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1%% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/ImagePickin/ImageSuggestions60
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4[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/krew_fire_nation.jpg]]]]
5
6->''Laying around by moonlight''\
7''Doing some stuff by daylight''\
8''Hopping around and doing flips and stuff''\
9''She is the one named Pixel Ferret''\
10''Yeah!''
11-->-- '''WebVideo/PeanutButterGamer''', ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonAnimalParade'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4txmgo6r_o review]][[note]]Sung to the tune of the ''Anime/SailorMoon'' theme song[[/note]]
12
13The popularity of ferrets has created a new kind of animal sidekick character, in addition to the old standbys of the loyal, [[DogsAreDumb dull]] Dog and the smart, [[CatsAreSnarkers snarky]] Cat.
14
15The weasel (or ferret) is a cute, mischievous, playful mascot who nonetheless looks out mainly for himself and can be very critical of people around him. He's nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is, and swears up and down he doesn't have to be fussed over. Until he wants to be, and frankly he's not about to turn down free food or attention if it's offered. [[FighterMageThief If the dog is the fighter class, and the cat is the mage, then the weasel is the thief]].
16
17Animal mascot personalities normally fall into the Cat or [[AllAnimalsAreDogs Dog stereotypes]] even if the author has tried to use a more exotic animal, like a bird or mouse -- it'll still act like a Cat or a Dog. The Weasel Mascot personality, likewise, may apply to other mustelids -- but weasels, otters, and ferrets are most common. The Weasel personality is rarely applied to badgers and wolverines however (the latter in case where BearsAreBadNews). Mongooses, despite being unrelated to weasels (they're actually closer to ''cats'', of all things), are also prone to this sort of portrayal.
18
19A major benefit of the Weasel personality is that it largely reflects the behavior of the real animal. The Weasel can make a good [[DeadpanSnarker ironic deadpan snarker]], without the [[CatsAreMean nasty or untrustworthy streak]] commonly associated with the Cat, or [[ScavengersAreScum the aggressive, scavenging nature]] [[BewareOfViciousDog of the Dog]]. There is ''deep'' irony in the contrast between the two because [[WickedWeasel weasels fared differently in older Western works]], although this trope's ancestor can trace back to the weasels' fictional enmity against [[BasiliskAndCockatrice mythical Basilisks]] in European legends.
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21Many magical animal guardians are Weasel mascots, and most Weasel mascots are {{Talking Animal}}s.
22
23Compare PlayfulOtter and FriskyFerret. Contrast WickedWeasel.
24
25----
26!!Examples
27
28[[foldercontrol]]
29
30[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31* Uzume the ferret in ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi''.
32* Kero-chan in ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', although he's actually [[spoiler:a lion cub]].
33* Yuuno, from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' is another actual ferret. He's an exception to the character type, though—he's a bookish, shy mage that gets nervous and blushes around Nanoha. This is mostly because Yuuno is not actually a ferret, but a 9-or-10-year-old human boy who transforms into such; when this is finally revealed, Nanoha [[BigWhat reacts predictably]].
34* Japolo from ''Anime/ShamanicPrincess'' is a TalkingAnimal BattleButler and would-be MentorMascot. He fancies himself full of important information and sage advice, but in reality his main contribution is [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] and PluckyComicRelief.
35* Hisashi Sakisaka, an occasional recurring character in the ''Manga/MidoriDays'' manga, has a weasel sidekick, Tomahawk, on his shoulder at all times.
36* Although the series is realistic, and he is an actual ferret, the anime ''Manga/StrawberryMarshmallow'' has John, who belongs to the unbelievably-adorable Matsuri. John is cute, mischievous and playful, but that seems the extent of his Weasel Mascot traits.
37* Mepple in ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'' has an incredible attitude, and is greedy, picky, and likes to guilt Nagisa into doing things for him.
38* Tart from ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'', who insist that he's a 'cute fairy' and speaks with Kansai accent. He swings around being responsible (trying to help the Cures) and irresponsible (stealing the Cures' foods like ice cream) at times.
