Line #36 Main/SpeciesSubversives


1	[[quoteright:334:[[Website/DLTKsSitesForKids https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sweet_smell_skunk.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:334:From ''pew'' to ''woo''.]]
3
4	When you see an animal in a piece of media you expect certain behaviors. Lions are brave and noble, owls are wise, foxes are cunning, reptiles are slimy, and so on. But some creatures love to [[SubvertedTrope subvert the trope]] concerning various animals and instead made a trope of subverting animal tropes. What makes the animal character special is that they are unlike their brethren.
5
6	To be a part of this trope, it is not enough to do something unexpected of a real-life animal like, for example: riding a motorcycle or flying an airplane (unless it is a penguin or ostrich doing the latter). It must utterly conflict with what is expected of the animal.
7
8	This is the animal version of StereotypeFlip and thus is very much the opposite of AnimalStereotypes. See also MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch when a stereotype is usually true in the story but not for a particular individual.
9
10	!!Subtropes:
11	[[index]]
12	* AscendedToCarnivorism
13	* BaaBomb
14	* BearyFriendly
15	* CuteOwl
16	* DeviousDolphins
17	* FlyingFlightlessBird
18	* FlyingSeafoodSpecial
19	* HairRaisingHare
20	* HuggyHuggyHippos
21	* KillerRabbit
22	* LovableLizard
23	* PredatorPreyFriendship
24	* PsychoPoodle
25	* SpeedySnail
26	* UnwiseOwl
27	* VegetarianCarnivore
28	[[/index]]
29	----
30	!!Examples
31	[[foldercontrol]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Books]]
34	* ''ComicBook/TheBeano'': Richard the Lion, instead of being King of Beasts, is weedy, skinny, and only 'king' of Lord Threadbare's Safari Park.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Fan Works]]
38	* ''Fanfic/BornToBeWilde'': Carla Hyenandez inverts both HeinousHyena ''and'' TheHyena, seeing as she's not that morally unsavoury [[spoiler:despite being TheMole]], and she doesn't have a sense of humour.
39	* ''Fanfic/TheZeroContextSeries'': Bahija, Missy Coco's sheep-girl secretary, subverts SweetSheep. At first glance, she seems meek and nice enough, albeit a bit cranky and downtrodden due to her enemies and her own boss not giving her much respect. Later on when Circe's wedding is attacked, [[spoiler:her birth form--that of a gigantic Western-style blue dragon--is revealed, and]] she's shown to be very powerful, prideful, and arrogant.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
43	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBadGuys2022'': Dianne Foxington is kind, helpful, and diligent, [[FoulFox the exact opposite of how foxes are normally portrayed]]. [[spoiler:It's because she [[ThenLetMeBeEvil was once a thief because of negative stereotypes associated with her species]], similar to The Bad Guys themselves. However, one day, Dianne realized that she had her life all wrong; not only did she make a full HeelFaceTurn, but she took her entire life 180 degrees to become a well-respected governess.]]
44	* ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAsTheIslandPrincess'': Subverted for the monkey. At first, she's quite the opposite of a SillySimian, being very civilised and eating everything with a knife and fork. Once she relearns how to climb, however, she begins acting more like a typical monkey.
45	* ''Film/CharlottesWeb'': Invoked with Samuel, who refuses to be a copycat like the other sheep, as he considers that "following", which is a negative stereotype of sheep.
46	* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'': It's a RunningGag that despite being a clownfish, Marlin isn't funny. In fact, he's a very serious NervousWreck, only knows one joke, and is bad at telling it. He does later perfect the joke, but (as shown in ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory''), he's still not very funny in general.
47	* ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'' subverts several animal tropes. Alex the Lion is hardly brave or powerful (proud on the other hand...) Marty the Zebra is the farthest thing from elegant, noble, and hard-working (although he is really stereotypically black). Gloria is far from a lazy, slobby hippo. The Penguins are the farthest thing you'll ever get from clumsy, and they don't even like cold weather.
