Spoiled Brat: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

Some kids can get [[All Take and No Give|whatever they want by screaming at their parents]] until they give in. "I want a pony" is one common demand of these types.

 

 

On the other hand, since [[Children Are Innocent]], the cause may be their parents' treatment of them, whether [[Parental Abandonment|neglect]] or being a too [[Doting Parent]]. (To be fair, if the parents put their collective foot down, the child would have to change.) Removing them to more natural circumstances may cure them entirely, unlike adults of similar personality. Many a [[Magical Nanny]] specializes in it. This is especially likely if the parents lavish the material goods on them [[Parental Abandonment|in place of affection or attention]]; any [[Parental Substitute]] may bring the child back to good manners by providing attention and discipline, and often wins the heart of the child that way, to the shock of parents, who may complain, "But we give him ''everything''." The older the child is, the less likely this is to happen. In extreme cases, may be the result (or result in) an [[All Take and No Give]] relationship with their parents.

This often leaves the kid [[Rich in Dollars, Poor In Sense]].

 

 

Compare with [[Egocentrically Religious]], who has this attitude towards God and the universe rather than towards father and the local community. Also compare with [[Idle Rich]]. Contrast [[Non-Idle Rich]], [[Spoiled Sweet]], [[Lonely Rich Kid]].

{{examples}}

 

* At first it appears that Chiko, the main character of ''[[The Daughter of Twenty Faces]]'', plays this type straight to form. Then we find out {{spoiler|she has [[Perfect Poison|a good reason]] to put up the act that she does.}} After this the trope is subverted as she practically tries too hard to contribute and be nice to her new "family".

* Papirurio from ''[[Gash Bell]]''. His partner Lupa gives him what he wants because he's the [[Replacement Goldfish]] for her dead son.

* In ''[[Spirited Away]]'', [[My Beloved Smother|Yubaba thoroughly indulges and overprotects]] her baby, who is self-centered and cowardly. {{spoiler|When he is transformed into a mouse and his mother does not recognize him, he goes with Chihiro, becoming her friend, and on their return, shows his mother that he can stand on his own and demands that she be nice to Chihiro.}}

** And Shutarō's sister is just as much of a brat; she's just less pompous and more sadistic.

** Three times. Shun Mitaka from ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'' is a more realistic version of Mendō ([[Akira Kamiya|same voice actor]], [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|similar phobia issues]]), who is a "club pro" tennis coach/playboy.

** Shippo from ''[[Inuyasha]]'' isn't exactly a model of behavior himself.

** Even ten years into the future, as much as he's thought to be less of a douchebag than before, he's still ridiculously spoiled and rotten tempered. Most notably [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kateikyoushi_hitman_reborn/c220/12.html the "beef incident" here], where he beat the crap out of a bunch of underlings because he '''wanted to eat beef''', and it had to be the best quality, and it '''had''' to be filleted, and '''how do they expect him to eat this shit'''?!

** Hibari shows signs of being this, as well. Anything he wants, he ''gets''. Or heads will roll. And the [[Absurdly Powerful Student Council]] doesn't exactly discourage his train of thought - they're pretty much his personal servants that help do anything (including some ''very'' morally ambiguous things) he wants. And just look at his reaction to when [[Combat Pragmatist|Mukuro]] beat him in a fight - he becomes obsessed with completely annihilating him, since he absolutely ''hates'' the idea of ever losing to someone. The only thing about Hibari, however, is that he really ''does'' have [[Insufferable Genius|the strength and genius to justify his haughty, spoilt, stuffy attitude]].

* Scarlett O'Hara from ''[[Steamboy]]''. She's insufferably spoilt for a 14-year-old, which is the result of having five "mothers" (a.k.a. servants) who go through the "motherly" motions for her. She matures quite a bit during the movie and the ending credits implies she stopped being a spoilt girl and became a haughty but independant woman.

* A good fraction of all the plots in ''[[Detective Conan]]'' have this in grown-up form. They either get murdered or end up being the reason why someone was murdered in the first place.

* Subverted in ([[Dysfunction Junction|what else?]]) ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Asuka initially appears to be this... until it's revealed that she's doing it on purpose to alienate others because she's suffering from abandonment issues; there's been no-one around in her life to spoil her.

* Garma Zabi is portrayed as this in ''Gundam: The Origin'', an alternate retelling of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]''. He whines about Char getting all the glory and pesters his more prominent family members into giving him a combat posting so he can earn some fame for himself... '''after''' complaining about looking like the "baby" of the Zabi family. It should be noted, however, that this is an [[Alternate Character Interpretation]] that clashes with Garma's canon personality from the original anime.

