Line #63 Main/ShoulderSizedDragon


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9	[[quoteright:300:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ffxi_dragoon.png]]]]
10	[-[[caption-width-right:300:"[[CutenessProximity Who's the cutest little]] [[Literature/TheHobbit Smaug]]?\
11	[[CutenessProximity You are! Yes you are!]]"]]-]
12
13	->''Dragons were now in danger of becoming too familiar, even cozy. One sign the dragon was in trouble as a true monster, even threatened with terminal decline, was the appearance of the cute “shoulder dragon” -- a creature with all the traditional attributes of dragonkind except size and convincing ferocity.''
14	-->-- ''TabletopGame/GURPSDragons''
15
16	In folklore, both Eastern and Western dragons are invariably [[GiantFlyer gigantic]]. In modern fantasy, however, it's common to see miniature draconic creatures as well. These are usually around the size of crows or hawks but otherwise resemble standard Western dragons. They can almost always fly, but they may or may not be able to breathe fire and/or use other magical abilities, and like their larger cousins, they may or may not be sapient and able to speak. They're mostly harmless and usually rather cute -- ReptilesAreAbhorrent almost never applies. Settings that have these critters usually have full-sized dragons as well; occasionally, the Shoulder-Sized Dragons may even just be [[GiganticAdultsTinyBabies ordinary dragon hatchlings that have not yet attained their full size]]. More commonly, though, they're a separate but presumably related species, not unlike the relationship between house cats and [[PantheraAwesome big cats]]. Indeed, they'll often [[CatLikeDragons act like cats]] themselves, even doing things like purring when happy or arching their backs when upset.
17
18	Why? Well, when it comes to BadassAdorable [[NonHumanSidekick Non-Human Sidekicks]], it [[OurDragonsAreDifferent doesn't get much better]] than a [[FunSize pint-sized]] version of [[Literature/TheHobbit Smaug]]. In any work where these creatures exist, one of them will be kept by a major character as a pet, {{Familiar}} or BondCreature. The trope name comes from the fact that they are almost invariably found perching on their human companion's shoulder in the ParrotPetPosition. When sharing a universe with {{Dragon Rider}}s, these guys can even be depicted as {{Instant Messenger Pigeon}}s.
19
20	As far as we can tell, the UrExample of this trope is found in Creator/UrsulaKLeGuin's 1968 novel ''Literature/AWizardOfEarthsea'', in which tiny "dragon-lizards" that can be tamed as pets appear briefly. The TropeMaker, though, is probably ''[[Literature/DragonridersOfPern Dragonquest]]'' by Creator/AnneMcCaffrey, published three years later, in which the Shoulder-Sized Dragons play a much bigger role.
21
22	Subtrope of OurDragonsAreDifferent. See also ABoyAndHisX and LoyalAnimalCompanion, as well as FunSize, FairyDragons and CatlikeDragons.
23
24	----
25	!!Examples:
26
27	[[foldercontrol]]
28
29	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
30	* ''Anime/DragonDrive'' has the main character partnered with a pint-sized dragon that looks to be a loser at first, but is revealed to be more useful than he seems.
31	* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'' introduces to the franchise Friedrich(aka Fried), a baby silver dragon under the care of [[TheBeastmaster Caro]]. While he's in this form most of the time, he could also be unsealed to become a more adult dragon for combat and transport purposes.
32	* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': Axew, a small Dragon-type, serves as Iris' primary {{Mon}} in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite'', and can often be seen in her hair or hanging from her shoulder.
33	* ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'': In dragon form, Jeep is this size, and is usually to be found perching on Hakkai's shoulder.
34	* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'': Pina serves as this to Silica, as a small dragon familiar who perches on her shoulder. Having a companion like her is incredibly rare in the eponymous VRMMO, and Pina continued to follow Silica after she escaped the game of death.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Card Games]]
38	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': A number of cards depict diminutive dragons, whether as young specimens of larger breeds (such as [[https://scryfall.com/card/cma/81/dragon-whelp Dragon Whelp]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/bbd/173/dragon-hatchling Dragon Hatchling]]) or as ones that get no larger than that as adults (such as [[https://scryfall.com/card/iko/211/sprite-dragon Sprite Dragon]]).
