[[quoteright:74:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scrappy.jpg]]

->''The more astute readers among you may have noticed that I haven't yet gone so far as to give anything an actual "F." That's not out of any kind-heartedness on my part, it's just that every time I got ready to give one out, I would ask myself, "is it really that bad, compared to the verminous, soul-tainting badness of Scrappy-Doo?"''
-->-- Lore Fitzgerald Sjöberg, ''[[http://www.bookofratings.com/scooby.html The Book of Ratings]]''

Popular characters have fandoms. But sometimes, there is a character who has a ''{{hatedom}}''. We'll call this guy The Scrappy. While much depends on execution, certain kinds of characters have a much higher probability of being hated:

* TheAce, when used for the wrong situation.
* TheBarney, a character (even the central one) hated immensely outside the specific demographic it was meant for.
* A BrattyHalfPint.
* A CousinOliver is very likely to irritate the fans by upsetting the [[StatusQuoIsGod standard character dynamic]].
* A DamselScrappy, for not doing anything plot-relevant and being the subject of [[TrappedByMountainLions distracting side-plots]].
* A {{Jerkass}}, when not PlayedForLaughs, and even if they are they still can get this by making the main character(s) life a living hell.
* TheLoad, simply for hanging around the heroes and becoming a liability to them.
* The RecklessSidekick, when they never contribute anything but getting themselves captured all the time.
* A SmugSnake, especially if he/she [[MoralEventHorizon does something so heinous they stop being "cool"]], though some are [[CompleteMonster made this way]] [[TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste on purpose]].
* The SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute will undoubtedly be [[ReplacementScrappy hated by fans of the character they replace]].

In addition, if the writers begin relying too heavily on an already-present character with some potentially annoying quirks (like TheUnintelligible or the NonHumanSidekick), the viewers may begin to find him/her very annoying indeed.

Particularly awful manifestations are the {{Ethnic Scrappy}} and {{Alien Scrappy}}. If it's the performer, rather than the character, that draws the reaction, it's XPacHeat. If the main reason the character is hated is because they're a ReplacementCharacter or suddenly the protagonist, they're a ReplacementScrappy.

Not all Scrappies are doomed to their status. If the writers notice what's happening, they may [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap change the character for the better]], or simply give him/her/it a [[AlasPoorScrappy tragic death scene]]. If the character is a {{Costanza}}, JerkAss StraightMan, ButtMonkey, or ChewToy, though, don't expect anything to change; these characters are dislikable on purpose, as it's part of their charm.

On the other hand, if the writers take a shine to The Scrappy and add some elements of MarySue, or otherwise put more focus on them over more popular/likable characters, this will add gasoline to the flames - they've just turned TheScrappy into the dreaded [[TheWesley Wesley]]. Expect anti-websites (and, more recently, ''dozens'' of anti-orkut-communities); message threads that [[FlameWar degenerate into flamefests]]; and [[FanDumb a hard fast descent into loonydom]].

Whenever fanfiction (especially {{shipping}}) is involved, TheScrappy will very likely [[DieForOurShip die for the writer's chosen pairing]]. Even if they aren't technically involved in the Ship.

This trope is named after Scrappy-Doo from the ''ScoobyDoo'' cartoon. The hatred of Scrappy was so prevalent that the 2002 ''Scooby Doo'' movie (which is not considered {{canon}} with respect to any other ''ScoobyDoo'' series) used Scrappy [[FaceHeelTurn as a villain]].

This is a very [[SubjectiveTropes subjective trope]], more based on the fandom than the character itself. The visceral response to TheScrappy can baffle other fans who don't take the character as [[SeriousBusiness seriously]], or even [[UnintentionallySympathetic sympathize with him or her]]. Please only post examples of the fandom hating a character; posting Personal Scrappies could get messy, especially if the Scrappy is in at the center of a FandomRivalry. DieForOurShip entries should also be placed on that trope page only.
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[[folder: The Trope Namer (in English) ]]

