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{{trope}}
[[File:TheNapoleon.jpg|link=Toradora!|frame|
{{quote|''"You may inhabit a laughably small frame -- Really tiny. Borderline miniature. -- But the point is that it's filled with rage!"''|'''Tiny Duke of Wellington''', ''[[The Daily Show]]''}}
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The name comes from "Napoleon complex" (popularly known as "short-man syndrome"), an inferiority complex said to be suffered by short people. Aggressive or dangerous people who are short are often labeled as such to mock them. This was most famously done to the legendary French emperor, [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. Although Napoleon was of average height for his nationality and time period, a number of different factors created the widely held urban legend that he was quite short. English propaganda of the time seized on the perception and portrayed him as comically short to deflate his image.
See [[Mister Big]] for when a vertically-challenged person is head of a criminal
Not to be confused with [[Napoleon Delusion]].
Napoleons might use a [[Scully Box]] to appear taller.
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* Aisaka Taiga from ''[[Toradora!]]'' (pictured above). Her shortness and [[Tsundere|temperament]] has earned her the nickname of "Palmtop Tiger". [[Berserk Button|Do not speak this nickname in front of her.]]
** [[Street Fighter|Tiger Uppercut]]!
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* ''[[Dragonball Z]]''. Vegeta. It's ''extremely'' noticable during his first appearance, and not only because he's [[Giant Mook|standing next to Nappa]]. Vegeta seems to grow in comparison to the other characters as the series moves on, though this can be attributed more to added muscle mass and aging rather than physically growing taller. He consistently remains one of the shorter fighters in the show.
* Snagglebit from ''[[The Littl' Bits]]''; his original ''name'' was even Napoleon.
* [[Naruto]] before ''Shippuden'' was
** In ''Shippuden'', however, he's a lot taller, practically as tall as Sakura if not a bit taller.
* [[Tsundere|England]] from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', though his demeanor isn't explicitly stated to come from his shortness. His official height would set him only two centimeters shorter than America and at the same height as France. However, he's a bit shorter than France and America looks [[One Head Taller]] next to him, almost to [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl|Huge Guy Tiny Other Guy]] proportions at times, so it's suspected that the author made him shorter in comparison to play up this trope.
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** To be fair, you can't really blame him, since he's shorter than ''[[Samus Is a Girl|Yellow]]'' (who does not, however, have the same problem, though she does usually [[Sweat Drop]] every time one of the GSC gang realizes that she's older than them, despite being shorter).
* Kanta Mizuno, the eponymous ''[[Desert Punk (manga)|Desert Punk]]'' is one of the shortest people in the series and [[Gonk|rather ugly]] (this isn't particularly rare in the series). These qualities contribute to him being a jerkass who is determined to prove himself the best bounty hunter there is.
* [[Teen Genius]] Suzu Hagimura is ''[[Seitokai Yakuindomo]]'''s resident
* The protagonist, Kankichi Ryotsu, of ''[[Kochikame]]'' is like this. He's shown to have a short temper and excels physically. His height is depicted at 167
* A milder example is Ryota Miyagi from ''[[Slam Dunk]]''. While he's smart enough to use his lack of height to his advantage in his sports team, he's still somewhat sensitive about it. Then again, being a member of the ''basketball team'' as well as the shortest of the regulars will make you this.
* Kokoro-chan from ''[[Tantei Opera Milky Holmes]]''. Perhaps to compensate, she's especially fond of [[Improbably High IQ|flaunting her IQ]]. In the OVA, she gets a side job of... being a loli idol.
* Ironically (because she otherwise embodies so many ''Russian'' [[National Stereotypes]]), Katyusha of ''[[Girls und Panzer]]'' is extremely sensitive about her height.
== Comic Books ==
== Comics ==▼
* The Big Figure, the dwarf kingpin in ''[[Watchmen]]''. Rorschach is also a small man who wears lifts in his shoes while in costume to appear taller.
* ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' villain, the Mole Man is a short guy who rules Monster Island, where most residents are [[Kaiju]]-size.