39	* ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}'' has a Cute Shoulder Dragon that gives a +2 bonus to male players and +4 to female players.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Comic Books]]
43	* ''ComicBook/{{Arrowsmith}}'': InAWorld governed by magic, soldiers bond with small "dragonets" by means of a [[AppliedPhlebotinum rare mystical metal]]. This bond allows the soldiers to fly with their dragonets perched on their arms like hunting falcons.
44	* ''ComicBook/DisneyKingdoms'': As is the case in the Journey Into Imagination ride, the titular dragon character of the ''[[ComicBook/FigmentDisneyKingdoms Figment]]'' comics is small enough to sit on someone's shoulder.
45	* ''Literature/LoneWolf'': In ''The Skull of Agarash'', Captain Khadro, pirate ruler of the Lakuri Isles, has a small winged reptile looking like a tiny dragon as PirateParrot. [[spoiler:It is in fact a Liganim, the shapeshifting {{Familiar}} of a Nadziran, the [[BlackMagic Black Wizard]] currently [[DemonicPossession possessing Khadro]].]]
46	* ''ComicBook/WizardsOfMickey'': Donald Duck's companion, Fafnir, is an infant dragon the size of a small dog, still far from reaching the size and intellect of his adult conspecifics.
47	* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Yuri the "lizard" is an odd little extraterrestrial creature that looks like a wingless dragon and perches on his owner's shoulder even in battle. He also knows a few little tricks, and Diana uses him in a DisappearingBox trick and substitutes him for a rabbit when she wants to PullARabbitOutOfMyHat.
48	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/KittyPryde has a roughly cat-sized, purple alien dragon companion named Lockheed. He also regards Kitty [[ThisIsMyHuman as his pet]].
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
52	* ''ComicStrip/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'': Growf (or "the Growf dragon") is a purple dragon not much larger than a dog.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Fan Works]]
56	* ''VideoGame/IceAndFireMinecraft'': Hatchling dragons are small enough that they can be made to sit on the player's shoulder. Feeding them a sickly meal made from poisonous potatoes will cause to remain at this size forever.
57	* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': The Fire Queen, normally the largest dragon currently alive, is turned into this by Discord in order to fit in the magical cage along with all the other world leaders.
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
61	* ''Literature/BraveStory'': The baby dragon is a small, fluffy creature that's perfectly HeadPet-sized. He fits the "immature version of larger species" subtrope. However, in the book, instead of being the TeamPet, he's a [[AscendedExtra much larger one-off creature]] who serves an AndroclesLion purpose.
62	* ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'': The Terrible Terror dragons are tiny, easily domesticated, [[KillerRabbit and ferociously dangerous when riled]].
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'': Mushu is a rare example of a shoulder-sized [[DragonsUpTheYinYang Eastern dragon]]. Disney originally intended for Mushu to be gigantic, but felt he would be terrifying to children, so they [[{{Pun}} scaled him down]] to make him look friendlier and not as scary. {{Lampshaded}} by Mushu himself:
64	-->'''Mulan:''' You're, um...\
65	'''Mushu:''' Intimidating? Awe-inspiring?\
66	'''Mulan:''' Tiny.\
67	'''Mushu:''' Of course. I'm travel-size for your convenience. If I was my ''real'' size, your cow here would die of fright. ''[indicating Mulan's ''horse'']''
68	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sintel}}'' features the main character's pet dragon, Scales.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]
72	* ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' has a [[DinosaursAreDragons tongue-in-cheek version]] after Owen Grady tranquilizers a small velociraptor and then carries it strapped to his back with the head resting on his shoulder.
73	-->'''Ian Malcolm:''' Is that a dinosaur on your shoulder?