48	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Louis is an alligator who is friendly, rather stupid, has a remarkably low pain tolerance, and would prefer to play jazz trumpet music than eat frogs like the other alligators.
49	* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood1973'':
50	** King Richard may be representative of the typical brave and noble lion, but his brother Prince John definitely isn't.
51	** Nutsy and Trigger, the vultures who work for the Sheriff of Nottingham, subvert the VileVulture trope. Unlike the other villains who enjoy their jobs (or in Sir Hiss' case, the perks), these two are mere PunchClockVillains whose fealty simply lies with whoever's in charge. Nutsy in particular is too dumb to be malicious. [[spoiler:Unlike Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff, the duo get no punishment and instead act as prison guards for the three when King Richard comes back.]]
52	* Buster Moon in ''WesternAnimation/{{Sing}}'' and its sequel, ''WesternAnimation/Sing2'' is a very ambitious koala who never gives up on his dreams to be successful in the show business, subverting the LaidBackKoala stereotype.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'':
54	** The main characters Judy and Nick are deliberately trying to not fit the stereotypes of their species: Judy (Rabbit) wants to be brave, and Nick (Fox) wants to be seen as honorable and kind.
55	** Cheetahs are typically lean and fast, while Clawhauser is a chubby cheetah who can't catch up with Mrs. Otterton when she outmanuevers him.
56	** Bellwether subverts [[spoiler: SweetSheep, as she appears to be a meek yet helpful secretary, but she turns out to be EvilAllAlong; she's the one behind the civilians in Zootopia turning feral. As a power-hungry mastermind, she also subverts MindlessSheep.]]
57	** When Judy tries to get information on the whereabouts of Mr. Otterton from a nudist place, the owner points to an elephant, Nangi, who was his yoga teacher. He constantly remarks on Nangi's excellent memory, except that she has zero memory of Otterton, including even the most basic details about him (While the owner remembers everything down to his license plate number).
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
61	* ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'': The eponymous cat is [[DisabledInTheAdaptation lactose intolerant]], breaking the stereotype of [[StockAnimalDiet cats liking milk]] (though this is actually quite common among real cats).
62	* ''Film/OzTheGreatAndPowerful'': Subverted for the flying monkey -- he gets offended at people assuming he likes bananas just because he's a monkey, but he likes them anyway.
63	* ''Film/OurManFlint'': Eagles are normally seen as [[AmericanEagle very patriotic towards the U.S.A.]]. The Galaxy organization has an ''anti''-American eagle guarding its headquarters: it's trained to detect and attack Americans.
64	* ''Film/PeterRabbit'': Zigzagged for Pigling Bland. He's trying to go on a diet, defying GluttonousPig, but he's bad at following said diet. Despite this, however, he does invert MessyPig, dressing in formal attire and speaking in a posh accent.
65	* ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'': Lions are normally seen as brave; the Cowardly Lion is infamously not...it is even in his name.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Literature]]
69	* The UrExample is often found in BeastFables, some from ''Literature/AesopsFables'' and, [[OlderThanSteam more recently]], heh, from Creator/JeanDeLaFontaine's ''[[{{Fable}} Fables]]''[[note]]that popularized them[[/note]], though there are exceptions, the usual AnAesop is that: ''you should stay true to yourself''. Conversely, the exceptions have this to say: ''you can learn from each other and help one another despite the differences''.
70	* ''Literature/AnimalFarm'': Instead of SweetSheep, sheep are depicted in a negative and unfriendly manner. Sometimes a very creepy effect as seen in the 1954 animated film; some of the farm animals (except pigs) don't like them at all. They are, however, ''perfect'' examples of MindlessSheep.
71	* The children's book ''Duckat'' has one subversion and one straight example: a duck appears to be afraid of the water, but he's just pretending. However, a cat then swims in said water.
