History ParentalSubstitute / WesternAnimation

** "Moe Baby Blues" has Moe form this kind of relationship with Maggie after [[AccidentalHero accidentally saving her life]] while attempting suicide, giving him something to live for. Becoming a frequent babysitter, he infringes on Homer's, to be fair, [[ParentalNeglect very uninhabited parenting territory]]
and crosses a line when he becomes clingy to the degree of putting a baby monitor in Maggie's room so that he can sneak in and comfort her if she cries, causing Homer and Marge to forbid contact. However, by the end of the episode it's clear that Maggie wants Moe to be a part of her life and they reach an agreement.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2021'', the sapient tiger Cringer discovered a six-year-old boy wandering alone in the jungle with no memory save that his name was Adam. Cringer offered Adam a place in his tribe until he eventually regained his memories and reunited with his biological family. Cringer has been raising and protecting Adam ever since. When destiny guides Adam to become He-Man, Cringer continues to help Adam per his promise and becomes the TeamDad of the Masters of the Universe.

** Burns becomes this to Bart in "Burns' Heir," with Bart even briefly referring to him as "Dad" after Burns had convinced him that his real family had disowned him. It's a rare case of one of the kids locating a Parental Substitute who's many times worse than Homer; Burns' appeal comes from the fact that he spoils Bart and nurtures his destructive side rather than exert any kind of parental discipline. Ultimately [[LonelyAtTheTop his house is a terribly lonely place for a 10-year-old boy to live]], and his cold and sadistic personality mean he's incapable of providing Bart with any semblance of love. By the end it's clear that Bart is only clinging to Burns because he's convinced that he has no one else, as he eagerly returns to his [[ParentsAsPeople flawed but human family]] when the misunderstanding is cleared up.

** Burns becomes this to Bart in "Burns' Heir," with Bart even briefly referring to him as "Dad" after Burns had convinced him that his real family had disowned him. It's a rare case of one of the kids locating a Parental Substitute who makes Homer look like the father of the year; while Burns spoils Bart and nurtures his destructive side, ultimately [[LonelyAtTheTop his house is a terribly lonely place for a 10-year-old boy to live]], and his cold and sadistic personality mean he's incapable of providing Bart with any semblance of love. By the end it's clear that Bart is only clinging to Burns because he's convinced that he has no one else, as he eagerly returns to his [[ParentsAsPeople flawed but human family]] when the misunderstanding is cleared up.

** There's a distinctive subtext of this in Bart's reverence for his idol Krusty the Clown. Famously, [[WhatMightHaveBeen a scrapped idea in the earliest concept stages]] had it that Krusty was ''actually'' [[SecretIdentity Homer]], and that Bart was [[LovesMyAlterEgo unwittingly looking up to the same father he despised]]. According to Creator/MattGroening, though, Krusty's ironic resemblance to Homer is still [[FreudWasRight very much intentional]].

** There's a distinctive subtext of this in Bart's reverence for his idol Krusty the Clown. Famously, [[WhatMightHaveBeen a scrapped idea in the earliest concept stages]] had it that Krusty was ''actually'' [[SecretIdentity Homer]], and that Bart was unwittingly in a non-romantic TwoPersonLoveTriangle with the father he despised. According to Creator/MattGroening, though, Krusty's ironic resemblance to Homer is still [[FreudWasRight very much intentional]].

** There's a distinctive subtext of this in Bart's reverence for his idol Krusty the Clown. Famously, [[WhatMightHaveBeen a scrapped idea in the earliest concept stages]] had it that Krusty was ''actually'' [[SecretIdentity Homer]], and that Bart was unwittingly worshipping the same father he failed to respect. According to Creator/MattGroening, though, Krusty's resemblance to Homer is still [[FreudWasRight very much intentional]].

** In "Brother From the Same Planet," Bart, in a fit of anger after Homer's latest parenting failure, joins a Big Brothers program by pretending that Homer is a DisappearedDad, and gets matched up with a good-natured, motorcycle-riding badass named Tom. By the time he's started to feel some guilt over the ruse as an actually fatherless kid might need Tom more, a hurt Homer has signed up for the same program and commenced OperationJealousy with a HeartwarmingOrphan named Pepi. When Bart and Homer make up, Bart [[PairTheSpares introduces Tom and Pepi to each other]].

** Suyin was this to Kuvira. She took her under her wing after her parents abandoned her. It’s implied that Suyin saw her talent as an earthbender and leader and that she wanted a female earthbending protege because her [[OutnumberedSibling only daughter]] was a {{Muggle}} prior to Harmonic Convergence when she became an airbender.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}}'': WordOfGod is that Rio had an abusive father growing up. He latched onto his girlfriend Jerrica's father Emmett as a father figure.

* From ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Starfire's "Knorfka" Galfore, who raised her from childhood. Her and Blackfire's parents are never mentioned in the series.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'':

** Much of Superboy's season 1 character arc deals with him struggling to come to terms with being Superman's clone, and he frequently laments the fact that Superman is unwilling to serve as a parental figure, [[spoiler: which is further complicated by the fact that some of Connor's DNA is actually Lex Luthor's, and Luthor does actually consider Connor his son- [[FauxAffablyEvil at least when it serves his purposes]]]]. Season 2's TimeSkip mostly resolves the issue, with Clark and Connor settling into a fraternal relationship, with the implication that Jonathon and Martha Kent became Connor's parental figures.

* Luz from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' has a pretty good relationship with her actual mother ([[ParentsAsPeople even if Camila doesn't really know how to deal with Luz's eccentricities]]), but she comes to view her mentor Eda as a second mother figure during her stay on the Boiling Isles. The feelings is clearly mutual, as Luz's safety and happiness quickly become Eda's number one priority.

* On ''WesternAnimation/FancyNancy'' , Mrs. Devine acts like a maternal grandmother to Nancy due to how she's very kind and patient with her, and helps her out when she needs it.

*** Quagmire also seems to be becoming this for [[ButtMonkey Meg]] (when he's not trying to have sex with her).
*** Actually {{Subverted}} with Chris in an earlier episode. Peter decided that he'd failed as a father to Chris and tries to make up for it by being this to Cleveland Jr. but finds that he can't control him. Later, he tries to make Chris smart by having him spend time with Brian but when Chris realizes that Brian is actually a KnowNothingKnowItAll he decides that he would rather be like Peter.

** Season 2 also shows Steve's mother is dating Coach Lawrence who implies he's aware Steve's fsther was abusive and is trying to be a better parental figure, giving Steve time to adjust but supporting him. It gets to a point where by the second show, 3below, Steve stumbles between calling him Coach and dad. He even thanks the man and considers him a huge part of how Steve has changed

** In fact, Steven had a dream sequence where he and the Gems were on the set of an 50's black and white sitcom. Amethys played the annoying sibling character, Garnet played the cool Fonz-like character and yes, Pearl played the doting mother.

* The three adult Crystal Gems (Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl) in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' serve as the titular character's guardians, mentors, and family after the [[DeathByChildbirth death of his mom]] Rose Quartz, who belonged to their team. Among them though, the general consensus is that [[ThePerfectionist Pearl]] acts the most like a mother to him and fits this trope the best, with the other two being {{Cool Big Sis}}ters in their own ways. Unlike most examples, Steven's (human) dad Greg is still alive. While he was Steven's primary caretaker, he let the Gems take over when he was of certain age, but is still an active presence in his life.