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Literature]]
77	* PlayedWith in ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd''. Sylvie was initially a straight example of this trope when she first hatched, being a dragon small enough that she could ride on a seven-year-old Arthur's shoulder. As both of them grew, Sylvie began to use her shapeshifting powers to accompany Arthur around without exposing her true form, and her usual form is that of a [[CatlikeDragons cat-sized furry creature]]. As such, she is a dragon that can still fit on Arthur's shoulder albeit via shapeshifting.
78	* "Literature/TheBetterMousetrap": A baby dragon small enough to fit in a coffee can is lent to a man who needs to [[MundaneUtility rid his apartment of mice]].
79	* ''Literature/TheBookOfDragons'':
80	** "Literature/CutMeAnotherQuillMisterFitz": At the end, [[spoiler:the dragon expends so much energy to survive the battle that she's reduced to the size of a human finger]].
81	** "Literature/LuckysDragon": The dragons start out not much larger than a fingernail and grow and shrink erratically as the story goes on. Lucky's eventually settles at the size of a small poodle.
82	** "Literature/AWhisperOfBlue": The dragons that visit the town are tiny -- ranging from the size of a lapdog to the size of a songbird -- versions of almost every variety of dragon under the sun.
83	* ''Literature/TheCardinalsBlades'' by Pierre Pevel features dragonnets, which are exotic pets favoured by the rich and powerful.
84	* ''Literature/ChaosSeeds'': Richter summons a {{Familiar}} in the form of a cat-sized dragonling that he names Alma. Her favorite perch is his shoulder.
85	* ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'': In ''The Circle Opens'' quartet, an untrained lightning mage who works as a glassblower accidentally creates a living glass dragon, about an arm's length in size. Tris, one of the main characters, decides to keep it as a pet and names it Chime.
86	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Swamp dragons grow to about two feet in length, are commonly bred by the wealthy as pets, and can be trained to perch on shoulders -- Lady Sybil Ramkin breeds shoulder-sitters as a popular fashion accessory. Since swamp dragons tend to react to stress or severe indigestion by spontaneously exploding, however, it's not really a good idea. Even if they don't explode, you still have [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome claw marks on your ball gown and dragon shit down your back]]. Swamp dragons in general are essentially what happens when a fantastic creature like a dragon needs to conform to the laws of physics.
87	* ''Literature/{{Dracopedia}}'': Some dragon species are rather small -- some amphipteres don't grow much past thirty centimeters in wingspan, and feydragons are usually in the same size range as small to medium-sized birds.
88	* ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' has small, venomous flying scavengers called ''jhereg''. They're cold-blooded, don't breathe fire, and resemble miniature [[OurDragonsAreDifferent wyverns]] rather than standard dragons. While they cannot speak, [[spoiler:they are fully sentient, due to genetic tampering in the distant past]]. The main character in the books keeps a jhereg as a {{Familiar}}.
89	** Subverted with the giant jhereg seen at Deathgate Falls, a rare variety which are bigger than a person and scare the living crap out of normal-sized jhereg.
90	** The series also features full-sized creatures called Dragons that actually look less like dragons than jhereg, as the Dragons are wingless and have tentacle-like feelers.
91	* ''Literature/DragonEyPI": Vern's not quite shoulder height (being about ten foot tall) because he has been placed under a geas by St. George that he won't return to his proper size and majesty unless he works for the good of other beings.
92	%%* ''Literature/DragonKeeperChronicles'': Kale's minor dragons.
93	* ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' has fire-lizards, hawk-sized, six-limbed pseudo-reptiles that evolved the ability to exhale pyrophoric gas as a natural defense. While they have normal animal-level intelligence, they're weakly telepathic, and their instinct to imprint on whoever feeds them upon hatching makes them natural BondCreatures. Human colonists genetically engineered them for greater size, intellect, and psychic ability to produce full-sized dragons.
94	* ''Literature/{{Earthsea}}'': They're called ''harekki'', and Yarrow keeps one as a pet. In this case, they're smaller than usual, growing no bigger than a human hand; Yarrow's usually coils itself around her wrist.
95	* Fyrian of ''Literature/TheGirlWhoDrankTheMoon'' has remained shoulder-sized for five hundred years, despite his claims that he will grow to become a Simply Enormous dragon.
