The Woobie/Western Animation

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"I should have known! You stole my life AND ruined my home! That's it! You and me, Mouse! Right now, c'mon! I've been waiting for this for years! This is gonna be my moment!"
—Oswald when Mickey Mouse reveals to him that he was the reason Wasteland became what it is.

Even cartoons have characters that desperately need a hug.

Examples of This Trope:


  • Poor, poor Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, easily the poster boy example of the Western Animation woobie, as we get to see in Epic Mickey. Wanna know why? First, he was abandoned by his own father over a budget dispute with Charles Mintz, and when Walter Lantz took over the cartoons, Walt openly approved of Lantz using Ozzie—even though Lantz would eventually derail Oswald from his cartoony roots and turn him into a cutesy Funny Animal in an attempt to cash in on Disney. And it only got worse when Oswald's half-brother Mickey Mouse usurped his original popularity, which, coupled with Lantz's change of the character, as well as the gradual rise of Screwy Squirrel characters over cute funny animals in the early 1940s (including Universal's own new character, Woody Woodpecker) sent Oswald to his grave in 1943, after limping by for the last several years. You would think that in the world for forgotten Disney characters, he would have finally gotten the happy ending he deserved. But nope, things got even WORSE for him—said half-brother just happened to accidently spill a jug of paint thinner onto Yensid's world, which would up ruining the whole place by turning it into a savage wasteland, as well as unleashing the Shadow Blot upon the place, which would lead the entire world into even more mayhem and ruin, forcing Oswald and any remaining resistance underground—the lowest point of his life would be seeing his own wife, Ortensia the Cat, frozen into stone, the experience eventually degenerating him into a distrusting, bitter Anti-Villain. And on top of that, he's manipulated by the Blot into becoming jealous and hateful of Mickey so he can be used to its advantage. That said, he DOES finally get his happy ending when Wasteland is restored and he finally bonds with Mickey. Things are getting better for him in Real Life as well. In 2004, Japan had a gigantic craving for rabbit and toy companies began churning out Oswald plushies which were insanely popular. Not to mention in 2006, Disney literally traded a human being (sports caster Al Michaels) to NBC in exchange for Oswald, showing that they still truly care for him and that they want him to return home.
    • And if you haven't yet cried for Oswald after hearing his story, try watching this and see if you can keep a dry eye.
  • 3 Tom and Jerry shorts involve a duckling that Jerry helps. The first one is the duckling in "Just Ducky". He can't swim, which separates him from his mother and siblings, and Jerry tries to get him away from a ravenous Tom. But when Tom nearly drowns in the pond, the duckling learns how to swim in order to save him. The second one is the mallard duckling from "The Duck Doctor". He gets shot in the wing by Tom in hunter garb, and Jerry takes care of him, but the cat keeps shooting at the poor thing. Lastly, there's the duckling in "Downhearted Duckling". He laments on how "ugly" he is, and wants Tom to eat him for that reason. Jerry tries to boost the duckling's self-esteem, but all attempts failed. But the duckling gets out of his funk when a female duckling calls him "cute".
  • Ace Lightning - the title character has his moments (what with discovering he's really a videogame character and everything he thought was real is nothing more than an elaborate plaything for kids, you can't blame him), as does his human "sidekick", Mark.
  • In Marceline's 3rd appearance in Adventure Time, she can be seen as one. Just listen to the song "Daddy, Why Did You Eat My Fries?".
    • What about Finn? He sat in his own...crap for three days until somebody saved him!
    • The Ice King definitely is a Woobie. He's lived for hundreds of years alone, getting excited about any type of company but still being too incompetent to know how to handle social interactions. He's driven to kidnapping by this neglected need for companionship, and no one ever bothers to try and help him.
      • As of "Holly Jolly Secrets," Simon Petrikov, also known as the Ice King before receiving his title, should be considered a Woobie as well, seperately from the Ice King. He was a completely normal, intelligent, and successful human being, And then upon purchasing an old crown to study, his life is unexpectedly changed forever when he loses control of his actions (driving away his beloved "princess" fiance) and sees illusory visions as a result of wearing what turned out to be an evil, magical crown. Once his transformation is complete and his mind is essentially gone, cue the afoementioned centuries of loneliness, and all the while all that's left of Simon is a vain desire to be with his "princess."
  • Rose from American Dragon: Jake Long is probably the closest thing to a Woobie in the series. She was kidnapped at birth by the Huntsclan because she was born with a birthmark that makes her a born slayer, was told by the Huntsclan that her parents died and that they adopted her, all while being brainwashed into believing that magical creatures are "sick and nasty". Fortunately, Jake enters her life.
