History Main / MixAndMatchCritters

* A [[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Myself-455531020 Foxratbit]]

** In Season 3, Korra, Asami and the crew of a downed airship are chased by [[ThreateningShark a giant sand shark]] that looks like the cross between a Great White and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcastic_fringehead Sarcastic Fringehead]].

* Five words: [[http://superdickery.com/index.php?view=article&catid=29%3Aconfounding-comic-covers-index&id=1262%3Athe-animal-vegetable-mineral-menace&option=com_content&Itemid=51 The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man]]. Technically, he was a ridiculously overpowered [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Shapeshifter]]. [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs Who liked turning into mix-and-match critters. A LOT.]]

** The cavalcade of "Half-Something" templates combined with the weird sense of humor gamers tend to have ensures that whatever can be spawned with [=D&D=] 3+ tools ''will'' be spawned. Whatever ''cannot'' be spawned, thanks to the stated rules, will be spawned anyway -- but put in separate cage with the disclaimer "[[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eo/20060407a it cannot be made because of rules, but if it could, it would be like that]]". The clear implication being that nothing but limitations in rules prevents things like the Half-Dragon Werewolf, the Ooze Vampire, or the Angel/Demon.

** That's not the worst of it. One [[http://index.rpg.net/display-entry.phtml?articleid=18739 article]] on this in DragonMagazine has armadillephant, dragonfly turtle, duckbunny, moat cat (newt+puma), spider-horse, and venom dog (mastiff+scorpion). Why ''duckbunny''? Just because it's a good idea to practice with something less deadly than owlbears.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. Oh, boy, where to begin? The series initially had a few hybrid animals among those that just looked slightly different from real ones, but they became more of the norm as the series went on. The writers officially stopped pretending they were doing otherwise when we first saw a "Platypus Bear", which is ''exactly'' what it sounds like (and probably a tribute to the aforementioned Owlbear). The same episode also gives us what we must assume is a turducken.

** And the actual series had the slightly less nightmarish but still pretty scary buzzard wasps. In other words, ''goddamned wasps'' the size of a freaking vulture.
*** ''Bigger'' than vultures - think more along the lines of, say, a cow. A cow-sized wasp with a vulture's head and talons.

** In "The Southern Raiders", we saw a plant example with a ''tomatocarrot''.
*** This is a particularly odd example, as other fruits and vegetables - melons, mangoes, eggplants, cabbage, apples, and many more - have shown up completely unaltered.

** It's believed that Avatar Kuruk's hat is from a polar leopard. (Snow leopards?).
*** This was later confirmed to be a Polar-Bear Dog.

*** Except, you know, [[CaptainObvious outside in the daylight]].

** [[ButWaitTheresMore And there's more...]] The real kicker is that Mix-and-Match Critters are such a common reality in the ''Avatar'' universe that the main characters actually show a bit of shock upon hearing a "normal" animal (the Earth King's pet brown bear) exists in "City of Walls and Secrets".
*** The fact that they're given portmanteau names implies that there are (or were) "pure" versions of all the animals mentioned (not just the bear), although they seem to be relatively rare or even extinct. There's a bit of FridgeLogic when you wonder how the hell they knew that a platypus ''isn't'' a Mix-and-Match Critter.
*** [[CuteKitten Regular cats]] appear to be quite common and socially accepted, with normal dogs also showing up but less frequently. They also seem to eat regular chicken instead of this trope.
*** Even weirder: if you pay attention you'll notice that almost all animals in the regular Avatar world are Mix-and-Match Critters -- but all of the animals from the ''SpiritWorld'' aren't! Hei Bei was a giant panda, Wan Shi Tong was a giant owl (but see below), the knowledge seekers that work in [[GreatBigLibraryOfEverything the Spirit Library]] are foxes, the moon and ocean spirits took the form of koi fish, and we also see a wolf and a talking baboon. That has some [[EpilepticTree odd implications...]]
*** Wan Shi Tong also transforms into an Owl-dragon hybrid when he's pissed.
*** The sequel series also adds regular, unaltered wolves. [[spoiler:They are unlucky enough to end up being victims of Noatak and Tarrlok's bloodbending training]].
* The SequelSeries ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has more.

