History WesternAnimation / SagwaTheChineseSiameseCat

* HeyItsThatVoice: Some of the characters in the show are actually voiced by actors who originally voiced characters from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. For example, Sagwa = Fern Walters, Baba Miao = Mr. Ratburn, Mama Miao = Mrs. Read, Dongwa = DW Read, etc. Mama Miao and Fu-Fu also were [[Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats Polly Esther and Speedy Cerviche]].

* ShortRunInPeru: For reasons unknown, the final 5 episodes aired on Disney Channel Asia 6 months before it premiered in North America.

* BatmanGambit: The Master of Nothing, a teacher hired for the Magistrate's daughters. All three of them are upset at how they've constantly messed up at each of their courses (learning how to cook, play music, and make pots). The Master teaches them by deliberately doing each lesson wrong, such as trying to play a lute with his feet. This prompts the daughters to show him the correct way to do it, and therefore teach themselves in the process, just as the Master of Nothing planned.

* BatmanGambit: The Master of Nothing, a teacher hired for the Magistrate's daughters. All three of them are upset at how they've constantly messed up at each of their courses (learning how to cook, play music, and make pots). The Master teaches them by deliberately doing each lesson wrong, such as trying to play a lute with his feet. This prompts the daughters to show him the correct way to do it, and therefore teach themselves in the process.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sagwa_2051.gif

* [[GratuitousForeignLanguage Gratuitous Chinese]], putting it several years ahead of ''NiHaoKaiLan'' in that the language used was Mandarin. It was in the theme song, "Hao peng you, Hao peng you. Sa Gua shi wo de hao peng you, Sagwa you're my best friend," and also used regularly within episodes. The characters wrote calligraphy, so viewers got to both hear it spoken and see it written.

* BilingualBonus: The theme song is mostly sung in Chinese. However, when translated, they basically have the same meaning as the only English phrase in the song. Also, most of the characters' name, although due to the various dialects out there, MyHovercraftisFullofEels may result if you're familiar in a dialect that is '''not''' Mandarin Chinese.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Some of the characters in the show are actually voiced by actors who originally voiced characters from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. For example, Sagwa = Fern Walters, Baba Miao = Mr. Ratburn, Dongwa = DW Read, etc.

A Creator/{{PBS}} series set in 19th-century China about, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the title says]], a cat named Sagwa. It was based on a children's book called ''The Chinese Siamese Cat'' (later renamed for the series) by Creator/AmyTan. Sagwa and her family live in the palace of an [[NoNameGiven unnamed magistrate]] and serve as his scribes, being able to write with their tails. The show taught children quite a bit about Chinese culture, legends, and even [[GratuitousForeignLanguage language]]. Sadly for the fans, it was TooGoodToLast, lasting only from September 2001 to October 2002.

** Tai-Tai would NEVER think of talking to her husband like that, no matter how imature he was. Chinese women were forbidden to speak until spoken to.
** The Magistrate doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he only has three daughters, when in real life, he would have probably kept trying for a son, since the Kingdom could not be passed down to girls.

* CatchPhrase: "I've been inspired!" The Foolish Magistrate frequently says this, usually in an ManChild frame of mind to the annoyance of all around him.

*** The Magistrate doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he only has three daughters, when in real life, he would have probably kept trying for a son, since the Kingdom could not be passed down to girls.
** Tai-Tai and her three daughters have normal, functioning feet, and walk and run about frequently. Upper-class Chinese women and lower-class girls arranged to marry into a higher-class family were subjected to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding foot binding].

* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: The female characters in the series, particularly the Magistrate's wife, Tai-Tai, have a lot more freedoms and influence than they would have had in that time period. In real 19th Century China Tai-Tai would NEVER think of talking to her husband like that, no matter HOW immature he was! (Chinese women were forbidden to speak until spoken to). Not to mention the Magistrate doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he only has 3 daughters, when in real life, he would have probably kept trying for a son, since the Kingdom could NOT be passed down to girls.
** Also, Tai-Tai and her three daughters have normal-sized feet, which shouldn't be allowed especially for upper-class women. Look up "foot binding" in Wikipedia and you'll see what I mean.

