History Main / NationalAnimalStereotypes

In media, especially in WorldOfFunnyAnimals settings, certain animal species are often associated with a country or an ethnic group, and will be portrayed as NationalStereotypes. Sometimes they will just have the accent, sometimes they will play up the positive or negative stereotypes associated with that nation (the latter often leading to UnfortunateImplications). Occasionally the animal is portrayed as the pet of a human who is a walking {{National Stereotype|s}} (in this case, the animal doesn't need to be anthropomorphized). The animals could be wild animals actually native to the country or domestic animals that are primarily bred there, or chosen to be a national mascot or appear in the country's coat of arms. Alternatively, the AnimalStereotypes associated with the species may simply be similar to the NationalStereotypes associated with the country. Two warring nations can be portrayed as two animal species whose AnimalJingoism reflects the real-life jingoism between the countries. DogStereotype and CatStereotype can come into play, if particular breeds are portrayed as national stereotypes. Often overlaps with SpaceJews.

PoliticalCartoons, like the one pictured, especially like this trope, representing the various countries as anthropomorphic animals.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short ''Herr Meets Hare'', a Herman Goering caricature has a Dachshund hunting dog.

'''Camels''' are common domestic animals in various Middle Eastern countries, therefore they will often be portrayed as Middle Eastern (either Arabian or Israeli) stereotypes. '''Goats''', '''donkeys''' and occasionally '''sheep''' will also be portrayed as Middle Eastern, as these species are often bred there as livestock.

* The Lion and the Unicorn from ''Literature/ThroughTheLookingGlass'' are the animals from the United Kingdom's coat of arms, representing England and Wales.

England is most often associated with several breeds of dogs: the '''English Bulldog''', the '''Corgi''', the '''Beagle''' and the '''Old English Sheepdog'''. The bulldog's unique facial structure invokes the StiffUpperLip stereotype, the Corgi got famous as the pet of [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth II]], the Beagle is associated with the traditional fox hunts, and the Old English Sheepdog has, well, "English" in its name. The royal family of England will also often be portrayed as '''lions''', partly because of the KingOfBeasts stereotype and partly because the lion in the Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. The city of London is also associated with '''ravens''' due to the real-life ravens living in the Tower of London. Scotland has the '''Scottish Terrier''' and the '''Scottish Deerhound''' as typical dog breeds, both will be portrayed speaking with a Scottish accent and occasionally fitting the BraveScot or the ViolentGlaswegian stereotype. The latter will occasionally be confused with Ireland's national dog breed, the '''Irish Wolfhound''' (as [[ScotIreland the two countries are often confused with each other in media]]). '''Rough Collies''' also originate from Scotland, and will occasionally be portrayed as Scottish. Wales, on the other hand, is most often associated with '''sheep''' (sometimes leading to BestialityIsDepraved jokes), or their national animal, the '''unicorn'''.

Due to SmallReferencePools, the countries not mentioned above are rarely depicted in media. Switzerland may occasionally show up, portrayed as YodelLand; '''bears''' may be represented as Swiss due to being the country's heraldic animal, '''goats''' because they are found in alpine areas, and out of the dog breeds, '''Bernese Mountain Dogs''' or '''St. Bernards''', as they originate from the country where they were bred as rescue dogs. Most Eastern European countries get the {{Ruritania}} treatment in media, lacking a clear animal stereotype. '''Wolves''' might be portrayed as coming from this area due to {{Uberwald}}'s association with werewolves. European Jews will occasionally be portrayed as mice, especially when paired with Nazi (or otherwise anti-semitic) [[CatsAreMean cats]]. Gypsies will occasionally be portrayed as '''gypsy moths''', as a play on the name of the species (the gypsy moth originates from North America and is considered a pest in Europe).

[[caption-width-right:300:Spot all the national animals![[note]]Clockwise from the top-left corner: USA Bald Eagle, Russian Bear, French Rooster, German Eagle, British Lion, Italian Wolf, Austrian Two-Headed Eagle, Chinese Dragon and Japanese Leopard.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:Spot all the national animals![note]Clockwise from the top-left corner: USA Bald Eagle, Russian Bear, French Rooster, German Eagle, British Lion, Italian Wolf, Austrian Two-Headed Eagle, Chinese Dragon and Japanese Leopard.[/note] ]]

[[caption-width-right:300:Spot all the national animals![note]Clockwise from the top-left corner: USA Bald Eagle, Russian Bear, French Rooster, German Eagle, British Lion, Italian Wolf, Austrian Two-Headed Eagle, Chinese Dragon and Japanese Leopard.[/note]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:Spot all the national animals!]]

* Fu Dog from ''WesternAnimation/JakeLongAmericanDragon'' is a Shar-pei who is peers with the Chinese-American dragon.

In media, Sub-Saharan Africa will usually be portrayed as [[{{Bulungi}} one country]]. A lot of iconic species are associated with the continent, such as lions, elephants and giraffes, but these animals, despite being the most commonly depicted animals in media, will rarely be portrayed as African stereotypes. '''Zebras''' seem to be commonly portrayed as African, though, particularly when contrasted to European / American horses. Centaurs whose top part is an African person tend to have a zebra as their bottom part. Occasionally, '''rhinos''', '''cape buffaloes''' and '''gorillas''' well be portrayed as the ScaryBlackMan stereotype, due to their menacing appearance, and, in the case of the latter two, black fur. '''Hippos''', if their African heritage is acknowledged, might be portrayed as a SassyBlackWoman.