39* Used in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'', not that you'd be able to tell: the "Art of" book tells us that the character Lin is supposed to be a [[HumanityEnsues transformed weasel]]. She's sarcastic but sweet and quite cute.
40* Chamo from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' (with DirtyOldMan tendencies to boot!).
41** He would like to remind you [[InsistentTerminology he's an ermine]], thank you very much.
42** [[spoiler:There is a specific punishment for mages in ''Mahou Sensei Negima'': temporary transformation into an ermine. It is never stated directly, but some lines may imply that Chamo-kun did undergo such a penalty.]] Nevertheless, Chamo-kun always claims he is a regular ermine and mentions about his ermine family. He also revealed that he was banned from his home country for [[PantyThief stealing panties]] from his girl ermine companions. This may be somewhat true.
43** In the manga, he's pretty specific at several points in explaining he's an ermine sprite, which is where most of his powers -- such as forming pactios and being able to read peoples' emotions -- come from. He fled to Japan to find Negi [[spoiler:to get him to hire him as a familiar so he wouldn't be punished for his panty theft.]]
44%% * Rafra from ''Anime/InfiniteRyvius''.
45%% * In ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', Team Gurren has Buta!
46* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
47** Ash's (previously Dawn's) Buizel is one of these despite the actual mascots being the [[RodentsOfUnusualSize Rodent of Unusual Size]] and the adorable [[SpotlightStealingSquad yet overused]] Penguin. It initially followed in the tracks of previous badasses Charizard and Sceptile, and did a very good job of it early on despite being a RidiculouslyCuteCritter. Unfortunately, it hit [[BadassDecay a losing streak]] later on.
48** In its first appearance, Buizel was the mascot of the traveling troupe in ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea'' and was the most prominent Pokémon until Manaphy appeared.
49** Oshawott is the new mustelid on the team in ''Black and White''.
50* Okojo-San from the titular manga and the anime ''Siawase Apartment'''s Okojo-san is an ermine. He can't talk to people, but he can to the other animals in the apartment complex.
51* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': While technically not a weasel, Kon sure has the personality for it.
52* In the manga adaptation of ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', Minmay has one of these, a bizarre rabbit/weasel hybrid that probably doesn't exist in nature.
53* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': During her BigDamnHeroes moment, Temari uses her fan to summon an eyepatch-wearing, scythe-wielding weasel named Kamatari that brings with it a massive swath of destruction against Tayuya. [[DontExplainTheJoke Which to anyone who knows Japanese is a pun on the word "Kamaitachi", which means "slicing wind", but "Kama" and "Itachi" means "sickle" and "weasel" respectively.]]
54* Einstein the ferret in ''Alien from the Darkness'', whose main hobbies appear to be searching for fish and molesting its female owner. It's also an [[EvilDetectingDog Evil Detecting Ferret]], able to sence when someone is possessed by the evil alien.
55* Candy from ''Manga/CandyCandy'' has a pet raccoon called Clean.
56* Kyubey from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' is a cute ferret- or fox-like creature, but given [[{{Deconstruction}} the nature of the show]] it's a subversion. There's [[ManipulativeBastard a good reason]] that a good chunk of the show's fans don't trust him at all. [[spoiler:WickedWeasel, [[http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y67/AthenAltena/kyuubeyaaah.png after all]]. He seems to be less of a subversion by the end of the show.]]
57** ZigZagged going into ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''. Turns out [[spoiler:he never stopped being the evil git he is, and if anything his "amending" conversation with Homura only gave him the idea to exploit her to bring back the old witch system]].
58* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': Ryo-Ohki is Ryoko's [[LivingShip pet]] that meows like a cat, yet eats carrots like a rabbit.
59* Nils from the animated adaptation of ''Literature/TheWonderfulAdventuresOfNils'' has a hamster sidekick called Krumel who usually provides the voice of reason.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Comic Books]]
63* Seamus the pooka from ''ComicBook/BlueMonday''.
64* Spip, ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'''s snarky squirrel.
65* Played with in ''ComicStrip/GetFuzzy'' with Bucky's silent ferret nemesis, Fungo Squiggly.