  • An American Tail: Fievel. Poor, poor Fievel. Even other characters in the movie know that he's The Woobie.
  • Buttons of Animaniacs fame. Regularly subjected to heavy comic violence to keep Mindy safe, he is inevitably scolded by his owners at the end for some minor offense. In the end he is offered Mindy's affection (typically a hug and, "Silly puppy!") for his deeds.
  • Aang, of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hey, how'd you enjoy that nap in the iceberg? Oh, by the way, everyone you ever knew is dead. And they didn't die peaceably of old age, they were all horribly killed.
    • Appa for most of season 2, going by "Appa's Lost Days" at least.
      • Averted big-time with Toph. You'd think being small, blind and a runaway who felt deprived of her parents' love and support is instant woobie, just add tears. But the writers instead chose to focus on her being a Cute Bruiser Little Miss Snarker.
        • It's to the point that it's poked at when she tries to tell her life story melodramatically to Zuko after the others had been able to spend the time to get to know him. Doesn't really work out, so she just keeps on kicking ass immediately afterward.
    • No love for Zuko? The poor guy has been The Unfavorite since the day his mother dissapeared protecting him, subjected to mind games by his sociopath of a sister growing up, got scarred and banished by his own Complete Monster of a father for speaking out of turn, and then got sent to find the Avatar, who, by the way, hadn't been seen for one hundred years. And then goes through hell trying to catch him when he turns up. I think this kid needs a hug. [dead link]
      • That's rough, buddy.
    • Don't forget post-Villainous Breakdown Azula. Seriously, the creators somehow managed to turn her from the evil, scary, indisputable chessmaster and Magnificent Bastard to the heart-wrenching woobie in the course of oh, I don't know, thirty minutes? See also Jerkass Woobie.
    • On a slightly more humorous note, what about the Birthday Guy from the finale? Just check out his sad face after he gets dumped out of the airship and into the water. On his birthday.
      • Oh, you know that captain guy who's probably an ass? Yeah, he's throwing you a party. Except he's not your captain. And also there's no party. Also get off the ship alright bye.
    • Not so much of an example compared to the above, but Sequel Series The Legend of Korra gives us Bolin in episode 5. He spends the entire episode trying to get Korra to like him, only to walk into a kiss between her and his brother. Sure, the way he exaggerates the tears and does a Girly Run makes the scene have a bit of Narm, but you try watching that scene trying not to feel sympathy for him.
  • Batman: The Animated Series had a couple: Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent, Mr. Freeze, and probably the most pitiful character in the DCAU, Harley Quinn. Hell, Harley's such a woobie that even the other characters feel sorry for her!
    • In the animated film Batman and Mister Freeze Sub Zero, there is Kunac, the orphaned eskimo boy, whose only caretaker is Mr Freeze
    • Arnold Wesker (AKA the Ventriloquist) is such a woobie, you guys forgot to list him.
    • The Mad Hatter also qualifies, especially in the Batman: Arkham City game where he is shown as a broken shell of a man lost in his despair. All he wanted was to be loved by Alice...
    • Baby Doll, even if she's a bit psychotic. Deep down she just wishes she was a normal woman, not forever trapped in a little girl's body.
  • Curare from Batman Beyond. Just watch her eyes; you can tell she's an assassin who knows she's in a Never Say "Die" universe.
  • Poor little Shifty Dingo from Blinky Bill. One of the sweetest, clumsiest, most timid residents of Greenpatch and he always gets treated badly just cause he's a dingo. He is constantly bullied by Marcia and shunned by many adults and really really REALLY needs a big hug to make him feel all better. And then of course, you have Nutsy who lost her mother.
  • Tina from Bob's Burgers. Thankfully, the autism joke about her was abandoned after episode one.
  • Jazmine in The Boondocks TV series - a Wide-Eyed Idealist embodiment of Children Are Innocent surrounded by Black and Grey Morality characters who are all full-time cynics prone to Cluster F Bombs. The time she set up a lemonade stand during a heatwave only to be incorporated and then screwed over by Corrupt Corporate Executive Ed Wuncler is the foremost example though.
  • The Brave Little Toaster: Blanket ironically fits this trope.
  • Abe Lincoln on Clone High.
    • Abe?! Joan of Arc! Abe's total obliviousness to her feelings for him and repeated episodes that force her to choose between stealing him for herself or Doing the Right Thing make her the series Woobie.
  • Flint Lockwood and Sam Sparks from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, anyone?
