History Main / SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism

** HumanoidFemaleAnimal - What happens when you combine PettingZooPeople or FunnyAnimal with BizarreSexualDimorphism. The females will (almost) always be a step or two closer to human than the males are. At the lower end it will just be their fur looks more like hair on their head, bigger differences will be the posture or proportions being closer to human. If a show focuses on FunnyAnimals, expect the female(s) to be PettingZooPeople. If the main cast are mostly PettingZooPeople then the girl will be only a LittleBitBeastly. Cleo the cat from ''HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' is a great example.

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk. Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' and ''TheLionKing'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto, Snoopy from {{Peanuts}}, and KryptoTheSuperdog.

* TinCanRobot - Robot with a round or cylindrical body.

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk. Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' and ''TheLionKing'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto, Snoopy from {{Peanuts}}, and KryptoTheSuperdog.
* SpeechImpairedAnimal - An animal who can talk but not quite. They can usually be understood, but there can and often will be misunderstandings. ScoobyDoo is practically the TropeMaker. This could also include counting horses and [[ShapeShifting transformed humans]].
* TalkingAnimal - This is an animal who can talk as well as a normal human, and who can communicate with humans. However, they still are unarguably animals, and usually have mostly animal behavior (which is to say, the humans might not like what such animals have to say about them). They may occasionally act more human-like if the need (and RuleOfFunny / RuleOfCool) calls for it. Examples include ''{{Dinotopia}}'s'' Ambassador Bix the Protoceratops, TV's MisterEd, and the animal denizens of {{Narnia}} and [[TheWonderfulWizardOfOz the Land Of Oz]].
** UpliftedAnimal is usually here - it's an animal that can talk THANKS TO SCIENCE! or sometimes MAGIC.
* CivilizedAnimal - This is an intermediary stage between animals who talk and animals who might as well be human. Characters/BugsBunny would be an excellent example: he lives in a hole in the forest and is hunted by Elmer Fudd -- and he stands upright, wears WhiteGloves, and tries to take vacations to Aruba. Its seminal use in literature is ''TheWindInTheWillows''... Which is itself [[FurryConfusion rather confusing]] at some points (Toad lives in a splendid old Hall, Mole lives in a hole in the ground).
** MouseWorld is a subtrope of Civilized Animal in which intelligent, well-dressed animals live on the fringes of humanity. Beatrix Potter's ''PeterRabbit'' tales are another example.
* {{Beast Fable}}s feature animals that range somewhere between {{Talking Animal}}s and HumanoidAnimals. These are OlderThanDirt, which means, in the oldest versions, it's hard to tell if the original teller saw actual animals as equal to people, or saw them as humanoid versions of animals; a character may behave as a human one minute and a talking animal the next.
* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. They show a bit more animal in their design for the most part, and pants are often optional (but not all clothing). Mostly as the artist has already abandoned trying to make them human, so they see no reason to limit their creation on human rules (artistically, they act as human as anyone). Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, and both ''SpongeBobSquarePants'' and Toad from ''The Wind in the Willows'' also qualify.

* LittleBitBeastly - These are on the lower end, they are practically human in every way, if your eyes never reach the top of their head where their ears are, or if you miss that tail behind them. The [[FurriesAreEasierToDraw artistic laziness issues]] are never in the cards for this, usually this is due to RubberForeheadAlien, PlanetOfHats, or OnlySixFaces as reality is boring. Of course there are [[FetishFuel other]] [[AuthorAppeal reasons]] this might show up. Females will have NonMammalMammaries and males will have nipples (females [[AnimeAnatomy have an exception]] for nipples), despite the animal traits coming from [[YouFailBiologyForever an animal with no need of them]].
** {{Catgirl}}s are a humanoid animal which is a subtrope, the Eastern versions usually just have females the ears and tail of whatever animal they supposedly are and males being an upright anthropomorphic animal (though of course there might be exceptions), along with a very few defining characteristics and [[AnimalStereotypes a personality that matches their animal]].
* [[MostWritersAreHuman Human]] - Just an ordinary, run of the mill human. This is what you need to be to be on this site. [[PowerpuffGirls Superintelligent chimps]] are NOT supposed to be given internet privileges, so any of those should go back to their cages ''right now''!

