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Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism: Difference between revisions

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Sliding Scale of Anthropomorphism (view source)

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{{trope}}
[[File:ssoa_05-5v_1879.png|frame|[[Snoop Dogg (Music)|Snoop Dogg]] [[Visual Pun|Dogg]], [[Mahou Sensei Negima (Manga)|Kotaro]] [[Little Bit Beastly|Inugami]], [[Star Fox (Video Game)|Wolf]] [[Petting Zoo People|O'Donnell]], [[Horndog (Comic Book)|Horndog]][[Funny Animal|dog]], [[Scooby Doo|Scooby-]][[Speech -Impaired Animal|Doo]], and a dachshund]]
 
 
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* Borderline [[Little Bit Beastly]] - This form is basically a [[Petting Zoo Person]], but with a more or mostly (but not completely) human-like head. This is what you get when you combine [[Petting Zoo People]] traits with [[Little Bit Beastly]] traits. They are often treated more like [[Petting Zoo People]] than like [[Little Bit Beastly]].
** [[Beast Folk]] - a human (male or female) with animalistic physical and often behavioral traits. Cheetara from ''[[Thundercats (Animation)|Thundercats]]'' is technically a Beast Woman, even though she's an evolved cheetah.
* [[Petting Zoo People]] - These are human in as many ways as they are inhuman. On the one hand they will act human, and if you look under the fur you'll find a human skeletal system, for the most part, but they have animal heads instead of human heads, and often tails, wings, and the like. [[Furries Are Easier to Draw]] comes into play, as they don't have difficult-to-draw human faces, but the obviously human traits make the characters less alien to the audience, making them easier to take seriously. Also using multiple species makes a cast easier to differentiate, another plus in medias that suffer from [[Only Six Faces]]. Females will of course have [[Non -Mammal Mammaries|the obvious sign]] they are female.
** [[Humanoid Female Animal]] - What happens when you combine [[Petting Zoo People]], [[Funny Animal]], or [[Civilized Animal]] with [[Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism]]. The older females will (almost) always be a step or two closer to human than the males are. At the lower end, they may have long hair or [[Non -Mammal Mammaries]]. Where there are bigger differences, they may be a step higher up the scale from males. If a show focuses on [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]] and/or [[Civilized Animal|Civilized Animals]], expect the female(s) to be [[Petting Zoo People]]. If the main cast are mostly [[Petting Zoo People]] then the girl will be only a [[Little Bit Beastly]] or a borderline [[Little Bit Beastly]]. Cleo the cat from ''[[Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats (Animation)|Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats]]'' is a great example.
** [[Intelligent Gerbil]] - A science-fiction/fantasy method of [[Characterization Tropes|characterization]] for [[Petting Zoo People]], [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]], and [[Civilized Animal|Civilized Animals]]. These are aliens/fantasy races who are, by amazing coincidence, [[Call a Rabbit A Smeerp|like earth animals]], which is reflected culturally and behaviorally. This is often explained as the result of an "[[Hollywood Evolution|alternate evolutionary path]]" (with the weirdly [[Unfortunate Implications]] that all animals somehow secretly [[Pinocchio Syndrome|want to be human]]).
* Borderline [[Petting Zoo People]] - This is what you get when you combine [[Petting Zoo People]] traits with [[Funny Animal]] traits. Sometimes they will be treated more like [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]], other times, they will be treated more like [[Petting Zoo People]]. Male animals of this type are often [[Top Heavy Guy|Top Heavy Guys]].
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* [[Civilized Animal]] - This is an intermediary stage between animals who talk and animals who might as well be human. They generally have half the mannerisms of of a human and half the mannerisms of the animal. [[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]] would be an excellent example: he lives in a hole in the forest and is hunted by Elmer Fudd -- and he stands upright, wears [[White Gloves]], and tries to take vacations to Aruba. Brian the dog in ''[[Family Guy (Animation)|Family Guy]]'' is this trope; he drinks martinis, walks on two legs and goes to college but also barks at people, scratches his butt on the carpet and so forth. Its seminal use in literature is ''[[The Wind in The Willows]]''... Which is itself [[Furry Confusion|rather confusing]] at some points (Toad lives in a splendid old Hall, Mole lives in a hole in the ground). However ''[[The Wind in The Willows]]'' isn't part of the modern canon; it is ''[[The Aesop]]'' on one level, and a satire on another. Mole and Badger live in holes, but they are more like the hobbit houses of Tolkien's Shire than holes in a literal sense. All the animals are the same, human size.