96	* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
97	** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'': Hagrid hatches a dragon from an egg and plans to keep it as a pet, seemingly overlooking the fact that a) babies get much larger with age, and b) he lives in a ''wooden house.'' Spot the flaw.
98	** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', the Tri-Wizard competitors each pull a miniature model of a dragon out of a bag, determining which full-sized dragon they'll each face in the first task. The models, like this world's portraits, are small animated copies of the original. Later, Harry places the miniature dragon on his bedside table, where it curls up, snorting smoke from its nostrils.
99	* ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'': Flinx has a companion resembling a miniature dragon. It's a sci-fi setting, so Pip is an alien (a minidrag, specifically) and can't breathe fire, but she fulfills all other features, being essentially a spitting cobra with hummingbird wings and a psychic link to her master.
100	* ''Literature/AMemoirByLadyTrent'': Sparklings, diminutive six-legged relatives of dragons, aren't much bigger than a songbird and used to be considered a type of insect that only so happened to resemble true dragons.
101	* ''Literature/{{Nightside}}'': In one of the novels, two Chinese sorcerers briefly appear at Strangefellows, overseeing a fight between their tiny dragon companions. It's implied the "sorcerers" are illusions projected by the dragons, who know people would try to capture and tame them if they wandered the city unaccompanied.
102	* In ''Literature/RachelGriffin'', [[KidHero Sigfried's]] familiar Lucky is an Eastern-style dragon, small enough to ride draped around his master's shoulders like a stole. They are repeatedly accosted with requests to pet the dragon.
103	* ''Literature/RedWizard'', by Nancy Springer, has a Shoulder-Sized Dragon named Mulberry. In this case, they don't seem to be a naturally occurring species; Mulberry was accidentally called into existence by an inexperienced wizard.
104	* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Dany has three, of the hatchling variety. They grow out of shoulder-dragon size range pretty quickly. Later on, a character asks her why he never sees her with a dragon anymore. He's needling her (she's locked them up out of fear that they'll hunt humans if left to hunt freely, and he knows it), but she still has an excellent deadpan response.
105	--> '''Dany:''' My dragons have grown. My shoulder has not.
106	* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': Skysong, aka Kitten, is a baby dragon. In centuries she'll grow quite large indeed, but for now, she's just an infant and often perches on her human foster parents' shoulders.
107	* ''Literature/TheYearOfRogueDragons'' has Jivex, the fairy dragon. Unlike most examples of this trope, [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} in his own way]] Jivex is actually pretty badass.
108	* ''Literature/HowToTrainYourDragon'': A Viking's hunting dragon (as opposed to their riding dragon) tends to be this, though plenty can be more dog-sized. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Toothless]] can quite easily fit in Hiccup's helmet or down his jerkin.
109	* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': Tasia, a dragon hatchling whom Maren raises, is small enough to do this at the start. She often sits on Maren's back or shoulder when they travel.
110	[[/folder]]
111
112	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
113	* Myth/AztecMythology has Xiuhcoatl, a little blue fire-breathing serpent utilized by the war god Huītzilōpōchtli as a ''[[ImprobableWeaponUser weapon]]''.
114	* Myth/ClassicalMythology has the jaculus/iaculus. While sometimes described as a snake, it is just as commonly described as a small dragon. Rather than using a breath weapon or venom to kill its prey, it launches itself into its prey with the force of a bolt from a manuballista and kills it that way.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
118	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Daenerys hatches three baby dragons in the first season finale who are small enough that one can perch this way. One problem of this trope is averted when Dany is seen wearing an armoured spaulder so one of her baby dragons can comfortably sit on her shoulder. As of Season 3, Drogon is closer to the size of a medium-to-large dog. Later on, he becomes large enough to be ridden and eventually the size of a jumbo jet.
119	* ''Series/{{Merlin\|2008}}'': Aithusa in Season 4. She's a baby then and quite a bit larger after the time jump between Seasons 4 and 5.
