Imaginary animal friends

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Other than Herry, who is clearly a rabbit, what other obviously animal-looking friends have shown up in Foster's episodes? (in other words, something ambiguous like Coco shouldn't count)

The only other obvious one I can think of is Fluffernutter (squirrel).

Really curious what the heck inspired Duchess (short-nosed elephant?) and Berry (annoying rodent creature?)

[Cassini90125]

Really curious what the heck inspired Duchess (short-nosed elephant?) and Berry (annoying rodent creature?)

8D Good one. 8D

Crackers, a small dog, comes to mind immediately but I'm drawing a blank on any others at the moment.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Wow that was a fast reply. Was just browsing the screencaps, and in "Go Goo Go", Goo imagines a bunch of... mini-humans, and in "Setting a President," there's an owl friend whom Herry forces to sleep at night. But these are all relatively minor characters. I'd imagine there really aren't any more major characters (those who have a proper name) that are some kind of animal.

Oh yeah, which episode is Crackers in? Sorry it isn't really obvious to me.

[Sparky]

I have the gallery from the season sets posted on my site, here (http://www.fosters-home.com/dvd/chargallery.htm) and here (http://www.fosters-home.com/dvd/chargallery2.htm). You can use them to remind you of the minor characters.

There's quite a few animal characters. But please don't use this thread to simply post a list, as a list is not a discussion. I don't know exactly what kind of discussion you had in mind.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Wow, cool, I'll check out those links. Yeah I guess the board rules weren't too clear to me, as to what counts as a discussion and what doesn't. What I asked was really a simple question with a simple answer. Is there a better place to do that? I mean, just ask simple questions? You should remove this thread if you feel it isn't in the spirit of the forum. Sorry :(

[Sparky]

I just wanted to make sure the thread wouldn't just turn into a list with no discussion, that's all...Any thread with no discussion in it belongs in Spam. Though I'm pretty sure people could come up with some discussion...like, why do some people imagine IFs that look like specific animals while others imagine crazy mixed-up looking IFs? Does that say anything about the creator? Is someone who creates a mixed-up type of IF more imaginative, or just someone who has trouble settling on one thing? :terrsmile:

(But I know what you mean, like once I asked what ep contained a scene I could remember but I forgot what ep that was. But we ended up discussing the scene a bit, anyways.)

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Hmm, ok, I'll keep that in mind. At first it seemed me that Spam was for stuff non-Foster's related, but it sounds better to put short and simple questions over there regardless. Thanks.

Since often we have no clue about the nature of every IF's creator, I'd say probably the older kids imagine more "logical" or "normal" friends as they have experienced more of the Real-world through school or TV or whatever. As some evidence, it's known that practically every newborn can only conjure up scribbles, and there seemed to be literally thousands of them.

Just thought of another spin-off question, why do you think Terrence came up with a blocky, square-shaped friend? Was it like a spur of the moment thing? He wanted something ultra mean and evil... but got in fact a fairly innocently natured IF. Perhaps the time you take to think of an IF makes a big difference?

[Sparky]

It's not like we never have non-discussion threads in the Foster's sections, we just try to encourage people to not do it. If you can ask a simple question in an existing thread that would be better than starting a new thread that may end up, again, turning into just a list or whatever. If it's possible, try to do that. And let's try to make this the last OT post in this thread. :terrsmile:

[Frankie_4_Prez]

OK, yeah, I agree it is getting a bit off-topic. Just ignore what I wrote above.

[Cassini90125]

Back on-topic, then. :)

Oh yeah, which episode is Crackers in? Sorry it isn't really obvious to me.

Crackers was introduced in Mac Daddy.

Some animal IF's might have been created as replacements for pets that have passed on. Others might have come into existance as an act of defiance, as in "Oh, so you won't get me a puppy, dad? Fine! I'll make my own!" More exotic animals, such as an imaginary iguana, might be the result of an intense fascination with the species. That's my thoughts on the matter, at least.

[jekylljuice]

Hmm, Duchess may have a trunk, but that hardly makes her an elephant, IMO (there is an elephant-inspired IF, however, and that's Clumsy). If anything, I'd say that the creature she most closely resembles, facially speaking, is a tapir, but then I wouldn't really consider her to be one of the predominantly animal-inspired friends. Her character design is more frequently likened to the figures who featured in the works of Pablo Picaso. As for the mystery surrounding Duchess's genesis, well, it's something that a lot of us have pondered, though whether it'll ever actually be brought up within the show is another question.

Also, while I certainly do agree that Crackers, with those huge ears of his, resembles a papillon dog, his appearance isn't 100% canine (a la Chuey and his siblings). He does walk - or rather skip - upright, after all, and he has little grasping hands, not paws.

[pitbulllady]

There's the Mojo Jojo friend, based on a chimp, and there's that big purple gorilla who kept pushing Duchess on the ladder away in "Duchess of Wails", when Mac and Bloo kept trying to get her back over the wall at Foster's. There's Billy the Squid, who is actually more like an octopus, and several cat-based friends, including that cyclops cat-thing who's been seen in "Bloo's the Boss" and "Adopt-Calypse Now", and of course, Mr. Emo himself, Bloppy Pants. There's another octopus-like thing-don't know his/her name-who flies/floats through the air. I think Mable Licorice is based on a hamster. A whole bunch of fish IF's live in a tank outside, along with Cyrus the Sea Monster, and don't forget the bee friends in that giant hive. OH, and how could I forget the equine friends, all those unicorns and My-Little-Ponies and Pegasi outside.

pitbulllady

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Oh yeah, all the fish friends. Whoever thought up the shark, his/her family must've had quite a reaction. "Nice day for a swim in our pool... Whoa, what's THAT?!"

