History Main / PlayfulOtter

* Oshawott, the water starter in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and the [[PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 sequels]]. Although it does fight if attacked, it still has a playful side as well. Its evolutions, Dewott and Saumurott, avert it, because they're tougher and stronger and not playful.

* Oshawott, the water starter in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and the [[PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 sequels]]. Its evolutions, Dewott and Saumurott, avert it, because they're tougher and stronger and not playful.

* Oshawott, the water starter in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and the [[PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 sequels]].

'''''Note:''''' ''This trope is not a list of all otter characters and otter mentions in fiction. It's a trope specifically about otters being playful.''

* In Hector Hugh Munroe (AKA "Saki")'s short story, "Laura," the merry-hell-raising heroine is reincarnated as an otter, and continues to raise merry hell.

* In the ''WinnieThePooh'' book ''Return to the Hundred Acre Wood'', the only new character is an otter named Lottie, who was described in a preview article as "feisty".

* When Mercer Mayer created the ''LittleCritter'' SpinOff ''LC and the Critter Kids'', one of the critter kids was a SurferDude otter named Slick Rick (no, not ''[[RickAstley that]]'' [[{{Rickroll}} Rick]]).

* Pip and Pop, the rather playful otter duo from ''BearInTheBigBlueHouse''.

* ''Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting'' has urban otters colonising London. Their natural cheekiness has developed into criminal behaviour such as pickpocketing and blagging money by claiming to be a neighbour who was locked out of the house.

* Marlene of the DreamworksAnimation ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' franchise (as well as the spin-off TV series, ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'').

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Literature]]

* ''The Treasure Tree'' is the name of a book showing the four personality distinctions of (roughly) Leader, Scientist, People Person, and Fun Guy. These are shown with the animals of, respectively, Lion, Beaver, Golden Retriever, and Otter.

* The Mad House of Otter in ''TheBookOfTheDunCow'' are careless, sloppy enemies of the fierce but courageous weasels.

[[AC:Radio]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* Marlene of the DreamworksAnimation ''{{Madagascar}}'' franchise (as well as the spin-off TV series, ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'').

* Every book in the ''{{Redwall}}'' series features several otters. Usually led by one named Skipper, they tend to dress and talk like local Seafaring People, and have a penchant for using ambushes and javelins. The Redwall wiki describes them as playful.

->''What are you?''
->''I'm an otter.''
->''And what do you do?''
->''I swim around on my back and do cute little human things with my hands.''
->''You're free to go.''

* ''{{Animalympics}}'' features among its athletes a SurferDude otter named Dean Wilson. [[http://otterfershyuure.ytmnd.com/ Fer shyuuuure!]]

* Marlene of the DreamworksAnimation ''{{Madagascar}}'' franchise (as well as the spin-off TV series, ''ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'').

* Marlene of the DreamworksAnimation ''{{Madagascar}}'' franchise (as well as the spin-off TV series, ThePenguinsOfMadagascar).

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* Marlene of the DreamworksAnimation {{Madagascar}} franchise (as well as the spin-off TV series, ThePenguinsOfMadagascar).

* Mudge, the LoveableRogue in the ''{{Spellsinger}}'' novels, and (in later books) his family.

[[caption-width-right:256:The more the better.]]

Otters are rather unusual animals, what with their long, slender bodies, playful demeanor, cute faces, and gracefulness in the water. And the way they crack clamshells on their bellies. When used in fiction, otter characters tend to play up the cuteness and playfulness for good reason -- they may just be as cute an animal as one can find without lapsing into TastesLikeDiabetes territory. Expect them to be playful and happy, usually in overlap with {{pirate}} and/or SurferDude. Either way, they're usually the good guys.

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* ''AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'' had an appearance of Dael Valderzha, an otter officer and pilot who is infatuated with Erma, who finds that while he might be a bit flighty, he's still cute and a good social dancer. Later, Dael proves his worth when he cleverly and dramatically breaks up a riot with a minimum of violence by flying his VTOL craft just above the civilian rioters and blowing them off their feet with his engine's thrusters.

* The 1969 film ''Ring of Bright Water'' features an executive (Bill Travers, of ''Born Free'' fame) whose life is transformed when he acquires a pet otter, Mij.

* ''{{Franklin}}'' has, well, [[ShapedLikeItself Otter]].
* When Mercer Mayer created the ''LittleCritter'' SpinOff ''LC and the Critter Kids'', one of the critter kids was a beach-bum otter named Slick Rick (no, not ''[[RickAstley that]]'' [[{{Rickroll}} Rick]]).
* Every book in the ''{{Redwall}}'' series features several otters, usually led by one named Skipper. They tend to dress and talk like local Seafaring People, and have a penchant for using ambushes and javelins.
* ''Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers''.
* ''Samaki: The Story of an Otter in Africa.''
* In the ''WinnieThePooh'' book ''Return to the Hundred Acre Wood'', the only new character is an otter named Lottie.

