History Main / PygmalionPlot

* A dark twist is put on this in ''Vertigo.'' Scottie Ferguson forcibly molds a working middle class shopgirl into the image of an upper class dead woman with whom he is obsessed with. Tragedy ensues, of course. [[NightmareFuel "It can't matter to you" indeed.]]

See also InWithTheInCrowd, PygmalionSnapBack, and TeachHimAnger. If the situation is inverted (i.e. the new creation intentionally resembles a long-lost love), then the result is a ReplacementGoldfish. Compare also MuseAbuse. Stories featuring TheSvengali will usually have a warped version of this plot.

* In ''SupermanTheAnimateSeries'', the Toyman creates a perfect toy mate for himself named Darci. However, she rebels against him and runs away, and it doesn't end well.

The most recognized version of this story nowadays is probably the musical ''MyFairLady'' (which, incidentally, was based on the GeorgeBernardShaw play ''{{Pygmalion}}''): Professor Henry Higgins teaches the poor, lower-class Eliza Doolittle to act and -- especially -- talk like an upper-class lady, [[TheBet on a bet]] with his friend Colonel Pickering. He succeeds, but Eliza, tired of being treated as an experiment, rebels against him and leaves. Higgins eventually realizes that he has "[[CannotStandThemCannotLiveWithoutThem grown accustomed to her face]]," just in time for her to return. (In the original play, Eliza ends up stranded between two worlds, fitting into neither; it was a {{deconstruction}} of the concept of teaching "proper" behavior.)

* This plot is pretty much the point of the ''Idolmaster'' video game, though the romance doesn't always happen...

** Galatea in ''Soon I Will Be Invincible''.

** There's a whole Lineage of "Galateids" in ''[[TheWorldOfDarkness Promethean: the Created]]''. The progenitor was created for purposes of companionship, but things went... [[UncannyValley awkward]].

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* A tragic inversion sets off the plot of ''{{Chobits}}''. The Persocoms' inventor created two special Persocoms so they could be the children he and wife could never have. He also gave them the ability to fall in love with someone. Sadly, one of them fell in love with ''him''.

* In ''{{Texhnolyze}}'', MadScientist Doc gives cybertronic limbs to Ichise to replace the ones he lost in a fight. She later admits to loving him because of how well he took to the technology.

* A similar episode of StarTrekTheNextGeneration entitled "The Perfect Mate" has Captain Picard forced to fill in trainging an alien in various ceremonial customs for her arranged marriage meant to end centuries of war between two planet. This woman is literally the "perfect mate" in that she is somehow designed to BECOME the perfect mate for her companion. Her intelect, interests, personality, etc are all shown to be highly variable at least until she permanently imprints on a mate (her flirtatious encounter with Warf is a possible CrowningMomentOfFunny despite the UnfortunateImplications of a woman whose identity is entirely defined by her mate's desires). Of course, she ends up imprinted on Picard himself due to all the time they spend together, and he realizes that he is quite taken with her as well. The trope is subverted in the end though, because as HIS perfect mate, her sense of duty won't allow her to stay with him and she goes off to marry the obnoxious jerk and end the war. Before departing, she assures Picard (in flowery prose to rival his own silver tongue) that while she will pretend to become whoever her new husband desires (so he will be satisfied with his prize), she will always be the woman she became with Picard and will always love him.

* MyFairLady.

* In [[CJCherryh C.J. Cherryh]]'s ''ThePaladin'', MasterSwordsman Shoka falls for his revenge-bound peasant girl student Taizu.

* A similar episode of StarTrekTheNextGeneration entitled "The Perfect Mate" (I think?) has Captain Picard forced to fill in trainging an alien in various ceremonial customs for her arranged marriage meant to end centuries of war between two planet. This woman is literally the "perfect mate" in that she is somehow designed to BECOME the perfect mate for her companion. Her intelect, interests, personality, etc are all shown to be highly variable at least until she permanently imprints on a mate (her flirtatious encounter with Warf is a possible CrowningMomentOfFunny despite the UnfortunateImplications of a woman whose identity is entirely defined by her mate's desires). Of course, she ends up imprinted on Picard himself due to all the time they spend together, and he realizes that he is quite taken with her as well. The trope is subverted in the end though, because as HIS perfect mate, her sense of duty won't allow her to stay with him and she goes off to marry the obnoxious jerk and end the war. Before departing, she assures Picard (in flowery prose to rival his own silver tongue) that while she will pretend to become whoever her new husband desires (so he will be satisfied with his prize), she will always be the woman she became with Picard and will always love him.

** A clone of Supergirl from ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited''

** This was fairly quickly [[Jossed]] after the production team got bored of the idea. A better [[Whoniverse]] example is Braxiatel and Romana.