History Main / WitchDoctor

I'll look deep into your heart and soul...\\

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' had once had a witch doctor who is neutral who specializes in exorcising angry spirits. He's also GenreSavvy enough to lampshade the fact that he appears to be a normal guy in a suit: "You were expecting a guy with a bone through his nose, right?"

* [[BadassGrandpa Uncle]] from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is a [[MagicalAsian Chinese witch doctor]] who specializes in [[KiAttacks chi spells]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, [[DarkestAfrica Howondaland]] has its Witch Finders. Based on unexaggerated accounts in Real Life, but ramped UpToEleven, the College of Witch Finders of the Zulu Empire ticks all the boxes for a local equivalent of Unseen University, teaching magic to an exclusively male brotherhood. They act as an intelligence and spy service, and are effectively a [[StateSec secret police]] for the Paramount King. [[note]]As they were for Zulu Kings on our world[[/note]] They also control were-power, and native Weres are recruited as were-leopards, were-vultures and night-flying vampire birds. They also believe magic is the sole prerogative of men and, as the name implies, are resident witch-hunters. Various charaacters in the Pessimal Discworld run up against them. With their misogynist bent about magic, it is a serious shock when they encounter Lancre-trained witches for the first time - who also have definitive ideas about a woman's place in magic.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* In ''{{ComicBook/Violine}}'', Kombo is one who can actually see into the future, but due to his [[TheAlcoholic whiskey addiction]] and old age, he is not too good at it anymore.

[[folder: Eastern Animation]]

[[folder: Film -- Animated]]

[[folder: Film -- Live-Action]]

* In New Zealand film ''{{Film/Utu}}'' an old witch doctor with full tribal regalia gives the protagonist a warrior tattoo.

[[folder: Literature]]
* The Literature/{{Discworld}} novels play with this.

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Music]]

[[folder: Theme Parks]]

[[folder: Toys]]
* ''Toys/MonsterHigh'''s Jane Boolittle is based on an African witch doctor, with a mysterious staff, tribal wear, and the ability to talk to animals. While she remembers nothing of her past, she was adopted by Dr. Boolittle, a British scientist exploring her jungle, and was raised by Boolittle and his colleague, [[Literature/TheIslandOfDrMoreau Dr. Moreau]], before coming to the titular school. As such, her personality is less mystical, and more like a junior scientist with an analytical perspective on the high-school way of life.

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Webcomics]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* Zecora the zebra from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is not at all bad, despite prejudice and rampant exaggeration on the part of the townsponies who convinced themselves she's an evil pony-eating enchantress. She's knowledgable in zebra magic and other natural creatures, making her a good source for information that even Twilight's knowledge doesn't feature.
* The witch doctor in the original ''WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle'' looked and dressed the same as a traditional Western doctor. The remake had a more traditional witch doctor as a foil for Ursula's father, a modern doctor.
* WesternAnimation/DangerMouse encounters a witch doctor in "Lost, Found And Spellbound" who [[YankTheDogsChain has some fun at the expense of DM's dignity.]]
* BugsBunny encounters a witch doctor (1950's "Witch Is Which?") who needs a rabbit for his potion. HilarityEnsues.

[[folder: Real Life]]

->''I can read your future,\\

And I got friends on the Other Side...''
-->--'''Dr. Facilier''', ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''

* Found in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'' The witch doctor in question is, of course, fake.

* ''Franchise/MonsterHigh'''s Jane Boolittle is based on an African witch doctor, with a mysterious staff, tribal wear, and the ability to talk to animals. While she remembers nothing of her past, she was adopted by Dr. Boolittle, a British scientist exploring her jungle, and was raised by Boolittle and his colleague, [[Literature/TheIslandOfDrMoreau Dr. Moreau]], before coming to the titular school. As such, her personality is less mystical, and more like a junior scientist with an analytical perspective on the high-school way of life.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Eastern Animation ]]

[[folder: Film - Animated ]]

* Dr. Facilier from ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' is this. %% mixed with Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who was something of a real witch doctor on top of being a horrifying dictator.

[[folder: Film - Live-Action ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]
* The Literature/{{Discworld}} novels play with this. Many traditional witches and wizards ''deliberately'' cultivate an intimidatingly occult image because it's what people expect. Thus, witches wear pointy hats and black dresses and work with exotic herbs and improvised tools of magic, while wizards wear pointy hats and colorful robes, wield staves, and have a lab with occult books, dribbly candles mounted on old human skulls, and [[ApothecaryAlligator a stuffed alligator hanging from the ceiling]]. Much to the chagrin of many younger witches (who act more like stereotypical neo-pagans) and younger wizards (who act more like quantum physics students), the older wizards and witches ''do'' get respect.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' had once had a witch doctor who is neutral who specializes in exorcising angry spirits.
** He's also GenreSavvy enough to lampshade the fact that he appears to be a normal guy in a suit: "You were expecting a guy with a bone through his nose, right?"