* The King in ''[[The Wizard of Id]]''. His reaction to his height seems to vary wildly between [[Wangst]], ruthlessness, and [[Disproportionate Retribution]] -- a joke about "short stories" can lead to time on the rack.▼
* Libertad from ''[[Mafalda]]''.▼
* In ''[[Love and Rockets]]'', Carmen is very small and extremely aggressive, though she isn't as nasty as many examples on this page.
* Despite what Hugh Jackman's portrayal may have you believe, [[Wolverine]] is 5'3" and has a legendary temper and mean streak.
▲* Libertad from ''[[Mafalda]]''.
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'': Calvin has been known to have issues with his height. It's particularly frustrating for him that shorts in fact actually touch his feet. Then again, it's possibly subverted by the fact that he's only six years old....▼
** It may just be a [[Stylistic Self Parody|a riff on his character design]], since his legs are cartoonishly short.▼
* Joe Dalton in ''[[Lucky Luke]]''. While his height isn't a problem for him, he is described as a "hysterical midget" and lives up to that description.
* Similarly, [[Iznogoud]]. Both characters' jumping up and down in rage would be a lot less funny if they were taller.
* Jose of ''[[Cybersix]]'', the bratty, bossy son and second-in-command of [[Big Bad|Von Reichter]]. The only thing shorter than him is his temper.
* ''Ivy the Terrible'' from ''[[The Beano]]'' is a short agressive pre-school aged child. Who ocassionally seems to be more agressive and destructive than some of the [[Dennis the Menace UK|older and larger characters]] in the comic.
* Mr. Dithers, the [[Mean Boss]] to Dagwood in ''[[Blondie]]''.▼
==
* Lord Farquaad from ''[[Shrek]]'', who takes great lengths to appear taller, such as by attaching false legs to his stirrups. Upon seeing Farquaad's massive tower, Shrek suggests that he's [[Compensating for Something]], which could actually go a few ways.
* Kadaj from ''[[Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children]]'', while not espescially short, is noticeably shorter than his two brothers, as well as Cloud and Sephiroth, and out of all of them tends to act the [[Psychopathic Manchild|most]] [[Large Ham|over-the-top]].
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* [[Big Bad|Mr.]] [[Jerkass|Sykes]] from ''[[Shark Tale]]''. He a short-temperd pufferfish who rules the Whale-Wash with henchmen [[Adult Child|Ernie & Bernie]].
* Yao from ''[[Mulan]]'' is one of the more fierce and [[Blood Knight]] -ish soldiers on the heroes side... and is also the shortest of them.
* The main antagonist of ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]'' is {{spoiler|actually King Candy, a short, jovial, funny-looking guy whose size and personality makes him [[Beneath Suspicion]] for most of the movie}}.
* Swan in ''[[Phantom of the Paradise]]'', played by a 5'2 [[Paul Williams]], has shortened doorways at the Swanage/Death Records.
* Vizzini from ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' hires the strongest giant and most deadly swordsman he can find, but feels no fear in constantly browbeating and threatening them.
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* Rory Breaker, the leader of the black gang in ''[[Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels]]''. He's described as a "psychotic dwarf with an afro" who once lit a man on fire for changing the channel away from something he was watching. His short height is accentuated by his two mammoth bodyguards, whose faces are sometimes not even visible as they stand beside him.
* Miss Ungermeyer in the ''[[Lizzie McGuire]]'' movie.
* This is a staple for most roles played by French comedic genius [[wikipedia:Louis de Funes|Louis de Funès]]
** For example, in ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067108/ Delusions of Grandeur]'', Don Saluste finds his valet Blaze (played by Yves Montand) to be too tall and orders him to serve his master while half-crouched. The actors for the "Grands d'Espagne" in the same movie were specifically chosen as very tall to make Saluste look shorter.
* Teardrop in ''[[Winter's Bone]]'' is a scrawny, middle-aged and physically unimpressive man who commands a healthy respect from the meth dealers in his town. Judging by the fact that he goes literally [[Ax Crazy]] on a car and wins a Mexican standoff with the local sheriff, he's no stranger to violence.
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* Ottilio Panza, an assassin in ''[[The Boondock Saints]] II'', wears elevator shoes. He also lies down next to his victims after killing them, comparing his height with theirs.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* The Helmacron race from ''[[Animorphs]]''.
