved by Mr. Giant holding out his hand to catch him, the latter carries the former to the table while he still has him in his hand.
Comic Books
- The Atom: Ryan Choi often rode in the palm of his girlfriend, Giganta's, hand, when neither of them were on the clock being a superhero or supervillainess.
- The Sandman (1989): At one point in the comic, John Dee crushes Dream's ruby, under the mistaken belief that it's something like a Soul Jar and destroying it will also destroy Dream. After he does, we see Dee in a seemingly endless Blank White Void... until the perspective shifts and it turns out the "endless void" was actually just the palm of Dream's hand◊.
- In Transformers initial comics by Dreamwave, Spike at one point reminisces about his father Sparkplug's death while looking at a newspaper clipping. Said clipping includes a photograph of Sparkplug standing on Optimus Prime's palm.
Fan Works
- In Attack of the 50-Foot Heather, the first step of progress in Cody's bonding with Heather is when he allows her to pick him up from the viewing platform that he's been standing on to look at her earlier, and raise him to her face, taking perfect care not to crush him between her gigantic fingers.
- Dungeon Keeper Ami: As seen in "Diplomacy and Gifts", Ami can use Demonic Possession on rats to get a smaller form and travel in hands:
The rat sitting on his white-gloved palm shot him an insulted look, squeaked in protest, and raised its snout into the air like a haughty noble.
Films — Animated
- Fantastic Planet: The Draags, gigantic, blue-skinned humanoids, frequently carry their pet Oms, humans, in their hands.
- Hercules (1997): When Hercules visits the Temple of Zeus, the giant statue of Zeus himself is possessed by the god, who reaches out to pick up Hercules so he can get a proper look at him. Hercules initially freaks out at this until Zeus says he's his father, letting Zeus lift him up in his hand.
- The Iron Giant carries Hogarth Hughes around the forest in its palm. The giant has to use both hands when he tumbles off a cliff, and ignites rocket thrusters in its lower legs, which allows it to fly around the sky. Hogarth's having the time of his life.
- Moana: At the end, Te Fiti lifts Moana and Maui in one hand so that she can bring them face to face with her.
- Rugrats in Paris: The babies take control of Stu's Robo Reptar to make their way to Notre Dame to stop Coco LaBouche from marrying Chas. Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Dil are all in the head/control center, but Angelica struggles to catch up to them due to her flower girl dress slowing her down. She falls off a bridge, but Chuckie manages to catch her in the palm of the Robo Reptar's left hand, which she ends up riding. Later, when the babies collect Kimi from the daycare center, Kimi rides in the palm of the Robo Reptar's left hand.
- Thumbelina (1994): Thumbelina is no bigger than her mother's thumb, making her small and light enough for her mother to lift her up with one hand easily.
- Yo-kai Watch: Shadowside - The Return of the Oni King The Big Bad holds protagonist Natsume in his palm to emphasise his power in comparison to short, fragile human lives. He then throws her over his shoulder into the ocean, to her seeming death, to prove how easily human lives are extinguished.
Films — Live-Action
- Avengers: Endgame: Scott Lang uses Prim's growing serum to become Giant Man to save Hulk and Rocket Raccoon from a collapsing building. Them he carries them in the palm of his hands just in time to fight 2014 Thanos.
- King Kong: Lovely Ann Darrow starts out as Kong's captive, being carried around Skull Island in his fist. However, as Kong becomes intrigued with Darrow, she ends up being carried gently in Kong's open palm.
- Transformers: When searching Sam's house for his great-great-grandfather's glasses, Optimus Prime helps Mikaela inside the house by putting her through the window in his hand.
- Ultra Series:
- Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact: After Haruna Musashi helps Ultraman Cosmos regain his energy, the Ultra then shows his gratitude by offering Musashi a ride as he flies around Tokyo with Musashi in Ultraman Cosmos' palm.
- Shin Ultraman: When SSSP member Hiroko Asami is grabbed by Fake Ultraman, the real Ultraman kicks him aside and catches her in mid-air (using his ability to control gravity to ensure she doesn't go splat from the action). Before Fake Ultraman gets to his feet, Ultraman hurriedly takes Hiroko to where the other SSSP members are, protectively shielding her with his hands.
Literature
- The BFG: The titular giant sometimes carries Sophie, a human girl, in his hand.
- The Divine Comedy: After crossing the Malebolgie in Inferno, Dante and Virgil come across a tall, sheer cliff encircling the final Ring, the frozen lake of Cocytus. Around this cliff are giants, bound by chains to the rock. One of them, Antaeus, is free, due to not having participated in the acts of treachery that got the others sentenced to their chains, and helps Dante and Virgil reach Cocytus by lifting them in his hand and setting them down at the base of the cliff.
- Every Thing On It: In "A Giant Mistake", a guy finds a sleeping giant and ties some rope around his neck. He wakes him up by shouting, "You're mine, you're mine!" The giant then holds him in his hand as the narrator asks if the man has the giant or the giant has the man.
- Full Metal Panic!: Sosuke is piloting Arbelest for the first time, behind enemy lines, carrying Kaname and a wounded Kurz in each hand of the giant robot.
- Puddle Lane: In Mrs Pitter-Patter and the Magician, the bossy Mrs Pitter-Patter finds the Magician asleep in his garden, and tells him to wake up, and do something useful. He says that he will do something very useful, and he makes her shrink; and picks her up, so that he can talk to her. Mrs Pitter-Patter yells at him to put her down, which he does, on condition that she goes away and does not bother him. She returns to her normal size when she is out of the garden.