120	* In ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', Abby's pet ''Coelurosauravus'', Rex, is basically [[DinosaursAreDragons the prehistoric reptile version of a shoulder dragon]].
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
124	* ''TabletopGame/BlueRose'': There's a species of small dragons called "drakes", usually around twelve inches long and sometimes colloquially described as "pocket dragons". They're one of several intelligent, telepathic species of BondCreatures. Interestingly, if full-sized dragons exist in the setting, they're never mentioned.
125	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
126	** Among the varieties of "true" dragons, only the smallest breeds -- black, brass, copper, and white -- have Tiny-sized wyrmlings that can conceivably perch on a Medium-sized person's shoulder. Few willingly would. Gold and red dragon wyrmlings, meanwhile, hatch at Medium-size, so a halfling or gnome character can [[DragonRider ride on]] ''[[DragonRider them]]''.
127	** Dragonets are a genus of small dragon offshoots, some species of which make for good animal companions or {{Familiar}}s.
128	*** The two most notable kinds are pseudodragons, cat-sized, telepathic creatures known for [[HeadPet riding on their companion's head]], and [[FairyDragons faerie dragons]], which have butterfly wings and a permanent mischievous grin. Both are Good-aligned, but pseudodragons tend to be {{Spoiled Brat}}s, and faerie dragons are tricksters by nature, so they occasionally act out.
129	*** A number of dragonets explicitly resemble miniature versions of larger dragons. Firedrakes, one of the original three dragonet species alongside pseudo- and faerie dragons, resemble hatchling red dragons, and share their foul tempers and affinity for fire. Ice lizards are almost indistinguishable from newborn white dragons, differing only in that they don't have a true white hatchling's uniformly white scales, and share their larger counterparts' icy environments. Drakens resemble miniature blue dragons, although they have three heads and no breath weapon, and instead possess electrified bites.
130	** ''Dragon'' Magazine #146 includes two entries featuring such creatures:
131	*** The first discusses several varieties of faerie dragons, each around a cat or hawk's size, including crystal drakes with gem-like hides, malicious demon drakes who often pair up with quicklings (tiny, equally malicious fairies) [[DragonRider who ride them into battle]], faerie ''drakes'' who can possess the scale color (and the BreathWeapon and a single thematic spell) of any chromatic or metallic dragon species; and shadow drakes that can become invisible in the darkness. All of these are intended to serve as potential familiars for high-level spellcasters.
132	*** Later, in the bestiary section proper, the issue features minidragons, another distant relation of faerie dragons, which resemble winged snakes around the size of an eagle.
133	** ''Fizban's Treasury of Dragons'' introduced the Drakewarden subclass for the Ranger, who has a drake companion. It starts out as a Small creature, making it potentially an example of this trope depending on how a player wants to flavour it (given that Small covers a range from eagle to sheep). As the Ranger levels up, however, the drake grows in size, moving it firmly out of this trope.
134	* ''TabletopGame/{{Flamecraft}}'' is all about these, adorable little dragons taking up jobs in various shops around the village.
135	* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': ''TabletopGame/GURPSDragons'' and ''GURPS Fantasy Bestiary'' give game stats for and a description of shoulder dragons, referred to as "petty drakes". The books opine that their occurrence is a side-effect of dragons becoming increasingly common and familiar in media, leading to them eventually being shorn of size and aggressiveness to serve as pets and companions. The statted version can breathe a small but hot jet of fire and can use its foreclaws as hands. Some live in the wild in small family groups, but they are often caught and tamed as companions and {{Familiar}}s.
136	%%* ''TabletopGame/HavokAndHijinks''
137	* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
138	** Most dragons, when newly hatched, are small enough to perch on a human's shoulder, but quickly grow much larger than that.
139	** Several species of lesser dragons remain around the size of a cat for their entire lives, including pseudodragons, which largely resemble tiny versions of true dragons with stinger-tipped tails; their somewhat stronger house drake relatives; butterfly-winged fairie dragons; the insectoid pyraustas; sneaky and thieving shadow drakes; calligraphy wyrms, which resemble miniature versions of Eastern dragons; and pseudowyverns. All of these creatures can be taken as {{Familiar}}s by spellcasters.
