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What Measure Is a Non-Cute?: Difference between revisions
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The Coelacanth example can also lead us towards the subtrope [[Prehistoric Monster]], about the whole ''extinct'' animal ensemble, which often receives in media the same treatment as modern-day non-cutes (if not worse).
The [[Uncanny Valley]] is somewhat related, as it was born from the scientific study of this trope. It often cross-pollinates with [[Beauty Equals Goodness]], [[Animal Stereotypes]], [[Carnivore Confusion]], and [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]]. See also [[Ugly Cute]], [[Bat Out of Hell]], [[Bug War]], [[Owl Be Damned]], [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]], [[You Dirty Rat]], and [[
Incidentally, we are very happy to report that since this trope was launched, it turns out that many Tropers [[Freaky Is Cool|have a soft-spot for unpopular creatures]]. And do enjoy the blog [http://endangered-ugly.blogspot.com/ Endangered Ugly Things.]
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{{quote|"[[Tear Jerker|I matter]] ''[[Tear Jerker|because I'm here!]]''"}}
** There was also a ''[[Ranger Rick]]'' book entitled ''The Unhuggables'', and it was all about the animals unfairly affected by this trope, so good on National Wildlife Federation.
* Garry Kilworth's ''[[Welkin Weasels]]'' series subverts this quite frequently. The heroes are weasels, the stoats are mostly [[Anti-Villain|antivillains]], the black rats are [[
* Averted in ''[[James and the Giant Peach]]'' where the only talking animals are [[Big Creepy-Crawlies|giant invertebrates]] such as a centipede, a grasshopper, and a spider. They're all kind to James and become his adoptive family.
** Also note that the movie avoided making them too cute.
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** [[Fridge Logic|But what about cute little veal calves?]]
*** You don't have to look at them while they're alive.
* R. A. Salvatore in the short story "Dark Mirrors" [[Lampshade Hanging|acknowledged]] an element of the Drizzt Do'Urden series's popularity, exploring the different reactions humans have to different [[
* Subverted in numerous works of [[Robin McKinley]], notably the book ''[[Rose Daughter]]'', in which spiders, bats, toads, and hedgehogs play positive roles in the plot.
* There's an in-story instance of this in ''[[The Thief Lord]]'', and applied to humans, strangely. Esther dotes over Bo only because he's a cute, innocent-looking little boy and refuses to take Prosper into her home because he "doesn't look like a teddy bear anymore".
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* ''[[Exalted]]'' subverts this with the various varieties of Beastmen. Most of them tend to be violent barbarians who run around pillaging, raping, and occasionally eating the humans they come across. Most notable in this category are the Wolfmen of the North and Raksi's baby-eating Apemen. However, the Hawkmen and Snakemen of Halta and the [[Our Mermaids Are Different|Sharkmen and Squidmen]] of Luthe are perfectly civilized people. Granted, however, that the little sharkgirl in the comic preceding the Luthe chapter of ''Compass of Terrestrial Directions: West'' was quite adorable.
* ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' does this quite a bit.
** Werewolves and wererats are [[
** Then there are anthromorphic Hyenas, also known as gnolls, which are...well...they have a penchant for enslaving other humanoids, and that's when they're not ''eating'' them (and they have a knack for eating their slaves sooner or later.) Gnolls just do it because they're sadistic - the Monster Manual outright states that "they enjoy intelligent prey because they scream more."
** Depending on the source, gnolls themselves subvert this trope. They're never described as 'good' but they can certainly have more noble aspects to them. The origin story is that Yeenoghu, their demon god fed a pack of demons to mortal hyenas and so gnolls have the two sides to them... demon and hyena. Monsters and Hunters.
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== Video Games ==
* Most of the nonhuman races of ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'' (both are set in Ivalice) are [[Petting Zoo People|animal-like]], and the game uses, averts, and subverts this trope. The crustacean Urutan-Yensa and the goblin-like Baknamy are all hideous and, probably ''not'' coincidentally, [[
** There is one exception each between the Urutan-Yensa and the Bakanamy, one Urutan-Yensa posts a bill (though this doesn't count as an official mark because there was no pub or clan hall to place it in the area the Urutan-Yensa live in) for a Yensa eating Adamantitan. Doing this quest will get you an item that severely weakens the main boss of that area, but the Yensa that posted the bill is executed because their queen doesn't like interacting with outsiders. Within a tough optional area of the game you could find a Bakanamy selling items (he also sold things unattainable anywhere else, including the game's replacement spell for Ultima called Scaythe).
** ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]]'' has Bangaa and ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics A2]]'' adds the Seeq. Both perfectly valid, playable races. The little personality your Bangaa show seem to be [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]. NPC Bangaa, likewise, include degenerate bandits, honorable duelists, duty-driven templars (not the [[Knight Templar|Knight]] variety), jailers...and a mailman. Seeq are still greedy and selfish, but not always excessively so--one is even [[Da Editor]].
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** Only Alpha really comes off as evil; most of the other dogs are pretty much [[Punch Clock Villain|Punch Clock Villains]] who live for praise, treats, and the occasional game of fetch (presumably) from the [[Big Bad]].
* More directly addressed in the short preceding ''Up'', "Partly Cloudy", where a stork in charge of delivering sharks, alligators, porcupines, rams, and electric eels is getting tired of never getting any puppies or kitties. Of course, the main reason is that puppies and kitties don't ''hurt'' as much.
* ''[[Futurama]]: Into the Wild Green Yonder'' zigzagged the hell out of this one. Early in the episode, the Wongs' urban developments threaten to eliminate a species of leech. Leela rescues one, which immediately starts attacking her and trying to drain her blood. She fights it off, nearly kills it, then resuscitates it before the cycle repeats itself. Eventually she ends up caging it, the apparent lesson being that just because an endangered species is ugly and hostile doesn't mean it should be exterminated. Then, mere minutes before the ending it turns out that {{spoiler|this species of leech is the most recent manifestation of an [[
** She does this in several other episodes, like the time she rescued Nibbler from an imploding planet and allowed him to eat all the other rescued animals with no repercussion, all because he was adorable.
** She hated Mr. Peppy, Fry's bone vampire, even though he was actually pretty nice.
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