Feather Fingers: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~feather_fingers_3868~~.jpg|link=Dungeons and Dragons|right]]

[[File:feather fingers 3868.jpg|link=Dungeons and Dragons|right]]

{{quote|''"Hey, I'm '''trying''' to pass the potatoes! My forelimbs are as useless as yours!"''|'''A T. Rex''', ''[[The Far Side]]''}}

Also known as wingers. [[As You Know|You may have noticed]] that many non-primate animals [[Captain Obvious|have extremely un-humanlike limbs]]. They may have wings, they may have fins, they may have claws like a lobster or long grappling hooks like a sloth.

But because [[Most Writers Are Human|Most Animators Are Human]], they have a tendency to fall back on making the very different anatomy of animal ~~characters -- even~~ those who [[Talking Animal|aren't, strictly speaking, anthropomorphic]] ~~-- do~~ things they'd be physically incapable of in order to closely mimic human actions. Therefore, every animal forelimb, no matter how little it resembles a human hand, is prehensile.

But because [[Most Writers Are Human|Most Animators Are Human]], they have a tendency to fall back on making the very different anatomy of animal characters—even those who [[Talking Animal|aren't, strictly speaking, anthropomorphic]]—do things they'd be physically incapable of in order to closely mimic human actions. Therefore, every animal forelimb, no matter how little it resembles a human hand, is prehensile.

The [[Trope Namer~~|Trope Namers~~]] are all the [[Civilized Animal|otherwise non-anthro]] [[Funny Animal|cartoon birds who can]] ~~[[Feather Fingers|~~hold things in their primary wing feathers]], such as [[Peanuts|Woodstock]], [[Daffy Duck]] ~~-- or~~ any and all [[Petting Zoo Person|Anthro birds]] as well, such as [[Star Fox (series)|Falco Lombardi]] who can pilot a fighter. The primary wing feathers ''sort of'' [[Rule of Perception|look like fingers]], so naturally in cartoons they act like fingers. Not a heavily modified and specialized extension of their body covering (meaning that this makes as much sense as [[Prehensile Hair]]). This version tends to go hand-in-hand (sorry) with [[Acrophobic Bird]].

The [[Trope Namer]]s are all the [[Civilized Animal|otherwise non-anthro]] [[Funny Animal|cartoon birds who can]] '''hold things in their primary wing feathers''', such as [[Peanuts|Woodstock]], [[Daffy Duck]]—or any and all [[Petting Zoo Person|Anthro birds]] as well, such as [[Star Fox (series)|Falco Lombardi]] who can pilot a fighter. The primary wing feathers ''sort of'' [[Rule of Perception|look like fingers]], so naturally in cartoons they act like fingers. Not a heavily modified and specialized extension of their body covering (meaning that this makes as much sense as [[Prehensile Hair]]). This version tends to go hand-in-hand (sorry) with [[Acrophobic Bird]].

There is a variant of this trope in which thumbs appear on the front paws of many cats and dogs (and sometimes other animals) when grasping something or gesturing, but disappear when the front paws are just used for four-legged walking or otherwise in a default pose.

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=== Exceptions, Subversions, Aversions, and Notable Examples: ===

=== Exceptions, Subversions, Aversions, and Notable Examples ===

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

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== [[Literature]] ==

* Played with in the ''[[Spellsinger]]'' novels. While the series' intelligent birds have an unlikely degree of manual dexterity with their wings, weapons and tools with special ~~handles -- hollow~~ cones they can tuck their feathers' tips ~~inside -- are~~ designed for their use. An equine character uses her teeth to open drawers (via pull-ropes) and writes using a pen with an attached mouth-clamp.

* Played with in the ''[[Spellsinger]]'' novels. While the series' intelligent birds have an unlikely degree of manual dexterity with their wings, weapons and tools with special handles—hollow cones they can tuck their feathers' tips inside—are designed for their use. An equine character uses her teeth to open drawers (via pull-ropes) and writes using a pen with an attached mouth-clamp.