* In ''RanmaOneHalf'', Jusenkyo has a spring called "Niuhomanmaolenniichuan" ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS or variations thereof]]), which translates as "Spring of Drowned Yeti Riding Ox While Carrying Crane And Eel" and is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Anyone who falls into this spring gains an [[OneWingedAngel alternate form]] that is considered exceptionally formidable. In essence, it's a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant]] minotaur (legs and head of an ox, body and arms of a yeti) with an eel growing from its spine to form a tail and a tiny set of crane wings sprouting from its shoulders. It's [[SuperStrength inhumanly strong]], [[LightningBruiser surprisingly quick]], [[MadeOfIron massively tough]], and capable of flight. Needless to say, the one character who has this spring considers himself CursedWithAwesome and has no desire to remove it. In fact, possibly because this form was created by such a mixed up spring, he later manages to assimilate a Spring of Drowned Octopus curse, giving himself CombatTentacles and the ability to spray ink from his fingers. ([[FridgeLogic Though it still begs the question of how these springs can exist, considering the inherent difficulty in drowning an octopus and/or an eel]].)

* The Chimera Ants in ''HunterXHunter'' are like this, as the queen can spawn soldier/grunts with traits from any creature she has consumed. And by the end of the arc, she has consumed pretty much an entire country's worth of animal life, and it's almost impossible to tell just how much of what creature went into her final creations. HunterXHunter also has naturally-occurring fox-bears and spider-eagles.

** [[FridgeBrilliance Freshwater spring, saltwater sealife]].

** The ElricSaga also introduces the Armies of Chaos. Its mooks might have ''begun'' as human but as Chaos transforms them, they degenerate into monstrous part-human part-animal hybrids according to their natures. [[note]]this is reflected in the ''{{Hawkmoon}}'' series where the evil army of GranBretan, the local Chaos- Army, does not physically transform - but chooses to wear animal or bird masks/helmets according to their Legion affiliations.[[/note]]

* In addition to the Chimera, we have the [[ALoadofBull Minotaur]], the Sphinx, the [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffin]], [[HarpingOnAboutHarpies Harpies]], [[OurCentaursAreDifferent centaurs]], Pegasus, Sleipnir (although he's a mash-up of a horse and... another horse), Cerberus (who sometimes had a snake for a tail), the {{unicorn}}...

* In ''Gokujou VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'', the first boss is a tutu-wearing panda with a duck's head on top of its own.

* ''Literature/{{Eclipse}}'' has this as the Zoans' schtick. Two of the more notable examples include a creature with the head of an ox and spider-like hands. Escou Draldoch, the most prominent Zoan, is a bipedal velociraptor with grasshopper legs and a crocodile snout. Apparently, they seem to be fairly common in the southeastern part of the world.

[[folder:Troper Works]]
* ''Literature/{{Eclipse}}'' has this as the Zoans' schtick. Two of the more notable examples include a creature with the head of an ox and spider-like hands. Escou Draldoch, the most prominent Zoan, is a bipedal velociraptor with grasshopper legs and a crocodile snout. Apparently, they seem to be fairly common in the southeastern part of the world.

[[/folder]]

** [[ButWaitTheresMore And there's more...]] The real kicker is that Mix-and-Match Critters are such a common reality in the ''Avatar'' universe, that the main characters actually show a bit of shock upon hearing a "normal" animal (the Earth King's pet brown bear) exists in "City of Walls and Secrets".

** Played straight in one TreehouseofHorror episode where Homer gets turned into a bizarre creature with a fish's head, a donkey's ears, a pair of brooms for hands, and a chicken's body.

*** Wan Shi Tong also transforms into a Owl-dragon hybrid when he's pissed.