History Main / NiceMice

* ''WesternAnimation/HermanAndKatnip'', a knockoff of Tom and Jerry attempted to play this straight, trying to cast the mouse Herman as the hero. However more then a few viewers, including ''Creator/MattGroening'', felt Herman was a subversion, due to his treatment of the HarmlessVillain, Katnip, verging into {{Sadist}}ic. Itchy of the Simpsons mentioned below is stated to be based on his AlternativeCharacterInterpretation of Herman being evil.

** Mushmouse, from the ''Mushmouse and Punkinpuss'' segment of the ''WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla'' show, is basically Jerry Mouse as a hillbilly. He's merely trying to keep from the end of Punkinpuss' rifle.

** Mushmouse, from the ''Mushmouse and Punkinpuss'' segment of 'the 'WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla'' show, is basically Jerry Mouse as a hillbilly. He's merely trying to keep from the end of Punkinpuss' rifle.

** Mushmouse, from the ''Mushmouse and Punkinpuss'' segment of 'the 'WesternAnimation/Magilla Gorilla'' show, is basically Jerry Mouse as a hillbilly. He's merely trying to keep from the end of Punkinpuss' rifle.

** Mushmouse, from the ''Mushmouse and Punkinpuss'' segment of ''WesternAnimation/TheMagillaGorillaShow'', is basically Jerry Mouse as a hillbilly. He's merely trying to keep from the end of Punkinpuss' rifle.

* Blabber, from ''WesternAnimation/SnooperAndBlabber'', is a good guy as he and Snooper are detectives.

** Moving on to ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the mice ''earn'' their rank among the ascended animals by making a heroic attempt at SaveYourDeity. In that story, mice chew off the ropes that bind [[spoiler:the corpse of Aslan]]. As a result, mice are promoted to the rank of talking animal, and many years later the mice are considered among the most brave and honorable of all the animals.

ResourcefulRodent for rodents portrayed as clever and resourceful, YouDirtyRat for rats who are portrayed as disgusting, often as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to mice. If construed in the knee-jerk manner by often-larger life forms as not so nice, it's EekAMouse Compare ScrewballSquirrel, the squirrel equivalents who are hyperactive pranksters and/or {{CloudCuckoolander}}s (although there are just as many outright villainous examples). See also RighteousRabbit for the lagomorph end of the spectrum, and CuteKitten and PreciousPuppy, the feline and canine equivalents respectively. Contrasts with AMischiefOfMice.

ResourcefulRodent for rodents portrayed as clever and resourceful, YouDirtyRat for rats who are portrayed as disgusting, often as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to mice. If construed in the knee-jerk manner by often-larger life forms as not so nice, it's EekAMouse Compare ScrewballSquirrel, the squirrel equivalents who are hyperactive pranksters and/or {{CloudCuckoolander}}s (although there are just as many outright villainous examples). See also RighteousRabbit for the lagomorph end of the spectrum, and CuteKitten and PreciousPuppy, the feline and canine equivalents respectively.

* In Latin America there's no tooth fairy; instead, the one taking the children's teeth and replacing them with coins is a friendly tooth mouse or ''ratón de los dientes''. It also intervenes in french speaking countries under the name of ''La petite souris'' (The little mouse).

* Creator/ChuckECheese is the amicable mascot of a pizza restaurant/arcade for kids. Eighties kids will remember it as [=ShowBiz=] Pizza.

* The mouse in ''The Gruffalo'' by Creator/JuliaDonaldson is an "easily underestimated" example - he's little, cute and a lot weaker than the predators he meets, but [[GuileHero he convinces]] them all that he's [[BlatantLies the scariest creature in this wood]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'': While Jerry can be nasty at times (either in provoked self-defense from Tom, or even just tormenting Tom for the fun of it), he is usually the more good-natured in his feud with Tom, and the most likely to at least attempt a truce or relent when their war goes a step too far (he once saved Tom after he almost drowned trying to chase after him for example). He's also nice to other animals like canaries, baby woodpeckers, baby ducks, baby seals, escaped lions and circus Elephants (on more than one occasion even).

* Morton from the 2008 adaptation of ''Literature/HortonHearsAWho'' is snarky but he's not a {{Jerkass}}. While he doesn't believe Horton's claims that there's life on the speck either, he still does his best to help Horton and defends him when the Sour Kangaroo is slandering him.

* Subverted with the Squeaks from ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad'', at first. They are a gang of thieving mice seeking out the rarest of treasures. Though after their HeelFaceTurn, they play this trope straight and start to help and assist Kirby during his adventures, such as in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack Mass Attack]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Star Allies]]''.

* Mice were said to be associated with Apollon, the greek god of light, and he even has an epiphet related to this, Smintheus ("of the mice"). That said, Apollon was also associated with destruction, so his association with mice was as much due to their cuddliness as much as the fact that they're pests and plague-carriers.

* Subverted with the Squeaks from ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad'', at first. They are a gang of thieving mice seeking out the rarest of treasures. Though after their HeelFaceTurn, they start to help and assist Kirby during his adventures, such as in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyMassAttack Mass Attack]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Star Allies]]''.