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* In ''[[VideoGame/WarioWare WarioWare Gold]]'', after you beat Young Cricket's stage, the following cutscene shows Lulu, a young girl, clinging to Cricket's shoulder due to having a PrecociousCrush on him. Master Mantis points this out to Cricket, saying that he's "picked up a passenger", with Cricket immediately shocking Lulu by calling her a "little girl" afterwards.
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* In ''[[VideoGame/WarioWare WarioWare Gold]]'', ''VideoGame/WarioWareGold'', after you beat Young Cricket's stage, the following cutscene shows Lulu, a young girl, clinging to Cricket's shoulder due to having a PrecociousCrush on him. Master Mantis points this out to Cricket, saying that he's "picked up a passenger", with Cricket immediately shocking Lulu by calling her a "little girl" afterwards.
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* ''Fanfic/TheSimpsonsTeamLASH'': Simon Skinner-Chalmers, towards his [[HasTwoDaddies dads]]. He's always following his "Principal Dad" and/or "Superintendent Dad" around like a lost puppy.
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* ''Fanfic/TheSimpsonsTeamLASH'': Simon Skinner-Chalmers, towards his [[HasTwoDaddies dads]].dads. He's always following his "Principal Dad" and/or "Superintendent Dad" around like a lost puppy.
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* ''Fanfic/TheSimpsonsTeamLASH'': Simon Skinner-Chalmers, towards his [[HasTwoDaddies dads]]. He's always following his "Principal Dad" and/or "Superintendent Dad" around like a lost puppy.
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* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings his adopted daughter Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about.
to:
* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings his adopted daughter Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about. Rin is eventually lured out when she sees one of Daikichi's coworkers brought her infant son (Rin loves younger kids).
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* "Come Back, Mama" from ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter'' involves Baby Butter becoming very clingy to her mother Opal when she learns that she has to go away for the day. Big sister Jelly and big brother Peanut teach her the "Come Back, Mama" song to help her to see that just because she goes away doesn't mean she won't be back.
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* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': When Agnes first meets Gru, she hugs his leg and refuses to let go due to her excitement. Gru even asks if he can get a crowbar.
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* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': When Agnes first meets Gru, she hugs his leg and refuses to let go due to her excitement. Gru even asks if he can get a crowbar.
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->''"You can let go now," she said to the child, whose arms were still encircling her leg.\\
The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.''
-->-- ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'', "General Assembly"
The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.''
-->-- ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'', "General Assembly"
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Naturally, since this is truth in television, Wikipedia has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_in_children an informative article]] on this topic.
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Naturally, since this is
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* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be FriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves storgal affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
to:
* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He Hayato seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is who's said to be FriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied indicated that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. him. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, clinginess as it's heavily implied that Hayato is [[DesperatelyCravesAffection so love-starved love-starved]] for any [[TheFourLoves storgal affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, (plus the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
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* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be FriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves filial affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
to:
* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be FriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves filial storgal affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
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* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be AFriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves filial affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
to:
* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be AFriendToAllChildren, FriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves filial affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
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* In ''VisualNovel/SlowDamage'', Asakura's story involves a young boy named Hayato. He seems very fond of his pediatrician Asakura, who is said to be AFriendToAllChildren, and it's even implied that he lives with him because [[spoiler:his mother ran away to escape the Yakuza and her debt towards them]]. It's a negative portrayal of clinginess, though, as it's heavily implied that Hayato is so love-starved for any [[TheFourLoves filial affection]] that his behavior (the clinginess, the [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace frequent touching]]) can come across as strange [[spoiler:and almost 'seducing', with this playing into the rumors of Asakura being a paedophile]].
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* ''Fanfic/ThisAndThat'': During her preteen years, Powder tends to warp her arms completely around Angela, usually clinging tight on her, whenever she hits a big mood, good or bad. This is a habit she kept in her later years.
