History Main / FleaEpisode

* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'' In 'Ruff Needs His Herring Checked", Ruff's at his wits end because he keeps hearing a mysterious voice no one else can hear, as the voice calls itself 'Fleape", [[spoiler: a flea with a sultry Italian accent who resides on Ruff's Body. At first Ruff thinks it's because of his sensitive hearing, but when he still hears the voice after using the Fetch 3000's countertop in a manner similar to a Soundproof Box]] [[SanitySlippage he fears he's losing his mind]] So he sends Issac and Liza to meet an audiologist while Sterling and Brian visited a cookie company (because Fleape told Ruff to bake 'Brussels Sprouts' Cookies to impress Charlene for her birthday)

* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'' In 'Ruff Needs His Herring Checked", Ruff's at his wits end because he keeps hearing a mysterious voice no one else can hear, as the voice calls itself 'Fleape", [[spoiler: a flea with a sultry Italian accent who resides on Ruff's Body. At first Ruff thinks it's because of his sensitive hearing, but when he still hears the voice after using a noise-cancelling box,]] he fears he's losing his mind So he sends Issac and Liza to meet an audiologist while Sterling and Brian visited a cookie company (because Fleape told Ruff to bake Cookies to impress Charlene)

Having fleas is no fun, especially if you're a furry animal. Fleas suck up your blood for nutrition, and make you itch like crazy. Essentially, a Flea Episode is centered on a character, usually a FunnyAnimal, having fleas, and doing anything he can to get rid of them and/or relieve himself of his itch, which includes powders, collars, and baths. In a few instances, the character will actually befriend their fleas, and try to protect them from other characters who want to get rid of them, regardless of how itchy they make them. Expect these kind of episodes to have [[PunBasedTitle Flea pun-based titles]]. This trope has nothing to do with the bassist from the ''Music/RedHotChiliPeppers''.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' has had numerous strips involving problems with flea infestations, including one where he's got so many fleas he's got an entire flea circus (the itching and biting wasn't bad, but the lights on the midway were keeping him awake).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheTomAndJerryShow2014'': In "Flea Bitten", Butch accidentally unleashes a swarm of fleas in the house where the titular duo live when he breaks in to take a bath. The fleas promptly go after Tom, and from there they spread to Jerry and Spike, disrupting their usual conflict. After trying in vain to get rid of the fleas, the three of them finally resort to shaving off all their fur, making it into a coat, and leaving it out for Butch to collect, [[LaserGuidedKarma leaving him infested with the fleas once again]].

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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "[[Recap/ArthurS8E9FleaToBeYouAndMeKissAndTell Flea to Be You and Me]]", Pal picks up Pepe, an [[UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} Italian]] flea who tells him the story of how he ended up on his fur. After hearing his story, Pal helps reunite him with his brother and circus partner, Sale. Pepe shows up in Pal's fur again in "[[Recap/ArthurS12E8TheBlackoutMeiLinTakesAStand Mei Lin Takes a Stand]]", this time along with Sale, and the flea brothers tell him, Kate, and Mei Lin the story of an ancient kingdom where everyone crawled instead of walking on two legs to stop the latter from calling her big brother Binky to squish them like the bugs they are.

* ''WesternAnimation/FetchWithRuffRuffman'' In 'Ruff Needs His Herring Checked", Ruff's at his wits end because he keeps hearing a mysterious voice no one else can hear, as the voice calls itself 'Fleape", a flea with a sultry Italian accent who resides on Ruff's Body. At first Ruff thinks it's because of his sensitive hearing, but when he still hears the voice after using a noise-cancelling box, he fears he's losing his mind So he sends Issac and Liza to meet an audiologist while Sterling and Brian visited a cookie company (because Fleape told Ruff to bake Cookies to impress Charlene)

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "[[Recap/ArthurS8E9FleaToBeYouAndMeKissAndTell Flea to Be You and Me]]", Pal picks up Pepe, an Italian flea who tells him the story of how he ended up on his fur. After hearing his story, Pal helps reunite him with his brother and circus partner, Sale.

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[[folder: Real life]]
* Most pet owners will eventually run into a problem with fleas, especially if their pet(s) is allowed outdoors. Keeping all pets indoor only can go a long way to stave off this problem, but fleas can also come in hitchhiking on people's clothing, especially if the person was walking around in grass, overgrown areas, or out in the country. How bad the problem will be is determined by how the owner responds; if it is addressed properly while there's still only a few fleas it can be just a minor issue, but if they're allowed to multiply it can become a nightmare.
* Most wild animals have fleas and/or other parasites. Some species try to mitigate it with dust and/or mud baths, submerging in water, social grooming, and in some species, by allowing birds (such as oxpeckers) to pick them off, although oxpeckers will sometimes try to open new wounds to feed on blood and so are considered by some to be parasites also.
** This is sometimes noticeable in documentaries with lions, where you can often see ticks on them, and flies buzzing around them.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': In "Flea to Be You and Me", Pal picks up Pepe, an Italian flea who tells him the story of how he ended up on his fur. After hearing his story, Pal helps reunite him with his brother and circus partner, Sale.

* The ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode, "He's Too Sexy For His Fat" begins with Brian getting fleas and infesting the house, leading to it getting trashed in truly epic fashion by military-style exterminators.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode, "Land of the Flea", Eduardo picks up fleas from his pet dog, Chewy, befriends them, and protects them from Frankie and Mr. Herriman. Bloo, thinking that having fleas sounds like fun, makes a robe from Eduardo's fur. The fleas turn out to be imaginary friends themselves, and thus are allowed to stay. Frankie and the imaginary friends shave all the fur off the furry imaginary friends and make a special room for the fleas.

* Many (possibly even most) pet owners eventually run into a problem with fleas on pets, most especially if the pet(s) is allowed outdoors.
* Most wild animals have fleas and/or other parasites. Some species try to mitigate it with dust or mud baths, submerging in water, social grooming, and in some species, by allowing birds (such as oxpeckers) to pick them off, although oxpeckers will sometimes try to open new wounds to feed on blood and so are considered by some to be parasites also.

* This is how the player character catches fleas in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons. One of the villagers will start saying they’re itchy and that’s the cure to try and catch it with your net. Can be slightly tricky to initiate the catch and not whack them instead, but they’ll appreciate it and it’s the only way to get a flea for the museum.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode, "Land of the Flea", Eduardo picks up fleas from his pet dog, Chewy, befriends them, and protects them from Frankie and Mr. Herriman. Bloo, thinking that having fleas sounds like fun, makes a robe from Eduardo's fur. The fleas turn out be imaginary friends themselves, and thus are allowed to stay. Frankie and the imaginary friends shave all the fur off the furry imaginary friends and make a special room for the fleas.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "A Flea in Her Dome", when Sandy returns home from Texas, she picks up a flea, which quickly multiplies and makes her, [=SpongeBob=], and Patrick itch.

* This is a mechanic in ''VideoGame/TokyoJungle''. The player passes a portion of their gained stats down to the species by choosing a mate, and the low-quality Desperate females/males will always accept the player, but on the way to the nest to mate, will give them fleas. This causes the player to automatically stop and scratch, even in the middle of a battle or when trying to escape a predator. You can still get fleas even while playing as a crocodile or a dinosaur despite that fleas that don't infect reptiles.