* Curly from all incarnations of ''[[Of Mice and Men]]''.
* ''[[Discworld]]'':
** The Nac Mac Feegle
** Corporal Strappi from ''[[
** Big Fido, feared canine psychopath and charismatic leader of Ankh-Morpork's Dog Guild, was a small fluffy white poodle.
* Aliera e'Kieron from the ''[[Dragaera]]'' series. She goes as far as levitating to appear taller, which provides a [[Blood Knight|handy excuse for a duel]] when someone points it out. She seems to have dropped the practice later in the series's timeline.
* The idea that Napoleon was '''extremely''' short is a plot point in [[Harry Stephen Keeler]]'s ''X. Jones of Scotland Yard''. Midget-hating tycoon Andre Marceau is found strangled to death in the middle of a freshly rolled croquet lawn. The only footprints, other than Marceau's own, are some tiny, baby-sized footprints. These do not lead out to the body but merely describe a small arc around it. The police suspect a Flying Stranger-Baby. X. Jones is called in to help crack the case! {{spoiler|The culprit is Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon seduced an ancestor of the victim and passed on a gene that causes people to die suddenly with symptoms that cannot be distinguished from strangulation. The same gene also causes hallucinations -- in the victim's case, of a demonic baby.}} That was not an unusual plot for Mr. Keeler, either.
* Lessa in the ''[[Dragonriders of Pern]]'' series is ''tiny'' but fearsome, made all the worse by her massive, jet plane-sized dragon Ramoth.
* A mild example in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Tie-in Novel|Tie In Novels]] starring the Eighth Doctor. He's not exactly
* Scourge in ''[[Warrior Cats]]''. Although replace "belligerent" and "pushy" with "mass-murdering psychopathic dictator".
* Sammael (whose name means "The Destroyer of Hope") of the Forsaken in ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' was one of several formerly prominent light side generals and Aes Sedai during the war against the shadow in the Age of Legends, whom was intensely jealous of the leader, Lews Therin Telamon, The Dragon (but not [[The Dragon]]), for one because he was a head shorter than him. He is extremely irked the same is true of his opponent's [[Reincarnation]] Rand Al Thor, and sometimes uses a projection to appear taller. It should be noted that he probably isn't all that short really, as Rand is explicitly said to be much taller than is average thanks to his Aiel heritage, around 6 1/2 feet.
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* Karrin Murphy of ''[[The Dresden Files]]''. Tiny (especially when she's surrounded by men who are pushing six feet like Harry, Sanya and Thomas) and can probably kick your ass twelve ways from midday. Not to mention the fact that she {{spoiler|may or may not be the wielder of a holy sword}}. As Sanya put it, "Tiny, but ''fierce''."
** A more Villainous example is the Red King the leader of the Red Court. Whereas all his deputies the Lords of the Outer Night are extremely tall he's barely over five feet. He's also a bloodthirsty psychopath, and is one of the most powerful individuals encountered in the series thus far.
* The Legionnaire who goes by the name of "Super Gnat" in [[Robert Asprin]]'s ''[[
* ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''
** Petyr Baelish in is called "Littlefinger" in part because of his short stature. He's half Napoleon and half [[The Great Gatsby|Gatsby]], having grown power-mad as a result of the humiliation he received as a pint-sized and poor noble's son.
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* Base from ''[[Star Trek: Millennium]]'', the galaxy's shortest and most angrily homicidal Ferengi.
* In [[Ian Fleming]]'s original novel of ''[[James Bond (novel)|Goldfinger]]'', the title character is depicted as one of these.
{{quote|
* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: Many times, a short male character will pop up and the author or one of the characters will say that the guy probably has a Napoleon Complex. This sort of character is portrayed as a [[Jerkass]] at best and a [[Complete Monster]] at worst by the author. At times this seems to go into the territory of [[Unfortunate Implications]].
* Horace Rangoon, the villain in ''The Rio Hondo Kid'' by [[J. T. Edson]].
== Live-Action TV ==
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* ''[[Top Gear]]'''s Richard "Hamster" Hammond, although he isn't actually ''very'' short. The Napoleon stuff comes from working with a "[[The Big Guy|seven foot oaf]]" who is [[Deadpan Snarker|big on the mockery]]. Nonetheless, at about 5'7", he's the smallest of the hosts and also probably the most [[Cluster F-Bomb|foul-mouthed]] and adventurous.
