Cute Approaches Camera

A good way to enhance the cuteness of a video and/or picture of an animal is to have the animal get close to the camera, and put its face right up to or around said camera, often sniffing the camera and/or sniffing around it.

Bonus points if the animal's face is so much closer to the camera than the rest of its body is that it makes the animal's head look bigger in comparison to the body than it actually is. A wide angle lens is usually used to enhance this effect.

Western Animation

 * South Park had a Show Within a Show called "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens," and its spinoff "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens Wearing Hats."

Film

 * The black cat from Coraline greets the heroine this way after waking her up.
 * The introduction of Puss in Boots in Shrek 2 features him trying his hardest to appear cute.

Television

 * Happens in a lot of The BBC's Spy wildlife documentaries when the animal subjects start to get curious about the disguised cameras that are filming them. For instance, in one Polar Bears: Spy on the Ice episode, one of the cameras was disguised as a snowball, and the cubs kept approaching it and playing with it.
 * Zoboomafoo: In the opening sequence.

Video Games

 * The Nintendog assist trophy in Super Smash Bros Brawl summons a giant puppy to jump in front of the game's camera (and obscure the action on the battlefield).

Manga

 * The Mokonas do this in XXX Holic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle to wake up Watanuki and Shaoran respectively.

Real Life

 * Birthday and holiday cards
 * Handbags in some shops in the UK.
 * Artlist Collection's "The Dog" and "The Cat" collectibles are all about focusing on kitties' and puppies' faces using a fish-eye lens.