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Compare with ChildrenAreInnocent if their general clinginess represents their innocence. Contrast with AffectionHatingKid. Not related to LegCling, which involves a StockPose where a woman is clinging to the leg of a man in movie posters. May overlap with SecurityCling if the child is scared. The child may even [[PleaseDontLeaveMe beg the adult not to leave them]] while desperately clinging to them. No relation to ClingyJealousGirl either.
to:
Compare with ChildrenAreInnocent if their general clinginess represents their innocence. Contrast with AffectionHatingKid. Not related to LegCling, which involves a StockPose where a woman is clinging to the leg of a man in movie posters. May overlap with SecurityCling if the child is scared. The child may even [[PleaseDontLeaveMe beg the adult not to leave them]] while [[ClungOnTight desperately clinging to them.them]]. No relation to ClingyJealousGirl either.
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[[caption-width-right:312:To a child it just doesn't feel right to let go!]]
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* ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'': "The Sussex Vampire" has Mr. Ferguson's disabled son who glomps his father with girlish enthusiasm. [[spoiler:It's a clue that he's the attempted murderer, since he hated his new, uncrippled half-brother for taking his father's attention away from him.]]
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* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work. As Kobayashi and Torhu both give her far more attention than her parents did, she loses her clingy tendencies after a while.
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* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work. As Kobayashi and Torhu Tohru both give her far more attention than her parents did, she loses her clingy tendencies after a while.
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* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work.
to:
* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work. As Kobayashi and Torhu both give her far more attention than her parents did, she loses her clingy tendencies after a while.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'': Mort (who, according to WordOfGod, is [[ManChild an adult who acts childish]]) clings to King Julien's ankles when he's frightened by the Zoo Crew. Julien is annoyed by this and tells him to get off "the royal feet." In the spinoff series ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' and ''WesternAnimation/AllHailKingJulien'', this is {{Flanderized}} to Mort having an unnatural attachment to Julien's feet.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E4TwoCarsInEveryGarageAndThreeEyesOnEveryFish Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish]]", Maggie clings affectionately to Mr. Burns' leg. Burns, having apparently never seen a baby up close, reacts as if he's being attacked by a wild animal.
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* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' by Dickens has the Ghost of Christmas Present counsel the miser Scrooge. Near the end of his hour, this ghost pulls aside his robes to reveal two sullied and surly children clinging to his legs. "The boy is Ignorance. The girl is Want. Beware them both, but especially the boy."
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* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' by Dickens has the Ghost of Christmas Present counsel the miser Scrooge. Near the end of his hour, this ghost pulls aside his robes to reveal two sullied and surly children clinging to his legs. "The boy is Ignorance. The girl is Want. Beware them both, but especially the boy."
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* Momo of ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is three years old and has a habit of clinging to the adults around her to express her love and gratitude to them.
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* Momo of ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is three years old and has a habit of clinging to the adults around her to express her love and gratitude to them.
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[[folder:Art]]
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--> "You can let go now," she said to the child, whose arms were still encircling her leg.
--> The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.
--> The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.
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-->
The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.
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[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
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[[folder:Films -- Animated]]Animation]]
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* ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006'': When George sees a kid clinging to his father's leg, George, who started to like his owner Ted, gets an idea and clings to Ted's leg, imitating the kid.
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* ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006'': ''WesternAnimation/{{Curious George|2006}}'': When George sees a kid clinging to his father's leg, George, who started to like his owner Ted, gets an idea and clings to Ted's leg, imitating the kid.
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* An animal version in ''{{WesternAnimation/Bambi}}'': Bambi hides behind his mother's hind legs whenever he feels shy.
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* An animal version in ''{{WesternAnimation/Bambi}}'': ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'': Bambi hides behind his mother's hind legs whenever he feels shy.
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[[/folder]]
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----
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* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Stewie Loves Lois", Lois repairs Stewie's beloved teddy bear and cooks him his favourite meal, causing him to become overly attached to her. Stewie is later seen clinging to Lois' face as she takes him to his crib, suggesting that his demands for attention have left her too exhausted to carry him with her own arms.
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* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Stewie "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS5E1StewieLovesLois Stewie Loves Lois", Lois]]", Lois repairs Stewie's beloved teddy bear and cooks him his favourite meal, causing him to become overly attached to her. Stewie is later seen clinging to Lois' face as she takes him to his crib, suggesting that his demands for attention have left her too exhausted to carry him with her own arms.
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* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings the young waif Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about.
to:
* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings the young waif his adopted daughter Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about.
