Fluffy, Not Fat
Laconic: An animal appears to be large, but most of its "bulk" is actually fur.
A Comedy Trope where an animal who appears to be very large gets wet or loses its fur in some fashion, revealing that its body is actually rather small and/or thin underneath all that fur. The animal itself may react by blushing, acting embarrassed, or acting like a human whose clothing has suddenly vanished, while onlookers laugh at the comical sight.
This trope has some basis in Real Life: Many animals, when threatened, will puff out their fur, feathers, or whatever they have covering their bodies to make themselves look bigger and scare away potential predators or rivals.
Related:
- Fluffy Dry Cat: The inverted version — when a wet animal is dried, its fur will poof outwards hugely.
- Fur Is Clothing: Fur/skin/feathers/scales acting like clothing.
Indices: Animal Tropes, Comedy Tropes
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- SPY×FAMILY: Bond is a large and fluffy dog. When he gets wet (after he catches fire and Loid has to throw water on him), he is revealed to be rather skinny.
Video Games
- Palworld: Exaggerated with Wumpo, a large, yeti-like Pal whose entire body is made of hair. When some researchers caught one and tried to shave it, there was nothing underneath, and they ended up with a pile of lifeless hair.
Real Life
- When angry, cats will puff out their fur in order to look more intimidating.