* In ''[[Wild Rock]]'', Nava is absolutely spoiled rotten by his [[Doting Parent|dad and uncles]], gets into everything and has the attention span of a fruit fly

* In ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'', Kiki after befriending an elderly lady helps her deliver a fried fish cake for her granddaughter's birthday, something that her granddaughter likes. Battling through a storm, Kiki arrives and meets the granddaughter who only turned up her nose that her grandmother got her another one of those fish cakes and barely gives a thanks to the soaking wet Kiki. Though there are arguable [[Pet the Dog]] moments showing she isn't all that. She actually doesn't protest when her friends compliment Kiki's independence and shown to befriend Kiki by the epilogue.

 

* Of course, [[Viz]] magazine's eponymous ''[[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Spoilt Bastard]]'' Timmy Timpson. In every strip he bullies and emotionally abuses his rather weak-willed mother, [[Never My Fault|blaming her for whatever problem he's caused]] (and what's more she always believes it's truly her fault) and leading her to spend money she doesn't have to cater to her son's every whim. In one old strip he pretended to be sick to get out of school and kept implying that it was his mother's fault. The doctor then tells Timmy's mother that ''There's nothing wrong with your son that a good smack on the bottom wouldn't cure!''. In the annual he runs away from home because his mother put two sugars on his Weetabix when "She knows!" that he only has one and three quarter sugars.

 

* Princess Vespa in ''[[Spaceballs]]''. Her car's license plate even reads "Spoiled Rotten". Case in point: "My industrial strength hairdryer. AND I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT!"

* Child star Darla Dimple in ''[[Cats Don't Dance]]'' is this to insane levels, demanding that she be given everything she wants and be focused on 100% of the time. How she got this way is never addressed, since she [[Parental Abandonment|doesn't seem to have parents]].

* Eric Bates in ''[[The Toy]]''.

* The meaning behind the title of ''[[The House of Yes]]''. The character of Jackie was so spoiled that the word "no" was simply never spoken in their household.

 

* Another male example: [[Harry Potter|Draco Malfoy]] shows symptoms of this, and his parents don't seem inclined to put any limits on his behavior.

** Similarly, Dudley Dursley, although [[Eviler Than Thou|he's tame compared to Draco]]. Whereas Dudley just likes to beat up Harry (until the seventh book, anyway), Draco actually wants him dead.

** Draco is a subversion in a way though, as although he gets the best of everything it's often hinted that it's just another way for his father to show off his influence. Several scenes throughout the book show him getting very snippy when he thinks his son is acting... inelegantly.

* In ''[[The Secret Garden]]'', both Colin and Mary are this, at first. But Mary was ignored by her mother and Colin by his father, and playmates and exposure to garden and the wild cure them.

* ''Captains Courageous'' has Harvey Cheyne, a thoroughly spoiled brat who gets it worked out of him when he is swept overboard at sea and has to spend much of the summer on a fishing boat as part of the crew.

* Soraya in the [[Farsala Trilogy]]. She's fifteen, but we first meet her when she's having a temper tantrum in her room, which involves throwing things at servants. Luckily, [[Character Development|she grows out of it]].

* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[The Golden Oecumene|The Golden Transcedence]]'', Atkins complains about having to rely on a "spoiled rich man's son" to rescue humanity. Phaethon is actually not spoiled. Just very, very, very pig-headed.

* Camille in ''[[Therese Raquin]]'' was cosseted so much as a child, that he's completely intolerable to everyone but his mother. She of course thinks he's the best son ever.

 

* London Tipton from ''[[The Suite Life of Zack and Cody]]''.

* Dakota Condor from ''[[Sonny With a Chance]]''. Even worse, she will fire anyone on a whim if she doesn't get what she wants from the person.

** Which may be part of the reason he's so reluctant to spend time with them, even moreso than the other characters and their respective relatives.

* Stingy from ''[[LazyTown]]'' is so spoiled, he believes that ''everything he sees'' belongs to him. He even has a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX5sIRop-M0 song about it]:

They’re mine, mine, mine, mine, mine"'' }}

* Renee of the '90s BBC series ''[[Chef]]'' Her father, the nouveau riche owner of Chateau Anglais, makes Gareth take her on to work in the kitchen even though she can't even chop a carrot, and she whines, complains and generally throws a fit any time she's expected to actually do anything.

* Daughter of the Rich Bellamys, Elizabeth, from the 1970's BBC series ''[[Upstairs, Downstairs]]''. She often has stints of protesting for social reforms for the poor and women, yet treats her "friend" and servant, Rose, like dirt. She often complains of having a horrible life, being so rich and having nothing to do, and saying how great Rose has it. Including right after the episode where {{spoiler|Elizabeth got Rose sent to jail by accident, where she was starved and tortured,}} and then sent back to work like nothing happened.

* Scarlett from ''[[SLiDE]]''.

 

 

* Some versions of [[Classical Mythology|Artemis]] have her as the spoiled brat of which all others are shadows. Namely when she asks Zeus for presents, he one ups each request!