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[[quoteright:312:[[Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/momokawamoto_1.png]]]]
Clinginess is a normal and even common behavior found in children. However, this sort of clinginess isn't random or meaningless. A child's constant clinginess to a guardian figure reveals a lot about their personality and feelings. Perhaps the child is [[ShrinkingViolet shy]], [[CuddleBug affectionate]], {{desperately craves affection}}, [[NervousWreck frightened]], or has [[HatesBeingAlone separation anxiety]], etc. Whichever the reason is, the child would often hug the leg of their carers, be it their parents or any other family member, out of instinct.
'''Please note''': this is ''not'' about a child merely following an adult figure around and bothering them. This involves children's strong physical attachment to an adult figure and what such behavior says about the child.
If portrayed in a positive light, this could be a sign that the child feels safe and protected with their guardian figure enough to cling to them all the time -- an indicator of a healthy relationship, where the older person on the receiving end of this usually finds the child adorable and coos at them.
If the child's clinginess is depicted in a negative light, however, this could be a sign of an unhealthy and insecure attachment to their guardian figure. Such portrayals might have the child be an AttentionWhore who demands affection all the time.
Naturally, since this is truth in television, Wikipedia has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_in_children an informative article]] on this topic.
Compare with ChildrenAreInnocent if their general clinginess represents their innocence. Contrast with AffectionHatingKid. Not related to LegCling, which involves a StockPose where a woman is clinging to the leg of a man in movie posters. May overlap with SecurityCling if the child is scared. The child may even [[PleaseDontLeaveMe beg the adult not to leave them]] while desperately clinging to them. No relation to ClingyJealousGirl either.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings the young waif Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about.
* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work.
* Momo of ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is three years old and has a habit of clinging to the adults around her to express her love and gratitude to them.
* The cover page of chapter 166 of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' shows Shoto, who was an incredibly shy child, on his way to school with his parents, Rei and Enji, in which he's only clinging to his mother's leg as he's closer to her than [[AbusiveDad his father]].
* In ''Manga/SpyXFamily'', when Twilight first adopts Anya, she clings to his leg until he takes her with him when he goes shopping because of her fear of abandonment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Art]]
* ''Migrant Mother'' is a black-and-white photograph taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 in a Californian migrant workers' camp. The sitting woman cradles a baby wrapped in a ragged blanket on her lap, while two older children stand on either side of her, their backs turned away from the photographer. Their faces are hidden, and their hands cling to their mother's shoulders and upper arms out of fear and shyness.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/BridgeToTerabithia2TheLastTime'': The youngest Aarons sister, seven-year-old Joyce-Ann, is constantly shown clinging to her older siblings, mostly her only brother Jess, but also one scene during the botched Thanksgiving Easter Egg hunt scene when the Aarons' obnoxious cousin, Nicholas, is throwing a temper tantrum over some minor fault, and Joyce-Ann who is about to cry clings closely to her second sister Brenda.
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': In "General Assembly", a child clings to the person who rescued him from menacing goblins, even though she's a member of an evil race:
--> "You can let go now," she said to the child, whose arms were still encircling her leg.
--> The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.
* ''Fanfic/JuniorOfficers'': In "Happy Birthday, Kitsune", when Kitsune shows up in the kitchen for her surprise birthday dinner, her son Ichiro runs over and hugs her legs because he's so excited to see her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* An animal version in ''{{WesternAnimation/Bambi}}'': Bambi hides behind his mother's hind legs whenever he feels shy.
* ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006'': When George sees a kid clinging to his father's leg, George, who started to like his owner Ted, gets an idea and clings to Ted's leg, imitating the kid.
* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': When Agnes first meets Gru, she hugs his leg and refuses to let go due to her excitement. Gru even asks if he can get a crowbar.
* In the last scene of ''Animation/MotherForALittleMammoth'', the little mammoth, terribly afraid to get lost again, grasps his new adoptive mother's tail, and they continue walking through the forest like this.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'': Several of Rafael's kids grab onto their father and a few even hang from his beak because they are so happy to see him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' by Dickens has the Ghost of Christmas Present counsel the miser Scrooge. Near the end of his hour, this ghost pulls aside his robes to reveal two sullied and surly children clinging to his legs. "The boy is Ignorance. The girl is Want. Beware them both, but especially the boy."
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In "Old School", Greg mentions that the [[NervousWreck extremely neurotic]] Julian was the type to get extra upset whenever he was dropped off at school. One time, he clung to his mother so tightly that it took several staff members to pry him off her.