66* ''ComicBook/PeachFuzz'', where the ferrets are the main characters... at least, ''they'' think they are. Their owners think they're just cute pets.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Fan Works]]
70* In reference to his ForcedTransformation in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', some fan fiction makes [[DracoInLeatherPants Draco Malfoy]] a ferret animagus.
71* ''Fanfic/GuardiansOfPokemon'' has a pair of these, Jupei and Ki. This is not surprising as the author has stated that the fic was inspired by three anime: ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' (of course), ''Anime/SailorMoon'', and ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''.
72[[/folder]]
73
74[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
75* Wilma, a singing GenkiGirl weasel from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightBeforeChristmas''.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]
79* Kodo and Podo (aka "The Weasel Hankies") from ''Film/TheBeastmaster'' are a ferret duo that aid the main character Dar on his quests.
80* ''Film/AlongCamePolly'' features a pet ferret that often appeared in promotional material, despite having very few scenes in the movie.
81* Mr. Kimble has a pet ferret ([[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger pronounced "fyeuwr-it"]]) that he uses to calm down his class in ''Film/KindergartenCop''. The ferret even saves Kimble's hide by putting a well-timed bite on the BigBad in the climactic showdown.
82* In ''Film/StarshipTroopers'', Karl psychically commands his ferret to go bug his mother so his pet will stop begging for his attention.
83[[/folder]]
84
85[[folder:Literature]]
86* In ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', Lyra's shapeshifting dæmon, Pantalaimon, often takes the shape of a weasel; he settles as a [[spoiler:[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Marten Pine Marten.]]]]
87* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has Jarveys, smart-talking (very large) magical mustelids.
88** Mr. Weasley's Patronus is a weasel, while Hermione's is an otter. (No wonder [[spoiler:she married into the family]].)
89*** The entire Weasley family have a strong mustelid [[AnimalMotifs motif]] going on, starting with their last name. They live in a home they call The Burrow, near ''Stoats''head Hill and the village of ''Otter''y St. Catchpole (which sounds a little bit like "polecat").
90* John Wesley Weasel from ''Literature/TheBookOfTheDunCow''is an AntiHero example; although fierce, stubborn and implied to be a ReformedCriminal, is [[UndyingLoyalty extremely loyal]] to the rooster protagonist, is undoubtedly one of the good guys, and literally kills thousands [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge of enemy]] [[BasiliskAndCockatrice mythical Basilisks]] [[UnstoppableRage single-handedly]] after one [[spoiler: murders his NiceMice friend]].
91* ''Literature/TheAreasOfMyExpertise'': "Let's use my ferret to steal that diamond."
92** ''Literature/MoreInformationThanYouRequire'': "New ferret, same old con."
93** Taken to its logical conclusion with a mounted ferret skeleton on the back cover of the DarkerAndEdgier finale, ''Literature/ThatIsAll''.
94* Ozzie from ''Literature/AvalonWebOfMagic'' is an elf who was magically transformed into a ferret. Besides being more goofy than snarky, he's pretty much this trope exactly.
95* The title character of ''Zucchini'' is a boy's pet ferret. The book was later adapted on ''WesternAnimation/CBSStorybreak''.
96* In ''Literature/{{Spellbent}}'', Jessie Shimmer's magical familiar is a DeadpanSnarker ferret named Palimpsest.
97* The ferret has become something of an unofficial mascot for ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'', due to Angela's off-hand warning to Roran: "Watch out for ferrets."
98* In ''The Furry Boarding School'', Phew Scarlet Tongue, a weasel, is the best student at the eponymous school and the favourite student of her (human, ten-year-old) teacher.
99* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheDarkTower'' books, the heroes are accompanied by Oy, a creature called a Billy-Bumbler which is said to resemble a cross between a raccoon, a badger, and a dog (although illustrations often make him look like a [[https://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/African-Civet.jpg civet]]). While intensely loyal to Roland and Jake, he otherwise has the snarky, independent attitude common to this trope.
100* The main heroes in ''Literature/WelkinWeasels'' are, as ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, weasels. Stoats on other hand are their [[ArchEnemy arch enemies]].