140	** Pest drakes are the result of a failed attempt at breeding a new type of diminutive dragon familiars. The resulting creatures are about a foot from nose to tail tip and never weigh more than two pounds or so. They're unsuitable as familiars, but are often kept as alternatives to messenger pigeons and as racing animals. They also form immense, squabbling flocks in cities, much the same way as feral pigeons do.
141	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has a number of Dark Elf hero models bearing dragonlike creatures on their shoulders. The High Elf Dragon Lord kit also comes with a tiny dragon of this size for base decoration.
142	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The wyvern-like wyvachs are around the size of a bird of prey, and can perch on the shoulders of humanoids they become partnered to.
143	* ''TabletopGame/WorldTreeRPG'': The Zi Ri resembles bird-winged dragons not much larger than a hawk.
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
147	* Ride/DisneyThemeParks: Figment, the purple dragon from ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' at Epcot. During the original incarnation of the ride, there was even a Dreamfinder face character who made the rounds around the park with a life-sized (as it were) Figment puppet.
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Toys]]
151	* Folkmanis, a puppet-making company, has two dragon puppets that perch on your shoulders. One is red and the other purple.
152	* Similar dragon puppets or plush toys designed to sit on a person's shoulder are often sold as an accessory at Renaissance festivals.
153	* Dragon Blaster Skeletor.
154	* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': In G1 several princesses came with small, young dragons. The dragons have been depicted as either pets or servants depending on the medium, but they are sentient and can talk. Majesty's dragon Spike is the only one that appears in future generations.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Video Games]]
158	* ''VideoGame/{{Awakening}}'' features a little pocket dragon who takes a liking to Princess Sophia after she feeds the dragon her favorite food and becomes Sophia's loyal pet.
159	%%* ''VideoGame/BeyondTheBeyond'': Finn's dragon Steiner, at first.
160	* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies'': The ''Gorod Krovi'' map has dragons storming Stalingrad, and with some effort you can obtain a dragon egg. This egg eventually hatches, and with the super-powered "Gauntlet of Siegfried", you can carry the baby dragon around as a powerful weapon, capable of [[BreathWeapon flame breath]], {{Ground Pound}}s, and overall [[RuleOfCool badassery]].
161	* ''VideoGame/DragonProject'': The mascot for both the Royal Capital Altair and the game itself is Linton, an adorable baby orange dragon who yells the word "Hue!", depending on the context of the story. Linton is also small enough to sit on top of [[RoseHairedSweetie Pamela's]] head. [[spoiler: It's implied that he is [[BigGood Altair himself]], as he serves as a [[TheMentor mentor]] for the [[PlayerCharacter Hunter.]]]]
162	* ''VideoGame/EricTheUnready'': As the conclusion of one of the quests, Eric slays a dragon, who then deflates to the size of a cigarette lighter and can be obtained as an item.
163	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasy'':
164	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'': Dragoons get to summon pet wyverns, which are roughly the size of eagles.
165	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has a trio of cosmetic dragon pets, all of which will perch on your shoulder should you remain still for a time (Unless you're a Lalafell, in which case they'll sit on your head instead).
166	* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': Vyrn's body is just as small as an adult's shoulders, not including those tiny wings.
167	* In the PC version of ''VideoGame/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', Hermione is able to use a spell called Draconifors to transform a statue into a small dragon that the player can control.
168	* ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'': Baby dragons are the size of housecats. [[CatlikeDragons They also]] ''[[CatlikeDragons look]]'' [[CatlikeDragons like cats, but with wings]]. Certain adult dragons are able to shapeshift into the smaller form as well.
169	* ''Franchise/MyHime'': In the [[FanWorks fan game]] ''[=Mai-HiME: Fuuka Taisen=]'', Kagutsuchi fights side-by-side with Mai as a tiny dragon, only growing to its normal ([[GiantFlyer gigantic]]) size when she uses certain special attacks.
