Line #89 Main/AnthropomorphicZigZag


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/koopa_evolution_collage_1.png]]]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350:You'd be angry too if you had to go back to quadrupedalism.]]
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8	This is like a standard AnthropomorphicShift, except the shift is conveniently geared to the role a character has in a work, movie, short, cartoon, or episode. For example, an animal character appears as an NearlyNormalAnimal in one cartoon or episode, but appears as a FunnyAnimal in another.
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10	This trope also includes examples that shift roles back and forth in a single work or shift back and forth depending on their mood. There are also a lot of characters that do this intentionally to live a double life, going from walking on two legs to RunningOnAllFours depending on the company. The shift can either be intentional or unintentional.
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12	Compare AnthropomorphicShift, which is what happens when animal characters in a work become progressively more human-like in appearance and behavior in later installments instead of just going back and forth in the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism.
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14	This trope is by no means restricted to animals.
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16	FurryReminder is a related trope, as is DenialOfAnimality.
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18	----
19	!!Examples:
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21	[[foldercontrol]]
22
23	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
24	* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', the Gabumon line goes through this in its levels. Gabumon is bipedal, who becomes the quadipedal Garurumon, then back to bipedal with [=WereGarurumon=], and finally quadraped again with [=MetalGarurumon=].
25	* Happens quite often in ''Manga/OnePiece'', mostly for humor value. Animal characters frequently adopt human-like mannerisms for a quick joke or two.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
29	* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' has a variation on this. The question of whether Hobbes is really alive, or just a product of Calvin's imagination, was deliberately avoided. Even when depicted as a "live" tiger, Hobbes' appearance zigzags-- sometimes he'll walk on two legs as a very cartoonish FunnyAnimal, with long arms and stubby legs. This stature is used mainly when he's doing something cerebral, like philosophizing or acting as StraightMan to Calvin's insanity, or else a task that requires manual dexterity, like throwing snowballs. At other times he'll go on all fours, usually for the purpose of pouncing on Calvin, and his body will take on realistic feline proportions.
30	%%* The cows of ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' show us how it's [[http://www.austintown.k12.oh.us/~aust_tr/homework/quickfiles/Cartoons/17%20cows%20CAR!.bmp done here.]]
31	* ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} goes back and forth, but has noticeably become bipedal. The other cats can [[RunningOnAllFours switch between the]] [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter two stances as well]].
32	* Snoopy, from ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', goes back and forth between all fours and walking upright, sometimes within a strip, not necessarily depending on his role, but more on his mood.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
36	* Cyrill Proudbottom, Mr. Toad's horse in ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows'' segment of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad''. He is first seen as a TalkingAnimal, pulling Toad's cart and running on all fours. Later, however, he is seen walking on his hind legs, and even dresses as a human being and completely fools a jailer into thinking that he's Toad's grandmother.
37	%%* From ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'': Naked Fievel.
38	* The electrical appliances from ''WesternAnimation/TheBraveLittleToaster'' (except Radio, who doesn't have a face), who can actually make their faces disappear whenever they've been spotted by humans.
39	* Actually a plot point in ''WesternAnimation/FantasticMrFox''. Mr. Fox struggles to live a civilized life with his family while his animal urges to hunt and steal distract him.
40	%%* The lawn ornaments from ''WesternAnimation/GnomeoAndJuliet''.
41	* The gargoyles from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame\|Disney}}'' actually only come to life whenever Quasimodo's around. If Esmeralda/Phoebus/Frollo/etc. is with Quasimodo, then the gargoyles will all still stay put. And yes, like the ''Toy Story'' example below, they too have exceptions: [[spoiler: Except it's not the three gargoyles we're accustomed to who break their own rules, but rather an unnamed fourth gargoyle who comes to life to finish off Frollo at the end of the film.]]
42	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'' has a variation where on one "level" of reality, the characters move and experience like living beings, and on the next level, they are just toys that don't move.[[note]]With the one exception, obviously.[[/note]] Whenever something happens to them as toys, there is some equivalent event happening to the living versions.