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Live Action TV]]
104* The announcer on ''Series/LateNightLiars'' is a weasel.
105* In ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' an actual weasel supposedly infests Polk Middle School (whose ''official'' mascot is a wolf), and is the bane of the janitor's existence. It turns out to be [[spoiler:[[MonsterIsAMommy pregnant and looking for a nest]]; it and its young are then adopted as second mascots by the moved janitor]].
106** The weasel [[DorkHorseCandidate ends up elected]] as [[CaligulasHorse the class president]], over several more-qualified human candidates. (Actually, "more-qualified" is debatable...)
107* ''Series/TheLateLateShow with Creator/CraigFerguson'': "Do we have a [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WrKY10IR-ng/TLuTrEYzcTI/AAAAAAAANhs/FFkxPmo0a-0/s1600/craig+ferret+1.jpg picture]] of me with my ferrets?"
108[[/folder]]
109
110[[folder:Theatre]]
111* Rather than being ALittleBitBeastly like the other {{Kamaitachi}} in Theatre/TsukinoHyakkiYakou, Arata has a weasel mascot that rides on his shoulder, or on his hat, or on the hilt of his sword.
112
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Video Games]]
116* Koppa from ''VideoGame/ShirenTheWanderer'' is a talking white weasel or ferret, depending on the translation.
117* ''VideoGame/OreshikaTaintedBloodlines'' has your family retainer, Kochin, who can transform between her weasel form and a [[LittleBitBeastly human girl with weasel ears and tail]].
118* Daxter, after being turned into an [[MixAndMatchCritter ottsel]], from the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series. While he is not technically a weasel, his species (ottsel) ''is'' still a combination of two different kinds of mustelid: a weasel and an otter.
119* ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' launched with the choice of a dog or a cat as the character's animal partner, but a later official mod added a ferret as a third option. It has also been officially added as a pet choice in ''VideoGame/TorchlightII''.
120* Kiki was Alpha Creations Softworks' mascot during the '80s.
121* In the ''VideoGame/BackyardSports'' series, the Football world champions visit Walter Weasel World. In the Skateboarding game, one of the sponsors is Weasel Barn, a pet store for weasels.
122* Your starting companion in ''VideoGame/SunlessSea'' is a ferret, offering +1 to morale and not much beyond that.
123* Arco from ''VideoGame/AriettaOfSpirits'', who even gets called a "flying weasel" by one of the human spirit characters.
124[[/folder]]
125
126[[folder:Webcomics]]
127* Kiki from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''. Although her GenkiGirl attitude may make her a subversion.
128* Wendy Weasel from ''[[http://www.drunkduck.com/Cwens_Quest/ Cwen's Quest]]'' plays straight (wo)man/big sister to titular character Cwen and keeps Cwen humble.
129* Menjou from ''Webcomic/{{Candi}}'' -- who adds the "embellished" to the comic's LifeEmbellished nature due to being telepathic, telekinetic and at war with the local Squirrel Mafia. His "girlfriend", Snowflake the albino squirrel, is his DistaffCounterpart (swapping psi powers for EyeBeams).
130%% * Corasyn from ''Webcomic/NothingComesNaturally''.
131* Annie from ''Webcomic/DemonOfTheUnderground''. She was found in Pogo's pants and took on a group of mooks while he was busy.
132* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
133** The Wulfenbach Bug Squad (more officially known as the Vespiary Squad) use heavily modified weasels to hunt down and destroy slaver wasps, the most dangerous of this world's '''many''' abominations of science. Although they have eight legs, they ''are'' still, very much, weasels of some description. And, they are sooo cute (for a given definition of cute).
134** Agatha herself acquired one after Tarvek rescued several from a crashed Vespiary Squad airship. After the TimeSkip, Agatha keeps it close at all times [[spoiler:because Tweedle modified her so that she literally [[CantLiveWithoutYou can't live without him]]. Agatha modified the weasel to fill Tweedle's role]].
135* Tragia from ''Webcomic/TheSecretLivesOfFlowers''. Being the main character, he defaults as this.
