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Gratuitous Animal Sidekick
- 154 statements
- 27 feature instances
- 31 referencing feature instances
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | type |
FeatureClass | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | label |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | page |
GratuitousAnimalSidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | comment |
The insertion of an animal sidekick into a property that normally wouldn't be expected to have one. Its presence generally feels forced but not necessarily without contributing anything to the script. Often an example of Executive Meddling, particularly on Animated Series, in an attempt to have a Kid-Appeal Character. May be a Heroic Dog as well. Compare with Cousin Oliver, Team Pet. TV Tropes has Tropey the Wonder Dog. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | fetched |
2024-04-16T05:31:19Z | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | parsed |
2024-04-16T05:31:19Z | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | processingComment |
Dropped link to AnimatedAdaptation: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to CoolBoat: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to CousinOliver: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to RobotDog: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to TeamPet: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to TheIgor: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
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Dropped link to parodiedtrope: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | processingUnknown |
Enforced | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_1677e13c | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_1677e13c | comment |
Nikko the Shar-Pei got shoehorned into this role for the New Kids on the Block cartoon. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_1677e13c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_1677e13c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| New Kids on the Block | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_1677e13c | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_32a01588 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_32a01588 | comment |
Nearly every Disney movie since Pinocchio has the protagonist, and sometimes the villain as well, having an animal sidekick. (Or animated household object sidekicks in the case of Beauty and the Beast.) Moana both parodies and lampshades this tendency: Moana starts off with a fairly standard sidekick in Pua the pig, but when her adventure gets going she winds up with the idiotic chicken Heihei. Maui calls it out later: Also parodied in The Emperor's New Groove, where Bucky the Squirrel attempts to become one of these for the protagonist Kuzco, only to be summarily rejected. He then vengefully tries to get Kuzco eaten by a pack of jaguars. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_32a01588 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_32a01588 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Pinocchio | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_32a01588 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_3fd59fa7 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_3fd59fa7 | comment |
The animated version of Flash Gordon in the 1970s had a baby dragon called Gremlin that was a blatant attempt to appeal to younger children. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_3fd59fa7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_3fd59fa7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Flash Gordon (1979) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_3fd59fa7 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_468bebb0 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_468bebb0 | comment |
Thoroughly lampshaded, spoofed, gnawed on, buried and piddled upon by Discworld's "Gaspode the Wonder Dog". | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_468bebb0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_468bebb0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Discworld | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_468bebb0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_48cf61a6 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_48cf61a6 | comment |
Superfriends: Formerly named after the original Wonder Dog in the first series. Gleek in the Wonder Twins episodes of the Super Friends. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_48cf61a6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_48cf61a6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Superfriends | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_48cf61a6 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5178149f | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5178149f | comment |
Ace is pretty badass in Batman: The Brave and the Bold as well. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5178149f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5178149f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Batman: The Brave and the Bold | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5178149f | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_553051f | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_553051f | comment |
In 1948, the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, was suddenly given a canine sidekick in Streak, the Wonder Dog. Not only did Streak share GL's title Green Lantern (1941), but the dog actually became the top-billed star of the series! Streak also served as the prototype for DC's other, subsequent wonder dog (Rex the Wonder Dog), who would operate without a superhero partner. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_553051f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_553051f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Green Lantern (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_553051f | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5f76cba1 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5f76cba1 | comment |
The DCnU has introduced Titus (Damian Wayne's pet Great Dane) and the Batcow. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5f76cba1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5f76cba1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| New 52 (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_5f76cba1 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_6274ed63 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_6274ed63 | comment |