* In [[Timothy Zahn]]'s ''[[Hand of Thrawn]]'' duology, the President of the New Republic is a [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Calibop Calibop], an avian sentient species with a number of equine features. They also have wings and prehensile feathertips; the President is shown manipulating keys on a lectern and later signing the Imperial-New Republic peace treaty with Pellaeon. Granted, this is pretty much the trope played straight with the caveat that [[Bizarre Nonhuman Biology|Calibops are aliens.]]

* The Ythrians, a bird-like alien race from several [[Poul Anderson]] [[Technic History]] stories, look basically like huge birds of prey. They do not need to pick up anything with their wings however because their highly efficient respiratory system allows them to hover for long periods of time without getting tired, allowing them to use their feet to manipulate objects.

* [[Babar the Elephant]], of Jean de Brunhoff's stories, normally uses his trunk to manipulate things, much like an actual elephant would. However, Babar (and all the other elephants of Celesteville, for that matter) walk upright on two legs. This means that there are instances of them using their forelimbs like ~~hands--even~~ though their "hands" look identical to those of quadrupedal elephants, completely lacking in fingers. How this is done is a mystery. Additionally, because they seem capable of using both their forelimbs and trunks to manipulate things, elephants in Babar's world effectively have three limbs that can be used to hold and handle things.

* [[Babar the Elephant]], of Jean de Brunhoff's stories, normally uses his trunk to manipulate things, much like an actual elephant would. However, Babar (and all the other elephants of Celesteville, for that matter) walk upright on two legs. This means that there are instances of them using their forelimbs like hands—even though their "hands" look identical to those of quadrupedal elephants, completely lacking in fingers. How this is done is a mystery. Additionally, because they seem capable of using both their forelimbs and trunks to manipulate things, elephants in Babar's world effectively have three limbs that can be used to hold and handle things.

** De Brunoff's later stories, as well as the TV and film tie-ins take this a step further. Quadrupeds living along side the elephants, such as Lord Rataxes and the other rhinoceroses have hands with fingers. Since Rataxes' troops are typically [[Card-Carrying Villain|Card Carrying Villains]], they will often have claw-like hands. This is also true of hippos in Babar's world.

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* In ''Peep and the Big Wide World'', most of the major characters don't even have visible forelimbs. So they hold things in their beaks (like actual birds). Chirp does have visible wings but she uses them mostly to gesticulate.

* ''[[I Am Not an Animal]]'' is a British animation about a bunch of superintelligent animals who are released from a research facility. The nominally smartest of them, a horse, is mortified that he can't put on his pants by himself now he's outside the research facility. He uses magnets on his hooves to hold knives and forks, and the sparrow somehow attaches plastic fingers on sticks to his wings to allow him to type and play keyboard.

* Probably the strangest example would be ''[[My Little Pony Tales]]''. The Ponies are not normally anthropomorphic or human-like in the least; aside from the fact that they talk, they are quadrupedal equines with hooves. And yet, in this series, they live in a human-like 1980s suburbia, and can carry and use objects that have obviously been designed for ~~humans -- sometimes~~ with their teeth (which wouldn't be ''so'' weird except for the fact that there don't seem to be any humans around), but most frequently just by just using their front hooves as if they were hands, and the objects either somehow sticking to them (like pencils or mugs) or just working without any apparent explanation (like guitars or keyboards), without even any attempt at a [[Hand Wave]]. (The original [[My Little Pony]] cartoons kept a couple of humans around for such things, so ~~[[Feather Fingers|~~Hoof Fingers]] weren't necessary) [[Bellisario's Maxim|Just breathe, just breathe...]]

* Probably the strangest example would be ''[[My Little Pony Tales]]''. The Ponies are not normally anthropomorphic or human-like in the least; aside from the fact that they talk, they are quadrupedal equines with hooves. And yet, in this series, they live in a human-like 1980s suburbia, and can carry and use objects that have obviously been designed for humans—sometimes with their teeth (which wouldn't be ''so'' weird except for the fact that there don't seem to be any humans around), but most frequently just by just using their front hooves as if they were hands, and the objects either somehow sticking to them (like pencils or mugs) or just working without any apparent explanation (like guitars or keyboards), without even any attempt at a [[Hand Wave]]. (The original [[My Little Pony]] cartoons kept a couple of humans around for such things, so Hoof Fingers weren't necessary) [[Bellisario's Maxim|Just breathe, just breathe...]]

