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Markup View
Author: Pichu-kun
Mar 6th 2016
at
12:32:16 PM
Considering Chihuahua's are centuries old I doubt the Taco Bell dog is the reason they're popular.... [[AC:Film]] * The original ''Series/OurGang'' shorts helped popularize the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Pete was smart, loyal, and good with kids which made the breed become popular with families. [[AC: Literature]] * ''Literature/{{Stargirl}}'' provoked some readers to get interested in pet rats. Copying from TheRedStapler: [[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]] * Due to ''Anime/HeidiGirlOfTheAlps'' St. Bernard dogs are very popular because of the dog Joseph, which doesn't appear [[Literature/{{Heidi}} in the original novel]]. * The popularity of the 1977 anime ''Rascal the Raccoon'' was single-handedly responsible for the introduction of feral raccoons in Japan. Up to 1500 raccoons were imported as pets, but now the descendants of abandoned or escaped raccoons live wild in 42 of Japan's 47 prefectures. * ''Anime/{{Hamtaro}}'' made many people want hamsters, and in some lands it was a true boom. It faded some years after, however. [[AC: Art]] * A relatively obscure dog breed, the Weimaraner, has gained popularity through William Wegman's photos and videos featuring this breed. [[AC: Film - Animation]] * Especially ridiculous with ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', since the whole ''point'' of the film is that he's supposed to be living in the sea rather than in someone's fishtank. Also ridiculous is the fact that the massive rise in demand resulted in the various fish species that appeared in the film being caught en masse from reefs in the Pacific, resulting in the ecosystem being destroyed from the bottom up. And wild-caught tropical fish tend to do very poorly in home aquariums (they often die in only a few days). You're more likely to find captive-bred fish on sale and in aquariums. ** Not that the reverse was any better -- many children attempted to (or ''did'') flush pet fish down the toilet in hopes that they would reach the ocean and be reunited with their family, unaware that sewer systems don't work that way. Even if you're in a state that's not landlocked, unless your hometown is violating EPA regulations by discharging raw sewage, your city's sewage system consists of miles of pipes and pumping stations that terminate in a treatment plant. Even if the fish survived the ride to the plant, the entire point of the plant is to kill infectious microorganisms -- and it does a fine job on killing anything bigger, as well. One sewage engineer noted that the first step at the plant is to reduce any large chunks into a fine purée, usually with something like [[http://www.jwce.com/products/muffin-monster-model-30000/ this]]; he [[http://www.foxnews.com/story/2003/06/06/company-warns-grinding-nemo/ dubbed the result to be called "Grinding Nemo".]] ** It doesn't help, either, that parents most likely bought their kids a pet fish thinking they would be easy to care for. In reality, even the hardiest of fish require specialized care. Unfortunately, a lot of inexperienced fish owners probably thought all "Nemo" needed was a tank (or, worse, a goldfish bowl), some water, rocks, and food now and again resulting in the deaths of many pet fish. *** The popularity of clownfish as a pet has increased due to this movie. And, while clownfish do make wonderful aquarium pets, they require special care and maintenance, something most people (and especially children) don't have the experience to do so. ** This was not helped at all by major aquarium supply company [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetra_Company#Criticisms Tetra]] using this trope to cash in on this trend by "demonstrating" (read: "advertising") the "easiness" of keeping small saltwater tanks with clownfish, blue tangs, and seahorses on the CBS's morning news program'; and producing a tie-in aquarium kits, effectively guaranteed dead fish within a very short time; and sparked a huge backlash against, and boycott of, Tetra products. * ''Disney/LadyAndTheTramp'' wreaked similar havoc on American Cocker Spaniels decades ago, and the breed is ''still'' notorious today for physical and mental health problems. This compounds the problems the breed ''already'' had, as they were already prone to obesity, spinal stress, heart problems, and severe ear infection. Cocker Spaniels are highly aggressive toward humans, much more so than other breeds that are considered dangerous, like Dobermans, but Cockers rarely cause much damage because of their size, so they don't get much press. * ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' increased demand for German Shepherds. Of course, German Shepherds have always been highly popular, and are an easy-going and ''relatively'' low maintenance breed. * ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' led quite a few kids to want pet rats. This actually may have been more of a sensible choice than the previously mentioned animals, as domestic rats make good pets: they're fairly low-maintenance, they're friendlier than their more popular cousins (mice and hamsters), they can be litter-trained, they don't particularly smell, and you can train them to [[ParrotPetPosition sit on your shoulder]]. It's recommended you buy at least two (preferably of the same gender, because opposite sexes [[SlapSlapKiss fight unless they're in heat]], when they do a different kind of wrestling) if you're not going to be around all the time, because they're quite social and get lonely. Even years after ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'', there's some significant request for blue rats. In fact, the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' rat craze plays this trope straight because many kids (and adults, too) found out too soon that real life fancy rats are nothing like Rémy, often they were also disappointed not to have a blue one, and soon they lost interest, and the rat(s) had to be disposed