43	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'', the animals would constantly go back and forth between [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter walking on four legs and walking on two legs]].
44	* Remy and the other rats from ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' can switch between [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter walking on two legs and walking on four legs]] too. This even has some minor importance in the story -- it's noted at the beginning that walking on four legs is the norm, but Remy walks on two to keep his front paws clean. [[spoiler:When the clan rallies to help Remy cook for Anton, Remy insists that they all do the same.]]
45	* This is also true with the Pizza Planet truck from ''Franchise/ToyStory'', which was later seen in anthropomorphic form in the {{Creator/Pixar}} film ''WesternAnimation/Cars1''.
46	** The three paintings, one of Lightning [=McQueen=], one of Doc Hudson, and one of Flo and Ramone, make those four ''Cars'' characters look non-anthropomorphic and a little more realistic than usual.
47	** And the toys from that movie themselves, who only come to life if no one's around. The only time they ever break that rule is if someone actually treated that toy ''very'' badly.
48	* The tanuki in ''Anime/PomPoko'' shift back and forth on the anthropomorphic scale throughout the movie, not even counting their frequently used ability of transforming themselves into humans (or only mostly transforming, if they're not careful). Sometimes, especially around humans, they're depicted realistically as quadrupedal canids; in less serious moments, they turn into FunnyAnimals that only barely resemble their species.
49	* Most of the animal characters in Creator/DingoPictures' ''WesternAnimation/AnimalSoccerWorld'' are drawn as normal animals, unless they are playing soccer or performing music, at which point they become anthropomorphic. The soccer players also put on clothes for the match, which they don't wear otherwise.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
53	* In ''Film/{{Mannequin}}'', Emmy (a mannequin which comes to life [[MST3KMantra apparently because of a time travel experiment]]) can only be seen in her animated form by the man who built her. If someone else enters the room, peeks into the window, etc., she's instantly frozen until they go away.
54	* Chucky from the ''Film/ChildsPlay'' films would usually only come to life if he needed to kill or possess someone. Beginning with ''Film/BrideOfChucky'', he came to life more.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Literature]]
58	* ''The Night I Followed the Dog'' stars dogs that have a [[LivingADoubleLife double life]]: they live as normal animals during the daytime, when humans are awake and around, and live as FunnyAnimals during the nighttime, when humans are usually asleep. They, as [[FullyDressedCartoonAnimal fully clothed]] funny animals, hang out in the [[MouseWorld Doghouse, a nightclub concealed from humans]].
59	* [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Lucoryphus of the Bleeding Eyes]] in the ''Literature/NightLords'' series of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novels, constantly behaves like an animal, particularly a bird, he walks on all fours surprisingly well, but can be persuaded to stand on his feet, though the notion bothers him. He often chides his men for speaking too much in raptor clicks and hisses, though he does it himself sometimes.
60	* This happens a lot in ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows''; Rat, Mole and Badger are usually portrayed as {{Partially Civilized Animal}}s, but Toad, who lives in a grand house, drives motorcars and gets arrested, is a FunnyAnimal. (Notably, while the other characters stay in the MouseWorld of the Riverbank and Wild Wood, Toad is the only character who goes out into the Wide World and interacts with humans.) This means other characters have to shift up on the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism a notch just to interact with him.
61	[[/folder]]
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63	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
64	* The titular sifaka lemur of the PBS children's show ''Series/{{Zoboomafoo}}'' is always anthropomorphized at the very beginning of each episode by being fed a different snack. However, at the end of each episode, Zoboo actually loses his anthropomorphism due to the effects of said snack wearing off.
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67	[[folder:Video Games]]
68	* ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' constantly switches between having regular gorilla intelligence to human-like intelligence. In the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' and his guest appearance in ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' (Wii), he appears to be just a gorilla. In the ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' games (both the original trilogy and ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns Returns]]''[=/=]''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze Tropical Freeze]]''), he displays more human-like intelligence, but still walks around in all fours like a typical gorilla. In the cartoon and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', he is now bipedal and displays far more human-like mannerisms. Whenever he is capable of speech and not just random gorilla noises, it can range between HulkSpeak to regular speak. In general, it appears that he becomes more beast-like whenever he is cast in an antagonistic role.