** [[Mouse World]] is a subtrope of Civilized Animal in which intelligent, well-dressed animals live on the fringes of humanity. Beatrix Potter's ''[[The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Literature)|Peter Rabbit]]'' tales are another example.
* [[Partially -Civilized Animal]] - This is the intermediary stage between the Largely Normal Animal/[[Speech -Impaired Animal]]/[[Talking Animal]] level (animals who are still unarguably animals, and have mostly animal behavior) and the [[Civilized Animal]] level. Generally, the majority of the mannerisms are that of the animal. Examples include the cats and dogs of, well, ''[[Cats and Dogs (Film)|Cats and Dogs]]'' and the owls of the ''[[Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of ga Hoole]]''.
* [[Talking Animal]] - This is an animal who can talk as well as a normal human, and who can communicate with humans. However, they still are unarguably animals, and usually have mostly animal behavior (the humans might not like what such animals have to say about them). They may occasionally act more human-like if the need (and [[Rule of Funny]] / [[Rule of Cool]]) calls for it. Examples include ''[[Dinotopia]]'s'' Ambassador Bix the Protoceratops, TV's [[Mister Ed]], and the animal denizens of [[Narnia]] and the [[Land of Oz (Literature)|Land of Oz]].
** [[Uplifted Animal]] is usually here - it's an animal that can talk THANKS TO SCIENCE! or sometimes MAGIC.
* [[Speech -Impaired Animal]] - A animal who can't quite talk. They can usually be understood, but there can and often will be misunderstandings. Like [[Talking Animal|Talking Animals]], they may occasionally act more human-like if the need (and [[Rule of Funny]] / [[Rule of Cool]]) calls for it. [[Scooby Doo]] is practically the [[Trope Maker]]. This could also include counting horses and [[Shapeshifting|transformed humans]].
* [[Largely Normal Animal]] - An animal who clearly has thought processes, but doesn't talk freely with humans. LNA characters may talk to each other, essentially [[Animal Talk|having their own language]], but humans won't understand them. That is, unless they are a [[Doctor Dolittle]] or if the language can be learned. Their thought processes and personality are still very much like that of whatever animal they are. Many of them are able to make human-like arm and hand gestures and some can even grasp objects as if they have opposable thumbs. A few examples are bipedal even if their species isn't naturally so. The cast of ''[[Watership Down]]'' and the original four legged ''[[Garfield]]'' fit here. So do Mickey Mouse's dog [[Pluto the Pup]], the original four legged Snoopy from [[Peanuts]], and [[Krypto the Superdog]].
* [[Nearly -Normal Animal]] - An animal that is very much an animal, particularly when it comes to though processes, personality, instincts, priorities, and motivations.
** Mostly Normal Animals - basically normal animals that have been given clear thought processes as well as a few human and/or some or several [[All Animals Are Dogs|doglike]] characteristics (greater frequency of uttering sounds, human-like expressions) that still don't retract from their animal-ness. These animals don't talk, not even in [[Animal Talk]]. These animals don't go beyond being able to make human-like arm or hand gestures occasionally. They stay on all four legs if they are four-legged animals. They are between Largely Normal Animal and Almost Normal Animal.
** Almost Normal Animals - basically normal animals that have been given very few human and/or a few [[All Animals Are Dogs|doglike]] characteristics (greater frequency of uttering sounds, human-like expressions) that don't retract from their animal-ness but allow audience not well versed in the way of animal behaviour to understand what's going on in the animal's mind. Can be merely a result of [[Did Not Do the Research]], or completely intended. Like MNAs, these animals don't talk, not even in [[Animal Talk]]. They don't make human-like arm or hand gestures and they stay on all four legs if they're four-legged animals. Mostly seen in works aimed at children.
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Let's start with animals, one of the most common types of anthropomorphism. [[Anthropomorphic Animal|Anthropomorphic Animals]] cover a vast ground ranging from animals with a few human-like characteristics to humans with a few animal-like characteristics:
 