  • Jerry in Code Monkeys has to put up with all kinds of crap that would probably drive a lesser person to want to kill himself. Of course, being a Dead Baby Comedy, it doesn't look like things are going to get much easier for the poor guy.
  • Coraline has the Other Father and Other Wybie.
    • Other Wybie is mute, but very polite and friendly. The Other Mother sewed his face into a permanent grin when he frowned, and he still helps Coraline. It's implied that he was killed for this, with his awesome coat being hung on the house like a sick victory flag.
    • Other Father wasn't mute, but he was a very upbeat dude and just plain sweet guy. He's steadily being punished for trying to help Coraline, is beaten up by his own piano, and is forced to fight Coraline, trying his best to hold himself back so she can run, all while murmuring "I'm so sorry," in a disoriented voice. Falls and drowns near the film, though the drowning at least allows him a Heroic Sacrifice ending, as he throws Coraline one of the objects she has to find to win against the Other Mother as he's going under.
      • And the Other Mother makes him slowly mutate into a pumpking-thing. Seriously!
    • Heck, the real father, Charlie Jones. Fortunately, things look better for him by the end.
    • Don't forget Coraline herself.
    • The ghost children could count. They were lured away from their homes, had their souls stolen by a monster and were locked up in a closet for decades, forced to live with the knowledge that if they hadn't given in to their greed, they wouldn't have been trapped.
  • Donald Duck, from the Classic Disney Shorts, may be THE Disney Chew Toy...Yet some fans do feel for him greatly, mostly because in quite a number of the shorts his bad luck is there...because it has to be.
  • Danielle in Danny Phantom. She's lived in a world where she thought Vlad adored her like a daughter only to find out she was nothing but an inferior tool for his true goals (creating a perfect clone of Danny). Then she's on the run for the better part of a season, knowing she could melt into ectoplasm at any time. Valerie then proceeds to trick her, and despite being cured, and returning to help Danny, she's still left on the run. How could you not just want to hug her?
    • If you want to get technical, Danny would fit this bill, too. Being half ghost, Danny is stuck at a cross point where both humans and ghosts would shun him for his freakish state. Not to mention for a season and a half, Danny is either ignored or insulted by nearly everyone outside of his closest companions and settled with the responsibility to save his hometown on a constant basis despite the community viewing him as nothing but their most hated enemy. This is truly one of those Earn Your Happy Ending thing that Danny went to get where he is now.
    • Also Vlad in Alas, Poor Villain fashion. By the end, Vlad realizes all the evil he's done, but it's too late for him to repent. After years of fearing loneliness, he has the cold, dark depths of space staring back at him. Cue upside down smile.
      • Not only that, but the last few minutes of the episode consist of his getting smashed into by a giant meteor.
    • Somehow, Dark Danny gets this, not so much from canon itself, but from the fandom. Fans tend to forget he's a mass murderer, has wasted what is implied to be a good chunk of the Earth, and has crippled/completely ruined several ghosts, and instead focus on the tragedy of the Nasty Burger accident before he became an Ax Crazy maniac, trying to sympathize and justify his actions through his mourning.
  • Daria would be this if she didn't have such good coping mechanisms.
    • The best fit from Daria is Stacy. Despite being one of the minor characters, she's a perfect fit for this trope. Especially noticeable during the episode Fat Like Me.
  • Disney characters:
    • Quasimodo of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
    • Simba, who is genuinely convinced for most of his life that he caused his father's death; and Zazu, who suffers throughout the film (sure, it’s mostly played for laughs, but it stops being funny after a while and becomes kind of depressing),
    • Ariel, whose father destroys her collection of human knick-knacks just because she doesn't agree with him that Humans Are Bastards. (Flounder, being an in-universe Woobie, probably qualifies, too.)
    • Tod, who is orphaned as a baby, chased, shot at, disowned by his best friend, and left in a wildlife refuge without a friend in the world.
    • Mulan, who gets an entire song about how much she doesn't belong and how afraid she is of disappointing her family.
    • The king and queen from Sleeping Beauty, who tried for years to have a baby, and then once they had her, had to send her to live with the Fairies and didn't see her again until she was 16.
    • Dumbo, who is scorned and mocked by pretty much EVERYONE and loses his mother when she tries to stick up for him.
    • Bambi.
    • James Pleiades Hawkins. His troubles all started when he was born. It takes a morally complicated cyborg bear/space pirate father figure to get Jim out of his seven-year-long funk.
    • Lilo, from Lilo and Stitch. The poor little girl is barely older than 5, yet she's lost her parents, has no friends, her "dog" runs away, and she's about to be taken from her sister. By far the Woobiest moment is right before Stitch leaves and she so matter-of-factly says "It's ok if you leave. But I'll remember you. I remember everyone who leaves". And at the point, you just wanna grab the girl and hug her and cry over the injustice of it all.
      • Don't forget Stitch himself: "I'm...lost..."
      • Or Nani, for that matter. She too seems rather isolated (David's the only guy her own age she really interacts with) and struggles with a part-time job and deals with a number of social workers, all to prove that she's fit to be her sister's legal guardian. And then she loses her job and tries like crazy to get a new one, because otherwise she doesn't have a chance of keeping Lilo. Towards the end, when Cobra Bubbles tells her he's sorry but he's going to have to take Lilo, Nani's expression is just so sad!
    • If you can stand Koda's Mouthy Kid personality for even a second, you'll feel really, really sorry for him when you find out that his mother was the bear that Kenai killed.
      • Rutt also falls into this category. In the first movie, he gets his antler broken after his brother Tuke "totals" a mammoth and after a brief argument, he doesn't want to be Tuke's brother anymore, but Tuke reminds Rutt of why he's there for him. In the second movie, Rutt gets his heart broken when Tuke woos both Anda and Kata, but his Woobie-ness gets Anda and Kata's attention away from Tuke.
    • Mater of Cars apparently took the highway bypass of his town harder than anyone. In the flashback, he's a sky blue color, but by the present, he's totally rusted. While everyone stares at the empty road in the flashback, He's the first to hang his head and leaves. You just wanna hug the poor guy after seeing that.
    • Tiana from The Princess and the Frog has devoted her entire life to buying a mill to set up her planned restaurant in. The very day she gets enough money for it, the Jerkass owners tell that she was outbid, too bad for her. And when she pleads with them to take pity on her, as she worked so hard to get what she had, what do they say? "A woman in your...position, well you're better off staying where you're at". Ouch. Add in the theory that they themselves lied about or orchestrated the outbidding and it's very hard to not to feel sorry for the poor girl.
    • Rapunzel and Flynn, especially at the end, when Rapunzel finds out that the woman she called mother actually kidnapped her in infancy and Flynn is stabbed and literally dies so Rapunzel can be freed.
    • And let's not forget that poor female squirrel from The Sword in the Stone, whose heart is shattered into pieces when Wart becomes human again.
    • Lady from Lady and the Tramp. You'd just want to give her a hug upon seeing what she's been through. She was ...
      • Gets ignored a lot during the time her owners are focusing on the son (Well if you were an expectant mother you would probably want to take care of yourself, however, it was exaggerated).
      • About to get muzzled by Aunt Sarah just because she believed that she messed up the house (When it was actually her Siamese Cats).
        • Heck, any Aunt Sarah moments with her is basically a Woobie Moment.
      • Gets sent to the pound.
      • All of the dogs during the scene when we're introduced to the pound. Poor babies...
    • |Herc, despite his godly strength, is one of these, especially when he's younger and he gets the All of the Other Reindeer treatment when he just wants to help.
  • Doug's constant teasing, awkward shyness, and fears that he won't fit in with everyone else makes you want to give him a hug.
    • But one of the worst offenders is the Christmas Episode (doubles as the Wham! Episode of the series) (Nickelodeon). It starts when his dog, Porkchop, is taken away for being accused of attacking Beebe, and the pound is thinking of putting the poor dog down. Then Doug has a flashback of when he got Porkchop for Christmas when he was little, and when Porkchop gave him his journal for Christmas the previous year prior to the episode, and then imagines no longer having Porkchop, and then he starts crying. Sure, there's a happy ending, but still...
      • Which also makes Porkchop a woobie in the episode.
    • The robot from Dougs First Movie.
  • Zak on Dragon Tales, who must constantly endure his sister Wheezie's wild behavior- because they're a two-headed dragon. He also seems to be the show's target for comic abuse from any of a number of avenues.
  • Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy has a few, including the Eds for starters:
    • Ed has to put up with his little sister's crap.
      • He also has to deal with a father who doesn't give a care about him, and a mother who spoils said little sister rotten while treating Ed like crap. Not only that, but despite Ed being clearly too dumb to tell the difference between right and wrong, his mother still punishes him just for being too loyal a friend to not go along with Eddy's scams. Meanwhile, she lets Sarah, who routinely beats up other kids, including Ed himself, get off scot free.
    • Edd is often given penalties along with Ed and Eddy, even if he hasn't done a damn thing to deserve it! In the movie, he finally snaps because of it, only remaining with them because...