* The StarWarsExpandedUniverse has Selonians, a giant humanoid otter species. They have more of a hive structure, with a breeding queen and her several mates producing hundreds or thousands of sterile females who keep the colony running.
** In the XWingSeries, Corran Horn once talks about his date with one. It went very well until he turned out to be allergic to contact with her fur, she to contact with his sweat.
* The ''hrossa'' from C. S. Lewis's {{Out of the Silent Planet}} are described as being something like ten-foot-tall, bipedal, sapient otters.
* The Xanth novels have "Otterbes", who live in, you guessed it, Lake Otterbe. Like most Xanthian animals, they can talk, and frequently make use of the word "Otterbe" instead of "Ought to be." They are very friendly, and communal, even taking care of a human baby until she was old enough to find her real family.
* In ''Small Favor'', [[TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] finds Ivy quietly watching the otters before the chaos of the coming battle. It serves as a reminder that one of the most powerfull magical forces in the Dresdenverse is in the body of a young girl.
* Seregil in Lynn Flewelling's {{Nightrunner}}-Series. Occasionaly turned into an otter for his and reader's amusement. (and it works.)

* Pip and Pop, the otter duo from ''BearInTheBigBlueHouse''.
* Jim Henson of TheMuppets fame adapted Russell Hoban's storybook ''Literature/EmmetOttersJugBandChristmas'' into a TV special. One scene has them sliding down an icy riverbank.

[[AC:Magazines]]
* For a long time, ''{{Nickelodeon}}'' Magazine had otters as their running gag and unofficial mascot.
* ''Zootles'' magazine, a spin-off of ''ZooBooks'', features a regular cartoon about the adventures of an otter named Otto and a girl named Allie.

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]
* ''BloomCounty'' successor ''Outland'' had a British otter character called Tim W. Forty. He was named only in the first strip, and was dumped very early on.

[[AC:TabletopGames]]
* ''The Compleat Arduin'' and its successors had the Khai-Shang—basically seven-foot-tall ProudWarriorRace humanoid space otters.

* ''JakAndDaxter'' has Daxter who is an Ottsel (half otter, half weasel).
* Buizel and Floatzel are otter-like ''{{Pokemon}}''.
** Oshawott (and evolutions Dewott and Samurott), the water starter for ''[=~Pokémon Black And White~=]'', has joined this trope.
*** Two words: [[http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/174470_100002198643874_7573872_n.jpg Revolver Oshawott.]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* Philippe from ''{{Achewood}}''.
* Bayshore from DogsDaysOfSummer.
* Christopher from {{Closed Gate}}

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* {{Gaia Online}}'s Gogh Reed evolving item features a "[[ShockAndAwe lightning]] otter" as one of its poses.

* Ed from ''BrandyAndMrWhiskers'' is an otter of the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} variety.
* The title characters of ''PBAndJOtter''.
* ''ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' live with a CloserToEarth otter named Marlene.
* The ''SouthPark'' episode "Go God Go," which features sea otters at war. The otters reason for war is the other side's use of tables even though "they have perfectly good bellies" to eat on.
* ''HappyTreeFriends'' has Russell the pirate sea otter. Who, strangely, has a [[YouFailBiologyForever beaver tail]].
* Louie, Draw Me An Otter!
* In the ''KimPossible'' episode, "[[LiteraryAllusionTitle Mentor of Our Discontent]]," Artie Smarty frees otters from the Smarty-Mart pet department and is accompanied by them throughout the rest of the episode.
* ''TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' has an episode involving [[MixAndMatchCritters the bat-otter]].
* ''{{Animalympics}}'' features among its athletes a surfer otter named Dean Wilson. [[http://otterfershyuure.ytmnd.com/ Fer shyuuuure!]]
* Reggie from ''SurfsUp''.
* A pair of river otters can be seen swimming past {{Pocahontas}}' canoe during the song "Just Around the River Bend." Also, the song "Colors of the Wind" contains the lyrics "The heron and the otter are my friends..."

[[AC:[[AWorldwidePunomenon Otter]]... er, Other]]
* [[http://www.otterpopstars.com/ Otter Pops]].
* [[http://www.zazzle.com/otters_rule_bumper_sticker-128132062198934126 This]] bumper sticker.

* Seaweed the Otter is one of many BeanieBabies. She is also a case of DidNotDoTheResearch as she's depicted munching on... well, seaweed... while otters are carnivorous. Sea otters, in particular, mainly eat marine invertebrates and fish.
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* Jim Henson of TheMuppets fame adapted Russell Hoban's storybook ''[[{{Ptitlenk44j7x5}} Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'' into a TV special. One scene has them sliding down an icy riverbank.

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