69	** The whole Kong Family, despite being of the same species, are very inconsistent about how animalistic they can be. Compare the more primal DK and Diddy with, say, SurferDude Funky and HumanoidFemaleAnimal Candy, who are essentially humans in ape skin.
70	** The BigBad K. Rool gets in on this in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', as he often stands up as usual, but when dashing, he runs on all fours, and one of his taunts has him [[FurryReminder snapping his jaws like a crocodile]]. Some fans attribute this to him undergoing a SanitySlippage.
71	* ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'': Boney has to impersonate a kid to get into Club Titiboo, so Lucas dresses him up with a shirt and cap and he walks on hind legs for the remainder of the chapter (but quickly switching back to all-fours when they're in the wilderness again).
72	* In the ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario]]'' series of games, Koopas were originally depicted as quadrupedal turtles. As the series continued, they've been redesigned to walk on only two legs, and by the time of ''VideoGame/PaperMario'', they were [[AnthropomorphicShift completely anthropomorphized]]. However, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', they've reverted back into being quadrupeds.
73	** Before that, there were quadrupedal electrical enemy Koopas in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine''.
74	** However, [[BigBad Bowser]] and [[OverlordJr his son, Bowser Jr.]], both being Koopas, are completely immune to this even in these two games.
75	** Also, Hammer Bros. and their ilk have always been bipedal, even in the original, despite being just Koopas with helmets and hammers.
76	** The depiction of Yoshi and his species frequently vary, going back and forth between an intelligent species that's no different from Toads and Koopas to animals exhibiting limited sapience. Their speech is also portrayed inconsistently, ranging between perfectly regular, [[HulkSpeak simplistic]], [[AnimalTalk human-incomprehensible]] (represented by the text being in parenthesis) and no speech at all.
77	** Bullet Bills are normally depicted as lifeless ammunition, but some games, especially the spin-offs, give them some characterization.
78	* Behemoth-type enemies in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' walk on all-fours (and look a lot like the classic design of the Behemoth, as it had appeared in previous ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' titles), until they're put into Stagger mode, in which case they'll morph into a more powerful bipedal form (recovering all damage taken in the process), and wield a strange circular saw-like weapon.
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Web Comics]]
82	* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' with Florence, who can run on all fours, but usually doesn't because it gets her hands dirty.
83	* Mind you, this trope [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant has nothing to do with]] the webcomic known as ''WebComic/SabrinaOnline'', which is a furry webcomic with a main character named Zig Zag, 3/4ths skunk.
84	* ''Webcomic/VGCats'': [[https://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=355 #343: "I Am Gross"]] shows that Leo and Aeris have both a toilet and a litter box. Although Leo doesn't poop in the box anymore. [[spoiler:[[ZigZaggedTrope Because it's full.]]]]
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Western Animation]]
88	* Plato from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresFromTheBookOfVirtues'' would often go back and forth [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter between all fours and two legs]].
89	* ''Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'': Alvin, Simon, and Theodore all started out as actual chipmunks, but via their two cartoon series (''WesternAnimation/TheAlvinShow'' and ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'') they looked [[FunnyAnimal less and less like chipmunks]]. However, in [[Film/AlvinandtheChipmunks their first live action movie]], they all started to [[CivilizedAnimal look like chipmunks again]], although not as much as they did on the original covers.
90	* Rita the CivilizedAnimal cat from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' with a lot of TalkingAnimal moments would switch between [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter walking on two legs and walking on four legs]]. In a few {{Continuity Cameo}}s and possibly in part of "Kiki's Kitten", she is shown as a FunnyAnimal, and in a cameo in "The Return of The Great Wakkorotti," she is even [[FullyDressedCartoonAnimal fully-dressed]].
91	** Chicken Boo is an NearlyNormalAnimal, but when he puts on a PaperThinDisguise, he becomes something of a FunnyAnimal.