      • Although his parents seem to be relatively normal, they're never there for him, communicating exclusively through sticky notes and leaving him to do all the houserwork while they're off doing their jobs, presumably.
    • Eddy himself is revealed to be one in The Big Picture Show.
      • To elaborate, Eddy's father is a used car salesman and a bad example, his mother seems to be completely unable to do anything, and Eddy's brother is a total bastard who beat up Eddy just for fun for his ENTIRE LIFE. And his parents did NOTHING TO STOP HIM.
    • Actually, there are a few hints in the series that Eddy's parents and his brother don't get on. I was always under the impression that they kicked him out.
    • Jimmy is the poster boy for this trope in the show. It even drove him into framing the Eds for ruining Friendship Day after Eddy gives him a wedgie.
    • Nazz in The Big Picture Show after having the worst hair day ever from one of the Eds' scams.
    • Rolf in Wish You Were Ed. He wanted to go back home so bad...
    • May Kanker in the Valentine's special...
  • Kariel from El Arca. She indirectly killed four characters (her parents, her sister,a hippo) and is mistreated by Xiro.
  • Tootie in The Fairly OddParents. She has the world's most sadistic babysitter as a big sister and fails to win the boy she loves, plus is bottom of the barrel on the social ladder and, unlike Timmy, seems to have no friends outside the Cream Puffs, who seem unwilling to even attend her birthday party.
    • Timmy can be seen as a Woobie himself. Parental Neglect, sadistic babysitter, villainous teacher (who despite his ineptitude would be a more nurturing parent than Timmy's own), constantly belittled for his appearance, and lets not forget the small fact that he was shown with explicit detail how pretty much the entire world would be far better off without him, which was reality essentially giving him a Reason You Suck Speech. How could you NOT want to hug the poor little guy and just make everything better?
  • Meg Griffin, anyone? What more can you say about a girl whose own father didn't even bother to get her vaccinated as a baby?
    • Hey, I never got any vaccinations either, but there are dozens upon dozens of other examples of abuse being heaped on Meg. Apparently, the writers think it's funny. Not to mention many of the fans also consider it funny, too.
    • In a song where everyone sings what they want for Christmas, Meg wishes for a non-alcoholic father and for softer voices in her head - while curled up, rocking back and forth on the floor of her closet. Her most "normal" wish is for a car - which she was supposed to get, twice. The first time was a bribe from her dad that he went back on (admittedly because she cracked and couldn't keep her end of the deal), and the second time Peter spent her car money on a tank. Meg has, at least twice, spoken openly about cutting herself, and several more times has alluded to it. And the few times someone in her family does act nice to her, it backfires, horribly. Then there's the time she snapped after going to prison and Lois' line - paraphrased, "Let's all go together to pick Meg up, I'm sure it would mean the world to her to see all our faces again" - implies that her family never went to visit her while she was locked up. I want to hug her, then drag her to therapy.
  • Felicity from Felidae.
  • Batty Koda from Fern Gully.
  • Wilt from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Badly injured in the past and then abandoned by his creator, he does his best to help out everyone with a smile, often with little or no thanks—partially because he's desperate for approval. His Catch Phrases are "I'm sorry!" and "Is that okay?"
    • Don't forget Frankie. That poor girl puts up with loads of crap that would drive a lesser person to complete insanity.
      • Her "Woobie" status rises to an extreme in the episode, "Imposter's Home for Um...Make 'Em Up Pals", where an "imaginary friend" comes in and looks like he's obviously a human with a rubber nose. She has to do everything for him. What makes it worse is that at the end, the imaginary friend turns out to be real.
    • Also, Mac is occasionally on the receiving end of some pretty major torment. His mom is hardly around, his older brother constantly beats him up, his dad never makes an appearence (Word of God says he's dead), his imaginary friend is a Jerk Wad, and he doesn't have any real friends (besides Frankie and Goo). If he was an imaginary friend and was up for adoption, he needs to be adopted quickly.
    • World, the toy box friend from the special, Destination Imagination, is probably the biggest woobie in the show. Having been separated from his creator by the kid's parents, all his time spent alone has driven him nearly insane. When the other characters try to take Frankie from his imaginary world, he has an emotional breakdown that literally breaks his entire world apart. "She has to stay! Without her my world is empty, and I'm nothing!"
    • All excellent examples, but what about sickeningly adorable Foofy Wuggums from Good Wilt Hunting? Accidentally left all alone at a train station lost-and-found for several months, leaving her to believe that her creator doesn't want her anymore? Aww... and she even speaks in Baby Talk!