[Ub3rD4n]

Don't forget Fido, the dog/fish. I always thought of that "purple gorrilla" as a pink orang-utan.

As for some discussion, I think it only makes sense for some kids to conjure up imaginary pets if their parents either can't or won't let them have real ones. The more "animal-inspired" IFs are probably just that-people need inspiration for just about anything, and animals are cool looking and fun, why not use them?

[pitbulllady]

I'm really sorta surprised that there aren't MORE animal-type Imaginary Friends, actually, given that so many kids actually do relate more to animals, sometimes, than other people, and more and more kids are forced to live without pets, due to money issues, landlord prohibitions on pets, animal bans, zoning laws, etc. Plus, it doesn't seem like it would require quite as much of a stretch of the imagination to come up with an Imaginary Friend that looked like something that already existed, but was actually alive in reality(as opposed to, say, Bulby or Fridgy) not as much as it would be create something that was completely and totally unique in appearance, like George Mucous, for instance. Then again, I suppose that there ARE many Friends who are based on animals; we just don't tend to think of them as such. Eduardo is most certainly inspired by a bull; Nina even calls him a "toro" in GWH. There's Piggy, even though real pigs do not typically have three eyes, and that purplish hippo-looking character(can't think of her name), and Sassy Frass definitely has some resemblance to an ostrich, and even had the "hots" for Chick Cluckers...yeah, count him in there, too, since he's a rooster!

pitbulllady

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Since there are plenty unicorns, I was kinda expecting more of the "mythical" imaginary friends to show up... like the Loch ness monster, bigfoot, abominable snowman, etc. with the childish touch added. Maybe I just haven't watched the right episode yet.

[taranchula]

Since there are plenty unicorns, I was kinda expecting more of the "mythical" imaginary friends to show up... like the Loch ness monster,

They covered that one, sort of.

Catch the season 1 episode "Seeing Red" which has a sea serpent named Cyrus who speaks with a pronounced Scottish accent, they don't refer to him as the Loch Ness Monster directly. But they were certainly going for that vibe.

[jekylljuice]

They covered that one, sort of.

Catch the season 1 episode "Seeing Red" which has a sea serpent named Cyrus who speaks with a pronounced Scottish accent, they don't refer to him as the Loch Ness Monster directly. But they were certainly going for that vibe.

You know, I'd never actually grasped the significance of Cyrus having a Scottish accent before. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, t.

Also, I'm a little miffed at myself for neglecting to mention Piggy. I have to love that triple-eyed little porcine.

Oh yes, and in "Emancipation Complication", wasn't there that IF who seemed to be an elephant/kangaroo/octapus hybrid of sorts (the one who said they could service society by being their "own zoo")? I can't recall offhand if (s)he's shown up in any other episodes.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Hey, they had the Yeti in "Mondo Coco!" Now the $64,000 question is, is he real, or an imaginary... hmmmmmm.

[pitbulllady]

Hey, they had the Yeti in "Mondo Coco!" Now the $64,000 question is, is he real, or an imaginary... hmmmmmm.


AND yet-ANOTHER $64,000 question would be, IF he IS real, is he an animal or an as-of-yet unclassified(scientifically speaking) species of human? That's the question that a lot of Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti/Almas researchers like to ponder, and that reason that a lot of hunters who've supposedly encountered on, and could have shot, didn't do so; there was just enough doubt that it would turn out to be either a man(make that a really BIG man) in a monkey suit, or a related species of human, making them guilty of murder.

pitbulllady

[koosie]

I'm just sorry Geisel never made it into any episodes other than a quick flash in the very first one. His image was used in the previews before the series came here and I was intrigued by why he was so sad and whether he'd stay that way in the series. Although it was one of the reasons that I started watching the show in the first place, I only just found out he even has a name. Probably all we'll ever know.

Anyway back on animal/IFs, how about plant IFs? I've spotted the odd one of them as well as darling Coco.

[jekylljuice]

Anyway back on animal/IFs, how about plant IFs? I've spotted the odd one of them as well as darling Coco.

I seem to remember there being some plant IFs in "Foster's Goes to Europe", but I can't really recall any specific ones right now. Other than Coco, of course.

[Frankie_4_Prez]

Good observation, it wouldn't shock me if Foster's had a greenhouse somewhere specifically for that purpose, you know, for their comfort.

Edit: Just noticed some today, in "Foster's Goes to Europe." Balloon Friends, too! Awful episode, otherwise

[Mac-a-lacka]

I know that Wilt isn't animal-themed but the most obvious animal that came to mind was a giraffe.:wiltshock:

[KazooBloo]

The imaginary dogs that Herriman was afraid of! Also that pink elephant!

The new guy, too? Does he count as an animal friend?