History Main / NotGrowingUpSucks

Common causes for not being able to grow up include but are not limited to: Being a robot, [[BrainUploading virtual copy]], magically animated puppet, being {{curse}}d or an UndeadChild.

* Pinocchio in ''{{Fables}}'' had to deal with this. The Blue Fairy was, due to her [[TheFairFolk fairy]] mentality, a LiteralGenie when he asked to become a real boy. He got to be a real boy, but he was stuck as one, ''forever.''

* In Black Blood Brothers, there is a possible adversion; the younger brother is childlike and innocent, and still loves sweets and toys (and doing silly things, like wall graffiti.)
* Thanks to being what amounts to a collection of organs put into a childlike artificial body, Pinoko from ''BlackJack'' is stuck looking like a three-year-old. (Technically, she's eighteen... or one, depending on how you count it.) She doesn't gripe about it too often, but it comes up now and then (one story shows she has a funhouse mirror in her room so that she reflects as an adult).

* The driving force behind the plot of PetitePrincessYucie, the anime result of combining the settings, characters and story elements of several of the PrincessMaker games. Here, an artefact called the Eternal Tiara exists, capable of granting any wish, and several girls of about ten years coincidentally end up trying to prove themselves true princesses (and thus able to use it without getting killed) in order to be worthy of using it. The twist comes when it becomes clear that all of the girls are about 15, and none too pleased about having stopped growing at ten. The reason? [[spoiler:A cosmic ploy to give the winner something to wish for when their friends are [[PoweredByAForsakenChild sacrificed]] to power the [[ArtefactOfDoom tiara]], since it tends to destroy the world its currently in if it isn't used regularly.]]

* The entire plot of ''{{Orphan}}''

** Nikolaos may have been turned as an adult by the standards of her (thousand-plus older) time; at least, she doesn't display any of the mental traits or treatment from others which define this trope. (The other two ''do''... very thoroughly, on all counts.)

* TruthInTelevision example: ''LawAndOrderSVU'' did an episode about a young woman, chronologically an adult, whose [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner%27s_syndrome rare medical condition]] kept her permanently looking about 11 years old. Her consensual relationship with an adult man caused a lot of {{Squick}}, the moreso in that he's implied to be a pedophile who only likes her ''because'' she looks prepubescent. Her parents, naturally, want him busted for rape because they think of her as a child.

* In the current story arc of ''{{Jack}}'', "Megan's Run", Susan Lancaster and Megan Fairchild are not only [[http://www.pholph.com/strip.php?id=5&sid=3284 not able to die, get sick, or remain injured]], but neither will [[http://www.pholph.com/strip.php?id=5&sid=3298 grow old or mature any more than their current state]].

* A slight variation: Chibi Sue of GhastlysGhastlyComic is the only SuperDeformed person in her hometown, and perpetually looks like a child to the normal human populace, despite being thirty-six. Thanks to this, she's still a virgin because she's creeped out by the idea of paedophiles using her as a substitute (one could argue it's preferable to the alternatives, but the poor woman's allowed her squicks). Cybersex doesn't work either, as she has no fingers and can't type properly.

* Timeless and his kitten Whiskers from WhateleyUniverse both never aged since his powers manifiested, and worse yet most people aren't comfortable in his aura that drains energy from several sources.

* ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had "Baby Doll", an actress who played TheCutie in a sitcom and had a medical condition that stunted her physical growth, thus giving her the appearance of a child despite the fact that in the series she was in her Thirties. ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed No celebrities]] named [[DiffrentStrokes Gary]] or Emmanuel were [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed harmed]].) Her inability to gain a legitimate career after her show was canceled made her obsessed with the show, resulting in her kidnapping the cast so that they could re-enact their "family". In the end however, she's treated as TheWoobie.

* ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'': According to [[WordOfGod Edward Kay]], Heloise will "always be 14-ish". He, however, [[ShrugOfGod refuses to say exactly why]].

** Usually only low-functioning, non-verbal autistic kids (which make up less than 10% of all diagnoses) have this issue. Higher-functioning autistics and those with Asperger's syndrome can, and very often do, function as adults without insurmountable problems, and usually appear to be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears much more mature than their peers]]. When they can't, it's usually a case of MyBelovedSmother and/or MeddlingParents, though this is rare.

* Claudia in ''InterviewWithAVampire''. Felt the pain most keenly.

* For the first 900 years of her life, manga ChibiUsa of SailorMoon is magically kept at the physical age of five. It's only when she comes into her power as a senshi that she is aged . . . about five of six years.
** This is stated to be unnatural even considering the extremely long lifespans of the citizens of crystal Tokyo and the cause is unknown. (Her parents are at least 920 and appear as they did in their 20s)

* Baby Herman in ''WhoFramedRogerRabbit'' smokes humongous cigars, and has "fifty-year lust and a three-year-old dinky" concerning his [[HelloNurse nurse]].

* In [[http://www.classicreader.com/book/129/25/ chapter 25]] of ''The Adventures of {{Pinocchio}}'' by Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio's desire to BecomeARealBoy comes from a desire to grow up.

* The driving force behind the plot of PetitePrincessYucie, the anime result of combining the settings, characters and story elements of several of the PrincessMaker games. Here, an artefact called the Eternal Tiara exists, and can grant any wish, and several girls of about ten years coincidentally end up trying to prove themselves true princesses in order to be worthy of using it. The twist comes when it becomes clear that all of the girls are about 15, and none too pleased about having stopped growing at ten. The reason? [[spoiler:A cosmic ploy to give the winner something to wish for when their friends are sacrificed to power the tiara, since it tends to destroy the world its currently in if it isn't used regularly.]]