[[Beast Fable|Beast Fables]] feature animals that range somewhere between [[Largely Normal Animal|Largely Normal Animals]]/[[Speech -Impaired Animal|Speech Impaired Animals]]/[[Talking Animal|Talking Animals]] and [[Petting Zoo People]]. These are [[Older Than Dirt]], which means, in the oldest versions, it's hard to tell if the original teller saw actual animals as equal to people, or saw them as humanoid versions of animals; a character may behave as a human one minute and a [[Talking Animal]] the next.
 
== Sliding Scale of Animal Body Type Anthropomorphism ==
* '''Body Type 1: [[Little Bit Beastly]]:''' They are characters who appear virtually human and have completely human skin, but feature the added characteristics of an animal's [[Unusual Ears|ears]], tail, and sometimes claws, [[Horned Humanoid|horns]], [[Cute Little Fangs]]. The special abilities and/or instincts of that animal may also be present. Unlike Type 2, this type has a completely human nose. There are two types of [[Little Bit Beastly]], Kemonomimi and Gijinka. Kemonomimi look like (or basically are) humans, but have the added characteristics of an animal's [[Unusual Ears|ears]] and tail. Gijinka also look like humans that have the added characteristics of an animal's [[Unusual Ears|ears]] and tail, but they are regarded as ''actual'' creatures or animals. [[Catgirl|Cat Girls]] are a good example of this Type.
 
* '''Body Type 2: Borderline [[Little Bit Beastly]]:''' They have a animal-accented human face and body frame with the animal's ears, nose, tail (where applicable), markings, and sometimes fur, feathers, or scales. They have a nearly human-shaped head and little or no semblance of their species' muzzle. If they are a bird, they have the beak or bill respective to their species that is small regardless of their species on an otherwise human-shaped head. Unlike many [[Petting Zoo People]] (Type 3), their hands and feet look basically like animal-accented human hands and feet respectively. They usually have [[Non -Mammal Mammaries|human-like breasts]] and usually have humanlike (often stylable) hair (or feathers if a bird) on their heads, whether male or female.
 
* '''Body Type 3: [[Petting Zoo People]]''': They resemble an animal's head and tail (where applicable) placed on an animal accented human body frame. They have either a completely animal-shaped head, a largely animal-shaped head, or a half human/half animal-shaped head. They have the muzzle, beak, or bill of their respective species. They can have feet that are [[Humanlike Foot Anatomy|either plantigrade or digitigrade (or unguligrade if a hoofed animal)]] and usually keep the shape of that of their respective species. They usually possess [[Non -Mammal Mammaries|human-like breasts]]. A more anthropomorphic variant can have a mostly or nearly human-shaped head with the animal's ears, and muzzle, beak, or bill, animal-accented human hands, and have human-proportioned, plantigrade feet that are either human-shaped or shaped like that of their species. A [[Furry Female Mane|female will often have humanlike, styleable hair (or feathers if a bird) on her head]], though males with similarly humanlike hair (or feathers if a bird) is also common. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not exclusive to this type and can sometimes be found on Types 4, 5, and even 6.
 
* '''Body Type 4: Borderline [[Petting Zoo People]]:''' Their bodies look partly humanoid and partly like their species, often they have either humanoid legs and non-humanoid torso, a humanoid torso and non-humaniod legs, or look semi-humanoid all over. Like Type 5, they walk on two legs for at least a good part of the time. Also like Type 5, naturally quadrupedal animals can walk on two legs and on all fours equally well, especially if they are of the humanoid torso/non-humaniod legs type or the semi-humanoid all over type. They can have [[Humanlike Foot Anatomy|either digitigrade or plantigrade feet]], and they sometimes have [[Non -Mammal Mammaries|human-like breasts]]. Humanlike, styleable head hair (or head feathers if a bird) is not uncommon to this type.
 
* '''Body Type 5: [[Funny Animal]]/[[Civilized Animal]] Body Type Animals:''' Like Type 6, they have a body that is generally shaped like that of their respective species, except that they are [[Four Legs Good Two Legs Better|bipedal even if their species is not naturally so]]. They walk on two legs for at least a good part of the time. Naturally quadrupedal animals can walk on two legs just as well as they can on all fours in this form. They can either stand with their legs straight (standard [[Funny Animal]]/[[Civilized Animal]] body type pose), sit up on their haunches (depending on the species in question), or stand with their knuckles on the ground (if a monkey or ape). There is a more anthropomophic variant that has this basic body type, but has human proportioned arms and legs to body. They can have [[Humanlike Foot Anatomy|either digitigrade or plantigrade feet]]. Birds (almost always) have [[Feather Fingers]], and their wings can look completely like wings or look like arms to varying degrees. They very seldomly have [[Non -Mammal Mammaries|human-like breasts]]. [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]], [[Civilized Animal|Civilized Animals]], and a few [[Largely Normal Animal|Largely Normal Animals]], [[Speech -Impaired Animal|Speech Impaired Animals]], [[Talking Animal|Talking Animals]], and [[Partially -Civilized Animal|Partially Civilized Animals]] are of this body type.
 