72	* The kids' book ''The Kiwi That was Scared of the Dark'' features a kiwi bird (who are nocturnal) being [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of the dark]].
73	* Similar to the above is Jill Tomlinson's ''Literature/TheOwlWhoWasAfraidOfTheDark''.
74	* ''Literature/{{Ramayana}}'': portrays two ''vultures'' as NobleBirdOfPrey, as opposed to their normal villainous or creepy portrayal.
75	* ''Literature/{{Ratburger}}'': Armitage is an inversion of YouDirtyRat, being portrayed as a very cute, innocent animal, and while he isn't housebroken, he's not portrayed as filthy or disease-ridden either.
76	* A children's book called ''Slobcat'' sets up and subverts CatsAreLazy. The [[UnreliableNarrator narrator]] spends the book explaining, in detail, how their pet cat does nothing but sleep and eat all day, practically embodying the trope. But the pictures show that as soon as the narrator stops watching him, Slobcat sneaks off to have adventures, protect kittens and children, stop burglars, and generally save the day.
77	* ''Literature/TheStoryOfFerdinand'': In an inversion of the BrutishBulls stereotype, Ferdinand likes to just sit down all day.
78	* ''Literature/TheWorstWitch'' and its adaptations -- Tabby is a [[AllWitchesHaveCats witch's cat]], but he's not sinister like the stereotypical witch's cat; he's actually pretty [[TheKlutz doofy]]. He's also [[MeaningfulName a tabby cat]] rather than the traditional black one.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Live-Action Series]]
82	* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' had an InUniverse example. A zookeeper introduces a video made by high school students to educate people about sloths. The video features a heavy metal song depicting sloths (normally very lazy animals) as rabble-rousing party maniacs. When it finishes, the zookeeper says "That's not entirely accurate."
83
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
87	* Donkeys are usually portrayed as stupid plodding creatures. In ''Literature/TheBible'', the prophet Balaam is taken aback when his donkey suddenly speaks to him and opens a theological debate.
88	[[/folder]]
89
90	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
91	* ''Series/DumbosCircus'': Ringmaster Fair Dinkum is a koala who is afraid of heights, despite koalas spending most of their days up in the trees.
92	* ''Franchise/TheMuppets'': Miss Piggy is an anthropomorphic pig, but she's very high-class and posh.
93	* ''Series/SesameStreet'': Two cows, Gladys and Miss Moody, break the stereotype of cows being common farm beasts and speak in posh accents.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Radio]]
97	* The ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme'' Storyteller sketch about zoo spies had the sloths being utterly hyperactive and uncontrollable, but only when the zoo was closed.
98	[[/folder]]
99
100	[[folder:Video Games]]
101	* ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'': Fool from ''The House of the Dead 3'' is a mutated giant sloth that is shockingly fast at moving around its cage compared to the normal sloth.
102	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' is the rare work that shows sheep in a negative light. In this trilogy, sheep are creepy troublemakers known for causing mischief to unsuspected travelers. The heroes end up fighting them on a few occasions and in one particular battle, they show a disturbing ability to "combine" into a big unsettling ovine gestalt.
103	* ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'': The LaidBackKoala stereotype was inverted with the update titles when it was in Early Access, which are themed around a koala becoming more and more enraged, starting with "Perturbed" and ending with "Rampaging".
104	* ''VideoGame/{{Webkinz}}'' features a skunk who, far from being antisocial and spray-happy, [[IJustWantToHaveFriends spends her time lamenting that she has no friends]].
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Web Animation]]
108	* ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends'':
109	** Cuddles may be a rabbit, but he's not a ShrinkingViolet like the stereotypical rabbit -- in fact, he's a daredevil.