* ''[[El Chapulin Colorado]]'' can't get five minutes straight without being called "short" in a way or another, to the more insulting. The most memorables takes on it involve the famous "Pastillas de Chiquitolina" (Smallinium Pills), who can turn anyone who gulps them into [[Fun Size]].
{{quote|
''(El Chapulín swallows one pill and instantly shrinks to Action Figure size)''
'''Helped:''' Whoa! This is amazing! I though that you couldn't get smaller, but I figure I was totally wrong!
'''Chapulí­n:''' They take advantage of my nobility... }}
* [[The Daily Show|Jon Stewart]] was recently accused of being one of these. [http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=230075&title=jons-napoleonic-complex He decided to grab the idea and run with it].
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* Ben Linus of ''[[Lost]]'' gets extra points for being implicitly compared to Napoleon once or twice. At 5'8'', he's just Napoleon's height, too, and while quite the gentleman, certainly dangerous and power-hungry enough to qualify.
* Blaine Anderson from ''[[Glee]]'' shows flashes of this from time to time, being 5'7" in a cast where the average male height is 5'10 to six feet. The crew tries to use camera tricks to make Blaine seem [[Seme|appropriately tall]] compared [[Uke|to his boyfriend Kurt]], but it's getting less frequent (and a number of fans like it ''more'' than the traditional height conventions).
* Fozzie's agent Irving Bizarre, who appeared on one episode of ''[[The Muppet Show]]''; a short and snarky guy, despite being so short that his hat covers his entire body:
{{quote|'''Kermit:''' Who else do you handle? Rich ''Little''? Tiny Tim?
'''Irving:''' I wouldn't handle ''you'' pal, I'd get ''warts''!}}
:* Irving was intended as a caricature of Hollywood talent agent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Paul_Lazar Irving Lazar], who was also very short.
▲== Newspaper Comics ==
▲* The King in ''[[The Wizard of Id]]''. His reaction to his height seems to vary wildly between [[Wangst]], ruthlessness, and [[Disproportionate Retribution]]
== Sports ==▼
▲* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'': Calvin has been known to have issues with his height. It's particularly frustrating for him that shorts in fact actually touch his feet. Then again, it's possibly subverted by the fact that he's only six years old....
* The Quarterback gives orders to the offensive line in a football game, and is generally expected to by smaller and more spry than the other players. Conversely, telling a large person they'd be good at blocking carries the [[Unfortunate Implications]] of calling them a [[Dumb Muscle|Meat Shield]]. However, this is a relative measurement as most quarterbacks are at least 6 feet tall as a requirement if only to to see over the heads of the offensive line and to thrown 'down' at the smaller wide receivers. As far as blocking, it's harder than it looks and it's an vital part of any offense, if no where near as glamourous as other positions.▼
▲** It may just be a [[Stylistic Self Parody|a riff on his character design]], since his legs are cartoonishly short.
* In international football (soccer), quite a number of the truly great centre forwards were of below-average height with a somewhat squat figure that belied their talent for explosive speed and ability to jump higher than taller defenders to head a ball. Good cases in point were Ferenc Puskas of Hungary, and Uwe Seeler (known to his teammates as "Dicker" = "fat one") and Gerd Müller (fondly known as "kleines dickes Müller" = "little fat Müller") of West Germany.▼
▲* Mr. Dithers, the [[Mean Boss]] to Dagwood in ''[[Blondie (comic strip)|Blondie]]''.
== Tabletop Games ==
* In the ''[[BattleTech]]'' universe, Victor Steiner-Davion may be the most obvious example (mostly because he regularly gets accused of this by his detractors). In reality, he's not overly sensitive about his height... but he ''is'' physically short, has to live up to being the firstborn son of two of the most famous and popular rulers in the recent history of the Inner Sphere, and doesn't suffer fools gladly, so, close enough.
== [[Theatre]] ==
* Hermia in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' seems to have this as her [[Berserk Button]]. Sure, she's angry because she thinks Helena stole her boyfriend, but what ''really'' gets her riled are the short jokes.