Live-Action TV
- Ultra Series:
- Ultraman Ace: The titular character Ultraman Ace does this on a regular basis, as he would lift and evacuate children by carrying them aside in his palms before engaging the Monster of the Week in battle.
- Ultraman Gaia: In a Breather Episode, Ultraman Gaia offers a bunch of kids a ride in his palms as he flies around the city after dealing with a monster attack.
Music Videos
- Claudia Buckley, "Blame it on your heart": The music video has several moments where Claudia is a giantess who holds her boyfriend in the palm of her hand while she sings the song to him.
- In Miserable, the gigantic Pamela Anderson holds all four members of Lit in her hand and eyes them as they perform for her. Considering the fact that this happens moments before she eats each of the guys alive, she was likely using it as a chance to decide who she'd eat first.
- In Ninja Sex Party's cover of "Pour Some Sugar On Me", a tiny version of Danny is lifted out of a gingerbread house by a woman wearing a candy bikini, and dances on the palm of her hand.
Video Games
- Genshin Impact: In one of the cutscenes of the lost sibling as the "Prince/Princess of The Abyss" (usually showing the female sibling, Lumine, partly confirming that Aether is the Hero Protagonist canon) is seen carrying in the hands of a Ruin Guard, thinking about their lost sibling and how to Take Over the World with the Abyss Order.
- God of War II: Atlas, one of the Titans and former enemy of Kratos, takes Kratos to the surface on the palm of his hand after Kratos fell to the center of the Earth.
- Kong: Survivor Instinct: In one cutscene, David uses the Orca Prototype to summon Kong and hitches a ride on Kong's palm across a harbor.
- Metal Slug 6: The Martian floating Brain Monster Rootmars have been Promoted to Playable in one stage (after the heroes, rebels, and Martians formed an Enemy Mine to stop an even greater alien threat) where Rootmars will give the player(s) a lift in it's hands across the San Francisco Bay while the player shoots at incoming enemies.
- In the Metroid series, a recurring element is Samus being carried around or thrown in morph ball form by giant Chozo statues (in particular, one puzzle in Super Metroid has this as a solution to by passing a room full of spikes). Since the Chozo adopted her as a child, this evokes the impression of parental care (especially since her morph ball form makes this look like a humanoid bird carrying an egg).
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron: The second reveal trailer ends with Optimus Prime standing in the palm of the newly transformed Metroplex, demonstrating the insane difference in scale between the two. Optimus is generally portrayed as being roughly two to three storeys tall, but compared to Metroplex he's not even the size as the first joint of Metroplex's pinkie finger.
Western Animation
- Adventure Time: At the end of one episode, Jake the dog and his daughter Jake Jr have got away from his former heist crew who betrayed him. Jake grows into a giant to carry Jake Jr home in the palm of his hands.
- 'The Dragon Prince": At the end of Season 6, Episode 9, when Claudia frees Aaravos from his prison, it is revealed that Aaravos is MASSIVE in size, and with his next action is hold Claudia up in the palm of his hand up to the sun.
- Elena of Avalor: In the episode 'The Incredible Shrinking Royals', Julio briefly has the shrunken Princess Elena and Dona Paloma in his hand as he saves them from falling to the ground after being launched into the air.
- Hero: 108: Bearstomp, a brown bear, is large enough to carry his master in the palm of one of his hands, which he occasionally does when he serves as his bodyguard.
- Looney Tunes: In an episode of the 1966 TV series, "The Solid Tin Coyote", Wile E. Coyote constructs a giant robot coyote to pursue and catch the roadrunner by riding on the robot's left palm.
- Mech Cadets: In many scenes, Buddy picks up Stanford by letting him walk into his hand and lifting him up.
- Phineas and Ferb: In the episode "Attack of the 50 Foot Sister'', Candace uses the boys' growth elixir to grow a bit taller, but becomes a giant. When she was a giant, she lifts Blanca Dishon and P.P. Otter on the palm of one of her hands to bring them closer to her to talk to them.
- Pocket Dragon Adventures: In "Attack of the 50ft Binky", Binky has used a growing potion so she wouldn't be short anymore, but she began to grow uncontrollably by sneezing. She carries her friends home in the palm of her hands after they got one of the ingredients for the growing potion antidote.
- Sofia the First: In the episode "The Littlest Princess", Sofia is cursed to remain the size of a wee sprite after she disobeyed her mother, Queen Miranda's orders to not bring the actual wee sprites into the castle. Miranda lifts the tiny Sofia on her hand upon finding her.
- Steven Universe: Done in the finale when the Diamond's hand ships lift the gems to speak to White Diamond.
- Super Giant Robot Brothers!: In "Boybotfriend", Shiny carries Starface's unconscious body in his hands while flying back to the EDF base.
- The Transformers: In "Desertion of the Dinobots" (part 2), the Dinobot Swoop is travelling with human allies Spike and Carly through Cybertron to rescue the other Dinobots. When Spike expresses exhaustion due to the huge distance, Swoop picks them up and lets them ride on his forearms.
- Wild Kratts: Since the Wild Kratts have a device that can change the size of anyone or anything by either making it a lot bigger or smaller, there are several episodes where one of the main cast members lift their shrunk teammate on their hand.
- Winx Club: When the pixies (palm-sized chibi fairies) are introduced in the second season, several of them join the cast as secondary characters. Whenever the human-sized characters want to interact with the pixies, they cup them in their hands and put them close to their faces. This is a common affectionate gesture between a fairy and her bonded pixie.