    • What about that little green dude (forgot his name at the moment) The one who was nearly microscopic size, and spends the whole episode tying to navigate through the house to let everyone else (who was then locked outside) in. Everyone outside then proceed to DESTROY THE HOUSE AROUND HIM, and then find a ridiculously simple way to get in ON THEIR OWN!
      • You mean Peas? YMMV on him, he is considered to be a Scrappy by many people.
    • What about poor Edwardo? He's afraid of everything, cries at a drop of a hat, and all he every wanted was a puppy and Mr. Harriman denies him.
  • Though the Chew Toy's poster-boy, Zoidberg from Futurama is indeed seen as a Woobie by a section of the show's fanbase, who'd love nothing less than to comfort him.
    • No matter how many moments of Woobie-ness Zoidberg gets, he will never, ever, EVER compare to Seymour. The thought of "Jurassic Bark" puts tears in this troper's eyes every time.
      • It's revealed in "Bender's Big Score" that a time duplicate of Fry lived above Panucci's Pizza from 2000 - 2012, so Seymour was not alone. In fact, when he does die, it's about a minute after Fry's greeted him.
      • After Fry spent several years away, looking for Leelu, That kind of makes him even more of a Woobie. his final thoughts where probably of Fry and playing in the park.
    • You want a Woobie from Futurama? Try Tinny Tim, the ridiculously over the top and adorable parody of Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol. Nearly every scene featuring him has him suffering some kind of misfortune despite basically being a crutch armed, kind-hearted orphan (I know) robot.
    • Excuse me? And where is Kif in all this? Could an alien possibly scream Woobie more than this guy? Not only does he receive grief in nearly every episode he appears in, he also has to go through an unplanned male pregnancy when Amy freaks out and runs out on him in "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch".
    • Leela falls into this a few times, mostly when her upbringing in the orphanage is alluded to, or when she laments her lack of parents.
    • Fry living under Leela's shadow makes him qualify for this, and then some. Trying to keep up with the futuristic times, not being as smart or mentally stable as his fellow employees (save for Zoidberg), and suffering the consequences despite noble intentions and a heart of gold. It's enough to get you upset at anyone who berates him for his antics and shortcomings not matter how accurate or deserved.
  • There's something about the way Goliath of Gargoyles carries the weight of the world on his shoulders (even without considering his tragic backstory) that just makes you feel sorry for the poor guy, for all that he is an epic Badass. The main villain from the same series, Demona, alternates back and forth between Woobie and Omnicidal Maniac with disturbing ease, particularly in the episode "City of Stone", which revealed her tragic backstory.
  • 2D of Gorillaz: when he was nineteen, he was run over, put into a coma, and left with a fractured eyeball by Murdoc. Murdoc then got stuck as his caregiver (and the Slash Fic writers have some rather horrible ideas about what may or may not have happened during that time - Murdoc probably is enough of a bastard to pull a stunt like that if he knew nobody would find out). A year later, Murdoc ran 2D over again, bringing him out of the coma and fracturing his other eyeball. 2D's birth name is Stuart Pot, a.k.a. Stu-Pot, which is a bad enough Punny Name in itself, but Murdoc nicknamed him 2D, short for "Two Dents", after what happened to his eyes. Murdoc then stole 2D's girlfriend Paula, ruined his later relationship with Rachel Stevens, and regularly uses him as a verbal and physical punching bag. Despite all this, 2D never lost his sunny disposition and never seemed to harbour any real resentment. The band broke up for a while before "Demon Days", and 2D apparently went a bit wild during that time; he was told later via email that he'd fathered ten illegitimate children, and the lawyer who told him asked for his autograph in the same email. Currently he's being held captive by Murdoc on Plastic Beach.
    • Murdoc had a bit of this in his pre-teen days. His father forced him to participate in embarrassing talent contests for money. His brother broke his nose twice for using his (the brother's) record player without permission. Murdoc claims to have hit puberty at eight and lost his virginity at nine, and while he's an Unreliable Narrator at best, he'd also probably have no problem with mentioning something like that for pure shock value, so it's horribly possible that he's not lying. However, he was a thoroughly horrible child, just as he's a thoroughly horrible adult, so maybe he fitted Jerkwad Woobie better.
  • Grim from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Yes, turning The Grim Reaper into this is quite a feat.
    • Nergal Junior was an even bigger Woobie. He was a Creepy Child Shape Shifter born of an interspecies romance who had no friends, causing him to go on creepy and unstoppable kidnapping sprees.
    • And then there's Jeff, whose entire existence seems to be devoted around getting Billy to love him. Instead, Billy seems to prefer to attack Jeff on sight.