** On the other hand, Artemis is definitely an [[Action Girl]]. That uber-special silver bow that Zeus had custom-made for her? She uses ''one arrow to '''kill a city of criminals'''.''

** Zeus pretty much acts like a spoiled brat too. He beds any woman he likes, regardless of her wishes, which always lands said woman in trouble with Hera. He gets away with whatever he wants to do and his wrath when angered puts him in [[Psychopathic Manchild]] territory.

 

* In ''The Insect Play'', the ichneumon larva doesn't like the several freshly killed crickets her Daddy brings her every day.

 

* Mint from ''[[Threads of Fate]]'' is a very spoiled princess.

* The spoiled brat in the auction house in ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' is the number one reason you never get to have any model airships or talking chocobos.

* Remilia Scarlet is considered ''[[Touhou]]'''s poster child for a spoiled brat. A 500+ year old vampire with a perpetually 11-year old temperment and a [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]] for a head maid. What Remilia wants, Remilia gets.

* Recurring [[NPC]] Flambeaux from ''[[City of Heroes]]'' is utterly self-centered and unconcerned about anything that doesn't directly affect her. She became a superhero ''solely'' for the attention and adulation she expected she'd receive. And when she didn't get as much as she thought was her due, she became a ''villain'' and started terrorizing journalists into publishing worshipful articles about her.

* It's a major flaw in [[Tales of the Abyss|Luke]]'s character until {{spoiler|he becomes [[The Atoner]]}}. It was so bad that all the other characters were surprised when they each first heard him say "Thank You."

 

* Isheil (Breshen's daughter) in [[Juathuur]]. She drinks a small dose of poison because her father won't come to her birthday. {{spoiler|And dies in agony.}}

 

* Ami, from ''[[Sailor Nothing]]''. This bit of characterization doesn't get added until later chapters, just in time to receive a horrific comeuppance for a minor slight.

 

* Angelica Pickles of ''[[Rugrats]]''.

* Paulina from ''[[Danny Phantom]]''.

* Sara from ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'' certainly qualifies.

** Timmy has been sometimes said to be one [[Recycled in Space|WITH MAGIC]] by the fanbase during seasons 4-6.

* Elisabeth Delmas, a.k.a. Sissi (yes, that is indeed her nickname) from ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', whose father is the headmaster of Kadic Academy, where she and the rest of the heroes go to school.

** She actually started out [[Spoiled Sweet]] (and {{spoiler|ends that way too}}), her obnoxious personality was largely an [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|inadverdant result of the heroes' behavior.]]

* Lemongrab of ''[[Adventure Time]]'' definitely counts. If he doesn't get what he wants (be it a reasonable or unreasonable demand), SOMEBODY is going in the dungeon. There are many reasons for his sour personality (mental illness, stupidity, immaturity), but he was raised in a castle in which everything was handed to him. That probably didn't help him much, in the long run.

** Spoiled, yes maybe, but subverted in that she's [[Spoiled Sweet|not actually much of a brat]].

* Male example: there's a bratty boy named Gavin who sometimes appears on ''[[The Simpsons]]'', bawling out his mother if she displays any reluctance to cater to his latest whim.

* The Love Mummy in ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'' threatens anyone who doesn't give it what it wants with a curse. However, the real curse is that the mummy is a socially inept spoiled brat with no manners.

* Eric Cartman of ''[[South Park]]''. Here's one of his milder examples:

'''Cartman:''' *smiles* }}

* ''[[American Dad]]'': Roger is referred to as a spoiled brat a few times in one episode, and he and Stan tend to embody this trope whenever enabled, usually by Francine.

* Jeremy Creek in ''[[The Town Santa Forgot]]'': He Starts out spoiled until his parents stop buying him toys, he then gets the idea of writing a HUGE christmas list to Santa but {{spoiler|all the toys he wanted went to a town with his name, thus seeing the selfishness of his ways, he decides to reform, and therefore becomes generous}}

** Muffy Crosswire even moreso.

*** At least Muffy isn't a TOTAL brat, unlike D.W. Muffy actually learns from her spoiled ways. And just because D.W.'s only four-five years old doesn't mean that's a good enough excuse for all the times she's tormented Arthur.

* Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'', an [[Alpha Bitch]] duo whose names sum up their Cutie Marks. In the MLP universe, your Cutie Mark defines what you're best at; thus, these two are destined to be little more than rich bitches.

** However, later episodes started hinting that Silver Spoon is more of a "lackey" who only [[Jerkass Facade|acts like a bitch because of Diamond's influence]], and has shown hints of a [[Hidden Heart of Gold]]. And if one looks close, there is a heart in the handle of the spoon that is her Cutie Mark...

** As of now, it's just that episode though. he [[Took a Level In Kindness]] later on.

 

[[Category:Rich People]]

[[Category:Princess Tropes]]

[[Category:Son of Trope, Daughter of Index]]