of. Ever since this movie, animal shelters are bursting with pet rats. * Oh-so-thankfully averted with ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}''. When it came out there was some concern that like with other films, the movie would lead to a higher demand for parrots, which would've been ''very'' bad because parrots, especially larger ones, tend to be ''extremely'' high maintenance animals. They're loud, highly intelligent, and require constant attention, play, and stimulation. They're basically like human toddlers, and people already make the mistake of buying parrots without realizing the care they require. Without stimulation they get bored and stressed, which leads to the bird developing bad habits like feather plucking or worse. They can literally go insane, and while "insane asylums" for birds exist, there are far too few of them. * *Thankfully it didn't happen with ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'', but that was likely because parrots tend to cost a lot of money (running from several hundred to even a few THOUSAND dollars) so people are less likely to buy them on impulse. The fact that the actual ''species'' of parrot that stars in the film, Spix's Macaw, is virtually impossible to acquire (and is known by a different name than the film's "Blue Macaw") probably also helped avert this trope. * Demand for guinea pigs went up significantly for about a year after ''WesternAnimation/GForce'' came out. On one hand, guinea pigs aren't especially difficult to keep compared to many other animals. On the other, they still require more care, space, and companionship than most people realize. As with many rodents, they also shouldn't be kept alone, which many people tend to neglect. [[AC: Film - Live Action]] * [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1716013.stm Owls]] after ''Film/HarryPotter'', which do ''not'' make good pets, as [[http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=20 J.K. Rowling herself has felt obliged to point out]]. This has caused a big increase in unintentional neglect of owls by owners who don't have a clue how to actually care for a predatory bird. Being loners in the wild, owls are not very friendly (usually they will only bond to one person, and will likely attack anyone else on sight), dislike being handled (as is the case with all predatory birds), and being designed for tearing up carcasses, owl beaks and talons are ''extremely'' sharp and can cause serious injuries. In addition, owls are difficult to house, as they need a very large open space to get adequate exercise, and tend to be very destructive, noisy, smelly, and dirty (they require a strict diet of whole animal carcasses, and will frequently vomit the fur and bones of their recent meals). Overall, owls are very high maintenance animals that need a ''lot'' of time, care and attention that most people would never be able to provide. This was addressed in the "Care of Magical Creatures" featurette on the DVD of [[Film/HarryPotter the third movie]], with one of the movie's animal trainers telling us: -->"A lot of people, they see the ''Harry Potter'' films and they think that these animals make great pets and they ''really'' don't. They're not domesticated; they're totally wild animals. It seems so simple when you see it in a movie and easy, but in real life it's a constant eight to twelve hour day taking care of these animals." :: In some places, fortunately, you have to have a license to have an exotic pet, and owls are thus classified - and such permits are only given to people who have been trained in their care. * Much to the anger of dog fanciers, who observe that a burst of demand for a specific breed leads to some breeders starting to replicate dogs who are outside of breed standards or even have genetic diseases like hip dysplasia or, notorious for Dalmatians, deafness. Also, many people who buy a dog because of a film appearance don't have any prior experience with dogs, and the breeds featured in media are not always easy and unpretentious. ** ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' sparked a rise in the sales of Dalmatian puppies. The Dalmatian looks funny but is an extremely high-maintenance dog, and any child who thinks that this would be a good dog to own without the sort of dedication children are well known for being incapable of should be set straight rather than obliged in their request. ** As the film had a sequel, so did the phenomenon: the release of ''Film/OneHundredAndTwoDalmatians'', with a blue-eyed white puppy named Oddball, triggered a run on blue-eyed white Dalmatian puppies from parents who didn't realize that the blue-eyes gene is strongly associated with deafness. (You thought a hearing dalmatian was high maintenance? Try a deaf one...) Blue-eyed white Dalmatians (and indeed, Dalmatians in general) were bred at such a rate that puppy mills would inbreed lines with extreme prejudice if they could get away with it. They usually did, and caused enormous damage to the breed in general, with congenital defects ranging anywhere from extra dewclaws to clubbed limbs to clinical insanity. * ''Film/{{Cujo}}'' caused a decline in the sales of St Bernard dogs, which later ended up fixed by the release of ''Film/{{Beethoven}}'' anyway. * ''Film/MarleyAndMe'' probably averted this. Marley was certainly portrayed as cute and lovable, but he wasn't really portrayed as a low maintenance/easy to train pet. [[spoiler:The TearJerker ending probably had something to do with it as well.]] It helps that Labrador Retrievers are already the most common breed of dog in the English-speaking world (about half of all mixed-breed dogs in the US and Canada have some Lab in them), and tend to make excellent pets. * The ''Film/{{Marmaduke}}'' film also averted this, as the eponymous Great Dane is portrayed as being very high-maintenance to say the least. Certain animal welfare groups were concerned about this trope, but it doesn't appear that the film has done much to increase or decrease the popularity of Danes. The utter failure of the