* ''Literature/{{Fudge}}'': In "Superfudge", Peter [[TheRunaway announces that he's going to leave home]] after he hears that his mother's going to have another baby. Fudge clings to his leg, [[PleaseDontLeaveMe tearfully begging him not to leave]]. Peter tries to shake him off, but he won't let go.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims4'', one of the personality traits a toddler can have is 'clingy,' depicted by a koala holding tightly to a branch. Clingy toddlers like to stick close to their parents and get especially upset when they have to leave for some reason.
* In ''[[VideoGame/WarioWare WarioWare Gold]]'', after you beat Young Cricket's stage, the following cutscene shows Lulu, a young girl, clinging to Cricket's shoulder due to having a PrecociousCrush on him. Master Mantis points this out to Cricket, saying that he's "picked up a passenger", with Cricket immediately shocking Lulu by calling her a "little girl" afterwards.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsWelcomeToCareALot'': Wonderheart often announces, "Care hug!" and gives people big hugs. In "Welcome to Grump-a-Lot", she clings to Grumpy when he's trying to watch a Honey Ball game on TV and refuses to get off, resulting in him missing the winning shot.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Stewie Loves Lois", Lois repairs Stewie's beloved teddy bear and cooks him his favourite meal, causing him to become overly attached to her. Stewie is later seen clinging to Lois' face as she takes him to his crib, suggesting that his demands for attention have left her too exhausted to carry him with her own arms.
* Parodied in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'': Terrence, Mac's older brother, clings to his mother's leg out of defense when she comes home, claiming Mac was bullying him, though [[PlayingTheVictimCard it is obviously the other way around]].
[[/folder]]
Clinginess is a normal and even common behavior found in children. However, this sort of clinginess isn't random or meaningless. A child's constant clinginess to a guardian figure reveals a lot about their personality and feelings. Perhaps the child is [[ShrinkingViolet shy]], [[CuddleBug affectionate]], {{desperately craves affection}}, [[NervousWreck frightened]], or has [[HatesBeingAlone separation anxiety]], etc. Whichever the reason is, the child would often hug the leg of their carers, be it their parents or any other family member, out of instinct.
'''Please note''': this is ''not'' about a child merely following an adult figure around and bothering them. This involves children's strong physical attachment to an adult figure and what such behavior says about the child.
If portrayed in a positive light, this could be a sign that the child feels safe and protected with their guardian figure enough to cling to them all the time -- an indicator of a healthy relationship, where the older person on the receiving end of this usually finds the child adorable and coos at them.
If the child's clinginess is depicted in a negative light, however, this could be a sign of an unhealthy and insecure attachment to their guardian figure. Such portrayals might have the child be an AttentionWhore who demands affection all the time.
Naturally, since this is truth in television, Wikipedia has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_in_children an informative article]] on this topic.
Compare with ChildrenAreInnocent if their general clinginess represents their innocence. Contrast with AffectionHatingKid. Not related to LegCling, which involves a StockPose where a woman is clinging to the leg of a man in movie posters. May overlap with SecurityCling if the child is scared. The child may even [[PleaseDontLeaveMe beg the adult not to leave them]] while desperately clinging to them. No relation to ClingyJealousGirl either.
----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/BunnyDrop'': Daikichi is invited to an after-work party, and he brings the young waif Rin along. As the two enter the room where the party is underway, Rin sees many grown people around the table, convivial and conversing. Rin hides behind Daikichi's leg, unsure about these strange, new people. It also reminds her of that sad day when Daikichi's relatives had gathered around a table to discuss Rin's fate, with "dump" and "orphanage" being bandied about.
* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': Kanna Kamui is a young dragon who ends up living with the protagonists, Kobayashi and Tohru. Her clinginess comes from being neglected by her own parents for years, and thus she's always looking for her two caretakers to be more affectionate to her, like napping on their laps or wanting to tag along with them to work.
* Momo of ''Manga/MarchComesInLikeALion'' is three years old and has a habit of clinging to the adults around her to express her love and gratitude to them.
* The cover page of chapter 166 of ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' shows Shoto, who was an incredibly shy child, on his way to school with his parents, Rei and Enji, in which he's only clinging to his mother's leg as he's closer to her than [[AbusiveDad his father]].