* Subverted in the song "Napoleon" from the Guy Bolton-[[P. G.
== Video Games ==
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* Ramon Salazar, the insane Castellan midget from ''[[Resident Evil]] 4'', who also dresses in period clothing to make the connection even more obvious. Of course, he's also got progeria and [[Giggling Villain|a creepy laugh.]]
* Laharl from ''[[Disgaea]]'', who would likely (and literally) skin you alive for saying such.
* Roger S. Huxley in ''[[Star Ocean: Till the End of Time]]''. Obsessed with proving himself to be "a real man", and three feet tall. Admittedly, he's twelve years old, but judging by his father's height, he's not likely to get much taller.
* Largo La Grande from ''[[Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge]]: Lechuck's Revenge'', the former [[The Dragon|right-hand man]] of the previous game's [[Big Bad]], who uses his reputation to boss around an entire island as he wishes.
* Manuel Calavera of ''[[Grim Fandango]]'' is a protagonist example. He has stubby legs that force him to wear lifts while acting in his official capacity as a [[Grim Reaper|reaper]], and has a [[Determinator|nigh-indomitable]] will which takes him from one end of the Land of the Dead to the other and from deck-swabber to captain of a ship within a year. While he doesn't appear to be good at fighting, he has only lost to Domino Hurley (once in backstory and once in Year 3) and managed to lay out Nick Virago with one punch in Year 2.
* Inverted in ''[[Psychonauts]]'', where one of the minds the player enters belongs to Fred Bonaparte, a direct descendant of Napoleon. Unlike his ancestor he himself is tall, and completely lacking in ambition, and as such is haunted by a fear of not living up to his family's reputation.
** Played straight with {{spoiler|Coach Oleander}}, who starts the whole "take over the world with psychic death tanks" thing because he was {{spoiler|refused military service}} because of his height.
* ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' plays this straight with [[Heroic Sociopath]] Korgan, and subverts it with
** [[Cloudcuckoolander|Tiax]] [[Chaotic Evil|will]] [[Take Over the World|rule]] [[Ax Crazy|the]] [[Bedlam House|world!]]
* Shoma Sawamura from ''[[Rival Schools]]''. It doesn't help that his [[The Masochism Tango|on and off girlfriend Natsu]] is a [[Huge Schoolgirl]].
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* Date Masamune as portrayed in ''[[Samurai Warriors]]'' is fairly small compared to others ([[Bratty Half-Pint|especially in the first game]]) and is the resident [[Smug Snake]] who wants you to know that you are an ''[[Verbal Tic|imbecile!]]''
=== Visual Novels ===
* ''[[Fate/stay night]]'': Even though he doesn't really fit this trope in terms of personality (or height for that matter), Shirou seems to be quite conscious about being "too short," even though he's actually normal height. It seems like he'll eventually go through an [[Future Badass|insane growth spurt]], but chances are that this spurt is of unnatural causes.
* Reo from the [[Hentai]] [[Girls Love]] [[Visual Novel]] ''[[Sono Hanabira ni Kuchizuke wo]]''. Also a [[Tsundere]].
== Web Animation ==
* Strong Bad from ''[[Homestar Runner]]'', even though he's really the second shortest character and of course the shortest is The Cheat, his [[Non-Human Sidekick]].
* Paul Hammerbro from ''[[Bowser's Kingdom]]''. The only one shorter than him is Jeff and Paul has a temper to match.
== Web Comics ==
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** He at one point claims this was inspired by other halflings making fun of his height, but he was just trying to get some roleplaying XP at the time so this may just be a convenient lie.
* Permission Sam, arch-nemesis of Dominic in the ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' webcomic ''[[UG Madness]]'', is a condescending jerk who plays solely control decks. He's also just 5'1", a fact that Dominic frequently uses to get on his nerves.
* Agent Jerry in ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' is foul-tempered and quick to fire off his gun (fortunately, he's a terrible shot). Floyd Fitznewski, on the other hand, isn't really mean, he just has too much energy and likes to start fights for the heck of
** Meanwhile, Galatea seems to have a crush on the actual historical Napoleon. "He's so complex, they ''named'' one after him!"