* Scrappy-Doo from ''ScoobyDoo'' was hated by many of the show's longtime fans, with some of the [[MisBlamed hate coming from his introduction]] timed with major {{retool}}s to the show (specifically, [[PutOnABus dumping half the original cast]], switching to a [[ThreeShorts Two Shorts]] format, and the franchise's first clumsy attempts to lose the ScoobyDooHoax), but a great deal also being earned by his thoroughly obnoxious behavior of vainly boasting about picking a fight with villains he couldn't hope to harm.
** ''The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby-Doo'' subjected audiences to Flim-Flam, the fast-talking kid con-artist. Yes, Scrappy-Doo himself was there (though [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap he had changed drastically over the last two shows]]), and Flim-Flam was ''still'' the bigger Scrappy. An Ethnic Scrappy, at that. The amazing thing about Flim-Flam was that the producers thought it would be a good idea to remove Freddie and Velma and replace those two pillars of the ''Scooby-Doo'' series with some random kid who looked like the bastard child of Geraldo Rivera.
** It should be noted that there are some fans who support Scrappy-Doo. For more info, please see ''[[http://www.erictb.info/scrappy.html The Facts on Scrappy]]'' and ''[[http://www.geocities.com/scoob_page/ The Unofficial Scrappy-Doo Fan Page]]''. Also read [[http://www.povonline.com/scrappydays/scrappy01.htm Mark Evanier's "Scrappy Days" articles.]]
*** Scrappy is a little bit funnier for people who have spent lots of time with a lapdog, because his annoying antics are a fairly accurate parody of theirs. "Toy breeds," like all dogs, are ultimately bred from wolves, and they will act aggressively to much larger people or creatures, ignorant of the fact that they're not the same size as their distant ancestors.
*** This Troper can testify to that. His Yorkshire Terrier is fairly anti-social around other dogs, giving most a little bark. Everytime it passes the one house down her usual walk route where a large Alsatian lives, she goes mental, whether she can see the Alsatian or not.
*** After living a few years with one, I consider the toy breeds as much of a Scrappy as the namer.
** A more recent ''Scooby-Doo'' series (''Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue'') made a similar mistake, taking out Freddie, Velma, ''and'' Daphne and replacing them with the forgettable Uncle Albert and a bumbling, megalomaniacal cyborg.
** The 2002 movie, meanwhile, parodies this nicely: the gang are revealed to have kicked Scrappy out several years beforehand for attempting to take over Mystery Inc, going as far as leaving him in the middle of a deserted road while they drive off. And there was much rejoicing. [[spoiler:He then is revealed to have been the diabolical villain of the piece, becomes a hulking monstrosity bent on destroying Scooby and tries to kill the main characters, even going so far as to suck the souls out of Velma, Fred and Daphne. Following his defeat, Scooby PUNCHES HIM.]] Is anyone else seeing a massive subtext about Scrappy's negative influence on the show here?
*** "And he wasn't even a puppy! He had a gland problem!"
*** Also parodied in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFL4YpcK_5g this]] Cartoon Network promo, where he complains about the greater success of the Cartoon Cartoon characters, despite he being much older than them.
** In the eyes of a lot of Italians, the ''Scooby-Doo'' series has become an ''entire'' Scrappy series and is well on its way to [[TheWesley Wesleydom]]: Italian networks insist in broadcasting it whenever they have to fill in some voids. All at the expense of newer shows like ''Spider Riders'' or ''GormitiTheLordsOfNatureReturn''.
*** Same in Romania where Cartoon Network is broodcasting Scooby Doo 15 years after it started at the expense of many shows that started airing at the same time, or after. In fact many shows contemporany to Scooby Doo that were extremly popular, like the Flintstones, have not been broodcast in years, but Scooby Doo has seen almost continual airing in the last 15 years.
*** It's not much better in the USA. Our CartoonNetwork, in its bid to redefine the term NetworkDecay, has taken to using the newer, direct to DVD, Scooby Doo movies and cartoons in their scheduels like so many packing peanuts.
**** You say that as if it's something new. Scooby Doo was, in the days before CN got original programming, a huge chunk of their shows.
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!!!Other examples:
*[[{{TheScrappy/Anime}} Anime and Manga]]
*[[TheScrappy/ComicBooks Comics]]
*{{TheScrappy/Film}}
*{{TheScrappy/Literature}}
*TheScrappy/LiveActionTV
*TheScrappy/VideoGames
*TheScrappy/WebOriginal
*TheScrappy/WesternAnimation
*TheScrappy/OtherMedia
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