Germany is associated with its heraldic animal, a black feathered '''eagle'''. The dog breeds associated with Germany are the '''Dachshund''', the '''Dobermann pinscher''', and sometimes the '''German Shepard'''; the latter two will often be portrayed as {{Angry Guard Dog}}s, playing up the "Germans are strict, humorless people" stereotype. Citizens of Nazi Germany will be often portrayed as '''cats''', since CatsAreMean, especially when paired with Jewish [[AnimalJingoism mice]]. The city of Berlin is often associated with '''bears''', due to the animal being in the coat of arms in the city.

[[AC:Litareture]]

'''Bears''' (both brown and polar) are commonly chosen to represent Russia are big and strong, thus ideal for the HuskyRusskie and the MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong stereotypes. Also BearsAreBadNews, and during the ColdWar, Russia was certainly bad news for the Western world. A bear was originally featured on the coat of arms of Novgorod, a "feudal republic" in the Northwestern part of Russia, that was first politically subdued and then conquered and absorbed by the Russian grand prince Ivan III in the XV century. Since then, the official Russian heraldic symbol was a Byzantine two-headed eagle, but most foreigners still associate it with bears -- and these days, so do many of the Russians, including leaders of the ruling party. Thus, in political cartoons, Russia (and earlier, the USSR and the Russian Empire) is often depicted as a bear. Less frequently, the '''Siberian Tiger''' will also be portrayed as a Russian stereotype, as they are native to Russia and their size and strength also fits the HuskyRusskie stereotype. Out of the dog breeds, the '''Siberian Husky''' may be portrayed as a literal HuskyRusskie.

UsefulNotes/AustralianWildlife provides us a high number of interesting species that are associated with the LandDownUnder, the most common ones being '''kangaroos''' and '''koalas''' (the former being common enough to have [[KangaroosRepresentAustralia their own subtrope]]), and occasionally '''crocodiles''' and '''dingos'''. These animals will usually be portrayed with a heavy Aussie accent and often fitting the AwesomeAussie stereotype. Surprisingly, despite their popularity, the '''[[EverythingsBetterWithPlatypi platypus]]''' is rarely acknowledged to be an Australian species. Some Australian states and territories have their own Animal stereotypes Queensland has the '''Cane Toad''' and (along with the Northern Territory, the crocodile, South Australia has the '''Crow''', Tasmania the '''Tasmanian Devil''' and the '''Thylacine''' (a.k.a. Tasmanian Tiger) and Western Australia the '''Black Swan''', which was first discovered in what is now known as the Swan River, Perth's main watercourse.

* The Swedish comic strip ''Halge'' stars an anthropomorphic moose.

The association of the French and '''frogs''' probably comes from the fact that frog legs are part of the French cuisine, thus foreigners (especially the British) tend to mockingly call them frog-eaters or simply [[YouAreWhoYouEat frogs]]. Sometimes they just have a French accent (or use GratuitousFrench), sometimes they are outright {{French Jerk}}s, in line with their slimy appearance. If they are BewitchedAmphibians, they may attempt to invoke EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench to get the kiss that turns them back. '''Snails''', being also part of the French cuisine, may also be portrayed as French stereotypes. Occasionally, '''roosters''' will also be portrayed as French, since the Gaul Rooster is their national animal. Out of the dog breeds, '''Poodles''' will most often be portrayed as French - although the breed originated in Germany, their puffy fur resembles the wigs that French people used to wear in the past. Plus the poodle is a popular MisterMuffykins breed which could be appropriate for a FashionVictimVillain, France being known for being a country "á-la-mode". Despite the trope name CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys, French are hardly ever portrayed as monkeys.

** Furfrou is poodle based on the French word "froufrou" (puff) and is InUniverse one of the favorite Pokemon of this region. Its fur is also customizable which is reminiscing of the real-life poodles being sometime made "fashionable" by their masters.

The association of the French and '''frogs''' probably comes from the fact that frog legs are part of the French cuisine, thus foreigners (especially the British) tend to mockingly call them frog-eaters or simply [[YouAreWhoYouEat frogs]]. Sometimes they just have a French accent (or use GratuitousFrench), sometimes they are outright {{French Jerk}}s, in line with their slimy appearance. If they are BewitchedAmphibians, they may attempt to invoke EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench to get the kiss that turns them back. '''Snails''', being also part of the French cuisine, may also be portrayed as French stereotypes. Occasionally, '''roosters''' will also be portrayed as French, since the Gaul Rooster is their national animal. Out of the dog breeds, '''Poodles''' will most often be portrayed as French - although the breed originated in Germany, their puffy fur resembles the wigs that French people used to wear in the past. Plus the poodle is a popular MisterMuffykins breed which could be appropriate for a FashionVictimVillain, France being known for being a country "a -la-mode". Despite the trope name CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys, French are hardly ever portrayed as monkeys.

I reworked my original YKTTW FrenchFrogs to cover all animal - country associations. I saved many examples from [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=i7jcv29d183ywwd2i3odt4zc this]] older YKTTW.

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