The animated adaptation of Kim gave Kim a cricket called Dree. He's there to deliver messages, find secret passages, and help him get out of trouble, besides looking cute. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_6274ed63 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_6274ed63 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Kim | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_6274ed63 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_694ab80 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_694ab80 | comment |
In Batman Beyond, Bruce Wayne has a dog named Ace, but he's an Angry Guard Dog. He nevertheless makes for a pretty good sidekick in the episode "Good bad dog". He also came in handy in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_694ab80 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_694ab80 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Batman Beyond | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_694ab80 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_70c7b114 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_70c7b114 | comment |
No dinosaur (see Live-Action TV above), but Gilligan got a monkey sidekick in his Animated Adaptation, and an alien one when the Animated Adaptation was Recycled In SPACE. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_70c7b114 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_70c7b114 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Gilligan's Island | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_70c7b114 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7a3343b6 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7a3343b6 | comment |
The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang: In this Animated Adaptation of Happy Days, the Fonz has a dog called Mr. Cool. Seriously. And in the Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/The Fonz Hour, Mork got this pink six-legged alien dog-thing, and Laverne and Shirley were in the army with a talking pig. (We only know this from Retrojunk.com.) Sgt. Squealy (the pig) is technically their superior, but they never listen to him. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7a3343b6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7a3343b6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7a3343b6 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7aaf9e41 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7aaf9e41 | comment |
Not to be outdone, Batman had Ace the Bathound back during the Silver Age. A version of Ace appeared in the '90s Batman comics, this time as a seeing-eye dog Batman had inherited from a blind Native American medicine man. He mostly hung around the cave with Harold, Batman's mute hunchback assistant. In one comic, Ace was originally a vicious attack dog tormented by the Joker. He was called "Ace" for the sole reason to make the joke "Aces High" as he killed the other two dogs, a King and a Queen, by ripping their throats out. Obivously the only person that could rehabilitate the German Shepard was Alfred and that took several months and several uses of a dog bite suit until Ace gave Alfred his respect and started listening to him (shown with a simple "sit" command). Ace winds up becoming a part of the Bat-family as he eventually comes around to Bruce. In Batman Beyond, Bruce Wayne has a dog named Ace, but he's an Angry Guard Dog. He nevertheless makes for a pretty good sidekick in the episode "Good bad dog". He also came in handy in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The Fully Absorbed Finale of Batman Beyond in Justice League Unlimited gives us the possibility that Ace is named after a member of the Royal Flush Gang who died in Batman's arms. Since the JLU episode was the last thing to ever be shown of the Batman Beyond universe, it's still definitely a nod to the old Bat-Hound. Ace is pretty badass in Batman: The Brave and the Bold as well. In Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts and its sequels, one of the bad guys' horde of robot dogs gets reprogrammed, and eventually given the name Ace. What's cooler than a robo-dog sidekick? One that turns into a motorcycle, that's what! The DCnU has introduced Titus (Damian Wayne's pet Great Dane) and the Batcow. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7aaf9e41 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7aaf9e41 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Batman (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_7aaf9e41 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8df52a8d | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8df52a8d | comment |
Superboy had Krypto in his Silver Age comics, who also appeared in the 1960s Superman/Batman animated series. In 2005, the Last Dog of Krypton made his move to center stage on TV in Krypto the Superdog. Recurring heroes were Streaky the Supercat and Ace the Bat-Hound. Robbie the Robin occasionally worked alongside Ace, being an animal sidekick to a guy who's usually an animal sidekick. Krypto also got a Shout-Out in one episode of Justice League (though it was All Just a Dream). Krypto himself has recently been reintroduced to the comics, and it works. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8df52a8d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8df52a8d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Superboy (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8df52a8d | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8e82c366 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8e82c366 | comment |
The Real Ghostbusters: The animated series has Slimer fill this role. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8e82c366 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8e82c366 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Real Ghostbusters | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_8e82c366 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_990dea86 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_990dea86 | comment |
Moana both parodies and lampshades this tendency: Moana starts off with a fairly standard sidekick in Pua the pig, but when her adventure gets going she winds up with the idiotic chicken Heihei. Maui calls it out later: | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_990dea86 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_990dea86 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Moana | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_990dea86 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a535581a | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a535581a | comment |
Also parodied in The Emperor's New Groove, where Bucky the Squirrel attempts to become one of these for the protagonist Kuzco, only to be summarily rejected. He then vengefully tries to get Kuzco eaten by a pack of jaguars. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a535581a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a535581a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Emperor's New Groove | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a535581a | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a8729c90 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a8729c90 | comment |
