Filthy Fun

Pepper: This'll be fun!
Cadpig: I always wanted to get good and dirty!

— 101 Dalmatians

Basically, this is a trope for when somebody finds playing in dirt and getting dirty enjoyable. Especially common if the character is The Pig-Pen or Hates Baths, however, they may not mind getting clean, they might just enjoy getting dirty. Pigs are common for this.

Someone who believes that Messy is Fun might have trouble getting along with a Neat Freak who won't let them play in the mud or gets cross when they dirty their clothes. The messy character might view the neat freak as being boring or a killjoy, which might result in Slobs Versus Snobs being in play.

Sometimes, the neat freak character gets in on the messy fun too after accidentally getting dirt on them, but other times they don't. Has nothing to do with that kind of Filth.

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Examples:

Comic Strips

• Calvin and Hobbes:
  • In one strip, Calvin and Hobbes are playing in the mud and Calvin says, "Face it, Hobbes, we're asthetes."
  • In another, Calvin sees a mud puddle and puts some on his face, all the while saying, "Eww" but smiling.
• Implied for Pig Pen from Peanuts: We never see him get dirty, but he always is.

Fan Works

• Anger Management: Exploited. Lynn and Lana mud wrestle so that she can mess up the bathroom with the mud.
• The Bolt Chronicles: Occurs in a few stories. Justified in that real-life dogs enjoy dirty, smelly things.
  • In "The Blood Brother," Bolt and his friend Duke enjoy rolling in mud puddles.
  • In "The Ski Trip," Bolt attempts to discuss his experience rolling in a dead mouse with Mittens and Rhino. He is resoundingly rebuffed.
  • Happens twice in "The Seven." The collie puppy's prominent dead squirrel odor is noted by his friends, all of whom want to know where he found the source. Also, when the Jack Russell terrier puppy mentions that it's easy to get "all stunk up" at the puppy mill, one of the German shepherd youngsters expresses his approval.
  • When Kelvin the labradoodle is first encountered in "The Protection Payment," he is seen rolling in the contents of a ripped-open trash bag.

Film — Animated

• In 101 Dalmatians, the dogs have to roll in the soot to disguise themselves as black Labs. They greatly enjoy it and one of them notes that they have "always wanted to get good and dirty".

Film — Live-Action

• In Charlotte's Web, Wilbur is the only barn animal to like the rain because with rain comes mud, and he enjoys rolling in the mud.
• In Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, Chloe and Papi's kids, and eventually Papi himself, love going down the slide into a mud puddle, much to Chloe's chagrin.

Literature

• Angela Nicely: Angela’s classmate Ryan has a dog named Max, who likes to roll in mud.
• Carson Crosses Canada: When Annie and her dog Carson get to the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Carson runs over to, and dives in, a mud puddle, despite Annie shouting at him not to.

Live-Action TV

• Allegra's Window: Lindi is a puppy who loves to play in the dirt. She even has a song, "Down and Dirty", about how much fun getting dirty is. And at least until the end of the episode "Bubble Trouble", she Hates Baths.
• Barney & Friends had a whole song about having fun with things that could be considered "icky".
• Happens at the end The New Lassie episode "Trapped". A practical joker named Jonathan sets Will up to fall in a mud pit, but before the trap gets pulled off he and Will both end up trapped down a deep hole. Once Lassie's rescued them, Jonathan confesses what he'd been planning. Will replies that the idea was Actually Pretty Funny, and they both jump into the mud, enjoying themselves hugely.
• Sesame Street: The Grouches (with the exception of Oscar's friend Felix) all value things we would consider disgusting. As such, they greatly enjoy getting dirty by doing things such as washing with cheese and taking mud baths. Slimey the worm also takes mud baths.
• The Sunny Side Up Show: Carly and Chica have a song about having fun in the mud.

Music

• In the Preschool Popstars music video for "Wash Your Hands", the blonde girl is seen playing in the mud.

Western Animation

• 101 Dalmatian Street: Diesel loves digging and playing in the dirt. In some episodes like "Snow Day" and "It's My Party", some of the other members of the family join in on the fun.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender: Toph likes being covered in dirt because she likes to rebel against her overprotective upbringing and because touching dirt is how she sees. Justified in that she is blind earthbender.
• Bob the Builder: Muck loves getting dirty. He also hates being washed.
  Muck: "You're lucky, Dizzy. If I was small like you, i'd roll in the mud until I was the muckiest Muck ever, ever, EVER!"
• Camp Lazlo: Both the Bean Scouts and Squirrel Scouts enjoy playing in mud puddles. One episode showed the Bean Scouts (except Sampson) also love stinkweed.
• Clifford the Big Red Dog: In the episode "Tummy Trouble", Clifford and his friends have fun rolling in the mud. T-Bone calls it the best kind of bath because you can get clean and dirty at the same time.
• Little Princess: Both the Princess and the Prime Minister like to play in the mud.
• The Loud House: Lana Loud loves playing in the mud, among other gross things such as unclogging toilets, eating trash and expired food, and going to the bathroom in random places.
• Martha Speaks: Martha and Skits the dogs both like rolling in mud and digging through garbage. Martha's brother Felix used to like mud, but has outgrown it.
• My Friend Rabbit: One episode ends with them all having fun with a mud bath.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has the episode "Sisterhooves Social", at the end of which Rarity admits that sometimes having fun is worth getting your hooves a little bit dirty. Her younger sister Sweetie Belle says, "A lot dirty!" which leads to an Argument of Contradictions until Spike the dragon suggests they compromise with "a medium amount of dirty".
• The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Tigger occasionally mentions his fondness for "muddy puddles to splash in". In one episode (adapted from The House at Pooh Corner, and it wouldn't be the last time), he helps Roo sneak out of the house to avoid a bath and the first thing they do is find a huge mud puddle to play in.
• PAW Patrol: Rubble the puppy enjoys getting dirty more than the other dogs, but also enjoys bathing afterwards.
• PB&J Otter: Baby Butter loves playing in mud, which is a big problem in one story because it's picture day and Peanut and Jelly need to try to keep her clean. As explained in the "Good Clean Fun" song:
  Peanut and Jelly: She's only happy when she's...
  Butter: Gooey!
• Peppa Pig: Everybody enjoys jumping up and down in muddy puddles, even ones who are otherwise quite clean/dignified.
• Recess: In the episode "The Hypnotist" Principal Prickly, who's been hypnotized into thinking he's a 6 year old, loves to play with mud.
• Rugrats: The babies, especially Phil and Lil, like to play in muddy puddles.
• Splash and Bubbles: Bubbles' favorite pastime is rolling around in (underwater) mud puddles.
• Work It Out Wombats!: At the end of the episode "Game Changer," the kids find a game that they all enjoy: playing in mud.

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