92	** The Goodfeathers are usually {{Talking Animal}}s, but in "Star Warners" and a few other episodes, they are given more FunnyAnimal type roles.
93	** Newt is a CivilizedAnimal, but he sometimes a FunnyAnimal and in "Puttin on The Blitz," he is a NearlyNormalAnimal.
94	** Wilford B. Wolf is a geeky FunnyAnimal, but is a BeastMan when he becomes a handsome werewolf.
95	* The animals in ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/BackAtTheBarnyard'' [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter walk on two legs]], talk and partake in "human" activities, but when humans/a human show/shows up, the animals switch to a four-legged stance (except the birds, which are two-legged by default) and act like normal animals.
96	* A rare SentientVehicle example: In ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'', Dizzy the cement mixer goes on four wheels most of the time, but sometimes stands on her hind wheels, usually for cheering.
97	* Brandy from ''WesternAnimation/BrandyAndMrWhiskers'' would usually walk on two legs, but was shown acting more like a normal dog in flashbacks to when she was a pet and one episode where she found out she was a mongrel and lost all self-respect.
98	* Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar of the [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts old Disney cartoon shorts]] and comics started out as actual four-legged non-anthropomorphic barnyard animals and alternated between anthro and non-anthro roles before becoming full-fledged FunnyAnimal characters alongside Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the others.
99	** WesternAnimation/ChipAndDale are {{Funny Animal}}s in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' video game series, but are {{Civilized Animal}}s otherwise.
100	* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' flips-flops between a SpeechImpairedAnimal around his owners, Eustace and Muriel, to being a full-on TalkingAnimal around anyone else (human or otherwise) and to the audience.
101	* Fat Cat in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', back when he is still Aldrin Klordane's pet RightHandCat. After Klordane is arrested, he becomes anthropomorphic completely.
102	* ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'': Most of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the cartoon zig-zag between NearlyNormalAnimal or PartiallyCivilizedAnimal when they are in their natural habitat (some species live almost completely normal lives in the wild, but others can do more human-like activities, such as the ''Ankylosaurus'' individuals that play Dino Ball) and either PartiallyCivilizedAnimal or CivilizedAnimal when they ride the titular train. The most antropomorphic of the dinosaurs are the ''Troodons'', who operate the train and in general have access to human technology that virtually no other species do.
103	* WesternAnimation/EekTheCat is a TalkingAnimal[=/=]FunnyAnimal who often partakes in human activities, but is also a pet cat and cannot speak to his owners, although he appears to be able to speak to other human characters.
104	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' has Brian Griffin, who started as a talking dog, but through the course of the series, [[AnthropomorphicShift he has become more and more human]]. Although every once in a while, you're reminded that he still is a dog.
105	** A human example would be Stewie, who would go from being treated like a non talking baby by his family to being treated like any other adult by everyone else.
106	* All of the Secret Garden residents from ''WesternAnimation/FatherOfThePride'' walk on four feet while proforming on stage or around humans, then walk around on two when talking by themselves.
107	* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat''. From 1919 through the mid-1950s, stories alternated between showing Felix as either a TalkingAnimal pet in a human home or a FunnyAnimal master of his own house. Only with the Trans-Lux TV series was Felix established as a FunnyAnimal for good.
108	* ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'': Dukey, the family dog, acts like a regular dog around Lila and Hugh Test, but speaks clear English and walks on his hind legs around Johnny, the Test Twins, and every other major character. When around strangers, he uses the excuse that he is a "child with a rare hair disorder". This is due to Susan and Mary test mutating him as one of their experiments.[[note]]There was an episode showing what happens when Hugh and Lila find out, though[[/note]]
109	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' regular Sylvester is notable for being a normal, non-talking cat, a CivilizedAnimal, or a full-blown standard FunnyAnimal depending on the cartoon. He's also the only one of several more obscure WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cats to do so.