* Lord Stanley in ''[[Erfworld]]''. "I'll ignore one height crack. One."
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' has Dr. Beetle, who was one of most brilliant [[Mad Scientist|mad scientists]] around, but his little issues sped up his fall.
{{quote|
* While it's not too obvious because he's usually around people his own height or less, [[Homestuck|Doc Scratch]], [[The Man Behind the Man]] (behind the man behind the {{spoiler|end of the universe}}) is only about four feet tall.
* "[[No Name Given|Shorty]]" from ''[[Skullkickers]]'' is a [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|dwarf]] with a [[Hair-Trigger Temper]], described by the creators as being 'always one step away from and explosion of emotional rage'.
== Web Original ==
* [[The Nostalgia Chick]], scary-tempered sociopath that she is, gets fairly insecure about being the shortest on [[That Guy With The Glasses]] and wears high heeled boots everywhere to combat it.
== Western Animation ==
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* Mr. Spacely in ''[[The Jetsons]]''.
* ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' gives us [[Card-Carrying Villain|Lucius]] and [[Enfante Terrible|Heloise]]. The two shortest members of the cast are also the two most aggressive.
* Dirt Boss, the third Constructicon from ''[[Transformers Animated]]''. While Mixmaster and Scrapper were [[Punch Clock Villain
* ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'': Mojo Jojo! He even gives a rant on how great Napoleon was just to rub the point home (though [[You Fail History Forever|he was a little deluded about how well he did]]).
* In one [[Animated Adaptation]] of ''[[Lucky Luke]]'', [[Historical Villain Upgrade|General Custer]] is portrayed as a raving, megalomaniacal, racist midget.
* Female version: Marcia the marsupial mouse from ''[[Blinky Bill]]'' can be downright nasty at times.
* [[Apathetic Teacher|Mr. Mufflin]] from ''[[Fanboy and Chum Chum]]''. No taller than 11-year-old Fanboy, a [[Perpetual Frowner]], absolutely uncaring for his job (frequently reminds himself that it's only 12 years until his retirement) and prone to treating students inequitably.
* Winslow & Eddie the Squirrel from ''[[
* Citoset from ''[[The Ripping Friends]]''
* In the ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' episode "Bullseye!" one of the contestants in the [[Card-Carrying Villain|Pageant Of Evil]] is a [[Meaningful Name|Dr. Diminutive]], who introduces himself by saying, "I don't have a Napoleon complex! Napoleon had a ''me'' complex!" He's quickly disqualified for being too short.
* Bart Simpson in ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode "Radioactive Man", in an attempt to get the part for Fallout Boy for the titular film being made, did several things indicative of the trope, including wearing elevator shoes, wearing a pin-stripe suit with vertical lines, and having a chihuahua as a scale for comparison. He ultimately doesn't get the part only because he was still a few inches too short. Milhouse got the part instead.
* The titular character of [[Dan Vs.]].
== Real Life ==
* The actual [[Napoleon Bonaparte|Napoleon]] was 5'7, above average height for an 18th century Frenchman (5'5). It was propaganda from his sworn enemy, England, that created his reputation as a miniature, petty tyrant. A number of misconceptions have aided in perpetuating the image to this day. First, French feet of the time period were longer than modern feet, causing his height in French feet to be numerically smaller. Also, his nickname ''le Petit Caporal'', "the Little Corporal", actually referred to his humble background and modesty around his troops, rather than his physical size. Finally, he was often seen during war time on foot, surrounded by hulking bodyguards (who had a height requirement), making him look short by comparison.
* Male politicians and political leaders often go to great lengths to prevent themselves from appearing short.
** French president Nicolas Sarkozy is infamous for his attempts to hide his short height. While ex-president Bush is 15
** [[Joseph Stalin]] was around
** Caesar Augustus was around 5'7" according to his secretary (5'9" in Roman units), but biographer Suetonius says this is slightly inflated and he was known for wearing thick-soled shoes.
** North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il was infamous for wearing platform shoes and a bouffant hairstyle to make himself seem taller. When asked about Kim's height, Madeleine Albright noted that without his lifts, she stood eye-to-eye with him.
