Scaredy Squirrel is a 2-D animated cartoon series by
Nelvana, based (
very) loosely on the book series of the same name. To celebrate
April Fools' Day on Friday, April 1, 2011,
YTV aired a special sneak peek episode of
Scaredy Squirrel in Canada. Then on Sunday, April 3, 2011, YTV officially premiered
Scaredy Squirrel at 9:30 a.m. EDT. The series premiered on
Cartoon Network in the United States on August 9, 2011, at 7 p.m. EDT.
The show's protagonist is a
Super OCD squirrel named Scaredy who works in a supermarket. His best friend is a
Fat Idiot skunk named Dave.
This show provides examples of:
- Adipose Rex: Scaredy turns into one of these during the nut bar episode. Even Dave admits Scaredy has got a problem.
- Adorkable: Scaredy and to a lesser extent, Dave.
- Aerith and Bob: Dave, Nestor, Sally, Mildred and... Scaredy?
- Ambiguously Gay: 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.
- Apathetic Teacher: Paddleball Camp Master
- Ax Crazy: Nester, his mom and Paulie.
- The B Grade: In "Dreamweaver" when Scaredy gets a rating of "BAD" on his performance review.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animals: Scaredy, Paddy and some supporting characters.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Nester's Mother
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: This exchange
Scaredy: That never happened.
Dave: (pointing to the camera) Uh, we all just SAW that it happened, so...
- Brick Joke: The "donkey detector" from "From Rodent With Love"
- Broken Aesop: 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.
- Chained Heat: Nestor and Scaredy in "The Tubtastic Tuo"
- Canada, Eh?
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Dave and sometimes Scaredy.
- Cool Toy: 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.
- Companion Cube: Scaredy has a plant named Richard whom he talks to. It might even be his pet.
- Continuity Nod: In the spy parody episode, he says, "How can you know how to do all these crazy things and yet still pack the eggs on the bottom?" In an earlier episode about the suggestion box, Mildred did indeed pack the eggs on the bottom.
- Couch Gag: Scaredy always says something different at the end of the Theme Tune.
- Deranged Animation
- Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Sally, repeatedly.
Sally: "I won't let you talk that way to the man I love! ...to... coach. Awkward."
- The Ditz: Nester and King Nutbar.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Scaredy
- The Dragon: Paddy, Paulie and the Paddleball camp master.
- Wicked Weasel: Paddy. He's a ferret, but close enough.
- Evil All Along: Nester's Mother in "Halloweekend".
- Expy: Dave is very similar to Owen from Total Drama Island.
- Fat and Skinny: Dave and Scaredy.
- Fat Bastard: Chucking Charlie.
- Feather Fingers
- Zig-zagged with Sally the fish. Her fins are relatively normal shape and don't suddenly morph into hands, but she still plays Tailfin Walking straight.
- Nestor's arms are normally very short when at his side. They tend to grow as needed, though.
- Fun with Acronyms: Subverted with SNERD.
- Furry Confusion: 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?
- Furry Reminder: Subverted.
Scaredy: "How am I going to get to the top of that tree?"
Dave: "Maybe you could scamper up the side? You know... like a squirrel?"
Scaredy: "I think you're gonna have to launch me."
- George Jetson Job Security: Scaredy's gotten fired a few times; but it's more potent among employees such as the donkey and beaver, who get fired by Nestor and his mother on a regular basis, yet show up in the next episodes as if nothing happened.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: The juice gag in the Paddleball camp episode.
- In the episode where Scaredy gets a mess on his "work" uniform, one of the sign that Nester gave him is one where he squats down and shakes his tail feather.
- This Clip
- Gonk: Nester and Paddy
- Grossout Show
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Dave, Nester and most of the supporting cast.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Paddleball Camp Master
- Lampshade Hanging: Scaredly likes to question some of the insanity that surrounds his life.
- In Name Only: 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 Tropes Are Not Bad.
- Jerkass: Nester, the way he treated Scaredy in the nutbar epoisode won't help matters.
- The Jimmy Hart Version: The "Scaredy Squirrel Safety Corner" segments are accompanied by an arrangement of "Theme to 'A Summer Place'".
- Keet: Scaredy and Dave.
- Kids Are Cruel: The Paddle-Ball camp episode.
- Kissing In A Tree: 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"
- Man Child: Just about everyone in town.
- Mommy Issues: Nester constantly puts down others in a desperate attempt to hear his mother tell him she's proud of him.
- No Cartoon Fish: Averted. Sally is very definitely a fish.
- No Indoor Voice: Nester.
- Noodle People: Entire cast, except Dave.
- Our Zombies Are Different: 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. Turns out the Brain Freezer machine was set on zombie mode.
- Parody Episode: Halloweekend
- Sadist Show
- Shallow Love Interest: Sue, (so far, anyway.)
- Shout Out:
- Sitcom Arch Nemesis: Nester and Paddy.
- Species Surname: Scaredy Squirrel. Though he unusually seems to be the only one....
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: "I really hope it works out for you! I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT!"
- Toothy Bird: Nester. (And most of the other birds in town.)
- Those Two Guys: The Donkey and Beaver.
- Tsundere: Sally.
- What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?: In-universe, paddle-ball is a competitive sport.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Nester and His Mom
- World of Funny Animals: Both this and What Do You Mean, It Wasn't Made on Drugs? seem to be recurring tropes for YTV...
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