* CatchPhrase: "I've been inspired!" The Foolish Magistrate frequently says this, usually in an AdultChild frame of mind to the annoyance of all around him.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sagwa_2051.gif

A {{PBS}} series set in 19th-century China about, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the title says]], a cat named Sagwa. It was based on a children's book called ''The Chinese Siamese Cat'' (later renamed for the series) by Creator/AmyTan. Sagwa and her family live in the palace of an [[NoNameGiven unnamed magistrate]] and serve as his scribes, being able to write with their tails. The show taught children quite a bit about Chinese culture, legends, and even [[GratuitousForeignLanguage language]]. Sadly for the fans, it was TooGoodToLast, lasting only from September 2001 to October 2002.

* {{Adorkable}}: Definitely Fu-Fu and the Reader of the Rules, but Dongwa and the Foolish Magistrate also have cute dorky moments.

* AnimalAthleteLoophole: The Foolish Magistrate tried to enter his cats into a caligraphy contest. The judge admitted there was no rule against cats entering the contest but the rule limiting the number of entrants to one per province forced him to pick one of the cats.
* AnimatedAdaptation
* AllJustADream: Used as a DeusExMachina to save the characters in the episode ''On The Run''.

* BlindWithoutEm: Fu-Fu and the Reader of the Rules.

** All the cats catch and eat fish, including Sagwa's family. Yet Sagwa and her grandfather are apparently "relations" of catfish!
* CatchPhrase: "I've been inspired!" The Foolish Magistrate frequently says this, usually in an [[AdultChild adult child]] frame of mind to the annoyance of all around him.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: All of the Miao siblings, but especially Sagwa. This is a good thing.

** The sleeve dogs could count, too.

** Cook was female in the book, male in the series.
* GossipEvolution

* TheIngenue: Sheegwa.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Why Dongwa and the alley cats are the darkhorses. Tai-Tai also falls into this trope.
* NoNameGiven: The rest of Sagwa's family were not given names in the book, and The Reader of the Rules remains just that in both versions.
** The Foolish Magistrate and Cook are only known by their titles, as well.
* NonindicativeName: Sagwa is not actually a Siamese cat, as the story explains. She was originally a white kitten but fell into an inkpot, and since that kind of ink isn't easy to remove, she ended up with the markings of a Siamese cat. [[hottip:*:This is surprisingly accurate - the drawings depict the cats with very fluffy tails, meaning that their breed is far more likely to be a Himalayan. The Himalayan, also known as a "Pointed Persian", is a Persian cat with Siamese coloring, and so it is certainly possible for two Himalayan cats to produce a fluffy white kitten.]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually Sagwa for the animal kingdom and Cook for the humans, though the SanityBall gets tossed around.

* RebelliousPrincess: Ba-Do for self-assertion, Luk-Do for her own amusement. Neither sister has a huge case of this trope, however.
* RichBitch: Tai-Tai. Thankfully, it hasn't rubbed off on her daughters.
* ShortRunInPeru: For reasons unknown, the final 5 episodes aired on Disney Channel Asia 6 months before it premiered in North America.

* {{Tsundere}}: Tai-Tai is a rare (socially) mature Tsun Tsun, almost StepfordSmiler variety. Hun-Hun, a female alley cat, is a Dere Dere. Given their positions - pampered wife of luxury versus cat of the streets - one would assume it would be the other way around.
* VagueAge: Everybody except for the youngest generation.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: The sons of a visiting magistrate gave Huang-Do (a daughter of the Foolish Magistrate and Tai-Tai) this treatment, and Huang-Do's sisters in turn did the same.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sagwa_2051.gif A {{PBS}} series set in 19th-century China about, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the title says]], a cat named Sagwa. It was based on a children's book called ''The Chinese Siamese Cat'' (later renamed for the series) by AmyTan. Sagwa and her family live in the palace of an [[NoNameGiven unnamed magistrate]] and serve as his scribes, being able to write with their tails. The show taught children quite a bit about Chinese culture, legends, and even [[GratuitousForeignLanguage language]]. Sadly for the fans, it was TooGoodToLast, lasting only from September 2001 to October 2002.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sagwa_2051.gif A {{PBS}} series set in 19th-century China about, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin as the title says]], a cat named Sagwa. It was based on a children's book called ''The Chinese Siamese Cat'' (later renamed for the series) by AmyTan. Sagwa and her family live in the palace of an [[NoNameGiven unnamed magistrate]] and serve as his scribes, being able to write with their tails. The show taught children quite a bit about Chinese culture, legends, and even [[GratuitousForeignLanguage language]]. Sadly for the fans, it was TooGoodToLast. Lasting only from September 2001 to October 2002.