History CreatorsPet / WesternAnimation

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst fans. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[ExecutiveMeddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, [[SpotlightStealingSquad he’s a pest who shows up constantly]], even with stories that would be no different with his absense. It seems that Kevin worked best in small doses. He also becomes the player two character in ''VideoGame/BenTenPowerTrip''.

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst fans. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[ExecutiveMeddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, [[SpotlightStealingSquad he’s a pest who shows up constantly]], even with stories that would be no different with his absense. It seems that Kevin worked best in small doses.

%% ** Based on interviews with Creator/ButchHartman, it seems Sparky is headed this way. This seems to be a SubvertedTrope since Season 10, as [[WordOfGod Sparky's VA]] [[https://www.facebook.com/MattVOTaylor/photos/a.513190835396324.1073741825.513161288732612/940745935974143/?type=3&source=11&comment_id=944781588903911&reply_comment_id=945127628869307&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D confirmed he won't return.]] (Sparky doesn't count, since all evidence points to even the production staff hating him.)

* WesternAnimation/{{Robotboy}}: Gus is hated by many fans for his greedy {{Jerkass}} behaviour, ToiletHumor, and his tendency [[TheLoad to make things worse]]. yet [[SpotlightStealingSquad he gets the most focus of any character]] who isn’t named Robotboy or Tommy.

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': Somebody at Warner Bros. really liked the character Elmyra Duff since she [[SpotlightStealingSquad took up a lot of screentime]], to the point they tried to get a spinoff series off the ground with two pilot episodes about her and her family. That wasn't enough, though. She went on to make cameo appearances, as well as a guest-star appearance, in the show's successor series, ''{{WesternAnimation/Animaniacs}}''. Even ''that'' wasn't enough. The spinoff series of Animaniacs, ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', received a unneeded [[WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain revamp]] after its third season, where the duo have become Elmyra's pets.

* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' has an InUniverseExample. While working on the "Wacky Delly" cartoon for Ralph Bighead, Filbert becomes very protective of The Cheese, the character he created/[[DescendedCreator voiced]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' have an InUniverse example in the form of Poochie. His voice actor, Homer, is obsessed with putting Poochie everywhere and having the other characters [[CharacterShilling talk him up constantly]], but the audience (and seemingly everyone else on the planet) ''despises'' him for his TotallyRadical behavior, reliance on dated and irrelevant catchphrases, and disrupting ''Itchy and Scratchy''[='=]s plots [[SpotlightStealingSquad at the expense of the titular duo]], and the show starts hemorrhaging ratings as a result. To save the show, Meyers has Poochie [[PutOnABus hastily written out]] with no explanation and then [[BusCrash killed off offscreen]], to which the [[TakeThatScrappy entire audience responses with cheers.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Though it's not a single character, "AsHimself" is something of a taboo phrase in ''Simpsons'' fandom. Most of the time, especially after Season 10, most any guest star to play themselves shows up with little reason, acts cool and popular, and isn't given much if any funny lines, Hence, the star comes off as less there to service the plot, and more as a means of mooching off their popularity. Infamous examples include the stage magicians in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E18TheGreatSimpsina The Great Simpsina]]" and Music/LadyGaga in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E22LisaGoesGaga Lisa Goes Gaga]]". The latter in particular's spotlight episode was massively promoted and played heavily on her public image without saying anything new or interesting about it. Many contrasted her performance to that of Music/MichaelJackson, who guest-starred as a fat white bricklayer living in a mental ward and received a good amount of acclaim for his part.
** An InUniverse example, HilariousInHindsight: When Homer voices Poochie in ''The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show'' of the same-named episode, he becomes very protective of the character after fan reaction is negative - he suggests giving Poochie superpowers, expanding his role and have all other characters [[CharacterShilling shill him when he's offscreen]].
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has Randy Marsh, who at first was a random geologist, then became Stan's dad, and then lost all his seriousness to become a manchild with a huge number of wacky interests and hobbies, so long as Trey Parker and Matt Stone can use him to tackle whatever topic becomes news-worthy. It got to the point that, even after Season 20's fiasco that caused them to abandon serialized plots, Season 23 ''still'' had a recurring storyline that revolved mostly around Randy.