* In the current show ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|Friendship is Magic]]'', ponies need to use their mouths (or, for unicorns, their magic powers) for most things we use our hands for. Sometimes, however, the ponies give up and just manipulate or even inexplicably grasp things with their hooves. Pegasuses have also sometimes used their wings in a way that is closer to the trope name than it is to what wings could actually do. The general rule seems to be that the unexplained hoof-grasping is avoided unless it becomes too inconvenient to do so, with a preference for more creative solutions that at least work physically if not physiologically, like a [[Prehensile Tail]].

* ~~Averted -- for~~ the most ~~part -- with~~ the fish in ''[[Finding Nemo]]''. Not so much with Nigel the pelican. His primary feathers are fully rendered in extreme detail, so they are practically a [[Lampshade Hanging]] on how odd this looks.

* Averted—for the most part—with the fish in ''[[Finding Nemo]]''. Not so much with Nigel the pelican. His primary feathers are fully rendered in extreme detail, so they are practically a [[Lampshade Hanging]] on how odd this looks.

* Somewhat related is one of the major criticisms directed at ''[[Happy Feet]]''. The result of using motion capture footage of humans to animate penguins tap-dancing [[Uncanny Valley|ends up very strange, due to the wildly different anatomy]].

** There have been a few similar criticisms leveled at the aforementioned ''[[Guardians of Ga'Hoole|Legends of the Guardians]]'' as well.

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* Used in one of [[Robot Chicken]]'s shorts parodying the Muppet Show and the Muppet Babies. When the murderer (who happens to be Skooter dressed up as his homicidal sister, Skeeter, to seek bloody vengeance on the other muppets after they drowned her when they were baby muppets and kept it a secret throughout their lives) corners and is ready to kill the remaining muppets Kermit and Miss Piggy, Carmilla the chicken (Gonzo's love interest before he was killed off first) threatens him with a drawn bow and arrow, prompting the incredulous Skooter to call out on this trope: " You can't shoot me! Chickens don't even have fingers!" (is shot dead).

* Most of the cast of ''[[Birdz]]'' has mostly arm-like wings which they use just like normal arms despite also being capable of flight. Strangely, one episode has them bowling with their feet.

* [[Donald Duck]] and Daisy Duck not only have awfully handlike wing feathers, they develop ''Tail'' [[Feather Fingers]] from time to time in the [[Classic Disney Shorts]].

* [[Donald Duck]] and Daisy Duck not only have awfully handlike wing feathers, they develop ''Tail'' Feather Fingers from time to time in the [[Classic Disney Shorts]].

* Averted with Roadrunner from ''[[Looney Tunes]]''. He carries things with his feet instead of his wings.

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* Inverted with Koalas. They have eight opposable thumbs (two on each paw).

=== Sudden Thumbs Variant Examples: ===

=== Sudden Thumbs Variant Examples ===

== Film ==

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== [[Western Animation]] ==

* ''[[Scooby Doo]]'' sometimes did this, especially in the earliest cartoons. He would normally walk around on all fours, with very dog-like paws, but when a zany scheme was involved, he'd stand up on his hind legs with no difficulty, and thumbs would mysteriously appear on his front paws.

* ''Family Guy'''s Brian the Dog is perfectly canine in every respect (other than speech and bipedal movement), but he still has hands with ~~thumbs -- but~~ these turn to normal front paws without thumbs when sitting on the floor on all fours like a dog.

* ''Family Guy'''s Brian the Dog is perfectly canine in every respect (other than speech and bipedal movement), but he still has hands with thumbs—but these turn to normal front paws without thumbs when sitting on the floor on all fours like a dog.

* Otis and the other cows from ''[[Barnyard]]'' and ''[[Back at the Barnyard]]'' have real looking front hooves when masquerading as ordinary cows in front of the farmer, but change into prehensile black mitts with thumbs when bipedal.

* Rita from ''[[Animaniacs]]'' has hands with thumbs when she's on two legs or gesturing, but these turn to normal front paws without thumbs when she's on four legs.