170	* ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'': Warlocks have familiars. Rarely, this familiar is a dragon, not hatched until the attuning, which is the case for your Druid characters in ''VII''.
171	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': While fully evolved Dragon-types are often very large indeed, the base forms such as Gible or Bagon are often only a couple of feet tall. Flapple and Appletun, on the other hand, ''are'' fully-evolved Dragon-types and are the smallest fully-evolved ones to date, being only 1' and 1'4'' tall respectively.
172	* ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' introduces this with the Dragon Valley world, adding an extra dragon color with the Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire. Sims can find or buy dragon eggs which will hatch when interacted with enough and after naming it they can have it sit on their shoulder where it gives a very significant motive bonus and various possible actions depending on the colour; dragons can be red, green or purple normally and armoured black dragons are available if the faire is purchased. They are stated to be hatchlings but don't grow up.
173	* ''VideoGame/TimeAndEternity'': Princess Toki Chronowind has a pet dragon named Drake, small enough to sit on her lap in some scenes. Her fiancee protagonist Zack ends up in Drake's body when time-travelling alongside her.
174	* ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'': [[spoiler:A newborn Malleus Draconia]] took the form of a non-anthropomorphic dragon that was small enough for [[spoiler:Lilia]] to cradle in his arms. [[spoiler:He somehow grew from this to a ''202 cm tall'' DraconicHumanoid.]]
175	* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'': Every mage einherjar has a familiar during battles, which they can use to attack the enemy while their spells are on {{cooldown}}. Most of them have a white dove, but Lezard and Gandar (the only two male sorcerers) have a small dragon floating over their shoulders. They also happen to be unambiguously immoral evil bastards.
176	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
177	** Players can acquire dragon whelps (that is, hatchlings) as non-combat pets. In addition, NPC dragons in the game come in almost a dozen different shapes and sizes, including whelps almost identical to the pets.
178	** Faerie dragons, though technically [[OurFairiesAreDifferent fey]] and not true dragons, resemble butterfly-winged reptiles that can range from being as small as your hand to as large as a [[CanineCompanion working-class dog]]. The larger ones first appeared as units for the Night Elf faction in ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III's'' ExpansionPack.
179	** In one quest, the bronze dragon Chronormu is known to shapeshift into a whelp while in flight.
180	* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': [[DubNameChange Seiryu/Azurda]], Rex's Dragon Adopted Grandfather, takes this form [[spoiler:after having to use the vast majority of his power to stop himself from dying early in the game. He spends the rest of the story riding as a passenger in Rex's diving helmet. [[CoolOldGuy He doesn't change]] [[DeadpanSnarker personality wise]]. He can briefly change back to his full size for short periods, and will one day (in about 300 years by his own estimation) go back to his original size full time.]]
181	[[/folder]]
182
183	[[folder:Webcomics]]
184	* [[WordOfGod Creator commentary]] on ''Webcomic/Aurora2019'' establishes the existence of housecat-sized [[https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/621408391703691264 "whispdragons"]] in the setting. They are rarely kept as pets due to their tendency to emit a painfully loud, high-pitched cry when distressed.
185	* ''Webcomic/BrunoTheBandit'': Bruno's sidekick is a microdragon named Fiona. She hates being called "baby dragon".
186	%%* ''Webcomic/TheCyantianChronicles'' has Mini-whips.
187	* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': Ashu'athama, the Sharen headmaster at Orthorbbae, has [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20070117c02p066.JPG a miniature dragon he wears like a scarf]].
188	* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Whether or not it's actually considered a "dragon" in-story, a member of the shining coalition can be seen with a creature that very much looks like a dragon [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20170227 perched on their forearm.]]
189	* In ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'', after (potentially years of) adventuring in the Maze of Many and taking a few levels in wizard, Kin has acquired a shoulder dragon named Parchment, who's apparently some kind of paper golem, as a familiar.
190	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Wayrift}}'': Zemi is a perfect example of this.