  • Flaky from Happy Tree Friends often gains sympathy from fans due to her being, unlike just about every other character in the show who is blissfully happy until their eventual gory death, perpetually terrified of everything. This is not enough for her to escape her own inevitable grisly fate, however. (The jury is still out on her actual gender too... However most of the creators, most notably on the DVD commentaries, refer to Flaky as a female).
    • Arguably Petunia, as well. She dies in every cartoon she appears in, typically in the most horrible way possible.
  • Helga in Hey Arnold!!, of the jerkass variety. Straighter examples at times are Arnold, Phoebe, and (unless you find his suffering funny), Eugene.
  • Brain from Inspector Gadget. In one spin-off series, he quit being a regular because of all the abuse he went through. On top of that, the poor pup became a nervous wreck.
  • Dukey from Johnny Test, especially in the episode "Bath Time For Johnny" where Johnny "forgets" Dukey's birthday and he spends most of the episode bawling his eyes out.
  • Henry from KaBlam!! sure is one. Everyone, even his best friend June (who seems to have a crush on him) is constantly beating him up or just being mean to him. Though sometimes June might feel sorry for what she's been doing and cheer him up.
    • June temporarily becomes one in Won't Stick to Most Dental Work!, when she's away from Henry. And A Nut in Every Bite!. Henry falls for Dawn (and this episode's supposed to come after episode 29, when H&J kiss), and you can kinda sense that June is pretty heartbroken.
  • Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible, at least in the first three seasons. He's always made fun of, seems to never fit in with the other students, is ridiculed by Kim herself, never is shown any importance, the list goes on.
    • Just watch him in "A Sitch in Time" when his family ends up having to move to Norway when he's away from Kim, and him throughout a lot of "So the Drama", especially during the "Why Don't you Kiss her?" montage with Kim and Eric.
  • James, Henri, and Moses of Liberty's Kids are like this whenever they talk about their past.
  • Hardy the hyena from Lippy The Lion And Hardy Har Har.
  • Arnold, of The Magic School Bus fame. Helped that he was in some cases the voice of the audience, who would quite rightly be terrified of rafting on a magma floe regardless of how "safe" it was.
  • Marion, Mr. Milk, heck, just about all the regular supporting characters on Making Fiends.
  • The eponymous character from The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. He lives in perhaps one of the creepiest fictional towns ever, is always selfishly manipulated by Cap'n K'nuckles, and is constantly subjected to Nightmare Fuel, yet he's perhaps the most optimistic and friendly character on the show.
    • To be fair, the Cap'n has many Pet the Dog moments showing that he indeed cares for Flappy, just in his own... unique way. And considering the rest of the Nightmare Fuel-tastic town, he's probably one of the best influences for the kid.
    • In the episode "Jar She Blows," Cap'n K'nuckles tricks Flapjack into squeezing himself into a bottle and sent out adrift where he is lost for days at sea.
    • Courage the Cowardly Dog coincidentally suffers the same as Flapjack, he is also the most friendly and optimistic character on his show and he also lives in a Nightmare Fuel Crapsack World and one of the only characters who respect him is Muriel, whom he always has to save almost every episode.
  • Charles Foster Ofdenson of Metalocalypse has to put up with Dethklok on a constant basis, a task which would have driven a lesser man to insanity or suicide. What's worse is that their reasons for abusing him are completely invalid; they view him as being the opposite of all that they stand for, but in reality, his mercilessness and brutal competence make him, in this troper's opinion at least, one of the most metal characters on the show.
    • Also, at first glance, Toki Wartooth seems to be one of these - sure, he's in the most brutal death metal band ever and is a sociopath like the rest of the members, but he has a naive, childlike nature, and seems to be one of the only genuinely likable people on the show. Not to mention, he's adorably foreign. Of course, this makes him the band's resident Butt Monkey. You start to feel bad for him... Then he finally snaps. Most people lose their desire to hug him when he dresses in an outfit covered in spikes.
      • Then there was that stuff with his dad a life time of abuse and the moment he finally forgives him. WHAM dead under the ice Oh and there's the fact that everyone he loves dies
    • Even Dr. Rockzo gets treated sympathetically in some episodes, particularly in "Cleanzo," where his drug problems are extremely evident, and the band helps him to get clean out of sympathy for him. Of course, due to the popularity of the character, his clean streak couldn't last long, ending in the next episode he appears in.
    • Hell, many characters fulfill the qualifications for Woobieness in Metalocalypse. Murderface's many emotional issues, Skwisgaar's neglectful childhood, Pickles' parents favoring his conman leech of a brother over him... Need I go on?