* PlantPerson: Instead of just controlling the plants, the person is half-human and half-plant. Think like a PettingZooPeople.

* TinCanRobot - Robot with a round or cylindrical body. Usually the most friendly looking.

* Industrial robots - These robots are usually immobile and mounted to one place and can consists of a single robotic arm or even simpler structure, with only a limited set of behaviors or functions. Every and all kind of stationary automatic wall turrets commonly found in shoot 'em ups belong here.

** HumanoidFemaleAnimal - What happens when you combine PettingZooPeople with BizarreSexualDimorphism. The females will (almost) always be a step or two closer to human than the males are. At the lower end it will just be their fur looks more like hair on their head, bigger differences will be the posture or proportions being closer to human. If a show focuses on Funny Animals, expect the female(s) to be PettingZooPeople. If the main cast are mostly Petting Zoo People then the girl will be only a LittleBitBeastly. Cleo the cat from ''HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' is a great example.
** IntelligentGerbil - A science-fiction/fantasy spin on Humanoid Animals. These are aliens/fantasy races who are, by an amazing coincidence, [[CallARabbitASmeerp very similar to animals we are familiar with]], though they are heavily anthropomorphic. This is often explained as the result of an "[[HollywoodEvolution alternate evolutionary path]]" (with the weirdly UnfortunateImplications that all animals somehow secretly [[PinocchioSyndrome want to be human]].) As with other Humanoids, they usually act something like whatever animal we recognize them as.

** {{Catgirl}}s are a humanoid animal which is a subtrope, the Eastern versions usually just have females the ears and tail of whatever animal they supposedly are and males being an upright anthropomorphic animal (though of course there might be exceptions), along with a very few defining characteristics and [[AnimalStereotypes a personality that matches their animal]].

** HumanoidFemaleAnimal - What happens when you combine PettingZooPeople with BizarreSexualDimorphism. The females will (almost) always be a step or two closer to human than the males are. At the lower end it will just be their fur looks more like hair on their head, bigger differences will be the posture or proportions being closer to human. If a show focuses on Funny Animals, expect the female(s) to be PettingZooPeople. If the main cast are mostly Petting Zoo People then the girl will be only a LittleBitBeastly. Cleo the cat from ''HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' is a great example.

* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, and both ''SpongeBobSquarePants'' and Toad from ''The Wind in the Willows'' also qualify.
* HumanoidAnimals - At this point, we've got characters who are so anthropomorphic, they might as well be human. In fact, they are sometimes so close to human, it's hard to tell what animal is being anthromophosized (generally called the ten percent rule). They'll act just like humans with a few animal-like embellishments. They can even co-exist with humans. An excellent example would be the dog-nosed people inhabiting the ScroogeMcDuck and GoofTroop universes.
** {{Catgirl}}s are a humanoid animal which is a subtrope, the Eastern versions usually just have females the ears and tail of whatever animal they supposedly are and males being an upright anthropomorphic animal (though of course there might be exceptions), along with a very few defining characteristics and [[AnimalStereotypes a personality that matches their animal]].

** HumanoidFemaleAnimal - What happens when you combine Funny Animals with BizarreSexualDimorphism. The males of the species would be anthropomorphic but still recognisable as animals, yet the females (or more often, a single female) look more humanoid in comparison. Cleo the cat from ''HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' qualifies greatly.
* BeastMan - a human (male or female) with animalistic physical and possibly behavioral traits. Cheetara is technically a Beast Woman, even though she's an evolved cheetah.

* HumanoidAnimals - At this point, we've got characters who are so anthropomorphic, they might as well be human. These are actually more like humans with animal characteristics (generally called the ten percent rule). Like a {{Catgirl}}, which is a subtrope, the Eastern versions usually just have females the ears and tail of whatever animal they supposedly are and males being an upright anthropomorphic animal (though of course there might be exceptions), along with a very few defining characteristics and [[AnimalStereotypes a personality that matches their animal]]. Western versions usually have more animal-like features, especially in the face. They'll still act just like humans with a few animal-like embellishments. Sometimes you have to take the writer's word for it what kind of animal they are. They often co-exist ([[FantasticRacism poorly]]) with humans. An excellent example would be these dog-nosed people inhabiting ScroogeMcDuck universe.