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Theme Parks ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* Mumbo Jumbo and Humba Wumba from ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie''. The former (current page image) handled transforming the main characters into various creatures such as termites, alligators and even ''pumpkins'' in the first game. In the sequel, he was actually playable and used different spells to interact with the overworld, while [[MagicalNativeAmerican Humba Wumba]] took over the transformation business.

* The [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls]] of the ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' games have plenty of Voodoo Witch Doctors, complete with Jamaican accent, mon. They run the gamut from DarkIsNotEvil good guy types like Sen'jin, and monsters like Zalazane.
** Trolls also have the Shadow Hunter, the MagicKnight version of this.
* Houngan, from the ''Clayfighter'' series.

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Zecora the zebra from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is not at all bad, once you realize Pinkie Pie exaggerated just a tad. She's knowledgable in zebra magic and other natural creatures, making her a good source for information that even Twilight's knowledge doesn't feature.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* [[BadassGrandpa Uncle]] from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' specializes in [[KiAttacks Chi spells]].

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun: The Lost Age'' has two tribes of FantasyCounterpartCulture {{Darkest Africa}}ns with "magical" leaders, both of whom appear to actually be Adepts.

* Dr. Mbogo is ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'''s head doctor. When they are forced to call a normal medical doctor they are outraged and scared, like a normal person would react by calling a Witch Doctor of course. In the MadeForTVMovie ''Halloween with the Addams Family'' the already adult Pugsley is studying to become one (with the shamanic attire and all).

* Zecora the zebra from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is not at all bad, once you realize Pinkie Pie exaggerated just a tad. She's knowledgable in zebra magic and other natural creatures, making her a good source of knowledge that even Twilight doesn't know.

* One of the new classes in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' is the Witch Doctor, which appears to be quite similar to the Necromancer in ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', who also have many similarities to witch doctors.

* In 1974, during a World Cup qualifier in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), the Australian soccer team got a local witch-doctor to curse the opposition, but couldn't produce the money when he demanded payment, causing him to switch the curse to the Australian team. The curse was used as ann "explanation" for Australia's failure to qualify for subsequent World Cups, most notably 1998, when Australia was leading Iran 2-0 late in the final qualifying game (after tying the first game 1-1), only for Iran to score two late goals and qualify on away goals. In 2003, Australian television personality John Safran paid another witch doctor to remove the curse, and Australia then qualified for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* Kururu from ''KeroroGunsou'' may be considered a MadScientist version of the WitchDoctor. He's a creepy, sneaky InsufferableGenius who spends most of his time in his lab. And whenever he helps someone (even one of his squadmates), there's almost always a catch.

[[AC: ComicBooks]]

[[AC: EasternAnimation]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Animated]]

[[AC: {{Film}} - Live-Action]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: {{Music}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

[[AC: Real Life]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}: Escape 2 Africa'' Melman becomes the witch doctor of a herd of giraffes after the previous one died. [[spoiler:Turns out he didn't.]]

* The Wizard from ''ConanTheBarbarian'' is a perfect example of this: he is Asian rather than the usual Jamaican/Caribbean, but he wears clothes made of seaweed and he seems quite mad. He turns out to know his stuff, however.
* Tia Dalma, first seen in ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean : Dead Man's Chest'' seems to be the living incarnation of this trope -- her little hut has the fixings for ''everything,'' from rum to music boxes to human souls.
* Elzora, the creepy old witch in ''EvesBayou''. She has some bad blood with Mozelle (herself a HotWitch), though it's never revealed why.

* Played heavily by ScreaminJayHawkins when singing [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orNpH6iyokI "I Put a Spell on You"]].

* Mumbo Jumbo and Humba Wumba from ''BanjoKazooie''. The former (current page image) handled transforming the main characters into various creatures such as termites, alligators and even ''pumpkins'' in the first game. In the sequel, he was actually playable and used different spells to interact with the overworld, while [[MagicalNativeAmerican Humba Wumba]] took over the transformation business.

* ''DefenseOfTheAncientsAllStars'' and its remake has a hero called Witch doctor. He is a RedMage with a decent healing spell and a set of very powerful (but situational) high-damage spells.