110	** Petunia is a skunk, but she's the opposite of a SmellySkunk -- she wears an air freshener and a flower accessory, is a NeatFreak, and takes several showers a day. PlayedForDrama though, since she's implied to have OCD.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Web Videos]]
114	* ''WebVideo/KidTimeStoryTime'': While the Rat brothers, White Rat and Gray Rat, do play some stereotypes of rats straight (they like cheese and live in New York), they invert YouDirtyRat, being very friendly and sociable.
115	[[/folder]]
116
117	[[folder:Webcomics]]
118	* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'': Eastwood the fox is not [[CunningLikeAFox cunning]]. He could charitably be described as a lucky idiot who is only competent in dire situations or when the enemy is [[MustHaveCaffeine standing between him and his morning coffee]]. If a plan of his has more than two or three steps, and none of them contain the verbs "shoot" or "explode", it's time to make sure you've got the real Eastwood.
119	[[/folder]]
120
121	[[folder:Western Animation]]
122	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': Jenna is an [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic cat]] who's [[PlotAllergy allergic to milk]].[[note]]which, by the way, is different from being lactose intolerant -- lactose intolerance causes gastric problems, while milk allergies cause anaphylaxis.[[/note]]
123	* ''WesternAnimation/BabarAndTheAdventuresOfBadou'': Hoot is a friendly spotted hyena, in contrast to the [[HeinousHyena usual portrayal of hyenas]].
124	* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': Rhinox is the smartest and mildest of the crew, which is not what one would expect from a rhino.
125	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'': Pretzel is a chihuahua, but he's not [[MisterMuffykins snobby or aggressive]]; he's in fact very laidback, preferring to lie about while his classmates play.
126	* ''WesternAnimation/ChicoBonBonMonkeyWithAToolBelt'': Clark the elephant is afraid of almost everything except his friend Tiny, who's a mouse; so much for ElephantsAreScaredOfMice.
127	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinotrux}}'': Hadrosaurs like ''Parasaurolophus'' are usually depicted as peaceful, social animals. The Poundersaurolophus (half-''Parasaurolophus'', half-piledriver), however, are total opposites of that by being solitary and extremely aggressive creatures that they [[ExactlyWhatItSaysonTheTin pound]] everything in sight.
128	* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': Violet Sabrewing is TheStoic, which is the exact opposite of what one would expect from a hummingbird.
129	* ''WesternAnimation/FluffyGardens'': The Narrator lampshades how some of the characters exhibit different behaviour from how their species are usually portrayed. Oona the Owl is [[IronicFear afraid of the dark]], hence why she stays awake during the day, Tootie the Elephant is very fit and athletic, Mia the Tapir is sociable instead of shy, Scoopy the Pink Rabbit likes ice cream instead of vegetables.
130	* The fox in the Columbia studio's ''WesternAnimation/TheFoxAndTheCrow'' cartoons isn't [[CunningLikeAFox cunning]] at all, but instead kind of prissy, naive, and a constant patsy to the trickster crow.
131	* ''WesternAnimation/TheKwickyKoalaShow'': Unlike the typical LaidBackKoala, the titular koala, Kwicky, lives up to his name, being able to move at FlashStep speeds to escape the pursuing Wilford Wolf.
132	* ''WesternAnimation/LambertTheSheepishLion'': Most of the sheep are a subverted example of SweetSheep for most of the cartoon, doing nothing but pick on Lambert, [[InterspeciesAdoption a lion cub that got adopted by a mother sheep]], with Lambert's foster mother bring the only who doesn't. Due to Lambert not being a sheep, the rest of the flock [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer rejects the poor cub]] and are seen bullying and mocking him complete with a [[MockingSingSong song about how they don't accept him]]. Eventually, once Lambert and the other lambs become older, the flock still rejects him until Lambert (now a grown lion) rescues and protects the sheep (especially his mother) from a wolf. [[HeelFaceTurn The sheep eventually become friends with Lambert]] by the end of the short.
133	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'':
134	** Bunga is friendly and cheerful, as opposed to being a BadOlBadger as commonly expected from honey badgers.