Let's start with animals. Note that the scale generally goes from animals with a few human-like characteristics to humans with a few animal-like characteristics:

Okay, now for Aliens:

Let's continue with robots:

* Human - What you probably are. Of course you may have a pacemaker or a couple of artificial ribs or something, and that would technically make you a...

* UncannyValley Robots - Robots which are almost human, but not quite. They tend to be rather creepy looking due to their imperfections. It is harder to depict them in animations due to stylization.
* Android robots. Robots which have humanlike body type but clearly look mechanical. Examples include all kinds of [[HumongousMecha mechs]], 90% of {{Transformers}} and ASIMO.
* TinCanRobot - Robot with a cylinder or anything like that as a body. Usually the most friendly looking.
* RobotBuddy - Robots with characteristics of humans animals, usually with animal-like or human-like (but not too humanlike) body type. Examples include R2-D2 from {{StarWars}}.
* [[SpiderTank Spider Tanks]] and other mechanoid creatures - This is where robots aren't usually self-conscious. Examples include all kinds of robotic spiders and insects who are still mobile. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-bDmMCwsig This]] is one of the examples.
* Industrial robots - These robots are usually immobile and mounted to one place and can consists of a single robotic arm or even simpler structure. All kinds of stationary automatic wall turrets commonly found in shoot 'em ups belong here.
* GreyGoo and other amorphous mechanical stuff - At this point robots become so non-humanlike that it becomes [[EldritchAbomination creepy again]]. They start having some extremely weird characteristics.

Since we did Animals, why not Plants too?

** HumanoidFemaleAnimal - What happens when you combine Funny Animals with BizarreSexualDimorphism. The males of the species would be anthropomorphic but still recognisable as animals, yet the females look more humanoid in comparison. Cleo the cat from ''HeathcliffAndTheCatillacCats'' qualifies greatly.

* BeastMan - a human (male or female) with animalistic physical and possibly behavioral traits.

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk. Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' and ''TheLionKing'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto, Snoopy from {{Peanuts}}, and KryptoTheSuperdog - but not always (hence the "sliding" part of the trope name).

* BeastMan - usually a human or a veryhumanlike alien who is animal-like, that is washes himself with a tongue etc. Tigra is technically a Beast Woman, even though she's an evolved tiger.
** Tigra is a guy. You're thinking of Cheetara.

** {{Intelligent Gerbil}}s and other HumanoidAnimals - This is where they would go on the Alien-specific scale, as they are still human-like enough.

** {{Intelligent Gerbil}}s - This is where they would go on the Alien-specific scale, as they are still human-like enough.

* Human - Again, this is what you ''probably'' are.
* [[TranshumanAliens Transhumans]] - If these characters look just like normal humans, save for a few noticeable physical differences like [[ArtificialLimbs mechanical]] or [[LegoGenetics biological]] embellishments, it's because they ''are'' normal humans. They're just altered somehow. In older fiction they tend to be involuntarily altered [[WasOnceAMan mooks with sad backstories]], but are becoming increasingly popular as benevolent characters who have chosen to be altered in hard sci-fi (certainly the increasing acceptance of body art and modification has something to do with this). The fun part is that they may physically resemble any of the other categories on this page...

* This is where Intelligent Gerbils and Humanoid Animals would go on the Alien-specific scale, as they are still human-like enough.

** {{Beast Fable}}s feature animals that range somewhere between this and HumanoidAnimals. These are OlderThanDirt, which means, in the oldest versions, it's hard to tell if the original teller saw actual animals as equal to people, or saw them as humanoid versions of animals; a character may behave as a human one minute and a talking animal the next.

** MouseWorld is a subtrope of Civilized Animal in which intelligent, well-dressed animals live on the fringes of humanity. Beatrix Potter's ''PeterRabbit'' tales are another example. Most [[AnAesop Fables]] feature animals that range somewhere between this and HumanoidAnimals.

And finally, let's end up with robots.

* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, and both ''Bugs Bunny'' and Toad from ''The Wind in the Willows'' also qualify.

* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, and both ''Bugs Bunny'' and Frog from ''The Wind in the Willows'' also qualify.

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk. Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto, Snoopy from {{Peanuts}}, and KryptoTheSuperdog -- but not always (hence the "sliding" part of the trope name).

* [[MostWritersAreHuman Human]] - Just an ordinary, run of the mill human. This is what you should hopefully be. [[PowerpuffGirls Superintelligent chimps]] are NOT supposed to be given internet privileges, so go back to your cage ''right now''!

* Human - Again, this is what you probably are.

* [[HollywoodCyborg Cyborgs]] - Humans, but with artificial components- tend to blend with transhumans above. They can range from relatively small replacement parts (Geordi [=LaForge=]'s eyes in the StarTrekTheNextGeneration movies) to complete body replacement with few biological components left, with varying degrees of human appearance (from [[GhostInTheShell major Motoko Kusanagi]] to {{Robocop}} 2).

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk. Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and Snoopy from {{Peanuts}} -- but not always (hence the "sliding" part of the trope name).

* CivilizedAnimal - This is an intermediary stage between animals who talk and animals who might as well be human. Bugs Bunny would be an excellent example: he lives in a hole in the forest and is hunted by Elmer Fudd -- and he stands upright, wears WhiteGloves, and tries to take vacations to Aruba. Its seminal use in literature is ''TheWindInTheWillows''... Which is itself [[FurryConfusion rather confusing]] at some points (Toad lives in a splendid old Hall, Mole lives in a hole in the ground).

* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, and both ''Bugs Bunny'' and ''The Wind in the Willows'' also qualify.

* CivilizedAnimal - This is an intermediary stage between animals who talk and animals who might as well be human. Bugs Bunny would be an excellent example: he lives in a hole in the forest and is hunted by Elmer Fudd -- and he stands upright, wears WhiteGloves, and tries to take vacations to Aruba.
* FunnyAnimal - This is where we hit characters who would probably be human, but FurriesAreEasierToDraw. Mickey Mouse is a terrific example. He is a character who has become humanized to the point that you could replace him with a human and the plot would be nearly identical. He always wears clothes, he goes to work and lives in a house, and... [[FurryConfusion he has a pet dog]]. This term hails from the golden age of comics, but its seminal use in literature is ''TheWindInTheWillows''... Which is itself [[FurryConfusion rather confusing]] at some points (Toad lives in a splendid old Hall, Mole lives in a hole in the ground).

* IntellectualAnimal - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but usually doesn't talk.
** Intellectual Animal characters may talk to each other, essentially [[AnimalTalk having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a DoctorDolittle or if the language is able to be learned. Their thought processes and personality is still very much like that of whatever animal they are. The cast of ''WatershipDown'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and Snoopy from {{Peanuts}} -- but not always (hence the "sliding" part of the trope name).

* LittleGreenMen - Not often seen in modern fiction. These guys are usually less humanlike in appearance, but still retain humanlike personality traits. They're even [[UglyCute kind of cute]] sometimes.
* TheGreys - Essentially the alien version of TheFairFolk. They look mostly human -- but their psychology is [[UncannyValley very, very unlike a human's]]...
* [[BugWar Insectoid Aliens]] - These are pretty much exactly what they sound like, and are especially popular non-humanlike aliens. There's something distinctively alien about an insect from a human point of view, so why not scale them up? They tend to have a hive-like social structure, with a few human-like personality touches, and may even be vaguely humanoid in appearance too.
* StarfishAliens - ''Really'' Alien Aliens. And given the insane variety of life on our planet, it's not unlikely that these are closest to what's really out there.
* EldritchAbomination - Aliens that are '''so''' alien, they tend to break the brain of a mere human, who was probably expecting something more along the lines of Lt. Worf.

* [[HollywoodCyborg Cyborgs]] - Humans, but with artificial components- tend to blend with transhumans above. They can range from relatively small replacement parts (Geordi LaForge's eyes in the StarTrekTheNextGeneration movies) to complete body replacement with few biological components left, with varying degrees of human appearance (from [[GhostInTheShell major Motoko Kusanagi]] to {{Robocop}} 2).

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