136%% * Ferret from ''Webcomic/ScooterAndFerret''.
137[[/folder]]
138
139[[folder:Web Video]]
140* ''Webvideo/CriticalRole'': Jester buys a red weasel from an animal salesman once and calls him Sprinkle. While the other animals the Mighty Nein bought at that occasion are quickly left behind, Sprinkle stays with them. [[IronButtMonkey He is frequently forgotten and thus nearly drowns on several occasions or gets caught in the blast of area spells]]. [[spoiler:Turns out, he's actually Artagan, an immortal archfey and Jester's Warlock patron, who took the weasel form to be close to her.]].
141* On the ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'' and the ''WebVideo/PiratesSMP'', Eret's [[FromBeyondTheFourthWall stream chat]] manifests as a large business of ferrets that follows them around. Their personalities [[DependingOnTheWriter depend on the individual chatter]], but usually range anywhere from [[FriskyFerret enthusiastic]] to [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]].
142* Kishido Temma of [[WebAnimation/{{Hololive}} Holostars]] has a pet ferret named Hiyamaru [[ParrotPetPosition that often sits on his shoulder]].
143* WebVideo/PeanutButterGamer has his ferret, Pixel. She doesn't show up too often in videos, but she steals the show.
144* Limealicious from the ''WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}}'' Twitch team has multiple ferrets that often gatecrash the stream, and are also most of the emotes on the channel. There's Pikmin, Nero and Atreus, as well as Sky and Kovu, who sadly passed away but are still immortalised in emote form.
145[[/folder]]
146
147[[folder:Western Animation]]
148* Rufus from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', though actually a naked mole rat.
149* Pabu from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' (a sequel to ''Avatar'') is a [[MixandMatchCritters fire ferret]] -- a combination of a ferret and a red panda. Yes, [[RuleOfCute it's as adorable as it sounds]]. He is also the InUniverse mascot for the protagonists' pro-bending team, the Fire Ferrets.
150* ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood'' features the character Weasel, who is actually a rather sarcastic, selfish DeadpanSnarker.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Real Life]]
154* Ferrets do indeed tend to have very hyperactive and playful personalities in real life, with a special emphasis on ''hyperactive'', which is something to keep in mind for households with small children; they're either asleep or bouncing off the walls, and what between playful ferrets would be an inconsequential nip might easily break a child's skin.
155** They also like to chew on things, so by all means don't leave your leather goods within their reach. Or your keys. Or socks. Or shoes, potatoes, beer bottles, napkins, things made out of rubber, anything spherical, anything shiny (''especially'' anything shiny), anything that tastes good (and you'd be amazed what a ferret thinks tastes good, especially dangerous since consuming anything other than meat is likely to damage their pancreases), anything that bounces or makes an interesting noise, anything that'll fit under a couch, anything you'd be upset to lose for several months and then rediscover decorated with tiny toothmarks...compared with the effort that goes into defending one's chattels from marauding mustelids, child-proofing a house is dirt-simple.
156* Oh, and they're called "mustelid" for a reason; that word shares a root with "musk", and indeed they do have an odor, which some find pleasant and others find intolerable. And they tend to nip, and even the best of them defecate in corners, and most of the ones you find in the United States are severely inbred and thus prone to dying badly of cancer after six or seven years. In general, they're adorable little monsters if you've got the personality to put up with them, but they're definitely not for everyone.
157* US Military radar jamming insignia often feature a weasel mascot.
158** The US Air Force uses the term [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Weasel "Wild Weasel"]] to refer to air strike tactics aimed at destroying enemy radar installations, thus blinding their AntiAir, first during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar and then during UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar. Since this was based on detecting and then firing homing missiles at radar sites, it meant the attacking aircraft (or others flying decoy) [[DrawAggro had to attract attention to themselves.]] The unofficial slogan of Wild Weasel units, YGBSM, was coined when an [[GuyInBack Electronic Warfare Officer]] responded to a mission briefing with [[NoJustNo "You gotta be shitting me!"]]
159[[/folder]]
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