** [[ThoseTwoGuys Blukic and Driba]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': have been stated several times by the writers to be part of their favourite characters; they were given appearances in a large part of the episodes, played a role in ''two'' of the season finale, there has already been one episode focused on them which was stated to be the team's favorite (and another one similar has aired later), and lead designer Derrick Wyatt admitted he wouldn't mind them having their own spin-off show. In the eyes of many fans, they are just another PluckyComicRelief duo in a show already full of them, with the additional bonuses of being [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough to constantly make idiotic decisions]], [[TheLoad putting everyone in danger in the process]], often ending up as a DiabolusExMachina, not to mention showing signs of FantasticRacism against one of the other alien species on the Omnitrix.
** While [[LovableRogue Argit]] wasn't ''that'' hated in [[WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce his earlier episodes in the franchise]], ''Omniverse'' writers loved him and started using him more... while making his roguish actions go [[KickTheDog a bit]] [[MoralEventHorizon too far]] in the eyes of some fans (most infamously when he [[spoiler:willingly betrayed LaResistance to [[AliensAreBastards the Incurseans]]]]), and yet making him [[KarmaHoudini constantly get away scott-free, if not with a better situation than before]] (in the future episode, it's revealed ''[[spoiler:he will get elected president of Earth]]''). Some fans started to find him less funny and more obnoxious as a result.
** Feedback is this trope in the eyes of some fans; he is introduced as being Ben's favorite alien form back when he was 11, despite the original series clearly establishing Fourarms as Ben's favorite in the original series' era. Few reasons about why Ben likes him so much are given, with him simply saying he is "[[CharacterShilling cool and awesome]]" or mentioning "he felt like he was a part of me" (It was hinted in "Showdown Part 2" that [[spoiler:the form had an addictive effect on him]], but [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot this was never explored further]]). He also tends to be conveniently [[ManOfKryptonite remarkably effective to defeat a lot of specific powerful opponent]], to the point of almost becoming a DeusExMachina (such as when he turns out to be the ideal alien to defeat [[spoiler:Argost]], or when he manages to defeat Ultimate Humongousaur easily, [[FridgeLogic even though Ultimate Humongousaur's abilities aren't energy-related]]). One of the most infamous examples is the series' finale, where [[spoiler:he somehow proves a more effective form to contain Maltruant's DoomsdayDevice than ''[[CrystalDragonJesus Chromastone]]''.]] To some fans, it just feels like the writers were trying ''way'' too hard to turn him into an EnsembleDarkhorse.
** Ma Vreedle and the Incurseans also got some accusations of being this. Derrick Wyatt contributed to create both, and both were introduced in ''Alien Force'' and ''Ultimate Alien'' as minor, mostly comedic villains. And now that Wyatt is in charge, suddenly the Incurseans are [[AscendedExtra upgraded to Big Bad rank for an entire arc]], making them the first major baddies in the whole franchise to not be [[KnightOfCerebus Knights of Cerebus]], while Ma Vreedle made ''[[ArchEnemy Vilgax]]'' cry. To add insult to injury, Vilgax got DemotedToExtra with his first episode being essentially a filler in the Incursean story arc.
** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst fans. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[ExecutiveMeddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, [[SpotlightStealingSquad he’s a pest shows up constantly]], even with stories that don’t really change if he was absent. It seems that Kevin worked best in small doses.
* Midway through season 2, ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' essentially became ''The Captain Hero Show''. Practically every episode focused on him or featured him heavily, to the point where fans of other characters were sick to death of him. The writers admitted that they liked to give him stories, their justification being that the guy was TheDitz and [[HeroicComedicSociopath had no morals or sense of restraint]] so they could make him do absolutely anything (an important factor in a show where 95% of the jokes are CringeComedy) and it would never be out of character for him.