* In ''Manga/SpyXFamily'', when Twilight first adopts Anya, she clings to his leg until he takes her with him when he goes shopping because of her fear of abandonment.
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[[folder:Art]]
* ''Migrant Mother'' is a black-and-white photograph taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 in a Californian migrant workers' camp. The sitting woman cradles a baby wrapped in a ragged blanket on her lap, while two older children stand on either side of her, their backs turned away from the photographer. Their faces are hidden, and their hands cling to their mother's shoulders and upper arms out of fear and shyness.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/BridgeToTerabithia2TheLastTime'': The youngest Aarons sister, seven-year-old Joyce-Ann, is constantly shown clinging to her older siblings, mostly her only brother Jess, but also one scene during the botched Thanksgiving Easter Egg hunt scene when the Aarons' obnoxious cousin, Nicholas, is throwing a temper tantrum over some minor fault, and Joyce-Ann who is about to cry clings closely to her second sister Brenda.
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': In "General Assembly", a child clings to the person who rescued him from menacing goblins, even though she's a member of an evil race:
--> "You can let go now," she said to the child, whose arms were still encircling her leg.
--> The brat shook his head and pressed his face against her leg.
* ''Fanfic/JuniorOfficers'': In "Happy Birthday, Kitsune", when Kitsune shows up in the kitchen for her surprise birthday dinner, her son Ichiro runs over and hugs her legs because he's so excited to see her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* An animal version in ''{{WesternAnimation/Bambi}}'': Bambi hides behind his mother's hind legs whenever he feels shy.
* ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006'': When George sees a kid clinging to his father's leg, George, who started to like his owner Ted, gets an idea and clings to Ted's leg, imitating the kid.
* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': When Agnes first meets Gru, she hugs his leg and refuses to let go due to her excitement. Gru even asks if he can get a crowbar.
* In the last scene of ''Animation/MotherForALittleMammoth'', the little mammoth, terribly afraid to get lost again, grasps his new adoptive mother's tail, and they continue walking through the forest like this.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'': Several of Rafael's kids grab onto their father and a few even hang from his beak because they are so happy to see him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' by Dickens has the Ghost of Christmas Present counsel the miser Scrooge. Near the end of his hour, this ghost pulls aside his robes to reveal two sullied and surly children clinging to his legs. "The boy is Ignorance. The girl is Want. Beware them both, but especially the boy."
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': In "Old School", Greg mentions that the [[NervousWreck extremely neurotic]] Julian was the type to get extra upset whenever he was dropped off at school. One time, he clung to his mother so tightly that it took several staff members to pry him off her.
* ''Literature/{{Fudge}}'': In "Superfudge", Peter [[TheRunaway announces that he's going to leave home]] after he hears that his mother's going to have another baby. Fudge clings to his leg, [[PleaseDontLeaveMe tearfully begging him not to leave]]. Peter tries to shake him off, but he won't let go.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims4'', one of the personality traits a toddler can have is 'clingy,' depicted by a koala holding tightly to a branch. Clingy toddlers like to stick close to their parents and get especially upset when they have to leave for some reason.
* In ''[[VideoGame/WarioWare WarioWare Gold]]'', after you beat Young Cricket's stage, the following cutscene shows Lulu, a young girl, clinging to Cricket's shoulder due to having a PrecociousCrush on him. Master Mantis points this out to Cricket, saying that he's "picked up a passenger", with Cricket immediately shocking Lulu by calling her a "little girl" afterwards.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsWelcomeToCareALot'': Wonderheart often announces, "Care hug!" and gives people big hugs. In "Welcome to Grump-a-Lot", she clings to Grumpy when he's trying to watch a Honey Ball game on TV and refuses to get off, resulting in him missing the winning shot.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In "Stewie Loves Lois", Lois repairs Stewie's beloved teddy bear and cooks him his favourite meal, causing him to become overly attached to her. Stewie is later seen clinging to Lois' face as she takes him to his crib, suggesting that his demands for attention have left her too exhausted to carry him with her own arms.
* Parodied in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'': Terrence, Mac's older brother, clings to his mother's leg out of defense when she comes home, claiming Mac was bullying him, though [[PlayingTheVictimCard it is obviously the other way around]].
[[/folder]]
