History Main / InnocentPlantChildren

[[caption-width-right:350: That baby tree, so sweet.]]

[[folder:Animation]]
* Rena and other fairies from ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'' act something akin to forest children and live deep in a forest away from other civilizations.
[[/folder]]

* ''Anime/BlueExorcist'': Zig-zagged. Nii is the spirit that Shiemi controls. It is a greenman spirit capable of [[GreenThumb producing plants and various vegetation]] that is a big help to Shiemi and is also capable of clocking demons and providing extra time through the use of wood. Her spirit is regarded as something of a baby.
* Since the Namekians technically qualify as [[PlantPerson plant people]], Dende from ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' starts out as this trope. However, it is quickly subverted in the sense that his innocence is violated when Frieza launches an attack on his homeworld, with his minions killing his family and everyone else in his village. As a result, he is bitter to certain people, especially Vegeta and those that killed his kind. However, he is still very much a child like Gohan and retains this innocence in a few regards such as how he looks up to Nail and later Piccolo as a sort of big brother. There are also other child Namekians in the series that play this trope more straight.
* Cosmo from ''Anime/SonicX'' is a child-like tree who is very innocent and friendly to those she meets, especially Tails. [[spoiler:However, this gets darker when it turns out that she was once the same species as the Metarex, a power hungry robotic faction that destroyed her homeworld, while their leader Dark Oak had Cosmo acting as an unwitting spy.]]

* Even more than his canon example, this is subverted with Dende from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' who is sassy, snarky, and not above using profanity on purpose. He also ''hates'' Krillin because the latter keeps calling him "Little Green" which he despises. He also has clear romantic feelings for Gohan which contrasts any innocence he might have.

* The title character of the short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhDsRp0EfbA&t=286s&ab_channel=TheMandrakeFilm The Mandrake]] is literally a baby.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' features the Children of the Forest who are among the first to inhabit Westeros. They are believed to have bodies that are noticeably plantlike with greenish skin who live in the woods. More ancient than the rest of humankind, they are believed to be extinct and nothing more than legend [[spoiler:Though a single village is later discovered by Bran and his allies.]] However, they're only called "children" by humans because of their small stature.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': the Kokiri and Koroks inhabit forest-like settings and retain a strong youthfulness.

* ''VideoGame/TheSims'': More pronounced in ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', at the beginning of a Plant Sim's life, they start off as toddlers, who need to learn the normal skills their human counterparts need, such as learning to walk and talk. And can even be done in ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' as unlike the ''2'' version, where they age from toddlers straight into adulthood, they age like they are normal Sims.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Roselia, Bellossom, Lilligant, and Phantump all embody child-like qualities compared to other Pokemon. Phantump in particular ''is'' the spirit of a child who died in the forest. Exeggcute also qualifies as a series of plant-like eggs that embody different emotions that then evolve together to form Exeggutor, its grown-up evolution.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has the Sylphs: three-foot-high flying vaguely-humanoid bundles of leaves who live deep in the forest. They're very androgynous and in fact it's difficult to discern if they even have a concept of gender, considering that they don't use ''any'' pronouns, instead referring to themselves as 'this one' and others with epithets such as 'dancing one' and 'steel-clad ones'. They're known for being mischievous pranksters toward those who don't take the time to get to know them by bringing gifts and dancing for them, but are otherwise quite charming and agreeable.
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheTraderOfStories'': The sapient, humanoid trees are shown to care for their young like a human nursery, but the focus isn't on the children but the adults, many of which have... ''difficult'' personalities (some due to the fact that they don't like the player character, a human).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}'' kinda zigzags this with the Petalars as they [[RapidAging quickly age to death]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'' had these in the episode "[[Recap/TheDreamstoneS04E11PlanetPrunus Planet Prunus]]" in Season 4, but they were BewareTheNiceOnes who only became less child-like when outsiders visited their planet, leading to the show's protagonists having to wear a special necklace to keep the plant aliens in their docile state. Not so for the bumbling HarmlessVillain characters The Urpneys, who didn't follow this social etiquette, and saw this become an InvertedTrope.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards|2020}}'', Nari of the Eternal Forest is seen as the most child-like of the Arcane Order, a set of elemental and ageless beings, and is noted to have a fondness for children who'd play in her domain. Her innocence later led her to try and leave her group when she decided their plans to wipe out humanity for the good of magic was too extreme.

** Subverted in ''VideoGame/TheTraderOfStories'': The sapient, humanoid trees are shown to care for their young like a human nursery, but the focus isn't on the children but the adults, many of which have... ''difficult'' personalities (some due to the fact that they don't like the player character, a human).

* Groot from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' as an inversion of this trope as he starts off as an adult-like figure before he is reborn as a child. As a child, he has a radically innocent personality until he begins to mature with time.

* ''VideoGame/TheSims'': More pronounced in ''The Sims 2'', at the beginning of a Plant Sim's life, they start off as toddlers, who need to learn the normal skills their human counterparts need, such as learning to walk and talk. And can even be done in ''The Sims 3'' as unlike the ''2'' version, where they age from toddlers straight into adulthood, they age like they are normal Sims.

Not to be confused with PlantMooks. The far opposite of FairFolk. Often overlaps with BornFromPlants. See also TheAgeless. Do not compare to MushroomMan.

A SubTrope of PlantPerson, this focuses exclusively on plant-themed characters who are child-like in nature and are still in the process of becoming mature. In the event that these characters do not age, they are considered ageless and embody the spirit of [[ChildrenAreInnocent youthful innocence]]. Sometimes these characters do age, but because they are so small in size, don't get the chance to change their form or appearance over time. They often stand shorter compared to their larger trope cousins such as {{Treants}}, CactusPerson, ManEatingPlant, and BotanicalAbomination and if they do seem similar to them, aren't nearly as threatening in most cases. One notable exception is the Mandrake which is both innocent and dangerous, as their infant-like squeals are lethal to those afflicted to them.

* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'': Ophelia is given a mandrake, a small plant child that is supposed to make her sick pregnant mother feel better. The mandrake is practically a baby and is completely vulnerable in Ophelia's care.

* The Videogame/{{Pikmin}} qualify as is, even if they are aliens who remain small in stature and appearance. Furthermore, they act fairly child-like throughout the game and follow Olimar around diligently.

* Pikmin from ''Videogame/{{Pikmin}}'' qualify as is, even if they are aliens who remain small in stature and appearance. Furthermore, they act fairly child-like throughout the game and follow Olimar around diligently.

* ''VideoGame/TheSims'': More pronounced in ''The Sims 2'', at the beginning of a Plant Sim's life, they start off as toddlers, who need to learn the normal skills their human counterparts need, such as learning to walk and talk. And can even be done in ''The Sims 3'' as unlike the ''TS2'' version, where they age from toddlers straight into adulthood, they age like they are normal Sims.

* ''Anime/BlueExorcist'' Played with. Nii is the spirit that Shiemi controls. It is a greenman spirit capable of [[GreenThumb producing plants and various vegetation]] that is a big help to Shiemi and is also capable of clocking demons and providing extra time through the use of wood. Her spirit is regarded as something of a baby.

* Cosmo from ''Anime/SonicX'' is a child-like tree who is very innocent and friendly to those she meets, especially Tails. [[spoiler: However, this gets darker when it turns out that she was once the same species as the Metarex, a power hungry robotic faction that destroyed her homeworld, while their leader Dark Oak had Cosmo acting as an unwitting spy.]]

* Even more than his canon example, this is subverted with Dende from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' who is sassy, snarky, and is not above using profanity on purpose. He also ''hates'' Krillin because the latter keeps calling him "Little Green" which he despises. He also has clear romantic feelings for Gohan which contrasts any innocence he might have.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' features the Children of the Forest who are among the first to inhabit Westeros. They are believed to have bodies that are noticeably plantlike with greenish skin who live in the woods. More ancient than the rest of humankind, they are believed to be extinct and nothing more than legend [[spoiler: Though a single village is later discovered by Bran and his allies.]] However, they're only called "children" by humans because of their small stature.

* Even more than his canon example, this is subverted with Dende from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' who is sassy, snarky, and can and is not above using profanity on purpose. He also, ''hates'' Krillin because the latter keeps calling him ''Little Green'' which he despises. He also has clear romantic feelings for Gohan which contrasts any innocence he might have.

* Even more than his canon example, this is subverted dramatically with Dende from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' who is sassy, snarky, and can and is not above using profanity on purpose. He also, ''hates'' Krillin because the latter keeps calling him ''Little Green'' which he despises. He also has clear romantic feelings for Gohan which contrasts any innocence he might have.

