Line #81 WesternAnimation/ScaredySquirrel


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5df2eab5228af724b8598a283946e55f.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: [[NeatFreak Scaredy Squirrel]], [[SmallNameBigEgo Paddy]], [[FatSlob Dave]], [[{{Tsundere}} Sally Fishlips]], [[MyBelovedSmother Momma]], and [[MeanBoss Nestor]]]]
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4	->'''Warning:''' ''Scaredy Squirrel is based on character by Mélanie Watt!''
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6	''Scaredy Squirrel'' is a Canadian animated series by Creator/{{Nelvana}}. It is very, ''very'', '''''very''''' loosely based on [[Literature/ScaredySquirrel the children's picture book series of the same name]] by Quebec author Creator/MelanieWatt, who also helped a bit with work on the series.
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8	The show is set in a WorldOfFunnyAnimals, specifically Balsa City, where [[ArborealAbode the buildings are made from trees]] and [[CityOfCanals the roads are rivers that citizens drive on with boats made from logs]]. The eponymous protagonist, Scaredy Squirrel, is a good-natured but overly cautious and obsessively cleanly squirrel who works as a stacker in the local supermarket, Stash N' Hoard, under his boss, an irritable canary named Nestor (whose super-controlling mother is the store's owner). When not on the job, Scaredy has adventures around town with his best friend, a laidback but dimwitted slob of a skunk named Dave, while also frequently dealing with a trout named Sally who has a crush on him and an egotistical ferret named Paddy.
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10	To celebrate AprilFoolsDay on Friday, April 1, 2011, Creator/{{YTV}} aired a special sneak peek episode of ''Scaredy Squirrel'' in Canada. Then on Sunday, April 3, 2011, YTV officially premiered ''Scaredy Squirrel''. The series then premiered on Creator/CartoonNetwork in the United States on August 9, 2011 (proceeded a mere month earlier by fellow Nelvana creation and YTV cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Sidekick}}'', part of a general trend at the time of CN heavily importing Canadian cartoons). Also like ''Sidekick'', only the first 2 seasons aired on CN, with Creator/{{Qubo}} picking up the remainder of the series a couple years after CN had stopped airing the show. It ran for for 52 episodes over 3 seasons, coming to an end on August 17, 2013.
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12	In 2023, Nelvana began uploading episodes of the series to their Treehouse Direct channel on [=YouTube=].
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15	!!Scaredy Tropes:
16	* AdiposeRex: Scaredy turns into one of these during the nut bar episode. Even Dave admits Scaredy has got a problem.
17	* AerithAndBob: Dave, Nestor, Sally, Mildred and... Scaredy?
18	* AlliterativeName: Scaredy Squirrel and Paddy Padderson.
19	* AmbiguouslyGay: Dave shows signs of it. He has a somewhat lispy voice and he was totally cool with wearing a pink princess dress in one episode.
20	* AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle: Parodied with the Scaredy Squirrel's Safety Corner segments, where Scaredy and Dave try to teach safety tips related to the episode, only to get sidetracked by various antics.
21	%%* ApatheticTeacher: The Paddleball Camp Master in the episode "Camp Or Consequences" is one.
22	* ArborealAbode: The buildings of Balsa City are all carved out from giant tree trunks, with Scaredy's house being nestled in a tree.
23	* ArtifactTitle: Scaredy lived up to his name in the original books. In the TV series he's hardly ever scared, although he still maintains his extra-cautious personality.
24	* BalloonBelly: Happens on numerous occasions:
25	** Scaredy gets one as a result of eating a lot of nutbars.
26	** Dave's stomach inflates like a balloon due to not spraying in "Where The Stink At".
27	* BambooTechnology: The vehicles in Balsa City are all carved out from logs.
28	* BarefootCartoonAnimal: Nearly every character in this series is one! Honestly, it'd be easier to list the characters that ''aren't'' barefoot!
29	** One episode subverts this. Scaredy puts on 5 layers of socks, finishing with a shoe that makes it look like he's barefoot.
30	* BeardOfEvil: As revealed in "There Is No "I" In Groceries", the Sorta Fresh grocery store is a parallel store to the Stash N' Hoard, where everyone (except Scaredy) has an evil double with a goatee. Even Dave, who doesn't even work at the Stash N' Hoard.
31	* TheBGrade: In "Dreamweaver" when Scaredy gets a rating of "BAD" on his performance review.
32	* BreakingTheFourthWall: This exchange after a CutawayGag from "From Rodent With Love".
33	--> '''Scaredy:''' That never happened.
34	--> '''Dave:''' (pointing to the camera) Ummm, we all just ''SAW'' it happen, so...
35	** Also routinely in the Safety Corner lessons at the end of the episode.