* '''Body Type 6: Animalistic Animals:''' Animals that have the general body shape and proportions like their respective species and move around the way their species would move around in [[Real Life]]. Naturally four-legged animals stay on all fours for the most part; rarely walking on two legs and (usually) not able to walk that way as well as they can on all fours. They can sit up on their haunches (depending on the species in question), stand with their knuckles on the ground (if a monkey or ape), or stand with a typical four-legged stance. Many of them are capable of performing feats that their [[Real Life]] physiology generally wouldn't allow, like grasping objects as if they have opposable thumbs or a prehensile tail and being able to make human-like arm and hand gestures, while others are not. Birds can have [[Feather Fingers]], but their wings have to look completely like wings. The majority of [[Speech -Impaired Animal|Speech Impaired Animals]], [[Talking Animal|Talking Animals]], and [[Partially -Civilized Animal|Partially Civilized Animals]], and most [[Nearly -Normal Animal|Nearly Normal Animals]] are of this body type.
 
 
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In many works, especially older works and even in newer works, insects and arachnids (mostly spiders, not so much other arachnids) are drawn in a fashion that makes them look at least somewhat vertebrate-like, especially of the mammalian persuasion.
 
Anthropomorphism of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and other animals is staightforward; you give them human mannerisms, emotions, [[Talking Animal|speech capabilities]], and [[Petting Zoo People|even body shape]], but usually keep their basic head shape. But with insects and arachnids, you not only give them human mannerisms, emotions, speech capabilities, and body shape, you also give them human-like, mammal-like, and other otherwise vertebrate-like facial and bodily features even when they're supposed to be [[Nearly -Normal Animal|completely or mostly normal insects or arachnids]] in their world. When insects and arachnids are anthropomorphized even slightly, they are drawn with more mammalian traits and fewer traits that would show up on a real insect or arachnid.
 
Usually, this is to make insects and arachnids resemble humans to varying degrees to make them easier to sympathize with. The fact that they have other mammalian and other vertebrate-like facial and bodily traits, like vaguely dog-shaped noses, is a side effect of this.
 
Insect and arachnid protagonists are almost always heavily anthropomorphized to make them sympathetic. After all, bugs look bizzarre from a human standpoint, so it's [[What Measure Is a Non -Cute?|more-or-less impossible to like them when they're drawn realistically]].
 
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* [[Human Aliens]] - Aliens that look just like people. They may look a ''little'' different, they might have [[Bizarre Alien Biology]], or super advanced technology, or some form of superpowers, but no person would be able to tell the difference. [[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]] is a good example.
* [[Rubber Forehead Aliens]] - The human-like extraterrestrial equivalent of [[Humanoid Animals]]. These guys have only one or two major characteristics that makes them different from humans. They might [[Justified Trope|justify]] this by saying that they have a common ancestor with or are somehow descended from humans. This usually comes from [[Coconut Superpowers|budget limitations]], so you are more likely to see this in live action than in animation. Most ''[[Star Trek]]'' races, such as Klingons, are a good example.
** [[Green -Skinned Space Babe]] - Alien as [[Cute Monster Girl]]. She may be slightly physically different from an Earthling.
** [[Intelligent Gerbil|Intelligent Gerbils]] and other [[Petting Zoo People]] - This is where they would go on the Alien-specific scale, as they are still human-like enough.
* [[Little Green Men]] - Not often seen in modern fiction. These guys are usually less humanlike in appearance, but still retain humanlike personality traits. They're even [[Ugly Cute|kind of cute]] sometimes.
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* [[Uncanny Valley]] Robots - Robots which are almost human, but miss the mark in a few key places, causing people to pick up on the "devil in the details" and regard them as just plain ''[[Nightmare Fuel|creepy]]''. It is harder to depict these kinds of characters in animation due to the stylization that comes with it.
* Android robots - Robots which have humanlike body type, but are obviously mechanical in nature. Examples include all kinds of [[Humongous Mecha|mechs]], 90% of [[Transformers]] and ASIMO.
** [[Fem BotFemBot|Fembots]] - These are specific android robots that are designed to be female.
* [[Tin Can Robot]] - Robot with a round or cylindrical body. Usually not painted and with clearly seen bolts.
* [[Robot Buddy]] - Robots with characteristics of humans or animals, usually with animal-like or human-like (but not [[Uncanny Valley|too humanlike]]) body shape. Examples include R2-D2 from ''[[Star Wars]]''.
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* [[Planimal]]: A plant-''animal'' hybrid.
* [[Wise Tree]]: A talking tree.
* [[Man -Eating Plant]]: Plants that are vicious and will attack, may overlap with [[Planimal]].
* [[When Trees Attack]]: Like the above, but instead are basically just trees. May include a face and have branches for arms, roots for legs and leaves for hair, but doesn't truly look like anything in the Animal Kingdom.
 
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