** While [[George W. Bush]] is not short, in the 2004 American presidential election he faced the noticeably taller John Kerry. A minor news story broke revealing the back-and-forth negotiations between the two presidents' camps on how to film the debates. The Bush camp was particularly concerned about Bush appearing too short while standing near Kerry.
** Inverted by George W. Bush's father, [[George H. W. Bush]], during his tenure as Ronald Reagan's vice-president. Bush was an inch taller than Reagan and took pains to avoid standing next to him in photos until after Reagan's term of office was over.
* Small dogs are generally more aggressive than large dogs due to the fact that they have to work so much harder to maintain their place in the hierarchy. Their higher metabolism also gives them more forceful personalities in general, whether friendly or mean. Even the tiniest and cutest dogs have the instincts of hunters. In fact, many small dog breeds (like terriers) were specifically bred to hunt and kill vermin. Compounding the problem, many owners fail to train their small dogs properly, believing that their [[Mister Muffykins]] is harmless.
* [[Harlan Ellison]]
* Scientology's current{{when}} leader David Miscavige. If the accounts from ex-members that he frequently beats his staff and encourages other high-ranking officials to do so and manipulates promotional pictures so that he looks taller are to be believed... Could also be considered a [[Mister Big]] depending on your personal opinions of Scientology.
* [[Alexander
* [[Attila the Hun]] may have suffered from dwarfism.
* [[Richard E. Grant]] and Paul McGann, the stars of ''[[Withnail and I]]'', once had not-quite-an-
* Bank robber George "Baby Face" Nelson was a raving loony, with a whole keyboard full of [[Berserk Button
* Although he was portrayed by 6'2 Peter O'Toole in ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]'', in real life T.E. Lawrence was 5'5.
* Devon Aoki is one of the world's smallest supermodels, at only 5'3". She is listed at 5'5" however, to give her a chance in modeling. Most supermodels have to be above 5'7", no question. She is also known for her roles in martial art films and as [[Badass|Miho]] in ''[[Sin City]]''.
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* Prince is 5'2". He is also known as being one of the hardest to work with musicians/producers in the industry.
* When Prince Eugene of Savoy-Carignan (1663-1736) requested to be appointed to be given command of a regiment, King Louis XIV of France refused because he said Eugene was too scrawny and too little. Refusing to accept this, Eugene entered the service of the Holy Roman Emperor and eventually rose to supreme command of the Austrian Army. Especially during the [[War Of Spanish Succession]], in which Eugene together with the Duke of Marlborough led the main Allied Army, Louis must have deeply regretted judging the man once known as the "little abbé" by his appearance...
* Despite slightly taller than the American average height (though would be slightly under the average for post-1901 Presidents) at 5'10", Marco Rubio developed (or was seen as having developed) one due to an inability to stop feeding the 6'2" [[Donald Trump]]'s "Little Marco" nickname for him. It reached the point Rubio started wearing high heeled boots to compensate, which attracted more attention than his height.
* Japanese officers in [[World War II]] were so small that you could tell officer corpses from enlisted by the shorter height of officers. In this case it was because Japanese military schools took [[The Spartan Way]] to the point of not properly feeding adolescent cadets at just the time when they needed feeding.
▲=== Sports ===
▲* The Quarterback gives orders to the offensive line in a football game, and is generally expected to by smaller and more spry than the other players. Conversely, telling a large person they'd be good at blocking carries the [[Unfortunate Implications]] of calling them a [[Dumb Muscle|Meat Shield]]. However, this is a relative measurement as most quarterbacks are at least 6 feet tall as a requirement if only to to see over the heads of the offensive line and to thrown 'down' at the smaller wide receivers. As far as blocking, it's harder than it looks and it's an vital part of any offense, if no where near as glamourous as other positions.
▲* In international football (soccer), quite a number of the truly great centre forwards were of below-average height with a somewhat squat figure that belied their talent for explosive speed and ability to jump higher than taller defenders to head a ball. Good cases in point were Ferenc Puskas of Hungary, and Uwe Seeler (known to his teammates as "Dicker" = "fat one") and Gerd Müller (fondly known as "kleines dickes Müller" = "little fat Müller") of West Germany.
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[[Category:Body Image Tropes]]
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