36	%%* BrickJoke: The "donkey detector" from "From Rodent With Love".
37	* BrokenAesop: While the show is usually Aesop-rich, at least one episode (the one with the golden paddle ball) has the characters not learn the lesson obviously set up, with Dave dropping a similar but unrelated aesop, then both lessons forgotten in the next few seconds.
38	* CanonForeigner: With the exception of Scaredy himself, not a single character in the show was in the original books.
39	%%* ChainedHeat: Nestor and Scaredy in "The Tubtastic Tuo"
40	* CityOfCanals: Balsa City's roads are riverways, with the cars essentially functioning like boats.
41	* CloudCuckoolander: Dave's mind tends to go in weird places and never seems to be quite in touch with what's going on at the moment. Scaredy's neurotic qualities can also make him this sometimes.
42	* CompanionCube: Scaredy has a plant named Richard whom he talks to. It might even be his pet.
43	* ContinuityNod: In "From Rodent With Love", Scaredy says to Mildred, "How can you know how to do all this crazy stuff and still pack eggs at the bottom of a grocery bag?" In an earlier episode, "Suggestion Box Blues", Mildred did indeed pack some eggs at the bottom of a bag.
44	* CoolToy: Parodied in "Snerd Envy", where the toy everyone in town but Scaredy has is completely plain and useless. And then again when Scaredy convinces the rest of the characters that he has an invisible one. They follow him at first until he fesses up... but then wins them back when he has the cool new "Mr. Handy Hand" (just googly eyes placed on his hand). This episode also leads to a subtle Aesop about using your imagination.
45	* CouchGag: Scaredy always says something different to the audience at the end of the ThemeTune.
46	* CreditsPushback: An in-universe example in "Goat Police", where Scaredy and Dave were watching the titular show on TV, the credits were pushed back for a commercial for the show being filmed in Balsa City. It was repeated again in the Safety Corner segment following the episode about the difference between make-believe and grand larceny, this time for a promo for "Late Night with Dan Duck". Although Scaredy pushes the credits and promo out to continue with the segment, the segment [[IrisOut Irises Out]] despite not being done yet.
47	-->'''Scaredy:''' I hated when they do that! My favorite part is finding out who did the production accounting.
48	* CryingARiver: In the episode "Momma Lisa Smile", Lisa starts crying and flooding the stage. Later, she starts laughing after looking at everyone screaming.
49	* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Sally, repeatedly.
50	-->'''Sally:''' "I won't let you talk that way to the man I love! [[Main/VerbalBackspace ...to... coach.]] Awkward."
51	* DreamDeception: In "Cowlicked", Scaredy has a cowlick and wonders what could've caused it. He has an ImagineSpot of a [[VisualPun cow licking the top of his head]] while he's asleep. He wakes up and sees her, but she awkwardly tells him he's dreaming as she backs out of the room. At the end of the episode, that same cow licks Scaredy's new trophy, and she tells Scaredy this is a dream as she backs away again.
52	* TheEndingChangesEverything: The ending of "Stack to School" is one big {{Homage}} to ''Film/TheUsualSuspects''. After failing multiple times to show that he can be spontaneous, Scaredy passes his spontaneity class by racing to and performing a daring rescue at the Stash n' Hoard. It's only after Scaredy receives his diploma and leaves that his teacher realizes that Scaredy had orchestrated the entire thing (and therefore wasn't spontaneous at all).
53	%%* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Nestor's Mother]] in "Halloweekend".
54	* FatAndSkinny: Best friends Dave and Scaredy, with Dave being the fat to Scaredy's skinny.
55	%%* FatBastard: Chucking Charlie.
56	* FeatherFingers:
57	** Zig-zagged with Sally the fish. Her fins are relatively normal shape and don't [[WesternAnimation/FishHooks suddenly morph into hands]], but she still plays TailfinWalking straight.
58	** Nestor's arms are normally very short when at his side. They tend to grow as needed, though.
59	* FreudianExcuse: [[MommasBoy Nestor]] [[AllTakeAndNoGive constantly puts down others in a desperate attempt to hear his mother tell him she's proud of him.]]
60	%%* FunWithAcronyms: Subverted with SNERD.
61	* FurryConfusion: Scaredy has a plant for a pet named Richard, and Dave adopts a cactus he names Jose, then there's Sally, a trout, who has a pet... cat?
62	* FurryReminder: Subverted.
63	-->'''Scaredy:''' "How am I going to get to the top of that tree?"
64	-->'''Dave:''' "Maybe you could scamper up the side? You know... like a squirrel?"
65	-->'''Scaredy:''' "I think you're gonna have to launch me."
66	* GassyGastronomy: Mildred is addicted to soda, so she belches all the time.