135	** Jasiri and her clan are hyenas who completely avert the HeinousHyena trope.
136	** Pua averts NeverSmileAtACrocodile by being kind and wise. That said, a flashback shows he did have his limits.
137	** Unlike other [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent large predatory reptiles]] in the show, pythons are shown to be non-menacing.
138	* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'': Pepper zigzags this; unlike real-life skunks, she can produce sweet scents when happy or excited, however, if feeling a negative emotion, like anger, sadness, or fear, she will produce all sorts of stink. Mitzi, another skunk, is introduced as only able to create sweet scents, but as it turns out, this is because she has lost the ability to stink due to her StepfordSmiler tendencies. Once Pepper encourages her to be honest with herself, she learns to smell terrible again.
139	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
140	** Charles the dog is three-quarters pit bull, but he's very much not aggressive.
141	** PlayedWith for Ann, the skunk from "[[Recap/TheLoudHouseS6E26TheHurtLockersLoveStinks Love Stinks]]". While she does spray a few times, she also enjoys wearing perfume and having her claws painted.
142	** In "[[Recap/TheLoudHouseS3E2WhiteHareInstaGran White Hare]]", Lincoln dreams that he and his sisters are anthropomorphic rabbits. The rabbit version of Lisa is still a ChildProdigy, reversing the stereotype that rabbits are stupid.
143	** Another Loud House example -- zigzagged for Cliff and his relationship to water -- he does [[HatesBaths hate being bathed]], but he likes playing in the rain.
144	* ''WesternAnimation/MarthaSpeaks'':
145	** Rinty is an Alsatian, but he's a BigFriendlyDog.
146	** Zigzagged for Martha herself -- in "[[Recap/MarthaSpeaksS3E28CarolinaPicksALily Carolina Picks a Lily]]", she reveals that she's part pit bull but points out she's not aggressive. However, she also appears to be part Labrador or Golden Retriever and she does fit the "excitable BigEater" stereotype associated with those breeds.
147	** Zigzagged for Lily herself -- no one knows her breed, but people have wondered if she's a bulldog, Rottweiler, Doberman, or even a "[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs bullweilerdober]]doodle". However, they also note that, unlike most portrayals of [[BullyBulldog bulldogs]], Rottweilers, and Dobermans, Lily isn't [[BewareOfViciousDog vicious]].
148	* ''WesternAnimation/MyFriendsTiggerAndPooh'': Played with -- while [[ADogNamedDog Skunk]] does spray, and he's proud of it since "that's what skunks do", he also angsts over the bad rap it gives him, noting that he only does it when scared.
149	* ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit'': Pig Robinson wears a three-piece suit and is very formal, completely averting MessyPig.
150	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'':
151	** Ren [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzags this]]. He exaggerates the stereotype that chihuahuas are temperamental, to the point that he's AxCrazy. However, [[DogsAreDumb for a cartoon dog]], he is reasonably intelligent.
152	** Stimpy breaks the CatsAreMean stereotype, instead being a sweet-natured KindheartedSimpleton.
153	* ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'': Splinter is a rat but he’s noble, brave, and on the good guys’ side.
154	* ''WesternAnimation/ThirdAndBird'': Ben, the pig, is both a subversion and an inversion of the MessyPig trope -- Samuel and Rudy think he will be dirty when they hear he is a pig, but he is actually a NeatFreak.
155	* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'': Hamton is the opposite of a MessyPig; he's a complete NeatFreak.
156	* ''WesternAnimation/TUFFPuppy'': ZigZaggingTrope. Verminious Snaptrap is a rat who is allergic to cheese but [[YouDirtyRat he's a criminal]].
157	* ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'': Nom Nom is the opposite of a LaidBackKoala, being aggressive, irritable, and often violent.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Real Life]]
161	* The Turkish Van is a breed of cat that is known for being prone to enjoying swimming, breaking the CatsHateWater stereotype.
162	[[/folder]]

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