** Based on interviews with Creator/ButchHartman, it seems Sparky is headed this way. This seems to be a SubvertedTrope since Season 10, as [[WordOfGod Sparky's VA]] [[https://www.facebook.com/MattVOTaylor/photos/a.513190835396324.1073741825.513161288732612/940745935974143/?type=3&source=11&comment_id=944781588903911&reply_comment_id=945127628869307&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7D confirmed he won't return.]]
** Denzel Crocker and Timmy's dad have become this since Season 7 onward. Creator/ButchHartman himself [[WordOfGod has admitted that]] [[CreatorsFavorite they're his favorite characters]] and he thinks they tend to be used as the main source of humor in the series. Since [[SeasonalRot Season 9]], fans think the two got their own SpinOff called "[[FanNickname The Mr. Crocker and Timmy's Dad Show]]".
** Mrs. Crocker, Denzel Crocker's mother, has become a minor one. Most fans see her just a plain, boring, and obnoxious old lady and even then for some reason other than being related to Denzel, since Season 7 onwards, the writers think that, with Denzel and Timmy's dad, she is an entertaining and funny character that everyone wants to watch.
* Cubert from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' turned into a parody. [[IntendedAudienceReaction He was actually created to be one of these]], apparently in direct reference to the former TropeNamer, and he was originally intended to be a sort of TheAce character, except he would still be hated and mistreated by the other characters. Really only the last part became true. In his debut episode, the rest of the cast takes an instant dislike to him and manage to get in a few good insults. It helps that the writers were more in-tune than others in their profession. Originally Cubert was supposed to be the character who {{lampshade|Hanging}}d all the ludicrous aspects of the series, which he does in his debut episode. However, the writers realized how terribly annoying this was and transformed him into a standard BrattyHalfPint TVGenius and only used him in a couple of episodes there after. He is also downgraded from a genius to an insufferable brat who thinks he's smarter than he is, while still acting like an actual twelve-year old.
* There were (and to a degree, still are) so many restrictions imposed on Disney writers when dealing with WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, that any other character in any given Mickey cartoon practically got a carte blanche to steal the spotlight. The strange irony is that this happened because ''Mickey was the Creator's Pet'' of Mr. Disney, not the other characters.

* Donny from ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016''. He is abhorred by the older ''Powerpuff Girls'' fanbase mostly due to the misinterpretation that he was meant to be [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a metaphor for trans people]]. His debut episode is, however, one of the most infamous episodes in the reboot due to the fact, if interpreted as a transgender metaphor, its message is negative at best. Donny is also disliked for being seen as annoying. Unfortunately, the creators didn't notice this backlash in time. They had expected him to be a hit amongst the fans, likely because [[AllGirlsLikePonies he's a unicorn]] (which didn't happen because the show was ScrewedByTheNetwork and not very popular amongst kids), and as a result he reappears in several episodes, including season 2 episodes (which were made right after season 1 and thus before the backlash). He's even [[WolverinePublicity featured on a DVD]] for the series named "The Last Donnycorn" (which is also the name of an episode).
* The concept of the Creator's Pet was parodied brilliantly in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken''. It was done in a sketch featuring the producers of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' discussing how to make the fans love Wesley Crusher, after the fandom has paid for a billboard threatening to ass rape Creator/WilWheaton to death. So they decide to include a character so annoying, it would make Wesley look better by comparison. When one writer suggests they try to make Wesley a better character, he gets thrown out of the room. The resulting episode has an annoying GreatGazoo rip-off called "Snirkles", who proceeds to bother Wesley by playing a "space banjo song" and then disappearing. The fans then change the billboard to say "Kill Wesley. Keep Snirkles." Wil Wheaton, after seeing the sketch, tweeted that he would've loved to voice Wesley if they asked him to.
* In-universe example from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': while working on the "Wacky Delly" cartoon for Ralph Bighead, Filbert becomes very protective of The Cheese, the character he created/[[DescendedCreator voiced]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Though it's not really a single character, "AsHimself" is something of a taboo phrase in ''Simpsons'' fandom. Most of the time, especially after Season 10, any guest star to play themselves mostly shows up with little reason, acts cool and popular, and isn't really given anything funny to say. Hence, the star comes off as less there to service the plot, and more as a means of mooching off their popularity. Infamous examples include the stage magicians in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS22E18TheGreatSimpsina The Great Simpsina]]" and Music/LadyGaga in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS23E22LisaGoesGaga Lisa Goes Gaga]]". The latter in particular's spotlight episode was massively-promoted and played very heavily on her public image without saying anything particularly new or interesting about it. Many contrasted her performance to that of Music/MichaelJackson, who guest-starred as a fat white bricklayer living in a mental ward and received a good amount of acclaim for his part.