67	* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Scaredy's gotten fired a few times; but it's more potent among employees such as the donkey and Buck, who get fired by Nestor and his mother on a regular basis, yet show up in the next episodes as if nothing happened.
68	* {{Gonk}}: Nestor, Paddy and Mildred aren't the most... ''attractive''-looking animals, to put it lightly.
69	* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Dave, Nestor and most of the supporting cast.
70	** Apparently Dave does not wear pants because when skunks spray, [[JustifiedTrope it tends to destroy their pants]].
71	* HypnoticEyes: The Paddleball Camp Master in the episode "Camp Or Consequences" does this to control the campers and Dave to do what he wants.
72	* InflatingBodyGag: Happens to Mildred near the end of "From Rodent With Love" in order to [[spoiler: save Balsa City's water supply from being stolen by evil otters.]]
73	* InNameOnly: There is literally ''nothing'' in common between the books and animated series save for the character being a squirrel with fears. Granted, there was very little they could do if they played the source material straight, so Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad. Plus, Mélanie Watt, who wrote the books, is a creative consultant on the show.
74	* {{Jerkass}}: Nestor. The way he treated Scaredy in "The Madness Of King Nutbar" won't help matters. Also his mom.
75	%%* {{Keet}}: Scaredy and Dave.
76	%%* KidsAreCruel: Particularly in the episode, "Camp Or Consequences".
77	* KissingInATree: Dave to Scaredy after he swoons over Sue, in his own special 'Dave' way: "Scaredy and Girl Scaredy sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-S-S...uhhhhh"
78	* MistakenForToilet: The episode "Fistful of Quarters" has the Stash N' Hoard's employees mistaking Scaredy's toilet sculpture made of toilet paper for a real one, much to Scaredy's disgust and annoyance.
79	-->'''Buck:''' ''(as he's hosing away the first toilet sculpture)'' And all I'm saying is there should've been a sign or something!
80	* MundaneMadeAwesome: In-universe, paddleball is a competitive sport.
81	%%* NoIndoorVoice: Nestor.
82	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Zigzagged in "Aisle of the Damned". During a heat wave, everyone who drinks the Brain Freezer turns into a zombie. Scaredy deduces that they aren't really zombies, but just hot. [[spoiler: Turns out the Brain Freezer machine was set on zombie mode.]]
83	* OutlandishDeviceSetting: The episode "Aisle of the Dead" has the majority of Balsa City's citizens becoming zombies after drinking slushies from the Stash N' Hoard's new slushie machine. When Scaredy believes that everyone is just hot from the ongoing heat wave, he attempts to fix things by hosing all the victims in more of the beverage, only for it to inexplicably fail. It turns out the machine actually and literally has a "zombie" setting that it had accidentally been set to, making Scaredy and Sally the only two unzombified people left in the city and running for their lives from the oncoming hoard ([[SnapBack although everything is back to normal by the next episode]]).
84	* SatelliteLoveInterest: Subverted, maybe, with Sue, the "girl Scaredy". Despite appearing (briefly) in the opening credits, she has only been in one episode, and thanks to theatrical superstitions, she turned into an AbhorrentAdmirer.
85	* ShoutOut:
86	** Paddleball Camp Master is a [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967 snake who hypnotizes Campers]].
87	** Nestor hits Scaredy with a mop in the style of [[VideoGame/DonkeyKong a black hammer]].
88	* SitcomArchNemesis: Paddy to Scaredy. He's always trying to outdo Scaredy at everything, from playing paddleball to throwing parties.
89	%%* SlipperySwimsuit: Scaredy pulls this prank on Paddy in "Mr. Perfect Balsa".
90	* SpeciesSurname: Scaredy Squirrel. Though he unusually seems to be the only one....
91	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: "I really hope it works out for you! I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT!"
92	%%* TechnicolorToxin: Dave sprays a purple cloud.
93	* ThinSkinnedBully: One episode revolves around the titular character being bullied by a huge muscular dog. When anyone who is capable of fighting back opposes him, he ScreamsLikeALittleGirl and runs away.
94	* ToothyBird: Nestor, his momma, and most of the other birds in the show are drawn with teeth when they speak or make facial expressions.
95	* TorchesAndPitchforks: The opening theme ends with the angry mob, who got annoyed by Scaredy, chasing after him with said torches and pitchforks.
96	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Scaredy loves nutbars. He brings one with him to work every day and always eats it during his break.
97	* {{Tsundere}}: Sally acts all sweet around Scaredy, but it barely conceals her unhealthy obsession with him and her habit of getting violent towards anyone else who interacts with Scaredy.
98	* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: All the characters in the series are different species of animals. Asides from the title character obviously being a squirrel, his boss is a canary, his best friend is a skunk, his rival is a ferret, etc.

Context WesternAnimation / ScaredySquirrel