110	** There are many examples of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' pet animal characters who are somewhat like this, including:
111	*** Tweety Bird
112	*** Hector the Bulldog
113	*** Charlie the Dog
114	** When WesternAnimation/{{Wile E Coyote\|and the Roadrunner}} has The Roadrunner as his adversary, he's mute and orders things from ACMEProducts. When he's paired opposite WesternAnimation/BugsBunny, he's an erudite CivilizedAnimal GadgeteerGenius.
115	** Another ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' example is [[WesternAnimation/OneFroggyEvening Michigan J. Frog]] who goes back and forth between being an ordinary frog to a singing and dancing frog. Justified as that was the gag.
116	* Background character Lyra Heartstrings in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is like this more than anypony else.
117	** Everypony else in the ExpandedUniverse and TheMerch.
118	** Ponies in general have always been like this. It especially shows in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTales'' where one moment they could be running on four legs and another they can be standing up on two legs without an issue. Even G4 has this, with the ponies occasionally using their hooves as hands when needed.
119	** Many of the other animals in [=FiM=] are, too. So far, Applejack's dog Winona is one of the few to behave strictly like her species.
120	*** The [[WordOfGod general rule]] is that the hooved animals are the more anthropomorphic, though the exact boundary is somewhat unclear, with pigs and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it deer seeming more like normal animals, while cows and sheep have some brief lines and a pair of goats appear somewhere between the two.
121	*** Becomes even more confusing when you include the society of intelligent deer from the comics.
122	* The title character of ''WesternAnimation/NatureCat'' is a normal housecat who turns into a FunnyAnimal when his owners are gone for the day.
123	* [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Perry the Platypus on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''. Around his owners he's a mindless domestic pet that "doesn't do much". In reality he's a super-capable secret agent that fights to save the world from evil. He still can't talk, though.
124	* Massimo from ''WesternAnimation/ProducingParker'' can talk, cook, drink wine, etc. and stands on 2 legs when it's just him and Parker, but when other humans are around he acts like a normal dog and is on all fours.
125	* On ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', the titular characters typically behave as any other FunnyAnimal by living in a house they seem to own, jump from career to career depending on the episode, and interact with human beings with no problems. However, a handful of episodes still treat them as simply TalkingAnimal such as the pilot when they’re captured by the City Pound and narrowly escape being put to sleep, and the episodes featuring George Liquor, where they are taken home from the Pet store, or competing in a dog show (despite Stimpy being a cat).
126	* Franchise/ScoobyDoo, although mostly a quadrupedal SpeechImpairedAnimal, also had the ability to walk on two legs and act like a FunnyAnimal when the situation calls for it.
127	* Taz experienced this somewhat in ''WesternAnimation/TazMania''. Unlike in the original WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoons, Taz is cast as a teenager who lives in a house with a family. He watches TV, collects bottlecaps, and even wears a suit and works as a bellboy at a hotel. Other times, he still partakes in his carnivorous behavior and acts like a wild animal as he hunts for prey, and is even hunted by some of the other characters like a wild animal.
128	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': The characters are usually {{Funny Animal}}s, but become {{Nearly Normal Animal}}s whenever they're on land.
129	* ''WesternAnimation/TeachersPet'': The protagonist is a dog who wants to be a boy, so he dresses as a human and attends school with his owner, but has to keep it secret and stay a dog the rest of the time.
130	* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985'' had the snarfs, who would switch between walking on two legs and walking on all four at times (and occasionally standing on their tails). The other [=ThunderCats=] would do it too, occasionally.
131	* Furrball from ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' is usually portrayed as an NearlyNormalAnimal cat, but he kept weaving back and forth between a normal cat and a FunnyAnimal depending on the cartoon. He would even switch between [[FourLegsGoodTwoLegsBetter walking on two legs and walking on four legs]].
132	* Tom, Jerry, and Spike from ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''.
133	* Ravage, Laserbeak and Ratbat from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on which fiction they're in]], may be as sentient as other Transformers but with nonhumanoid forms (in the G1 comics Ratbat was even ''the most successful known leader of the Decepticons'') or basically mechanical {{Intellectual Animal}}s that can't talk themselves but can at least understand Soundwave's orders.
134	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AnthropomorphicZigZag