History Main / PinocchioSyndrome

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* Myth/KoreanMythology features a tiger and a bear, who wishes to become humans. The god Hwanung (Heavenly Emperor's son) tells them to eat only garlic and mugwort for 100 days in a dark cave, without seeing sunlight. Tiger gives up, but the bear passes the ordeal and, on the 21st day, transforms into a beautiful woman (named Ungnyeo, 'bear-woman'). Ungnyeo marries Hwanung and gives birth to a boy named Dangun-Wanggeom, first king and forefounder of the Korean people.
* [[FantasticFoxes Kumiho]] in Korean Mythology often seek to become human, but how they go about it varies between each one. Some [[ImAHumanitarian eat people (specifically their livers)]], others believe TrueLovesKiss will do it, and some just [[VampiricDraining gorge themselves on spiritual energy they steal from people they seduce.]]

* A significant amount of angst in the ''Fanfic/{{Pokeumans}}'' FanVerse has emerged on account of this. Nobody chose or, in many cases, even wants the transformation they experienced, and then the secret war into which it plunges them means YouCantGoHomeAgain. Many characters still want to, and attempts to do so have resulted in everything from hilarity to KillEmAll endings.

* ''Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries'': Discussed between [[spoiler:Dr. Mensah]] and Murderbot, an artificially grown {{Cyborg}}. The latter likes some things about humanity (especially soap operas) but finds other parts incomprehesible or outright distasteful and is quite secure in its own identity as a partially organic supercomputer.
--> '''[[spoiler:Dr. Mensah]]:''' We tend to think that because a bot or construct looks human, its ultimate goal would be to become human.\\

* Hinted to be the AI Sigma's motivation in ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', with his obsession with theoretical "metastability" stage (where an AI is essentially a full person) and his attempts to [[GottaCatchThemAll collect other AI "fragments"]] that, like himself, were based on an original "Alpha" AI [[spoiler:(he is evidently unaware that he and the other fragments aren't copies, but literal fragments after Alpha's mind was destroyed through torture)]] and merge them into a single entity known as the Meta.

The extreme of IJustWantToBeNormal. The characters either aren’t human to begin with, or WasOnceAMan before being the subject of a BalefulPolymorph {{curse}} or transformed via TheVirus into monsters or otherwise made into something else that is decidedly ''not'' human. Often involving an artificial being such as a robot wanting to be a flesh-and-blood creature -- or at least closer to one in ways it feels are important, like becoming {{creative|Sterility}}.

[[TropeNamer Named]], of course, for the puppet who wanted to BecomeARealBoy, but much older than that. Likewise, the ShapeshiftingLover or the TalkingAnimal who is really a victim of a BalefulPolymorph {{Curse}} are figures of long standing in OralTradition.

* X-51, aka Machine Man, aka Aaron Stack, of Creator/MarvelComics has wanted to be/believed he really is human in most of his incarnations. In ''ComicBook/EarthX'', Uatu the Watcher strips him of his human appearance. Late in the trilogy, an alternate universe version of himself appears who used his creator's DNA to create a human body for himself and tells his robot counterpart that his programming makes him human enough already.

* Happens a few times in ''Roleplay/WeAreOurAvatars'', most notably to 3Dee but also to VideoGame/MegaManAndBass, twice, but it was inverted with [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegends Sonia Belmont]], who was happy to try her hand at being a robot.
** Repeated with Sunny via a wish and inverted with Brian by being resurrected as a puppet.

* In the ''WebVideo/NightmareTime'' story "Jane's a Car," we discover that Tom's [[TheLostLenore deceased wife Jane]] has had her soul trapped in the car she was in when she died. After spending a year and a half as an inanimate object, she's understandably rather eager to find a way back into a human body. Unfortunately, she seems to have [[CameBackWrong come back wrong]], and has no moral qualms about the fact that the process will involve killing some innocent woman kicking her soul out of her body so Jane's can move in.

Named, of course, for the puppet who wanted to BecomeARealBoy, but much older than that. Likewise, the ShapeshiftingLover or the TalkingAnimal who is really a victim of a BalefulPolymorph {{Curse}} are figures of long standing in OralTradition.

* Played with in ''ComicBook/ElfQuest''. After the defeat of BigBad Winnowill, who spends some time in human form, Mender (who has the same fleshshaping/shapeshifting powers as Winnowill - though none of her experience) decides to try it out for a while too. He doesn't do very well.

* Data from ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' has this as his central character arc, and Riker points out Data's similarity to Pinocchio as early as the pilot episode. Interestingly, when Q offers Data the choice of being turned into a human Data rejects it - he wanted to become human by himself, not to have it handed to him magically. Downplayed as the series went on, going form wanting to be human to just wanting emotions (with some point out he has them, in his own way). There's an interesting scene between him and Spock, who as a half-human half-Vulcan would rather be more like Data. Each has what the other wants most and can't enjoy it, it seems...

* Interesting variant in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Cronus Ampora is a kind of alien otherkin. While physically a troll, he claims to identify as a human, going as far as to dress like a stereotypical 1950's greaser in an attempt to seem more human. Despite this, he frequently uses his [[AlienBlood blood color]] as [[FantasticCasteSystem justification for poor treatment of others]] - which is something a human most likely wouldn't think to do.

* The four main characters of ''WesternAnimation/StreetSharks'' spend some of their time trying to figure out a way to get turned human again. Mostly they seem more concerned with [[spoiler:finding their dad though]]. Also, when they [[spoiler:did find a cure in one episode, they ultimately chose to turn back into sharks to continue to fight crime.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BigGuyAndRustyTheBoyRobot'', the main character Rusty is turned into a human boy by a villain in one episode. Unfortunately this means he has to deal with pain when trying to fight, when his normal catch phrase is "No pain receptors!" He's glad to be back to full robot at the end of the episode.

* In ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' [[{{Kitsune}} Tomoe]] tries to become human [[spoiler: so he can marry Yukiji. His efforts fail and end up triggering a curse that will eventually kill him unless Nanami can find a way to undo it.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'': Healie, a Slime monster who you meet in the first chapter, wishes to become human. When you see him again later in the game, his wish is seen to have been granted.

* Myth/KoreanMythology features a tiger and a bear, who wishes to become humans. The god Hwanung(Heavenly Emperor's son) tells them to eat only garlic and mugwort for 100 days in a dark cave, without seeing sunlight. Tiger gives up, but the bear passes the ordeal and, on the 21st day, transforms into a beautiful woman(named Ungnyeo, 'bear-woman'). Ungnyeo marries Hwanung and gives birth to a boy named Dangun-Wanggeom, first king and forefounder of the Korean people.

* A repeated problem for [[MadScientist T. O. Morrow]] in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2003'' -- his first two androids, [[MakingASplash Red Torpedo]] and [[PlayingWithFire Red Inferno]], believed they were human to infiltrate the Justice Society of America, and neither turned into TheMole like they were supposed to. His third attempt, [[BlowYouAway Red Tornado]], knew he was an android but turned on his villainous "father" anyway. [[DishingOutDirt Red Volcano]] was his only success -- and [[spoiler:promptly killed Morrow]], saying "[[GoneHorriblyRight No more Pinocchios]]." [[spoiler:It turns out that this Morrow was ActuallyADoombot himself, though]].

* A repeated problem for [[MadScientist T. O. Morrow]] in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''--his first two androids, [[MakingASplash Red Torpedo]] and [[PlayingWithFire Red Inferno]], believed they were human to infiltrate the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, and neither turned into TheMole like they were supposed to. His third attempt, ComicBook/RedTornado, knew he was an android but turned on his villainous "father" anyway. [[DishingOutDirt Red Volcano]] was his only success--and [[spoiler:promptly killed Morrow]], saying "[[GoneHorriblyRight No more Pinocchios]]." [[spoiler:Turns out this Morrow was ActuallyADoombot himself, though]].

* A significant amount of angst in the ''Fanfic/{{Pokeumans}}'' FanVerse has emerged on account of this. Nobody chose or, in many cases, even wants the transformation they experienced, and then the secret war into which it plunges them means YouCantGoHomeAgain. Many characters still want to, and attempts to do so have resulted in everything from hilarity to EveryoneDies.

* The legend of Pygmalion in Myth/ClassicalMythology is an odd variation. Pygmalion was a sculptor who wasn't interested in women (in some versions, this was because the women in Cyprus had been cursed by Aphrodite for denying her divinity, causing her to strip them of their pride and "reduce" them to prostitution) but a statue of a woman he sculpted was so incredibly perfect, he fell in love with it, wishing that she was human. Eventually, after making an offering to Aphrodite on her festival day and wishing for a bride who would be "the living likeness of my ivory girl" (as Ovid's version says), she took pity on him and made her human.

* The driving motivation behind the computer virus Grid, the [[MirrorUniverse Earth-3]] counterpart of ComicBook/{{Cyborg}}, is to achieve some modicum of human emotion. In ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil'', it gets its wish [[spoiler:and experiences fear when Cyborg cuts him off from its connection to the flows of data it once controlled, leaving it trapped within its own robotic body]].

* David (Haley Joel Osment) in Creator/StevenSpielberg's ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence''. Literally so, as it came complete with Blue Fairy. Specifically noted as being so inspired, too.

* The Robot boy Electronic from Russian film ''Electronic's Adventures'' also wishes to become human, which is especially funny given that his human double Syroezhkin envies him.

* [[TalkingApplianceSidekick BMO]] from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' spends [[NoBiologicalSex his/her]] free time talking to his/her [[ImaginaryFriend reflection]], claiming to be a "real living boy" while badly mimicking human activities. Likewise, the episode "[[ADayInTheLimelight BMO Noire]]" focuses on BMO pretending to be an adult male detective in an elaborate fantasy world he/she has created. {{Averted}} with [[GadgeteerGenius NEPTR]], the household's other RobotBuddy.