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': Somebody at Warner Bros. really liked the character Elmyra Duff since she [[SpotlightStealingSquad took up a lot of screen time]] to the point where they tried to get a spinoff series off the ground with two pilot episodes about her and her family. That wasn't enough, though. She went on to make cameo appearances, as well as a guest-star appearance, in the show's successor series, ''{{WesternAnimation/Animaniacs}}''. Even ''that'' wasn't enough. The spinoff series of Animaniacs, ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', received a unneeded [[WesternAnimation/PinkyElmyraAndTheBrain revamp]] after its third season, where the duo have become Elmyra's pets.

** Owen in the first two seasons. The writers and voice actors of the show often wrote glowingly of him (Christian Potenza is quoted as having a man-crush on him), yet he is considered a BaseBreakingCharacter due to his constant ToiletHumor, CharacterShilling (such as [[PerkyGoth Gwen]] calling him sane even when he does exceedingly odd things, and the rest of the cast talking about how awesome he was during his elimination in the 2nd season, despite the fact that he cost the team the challenge and spent the entire episode trying to eat two of his teammates), and CharacterFocus (such as extended dream sequences of him naked and frolicking on mountains made of cheese). His face was even used as the icon for the first season on at least Cartoon Network. However, this decreased as the series went on, the second season giving him a lesser role and the third season giving Owen ''much'' less praise from the other contestants, and he received some decent character development with his friendship with [[DeadpanSnarker Noah]] and his breakup with [[AxCrazy Izzy]]. The writers must have noticed the backlash, as Owen does not appear in seasons 4 and 5, save for minor cameoes.
** Mike and Zoey, especially once ''All-Stars'' aired. Both characters get way more screen time than the rest of the cast on both seasons, even overshadowing the likes of Duncan, Gwen and Courtney on the latter, just to show off their relationship, without actually having much character development overall.

** The titular character was this for several seasons, until it thankfully stopped when Andrew Brenner took the helm of head writer. 90% of all stories focused on him and he had more screen time than the other engines.
** Philip became this towards the end of the Brenner era. He was nearly always involved in stories and even had his own episode ("Philip's Number") to himself.

** [[ThoseTwoGuys Blukic and Driba]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': have been stated several times by the writers to be part of their favourite characters; they were given appearances in a large part of the episodes, played a role in ''two'' of the season finale, there has already been one episode focused on them which was stated to be the team's favorite (and another one similar has already been announced), and lead designer Derrick Wyatt admitted he wouldn't mind them having their own spin-off show. In the eyes of many fans, they are just another PluckyComicRelief duo in a show already full of them, with the additional bonuses of being [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough to constantly make idiotic decisions]], [[TheLoad putting everyone in danger in the process]], often ending up as a DiabolusExMachina, not to mention showing signs of FantasticRacism against one of the other alien species on the Omnitrix.

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst fans. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[ExecutiveMeddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, [[Spotlight-StealingSquad he’s a pest shows up constantly]], even with stories that don’t really change if he was absent. It seems that Kevin worked best in small doses.

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst fans. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[Executive Meddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad he’s a pest shows up constantly]], even with stories that don’t really change if he was absent. It seems that Kevin worked best in small doses.

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[Executive Meddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, he shows up constantly even with stories that don’t really change if he was absent. It seems to most fans that Kevin worked best in small doses.

** The reboot version of Kevin Levin is a bit of a mixed bag amongst. He was initially liked for his new dynamic and powers with Ben and the gang, but then he tended to overstay his welcome thanks to his [[Executive Meddling merchandise skyrocketing.]] Now, he’s typically regarded as a pest who shows up everywhere, even in plots that he has no impact on.