film at the box office probably didn't hurt. * ''Film/SnowDogs'' made Huskies popular for a bit. They're wonderful dogs, but definitely ''not'' for first-time owners, as they can be quite a handful. * ''Literature/IAmLegend'' likely helped the popularity of German Shepherds. Many new parents will often look for dogs with great protective instincts that are great with kids, and usually German Shepherds are at the top of the list especially if the dog was raised around infants and toddlers, and has a good enough temperament to put up with the climbing and grabbing that toddlers will do to the dog. * ''Film/BeverlyHillsChihuahua'' did its best to avert this with a message in the credits saying, essentially, "make sure that you really want and are prepared to care for a dog should you get one." Ostensibly, this film is immune to the effect, as it was made in response to a terrible cultural trend that was already in existence (and apparently on the decline at the time). If anything, ''The Simple Life'' and Paris Hilton are to blame for the trend that led to the film. * The only reason pretty much anyone outside of Africa has even ''heard'' of the Basenji is the 1950s novel and film ''Goodbye My Lady''. * Most people who saw ''Film/TurnerAndHooch'' probably couldn't have named Hooch's breed to save their lives. Demand for the French mastiff didn't explode by any means, but that movie and other appearances in media have definitely invoked this trope, since it's a massive, high-maintenance dog that, as the vet herself said, "Not many people [have room for]." Or time for, or money for. And that's with the movie actually playing it fairly straight in terms of how high-maintenance Hooch was. * ''Film/{{Jurassic Park}}'' Increased the demand for frilled lizards as pets, due to them looking like [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology the portrayal of the dilophosaurus]] in the film. [[AC: Franchises]] * The ''Franchise/{{Lassie}}'' and ''Lad A Dog'' movies (as well as the ''Series/{{Lassie}}'' TV show) spawned such a demand for Collies that pet breeders nearly managed to ruin what had been a really good breed. Even today, there are tons of badly-bred collies with poor health and the brains of an ice cube. * Turtles, thanks to ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''. Many parents got them not knowing that they live for ''decades'', which is usually longer than their kids will be interested in them, and so they have become invasive species in some places. It doesn't help that parents tend to mistakenly believe that turtles are easy to care for (often believing they just need a tank, some water to swim in, and some food now and again). In reality, many species of turtle require specialized care (especially when it comes to diet) and are not for beginning reptile owners. ** Another negative effect caused by the TMNT pet turtle demand was that in Great Britain, the red-eared sliders were sometimes released into the wild when kids got bored with them, resulting in them becoming an invasive species. [[AC: General]] * Thanks to a ''lot'' of popular media making it seem as though EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys, many people feel encouraged to seek primates out as pets, believing they'll make charming and fun companions. Unfortunately, in reality, all primates are absolutely terrible pets in just about every way possible. Housing them is extremely difficult, being very noisy, very messy, very destructive animals by nature that require specialized diets and a LOT of open space; primates are also very social animals who live in tight-knit groups in the wild, but when kept as pets are often deprived from the company of their own kind; these unnatural living conditions causes their psychological health to suffer immensely. Contrary to what movies and cartoons would have you believe, they have extremely unpredictable and often nasty temperaments; they may be cute and passive as babies, but as they mature they quickly become very unruly and aggressive, especially in such stressful, confined living conditions. They are agile and very physically strong, possessing powerful jaws with large teeth, as well as sharp fingernails that can easily cause severe, even life threatening injuries. To top it all off, they can carry a number of diseases that are both contagious and very deadly to humans. Most owners end up disposing of these animals when they prove far too difficult to manage, and sadly, genuinely good sanctuaries for unwanted apes, monkeys, and lemurs are few and far between, so many of these animals end up changing hands between incapable owners, or in shady roadside zoos, or substandard sanctuaries. [[AC: LiveActionTV]] * Because of the badass direwolves of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', wolf-like breeds such as the Siberian Husky have become increasingly popular. Of course, like with any canine Red Stapler, many of these dogs wound up with owners who had neither the appropriate housing nor the necessary time and experience for keeping them. [[AC: Web Original]] * Shiba Inus have experienced a spike in popularity thanks to Doge the [[MemeticMutation Internet meme]], [[http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/31/5248762/doge-meme-rescue-dog-wow according to the experiences]] of Jonathan Fleming, the photograph of the picture that would become the "hipster doge." Wow. Much boost. [[note]]Note that, while not bad pets by any means, Shibas are quite a stubborn breed and could be hard to handle for inexperienced owners, so be careful before getting your own doge.[[/note]] [[AC: WesternAnimation]] * Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh were apparently GenreSavvy enough to be aware of this trope when they developed ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', which is why they deliberately gave their protagonists a pet that was uncommon, an animal that kids could not "pick out at a pet store and beg [their parents] for." Perry is a Platypus.
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