191	[[/folder]]
192
193	[[folder:Web Original]]
194	* In ''Literature/ColdObsidian'' desert dwellers use pocket dragons instead of tinderboxes when they want to light a fire. One of those creatures is featured on the story's cover.
195	* ''Website/DragonCave'' has a few among its plethora of reptilian wildlife. There are the Night and Day Glories, which are only the size of kittens when full-grown, the Sweetlings, which can ride on a human's shoulders, and several breeds of Pygmy dragons, which are housecat-sized.
196	* ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'': Red touches on this at the end of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXAPwjASEQ Trope Talk: Dragons]]", as modern fiction's occasional use of tiny, cute dragons is the most noticeable break from one of the few consistent traits that dragons have -- that they're powerful and important entities. Tiny dragons, however, are almost always a deliberate subversion of this trope, playing on the audience's expectations that dragons are in fact big and powerful by presenting the shoulder-sized dragon's cuteness and tiny size as something of a living paradox.
197	* ''Website/{{Subeta}}'': You can get these for your human/humanoid avatar, particularly during the autumn celebration of "Fireside" that happens in early-mid November.
198	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Dragonrider, who has a manifested dragon {{Familiar}} who can perch on her shoulder, as seen in [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/crystalhall/images/1/14/Dragonrider.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110323004203 this picture]]. Be careful, however, as '[[ShoutOut Pern]]' is a SizeShifter, with a maximum length of over 30 feet (10 meters), and absolutely devoted to her mistress. Lindsey can also manifest less permanent dragons, but Pern tends to get jealous when she does.
199	[[/folder]]
200
201	[[folder:Western Animation]]
202	* ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'' has Stuffy, who despite being a toy, qualifies due to his canon size.
203	* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsTheNineRealms'' has the Bubblehorn, a tiny dragon with a horn like a unicorn.
204	* ''WesternAnimation/JadeArmor'': Like the other Beasticons, Chinlon is small enough to fit on Lan Jun's shoulder.
205	* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': Every animated incarnation has featured a baby dragon. Generally, he tends to be rather short even compared to the ponies.
206	** In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'', Spike is pink and green, voiced by Creator/CharlieAdler, and had a HeelFaceTurn after serving as a bumbling minion to the villain Tirac.
207	** In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3'', Spike is bluish-purple and orange, voiced by Creator/BrianDrummond, and is found in a cave and [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld awakened from his 1000-year nap]].
208	** In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Spike is purple and green, voiced by Creator/CathyWeseluck, was hatched by Twilight Sparkle as part of her [[WizardingSchool Magic School]] entrance exam, and now serves as her ward and assistant. He's small enough to be able to ride on the ponies' backs, and frequently hitches rides on Twilight in this manner.
209	** In ''Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration5'', [[BreakingOldTrends Sparky Sparkeroni]] is an actual baby dragon hatched at the start of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyMakeYourMark its main series]] who's [[RandomizedTransformation powers]] make them a target of the villains.
210	* ''WesternAnimation/PocketDragonAdventures'': Essentially, the adventures of several, sapient palm-sized little lizards. They aren't quite shoulder-sized, but they do literally fit into your pocket!
211	* In ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'', Crackle's bigger than Clover, yet she's small enough to be carried by a small child like Sofia.
212	* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': Dojo Kanojo Cho, who can transform from a tiny dragon that can sit on people's shoulders to a giant one.
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:Real Life]]
216	* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(genus) Draco]], or flying dragons, are the genus of lizards that can [[NotQuiteFlight glide for several meters]] through the use of flaps of skin supported by their elongated ribs. The largest of them are the size of 40 cm. Reportedly, they don't make good pets, though.
217	* Bearded dragon lizards also fit, being small, draconic-looking lizards that are happy to sit upon their owners' shoulders or [[HeadPet heads]].
218	* The bat-winged dinosaur ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_%28dinosaur%29 Yi]]'' resembled a pigeon-sized, feathered wyvern.
219	* Some small pterosaurs could have fit in this role somewhat, being small winged reptiles that likely would have enjoyed sitting on the elevated positions of people's shoulders.
220	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ShoulderSizedDragon