The Fairly OddParents!: When Timmy Turner becomes his standard superhero alter ego, Cleft, Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof usually tag along as "Ace, Clefto, and Puppy Poof the Chin-Hounds", partly parodies of Batman and Superman's dogs. And, after trying the Cousin Oliver adding Poof (Cosmo and Wanda's baby) in season 6, they added Sparky the fairy dog to the show. Naturally, Sparky quickly became The Scrappy with his annoying voice and attitude. |
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| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a8729c90 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a8729c90 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Fairly OddParents! | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_a8729c90 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_ac56c388 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_ac56c388 | comment |
The monster Cotton from SaGa Frontier was planned to be a member of the IRPO team, but their story was cut as the game was rushed. Instead Cotton is this trope to any of the other characters who recruit it, is only able to say "myu" and even has a technique called "Wonderdog". | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_ac56c388 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_ac56c388 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| SaGa Frontier (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_ac56c388 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d2c7208d | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d2c7208d | comment |
Tamako Market is about a normal group of people who live on a market street...and then there's Dela, a magical talking bird. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d2c7208d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d2c7208d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Tamako Market | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d2c7208d | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d6594a79 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d6594a79 | comment |
Classicaloid: In a show about modern versions of composers, Hashie the (blue scarf-wearing) shoebill is completely unexpected. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d6594a79 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d6594a79 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Classicaloid | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d6594a79 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d81fd1e7 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d81fd1e7 | comment |
At some point between Constance Verity Saves the World and Constance Verity Destroys the Universe, Connie had picked up Chestnut the Wonder Dog, a dog that was trained to steal and infiltrate. He was apparently trained by a larcenous animal trainer that worked for a Performer Guise group called the Circus of Crime. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d81fd1e7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d81fd1e7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Constance Verity Saves the World | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d81fd1e7 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d8cc01de | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d8cc01de | comment |
Parodied in Big Time Rush episode, "Big Time Cartoon", when the band see a pitch for a cartoon (made by, of all people, Butch Hartman) in which the band have a pet pig as a mascot in a send up of cartoons from the 60s. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d8cc01de | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d8cc01de | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Big Time Rush | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_d8cc01de | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_dcd37c6e | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_dcd37c6e | comment |
The Brady Kids gave the kids a whole menagerie of sidekicks: a dog, a magical talking bird, and a pair of twin panda bears. They made a cameo appearance in A Very Brady Sequel as a hallucination, and then an encore appearance in the credits. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_dcd37c6e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_dcd37c6e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Brady Kids | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_dcd37c6e | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_e7fe59cb | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_e7fe59cb | comment |
In Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts and its sequels, one of the bad guys' horde of robot dogs gets reprogrammed, and eventually given the name Ace. What's cooler than a robo-dog sidekick? One that turns into a motorcycle, that's what! | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_e7fe59cb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_e7fe59cb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_e7fe59cb | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fa85cc4f | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fa85cc4f | comment |
OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes parodies this with Rippy Roo, an adorable boxing kangaroo who's a member of the elite crime-fighting team, P.O.I.N.T. And then plays with it by showing that said adorable kangaroo was scouted for a reason. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fa85cc4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fa85cc4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fa85cc4f | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fe8ef766 | type |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fe8ef766 | comment |
Captain America: The Falcon has a pet falcon called Redwing that is psychically linked to him. Most adaptations ditch the bird but pay homage to him: in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Redwing is a remote-controlled spy drone (sort of bird-shaped, but not the point that you'd mistake it for a real bird) that comes out of his wing pack. In Avengers Assemble, "Redwing Mode" is when the entire wing pack detaches and is remote-controlled, though this of course leaves Sam himself grounded until he calls it back. | |
| Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fe8ef766 | featureApplicability |
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| Captain America (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Gratuitous Animal Sidekick / int_fe8ef766 |
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