A sub-trope of PlantPerson, this focuses exclusively on Plant-themed characters that are child-like in nature who are still in the process of becoming mature. In the event that these characters do not age, they are considered ageless and embody the spirit of [[ChildrenAreInnocent youthful innocence]]. Sometimes these characters do age, but because they are so small in size, don't get the chance to change their form or appearance over time. They often stand shorter compared to their larger trope cousins such as {{Treants}}, CactusPerson, ManEatingPlant, and BotanicalAbomination and if they do seem similar to them, aren't nearly as threatening in most cases. One notable exception is the Mandrake which is both innocent and dangerous, as their infant-like squeals are lethal to those afflicted to them.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' The Peas in a Pod, a toy plant plush, in Bonnie's house act very child-like and innocent.

* ''WesternAnimation/Thundercats2011'' kinda zigzags this with the Petalars as they [[RapidAging quickly age to death]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/Wizards2020'' Nari of the Eternal Forest is seen as the most child-like of the Arcane Order, a set of elemental and ageless beings, and is noted to have a fondness for children who'd play in her domain. Her innocence later led her to try and leave her group when she decided their plans to wipe out humanity for the good of magic was too extreme.

* Flora of ''WesternAnimation/JayceAndTheWheeledWarriors'' was born from botanical experiments by Joyce's father, and is a little girl.

A sub-trope of PlantPerson, this focuses exclusively on Plant-themed characters that are child-like in nature who are still in the process of becoming mature. In the event that these characters do not age, they are considered ageless and embody the spirit of [[ChildrenAreInnocent youthful innocence]]. Sometimes these characters do age, but because they are so small in size, don't get the chance to change their form or appearance over time. They often stand shorter compared to their larger trope cousins such as {{Treants}}, CactusPerson, ManEatingPlant and BotanicalAbomination and if they do seem similar to them, aren't nearly as threatening in most cases. One notable exception is the Mandrake which is both innocent and dangerous, as their infant-like squeals are lethal to those afflicted to them.

These are the plants that represent the blissful joy of natural settings and the friendly childlike wonder that they invoke. Most of the time, they are allies of TheHero and are the ones that allow them to call the forest or other related setting their home, often becoming friends, in a way akin to wild animals that are friendly allies. The extent of their plantness can be downplayed to a few features such as the ability to do photosynthesis or defined by being actual plants with no animal-like qualities. Also includes societies of children who live in the woods or forest like settings. Finally of note, these can be both masculine, feminine or some neutral variation unlike their larger counterparts since this innocence downplays any gender roles commonly attributed to some of their plant counterparts. However, as they get older or even evolve their genders can become more defined if that happens at all.

* Even more than his canon example, this is subverted dramatically with Dende from ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' who is sassy, snarky and can and is not above using profanity on purpose. He also, ''hates'' Krillin because the later keeps calling him ''Little Green'' which he despises. He also has clear romantic feelings for Gohan which contrasts any innocence he might have.

* Groot from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' as an inversion of this trope as he starts off as an adult-like figure before he is reborn as a child. As a child he has a radically innocent personality until he begins to mature with time.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': the Kokiri and Koroks inhabit forest like settings and retain a strong youthfulness.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', the Great Deku Tree is the guardian spirit of the Kokiri and until his untimely death they are allowed to live in blissful innocence. The Koroks expand on this concept further in that they are more dramatically plant-like in appearance, an adaptation induced as they are the descendants of the Kokiri. Furthermore, they are always seen as childlike and youthful in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', with Makar in particular acting as an ally of Link.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Roselia, Bellossom, Lilligant and Phantump all embody child-like qualities compared to other Pokemon. Phantump in particular ''is'' the spirit of a child who died in the forest. Exeggcute also qualifies as a series of plant like eggs that embody different emotions that then evolve together to form Exeggutor, its grown-up evolution.

[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/groot_8.jpg]]

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Features the the Children of the Forest who are among the first to inhabit Westeros. They are believed to have bodies that are noticeably plantlike with greenish skin who live in the woods. More ancient than the rest of humankind, they are believed to be extinct and nothing more than legend [[spoiler: Though a single village is later discovered by Bran and his allies.]]

[[caption-width-right:350: That baby tree, so sweet]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

Indexes: PlantTropes, FantasticFlora, TropesOfNature.