Weasel Mascot: Difference between revisions

[[File:yuuno01.jpg|link=Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha|frame|Cheer up, <s>Weasel kid</s> Ferret Boy!]]

 

 

The weasel (or ferret) is a cute, mischievous, playful mascot who nonetheless looks out mainly for himself and can be very critical of people around him. He's nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is, and swears up and down he doesn't have to be fussed over. Until he wants to be, and frankly he's not about to turn down free food or attention if it's offered.

 

 

A major benefit of the Weasel personality is that it largely reflects the behavior of the real animal. This personality also applies to many positive cat depictions, especially in Japan where cats are hugely popular. The Weasel can make a good [[Deadpan Snarker|ironic deadpan snarker]], without the [[Cats Are Mean|nasty or untrustworthy streak]] westerners associate with the Cat. (Anyone who knows [[Wicked Weasel|how weasels fare in older Western works]] should appreciate the ''deep'' irony of the previous sentence, but hey, times change.)

 

 

* Uzume the ferret in ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]''.

* Kero-chan in ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]''

** He would like to remind you [[Insistent Terminology|he's an ermine]], thank you very much.

** {{spoiler|There is a specific punishment for mages in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]!'': temporary transformation into an ermine. It is never stated directly, but some lines may imply that Chamo-kun did undergo such a penalty. Nevertheless, Chamo-kun always claims he is a regular ermine and mentions about his ermine family. He also revealed that he was banned from his home country for [[Panty Thief|stealing panties]] from his girl ermine companions. This may be somewhat true. Just don't [[Internet Backdraft|try to make a definite claim]].}}

*** [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|What? But he]] [[Tear Jerker|stole them to build a warm nest]] [[Blatant Lies|for his sister...]]

* Rafra from ''[[Infinite Ryvius]]''.

** In its first appearance, Buizel was the mascot of the traveling troupe in ''[[Pokémon Ranger and The Temple of The Sea]]'' and was the most prominent Pokémon until Manaphy appeared.

** Oshawott is the new mustelid on the team in ''Black and White''.

* ''[[Popotan]]'' has Unagi, who also turns into an Anthropomorphic kemonomimi. Ironically, despite being the likely cause of the surge in ferrets-as-anime-characters, Unagi is actually a [http://japan-animals.blogspot.com/2007/06/hondo-stoat.html Hondo Stoat], a close relative to the ferret with rather distinct winter markings and a nebulous connection to faeries and magic in folklore.

* Einstein the ferret in ''[[Alien from the Darkness]]'', whose main hobbies appear to be searching for fish and molesting its female owner.

 

* Weasel, the techie/hacker sidekick from the mainstream comic ''[[Deadpool]]''. Not an actual weasel, but merely a man of shifty moral integrity who has his own weasel-head logo. Exists to get Deadpool both in and out of trouble.

* Spip, ''[[Spirou and Fantasio]]'''s snarky squirrel.

 

* ''[[Guardians of Pokémon]]'' has a pair of these, Jupei and Ki. This is not surprising as the author has stated that the fic was inspired by [[Rule of Three|three]] anime: ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' (of course), ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', and ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]''.

 

* Kodo and Podo (aka "The Weasel Hankies") from ''[[The Beastmaster]]'' are a ferret duo that aid the main character Dar on his quests.

* ''[[Along Came Polly]]'' features a pet ferret that often appeared in promotional material, despite having very few scenes in the movie.

* Mr. Kimble has a pet ferret ([[Arnold Schwarzenegger|pronounced "fyeuwr-it"]]) that he uses to calm down his class in ''[[Kindergarten Cop]]''. Said ferret even saves his hide by putting a well-timed bite on the [[Big Bad]] in the climactic showdown.

 

* The weasels, ferrets, and stoats in ''[[The Wind in the Willows]]'' are loud and boisterous and take over Toad Hall, but they serve mostly as [[Anti Role Model|anti role models]]; in Terry Jones's (yes, ''[[Monty Python|that]]'' Terry Jones) [[The Film of the Book|film version]] they also serve as the [[Foil]] to Mole.

* In [[Philip Pullman]]'s ''[[His Dark Materials]]'', Lyra's shapeshifting dæmon, Pantalaimon, often takes the shape of a weasel; he settles as a {{spoiler|[[wikipedia:Pine Marten|Pine Marten.]]}}

** Mr. Weasley's Patronus is a weasel.

** [[Ladies and Germs]], Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret!

* ''[[The Areas of My Expertise]]'': "Let's use my ferret to steal that diamond."

* In [[Spellbent]], Jessie Shimmer's magical familiar is a [[Deadpan Snarker]] ferret named Palimpsest.

 

* The announcer on ''[[Late Night Liars]]'' is a weasel.

* In ''[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]'' an actual weasel supposedly infests Polk Middle School (whose ''official'' mascot is a wolf), and is the bane of the janitor's existence. It turns out to be {{spoiler|[[Monster Is a Mommy|pregnant and looking for a nest]]; it and its young are then adopted as second mascots by the moved janitor}}.

* ''[[The Late Late Show]] with [[Craig Ferguson]]'': "Do we have a [http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WrKY10IR-ng/TLuTrEYzcTI/AAAAAAAANhs/FFkxPmo0a-0/s1600/craig+ferret+1.jpg picture] of me with my ferrets?"

 

* [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s song "Albuquerque" features him being attacked by rabid weasels. Al gets his revenge in "Weasel Stomping Day".

 

 

* Poink on ''[[The Funday Pawpet Show]]'' is sleazy, low down, and basically the show's comedic [[Chew Toy]].

 

* Koppa from ''[[Shiren the Wanderer]]''.

* Daxter, after being turned into an [[Mix and Match Critter|ottsel]], from the ''[[Jak and Daxter]]'' series. While he's not technically a weasel, he ''is'' a combination of two different kinds of mustelid: a weasel and an otter.

* [[Torchlight]] launched with the choice of a dog or a cat as the character's animal partner, but a later official mod added a ferret as a third option.

 

* Corasyn from ''[[Nothing Comes Naturally]]''.

 

* Rufus from ''[[Kim Possible]]'', though actually a naked mole rat.

* ''[[I Am Weasel]]!'''s titular character is, unsurprisingly, a weasel.

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k76IGLi6jWI Weasel Stomping Day] from ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' and [["Weird Al" Yankovic]].

* On the ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode "Paint Misbehavin'", Freddie the Ferret is Launchpad's favorite comic book hero, famed for his "Friend Power."

* An early episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' featured a Chuck E. Cheese [[expy]] called Wally Weasel's, complete with a literal weasel mascot and the slogan "we cram fun down your throat!"

 

* The website [http://www.playitcybersafe.com/ Play It Cyber Safe] has a ferret for its mascot. It gets funny when they start saying piracy is theft when the word "ferret" means "little thief".

* The Queensland Police in Australia are catching some flak due to their new anti-fraud mascot aimed at children: a ferret. Despite a) the previously mentioned meaning of the word, and b) ferrets are ''[[Critical Research Failure|illegal to own in the state of Queensland]]''

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Loyal Animal Companion]]

[[Category:Pet and Animal Companion Tropes]]