History Main / PetFadStarter

* Morris the Cat, the 9-Lives cat food mascot, is sometimes cited as a pre-''Garfield'' example of this occurring for orange tabbies.

* Demand for guinea pigs went up significantly for about a year after ''WesternAnimation/GForce'' came out.

* ''Film/{{Jurassic Park}}'' increased the demand for frilled lizards as pets, due to them looking like [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology the portrayal of the dilophosaurus]] in the film.

* The American president Creator/TheodoreRoosevelt helped popularize the Rat Terrier.

** The release of the first sequel, ''Wolf Quest'', nonetheless seems to be responsible for the first wave of wolfaboo culture.

* The ''Franchise/{{Lassie}}'' and ''Lad A Dog'' movies (as well as the ''Series/{{Lassie}}'' TV show) spawned such a demand for collies that pet breeders nearly managed to ruin what had been a really good breed. Even today, there are tons of badly-bred collies with poor health and the brains of an ice cube.

When the appearance of an animal in a work of media leads to a sudden spike in demand for it as a pet. Basically, an animal version of TheRedStapler. This is quite common with dog breeds that become popular due to a tv show, [[AllDogsArePurebred as many dogs on TV are purebred]], and anthropomorphized animal superheroes such as the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.

* The popularity of ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', which is about a black panther-themed superhero, caused an increase in black cat adoptions.

* The 1970s series ''Baretta'', with Robert Blake as a plainclothes police detective, caused a surge in the popularity of sulphur-crested cockatoos as pets (on the show, Tony Baretta has one named Fred). Unfortunately, a lot of people undoubtedly regretted the decision to purchase one, as the birds can be troublesome, loud, demanding pets who chew on just about any solid material they can get their beaks on.

* Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh were apparently aware of this trope when they developed ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', which is why they deliberately gave their protagonists a pet that was uncommon, an animal that kids could not "pick out at a pet store and beg [their parents] for". Perry is a Platypus.
* Rufus the Naked Mole Rat in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' has led to kids wanting one for their very own. Common sense provides it's not really a SpeechImpairedAnimal in real life, but what even parents might not know is that the naked mole rat is basically blind, anti-cute, and one of the only mammals that are eusocial -- like bees -- and so can only survive in an underground colony with hundreds of other mole rats.
* Many young children children have been wanting to have dogs as pets ever since the premiere of ''Series/PAWPatrol''.

* An odd example in that the ''news'' is responsible, and a rather tragic one at that: All of the news stories regarding pit bull attacks and dog fighting rings has solidified their image as vicious attack dogs (which isn't accurate), leading to a rise in their popularity amongst unscrupulous owners who just want a tough-looking dog to show off, or, worse yet, to fight against other dogs. Many of these dogs will end up being abused or left tied up in backyards, which causes them to develop behavioral issues (as any dog, not just a pit bull, would in that scenario), and eventually leads to yet another incident of a pit bull attack, and the subsequent news story, and the cycle continues. Dobermans and Rottweilers also suffer from this, to a much lesser extent, but the pit bull breeds tend to get the worst of it. You can, of course, also blame the jerks who run dog-fighting rings for this problem.

* When the film ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' came out, [[http://www.newmoviesgossip.com/rio-and-10-reasons-to-never-own-a-parrot/ some people]] feared that the film would lead to an increased demand for parrots, which would've been particularly bad since parrots are ''extremely'' high-maintenance animals that need constant attention and lots of patience, not to mention they often live for several decades. Thankfully, that never came to pass, though likely for cost reasons; parrots are expensive and run from several hundred to a few ''thousand'' dollars. Not exactly an impulse buy, especially for a first-time bird owner.

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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Balto}}'' thankfully didn't do this for wolf-dogs (who are very high maintenance and more like wolves than dogs, not to forget illegal in many regions), however it did help boost interest in the Siberian Husky.

* ''Film/GForce'' saw an increase in guinea pig purchases after its release. ''Arguably'' a more benign example of this trope, as guinea pigs are often considered easier to care for than many other animals that are affected by it. That said, there is still more to their care than many people realize, particularly in regards to their need for space and companionship.

* The original ''Film/OurGang'' shorts helped popularize the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the early 1900s. Pete was smart, loyal, and good with kids which made the breed become popular with families (to the point where it had a nickname of "Nanny Dog"). This trend has since been inverted due to media and the news frequently depicting Staffys as dangerous, violent guard dogs.
* ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' sparked a rise in the sales of dalmatian puppies. The dalmatian looks funny but is an extremely high-maintenance dog, and any child who thinks that this would be a good dog to own without the sort of dedication children are well known for being incapable of should be set straight rather than obliged in their request.

* Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh were apparently GenreSavvy enough to be aware of this trope when they developed ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', which is why they deliberately gave their protagonists a pet that was uncommon, an animal that kids could not "pick out at a pet store and beg [their parents] for". Perry is a Platypus.

* In the UK, the toilet tissue brand "Andrex" has been advertised by a Labrador Retriever puppy for decades - it is the UK's most popular dog breed.

When the appearance of an animal in a work of media leads to a sudden spike in demand for that animal. Basically, an animal version of TheRedStapler.

Just like with songs or certain pieces of merchandise, the appearance of a certain animal in a work of media will often lead to sudden attention on the animal, and thus a spike in demand for that animal. Quite common with dog breeds ([[AllDogsArePurebred as many dogs on TV are purebred]]), or anthropomorphized superheroes such as the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.

This ''should'' go without saying, but [[DoNotTryThisAtHome buying an animal on impulse is a bad idea]], and can lead to undue stress on both the animal and the owner. When a movie featuring a certain animal comes out, advocacy groups often put out messages to discourage people from suddenly buying the animal, and for good reason: when the hype dies down people--especially children--often get bored of the pet, especially when the pet turned out to be more work than they expected. This has led to a lot of animals being killed, abandoned, or worse: released into the wild regardless of whether or not it's suited for the local ecosystem. The high demand can also lead to breeders churning out the animals as fast as possible and passing off things like inbred dogs or wild-caught reptiles, both prone various health problems.

This trope is fortunately [[TechnologyMarchesOn not as dire as it used to be]]. Nowadays, any creature that can be kept as a pet (one way or another) will have a slew of websites and forums dedicated to its captive care, allowing would-be owners to do plenty of research ''before'' making a purchase. In the past, people had to trust the word of their local pet store, whose biggest concern was obviously making the sale. While the internet doesn't eliminate this trope completely, it does reduce the number of turtles ending up in sewers for real.

* Creator/ParisHilton is often credited with/accused (depending on who you ask) of popularizing tiny "purse dogs" like Chihuahuas.

Just like with songs or certain pieces of merchandise, the appearance of a certain animal in a work of media will often lead to sudden attention on the animal, and thus a spike in demand for that animal. Quite common with dog breeds ([[AllDogsArePurebred as many dogs on TV are purebred]]) but does happen with other animals as well.

As with the impulse buy of any animal, this often leads to problems for the people who buy them. When a movie featuring a certain animal comes out, animal advocacy groups often put out messages to discourage people from buying the animal, and for good reason: when the hype dies down people often get bored of the pet, especially when the pet turned out to be more work than they expected. This has led to a lot of animals being abandoned. This trope also leads to negative effects for the animals themselves. In order to cash-in on the fad, many people will begin breeding the animals as fast as possible and without checking for defects. This has caused many dog breeds to become plagued with health issues.

* ''VideoGame/{{Nintendogs}}'' tried to avoid this by including a message in the manual:

* The famous true story of the Akita Inu ''UsefulNotes/{{Hachiko}}'' and his two movies (one Japanese and one American) might easily lead some viewers on in wanting their own Akita puppy. While the breed is indeed known for their bravery and loyalty, the Akita should only be cared for by an experienced owner as they can be challenging to train and are actually prone to aggression.

* The original ''Film/OurGang'' shorts helped popularize the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the early 1900s. Pete was smart, loyal, and good with kids which made the breed become popular with families (to the point where it had a nickname of "Nanny Dog"). This trend has since been inverted due to media and the news frequently depicting Staffys as dangerous, violence guard dogs.

* ''Film/{{Jurassic Park}}'' Increased the demand for frilled lizards as pets, due to them looking like [[ArtisticLicensePaleontology the portrayal of the dilophosaurus]] in the film.

* Similarly averted with Rufus the Naked Mole Rat in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''.

* From time to time, seeing a big celebrity with a pet leads to a demand in them:
** Creator/ParisHilton is a notable example, and is often credited with/accused (depending on who you ask) of popularizing tiny "purse dogs" like Chihuahuas.

* This has happened ''with people''. It was trendy for dames at the French royal court to have a black dwarf servant following them around after Louis XIV's wife was gifted a dwarf slave by the King of Dahomey, named Nabo. The fad came to an abrupt end when the Queen gave birth to a [[ChocolateBaby black daughter]] and Nabo abruptly disappeared from the historical record.

* Due to ''Anime/HeidiGirlOfTheAlps'' St. Bernard dogs are very popular because of the dog Joseph, which doesn't appear [[Literature/{{Heidi}} in the original novel]].

* The original ''Series/OurGang'' shorts helped popularize the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the early 1900s. Pete was smart, loyal, and good with kids which made the breed become popular with families (to the point where it had a nickname of "Nanny Dog"). This trend has been inverted due to media and the news frequently depicting Staffys as dangerous, violence guard dogs.