* The driving force behind the plot of PuchiPuriYuushi, the anime result of combining the settings, characters and story elements of several of the PrincessMaker games. Here, an artefact called the Eternal Tiara exists, and can grant any wish, and several girls of about ten years coincidentally end up trying to prove themselves true princesses in order to be worthy of using it. The twist comes when it becomes clear that all of the girls are about 15, and none too pleased about having stopped growing at ten. The reason? [[spoiler:A cosmic ploy to give the winner something to wish for when their friends are sacrificed to power the tiara, since it tends to destroy the world its currently in if it isn't used regularly.]]

** Usually only low-functioning, non-verbal autistic kids (which make up less than 10% of all diagnoses) have this issue. Higher-functioning autistics and those with Asperger's syndrome can, and very often do, function as adults without insurmountable problems, and usually appear to be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears much more mature than their peers]]. When they can't, it's usually a case of MyBelovedSmother and/or MeddlingParents.

Some (well, many) kids think GrowingUpSucks. Then there's this. It turns out ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty is only true for a lucky few, because due to some form of {{Phlebotinum}}, this child can never grow up. They are forever frozen in their preteens or early teens. If still organic and biologically alive, they will never mature enough to even seem ''close'' to becoming LegalJailbait to the opposite (or same) gender. Interestingly, their intellect will very likely keep growing throughout their lifetime, but their emotional maturity may or may not undergo a similar growth. They may [[ImmortalImmaturity forever throw tantrums and sulk]], or they may well develop an [[OlderThanTheyLook adult mindset]] or even go [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld beyond it]]. In any case, expect this thwarted love life to cause them a great deal of frustration if not outright {{Wangst}}.

* The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has ''an entire race of kids'' called the Kokiri (they're apparently plant people who come from the Deku Tree). Only one of them seems to care about the fact that they can't grow up though- so much so that it comes as a surprise to Link to learn that the Kokiri don't grow up even though he was raised as one.

* Czeslaw Meyer from ''{{Baccano}}!'' has an implied form of this, although that's not as big a problem as being a [[GuineaPigFamily Guinea Pig]].

* [[spoiler:Rika]] from ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi''.
** [[spoiler:Probably not anymore.]]

* The entire plot of ''TheOrphan''

[[quoteright:350:[[LetTheRightOneIn http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/let_right_one_in.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Eli will never get to grow up EVER!]]]]

* Claudia in Interview With a Vampire. Felt the pain most keenly.
* The entire plot of The Orphan

* In ''{{Highlander}} the series'' there was the child immortal, Kenny. He would never age, and as such had difficulty creating new identities for himself, getting work, would never be able to date. He had severe physical disadvantages compared to other immortals as well. He allowed his frustration over all of this to send him over quite a few {{MoralEventHorizon}}s. He learned to convince powerful immortals to 'adopt' him, and then slayed them when they were vulnerable, such as being asleep. In one case, due to the interferance of an immortal's mortal wife, he slew ''her''. The widower then hunted down the child immortal, until he met Duncan [=MacLeod=], the child's current protector. Duncan managed to create mental justifications for the child until he found out that the innocent that had been slain was mortal, and thus not a valid target for the mutual immortal hunt.

* ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had "Baby Doll", an actress who played TheCutie in a sitcom and had a medical condition that stunted her physical growth, thus giving her the appearance of a child despite the fact that in the series she was in her Thirties. ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed No celebrities]] named [[DiffrentStrokes Gary]] or Emmanuel were [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed harmed]].) Her inability to gain a legitimate career after her show was canceled made her obsessed with the show, resulting in her kidnapping the cast so that they could re-enact their "family". In the end however, she's treated as TheWoobie.

* ''Presents'' stars a girl named Kurumi, who after falling asleep at the table on her birthday one night, without receiving presents from her classmates or parents, found herself suddenly far away from home, and unable to age past 10. Now she's an old woman in a child's body, who searches for her missing birthday present... and, along the way, gives people the presents they deserve. If you're a genuinely good person, you might get your heart's desire ([[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor though it might not be quite what you expected]]) or what you need (whether or not you actually want it). If you're cruel, thoughtless, greedy, selfish, or otherwise a bad person, it generally results in a gruesome example of LaserGuidedKarma. Other times, instead of giving presents, she'll watch what ensues from presents others give, or try (and usually fail) to warn people away from the gruesome fate their habits regarding presents will lead to.

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* Another [[CalvinAndHobbes six-year-old genius]] could be considered this; Calvin's goes on how it'd be better to be older, being able to drive, go to bed late, own power tools and explosives, no more school, never be forced to take a bath again...
** Calvin fits this trope in every way except the diegetic. He [[LittleProfessorDialog thinks like an adult]] (but has the emotional maturity and impulse control of a badly-behaved six-year-old) and, as previously mentioned, is keenly aware of how inconvenient it is to be a child, and was six years old for [[NotAllowedToGrowUp ten years straight]]. The only snag is that, in-universe, Calvin's chronological age is the same as his physical age and apparently everyone lives in a year-long GroundhogDayLoop or something.
*** YouBastard. You've [[WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou made me]] mentally turn ''CalvinAndHobbes'' into ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi''. [[NightmareFuel Argh.]]
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** This troper recalls the poignant moment during her showdown with Batman in hall of mirrors. She was doing ok until [[VillainousBSOD she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror which somehow reflected her as a young adult woman]].