** [[ThoseTwoGuys Blukic and Driba]] from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'': have been stated several times by the writers to be part of their favourite characters; they were given appearances in a large part of the episodes, played a role in ''two'' of the season finale, there has already been one episode focused on them which was stated to be the team's favorite (and another one similar has already been announced), and lead designer Derrick Wyatt admitted he wouldn't mind them having their own spin-off show. In the eyes of many fans, they are just another PluckyComicRelief duo in a show already full of them, with the additional bonuses of being [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough to constantly make idiotic decisions]], [[TheLoad putting everyone in danger in the process]], often ending up as a DiabolusExMachina and showing signs of FantasticRacism.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' gives us Flying Princess Pony Head. Many viewers accuse her of being this, since they think she is a [[SpoiledBrat spoiled]], [[ValleyGirl obnoxious]], [[GreenEyedMonster jealous]], [[ItsAllAboutMe self-absorbed]] and plain unpleasant person to be around, yet Star [[WithFriendsLikeThese treats her like a true friend]] and she's [[KarmaHoudini rarely called out whenever she actually does something wrong]]. To the show's credit, [[TakeThatScrappy she suffers in multiple instances in Season 3]] and one episode reveals that even her ''own family'' thinks of her as a BlackSheep.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'':
%%** The titular character was this for several seasons, until it thankfully stopped when Andrew Brenner took the helm of head writer.
%%** Philip.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'':
** The titular character was this for several seasons, until it thankfully stopped when Andrew Brenner took the helm of head writer.
** Philip. Oh dear god Philip.

* In-universe example from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': while working on the "Wacky Delly" cartoon for Ralph Bighead, Filbert becomes very protective of The Cheese, the character he created/[[DescendedCreator voiced]].
-->'''Cheese:''' I am The Cheese! I am the best character on the show! I am better than both The Salami and The Bologna combined!
* The Lemmings from ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' seem to have gained this status in the sequel, since there's a scene where Norm tells the Lemmings they can't come to New York this time, seemingly writing them out of the movie, only for them to force themselves on board anyway. They then proceed to do [[TheLoad what made them so]] [[ToiletHumor hated to begin with]].

* The Lemmings from ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' seem to have gained this status in the sequel, since there's a scene where Norm tells the Lemmings they can't come to New York this time, seemingly writing them out of the movie, only for them to force themselves on board anyway. They then proceed to do [[ToiletHumor what made them so hated to begin with]].

%%* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Starlight Glimmer has been deemed not to qualify per [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1341554362019735300&page=30 the Clean-Up thread]]. Do not add back without thread permission.

* The Lemmings from ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' seem to have gained this status in the sequel, since there's a scene where Norm tells the Lemmings they can't come, seemingly writing them out of the movie, only for them to force themselves on board anyway. They then proceed to do [[ToiletHumor what made them so hated to begin with]].

* The Lemmings from ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' seem to have gained this status in the sequel, since there's a scene where Norm tells the Lemmings they can't come, only for them to force themselves on board anyway. They then proceed to do [[ToiletHumor what made them so hated to begin with]].

* Fluttershy from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. She is beloved by everyone, and her episodes tend to focus on her being right about something while everyone else is wrong, or learning to be assertive but [[AesopAmnesia being right back to being overly shy again afterwards]]. The show addressed the latter in the [[BrokenBase much reviled]] episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E14FameAndMisfortune Fame and Misfortune]]" by [[TakeThatAudience mocking the audience]] instead of actually trying to improve her character. Of all the Mane Six, she's the only one that's barely changed since the show began.

* Fluttershy from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. She is beloved by everyone, and her episodes tend to focus on her being right about something while everyone else is wrong, or learning to be assertive but [[AesopAmnesia being right back to being overly shy again afterwards]]. The show addressed the latter in the [[BrokenBase much reviled]] episode "Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E14FameAndMisfortune" by [[TakeThatAudience mocking the audience]] instead of actually trying to improve her character. Of all the Mane Six, she's the only one that's barely changed since the show began.