  • Several of the characters from The Mr. Men Show are considered Woobies. Some fans feel bad for Mr. Grumpy, though he doesn't get it as bad as the latter characters. Mr. Quiet and Miss Calamity due that they get bad luck. Mr. Bump due that he always get hurt, and even Mr. Happy from some of the fans. Whenever he feels sadness, anger, anxiety, etc, he hides it behind a smile so other people will still be happy, making him suffer in silence the most out of anyone in the show, without most of the Mr./Misses knowing.
  • Sheldon Lee. He has an unrequited crush on Jenny, and despite the fact that he would at least understand her far more than most of the people around her do he is discarded most of the time by the fact that he's - *gasp* - a geek! (OK, so he has a couple of those stalker tendencies, but what lovable fictional nerd doesn't?)
  • Fluttershy from My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic oozes woobie to such a degree that even Pinkie Pie avoids playing harmless pranks on her.
    • It is considered an unforgivable sin by bronies to make Fluttershy cry. [1]
    • There's also Princess Luna, who, alongside Derpy Hooves, is one of the most popular characters despite appearing for only a few seconds in one episode of the entire first season. Fans jumped on the fact that the reason she went crazy and turned into Nightmare Moon was because she just wanted friends due to the fact that everyone was asleep at nighttime and she felt unappreciated. Until season two rolled around, one of the most popular interpretations of her was a traumatized filly who needed lots and lots of hugs and forgiveness. When she finally returned in "Luna Eclipsed," she was desperately trying to make up for her previous actions and convince everypony that she really wasn't evil anymore, but she was still a far cry from the sad little Shrinking Violet Fanon had thought she was.
      • Still needs hugs, though. Her delivery may have serve to hide it a bit from modern viewers during that episode, but consider what most other ponies' reactions to her simply trying to address them in a (to her) perfectly normal, even downright friendly fashion must have looked like from Luna's perspective.
        • Her sister, Celestia is starting to be seen as one as well. Mostly due to people being sick of her Ron the Death Eater stasis.
    • "Lesson Zero" implies that Twilight Sparkle was regularly teased in school as a filly, invoking this interpretation for some fans.
    • Tank the tortoise. He just wanted to be loved...
      • Admit it, you cheered loudly when Rainbow Dash picked him!
    • Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Imagine being taken prisoner on your wedding day by someone who you see taking your own form.
      • Worse than simply that: she was kidnapped in imprisoned alone in some forgotten mines without food or water while a shape-shifter takes her form and intends to marry her beloved so she can drain all his love for her. Even after being rescued, she has to find her way to the surface in despair (albeit with Twilight's help), witness her husband-to-be brainwashed, her aunt defeated in combat, and her home city invaded. She really has to go through a lot before he has her happy day.
  • Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. All the things she does for someone who doesn't seem to (at first) return her feelings is heart-breaking.
    • Jack himself is one too. A guy who gets tired of his job might sound whiny, but not when you consider that he lives in a town where it's all about said job. Put that on top of the fact that a lot of the responsibility for Halloween is on his shoulders, and all you have to say is "That's rough, buddy".
      • Also since Jack is Dem Bones he might be Really Seven Hundred Years Old, who knows how long he was doing the same thing every year. 10 years? 50 years? 100 years? Since Halloween was created?
      • And he's also the biggest in-universe celebrity. That's got to be exhausting.
  • 5 from Nine, hands down. Especially directly after the scene where 2 gets his soul sucked out by the Fabrication Machine and 5 is reduced to a whimpering mess, pulling his legs against his chest, rocking back and forth, and coming as close to crying as a stitchpunk possibly can. Poor little guy needs a hug, really.
  • Pepper Ann, Nicky, and Milo are sort of woobies, with PA trying to be cool but almost always failing, not to mention having Amicably Divorced parents, Milo having to deal with a girl who Switchies between liking him and not liking him and Nicky being the Un Favourite due to everyone favoriting her sister over her.
    • At least they have each other (awww).
  • Another Alas, Poor Villain example: Dr. Doofenshmirtz on Phineas and Ferb, whenever he gives a backstory. I mean, his parents didn't even attend his own birth.
    • It helps that the reason they never came to his birth was because they just didn't even bother
    • Also Candace. Though one feels a bit annoyed by how determined she is to get her brothers in trouble, you can't help but feel sorry for how dang hard she has to try at it. And let's not forget "Nerds of A Feather"
    • This is an odd one, but Buford, at least in the episode "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford." I mean, just watch that song. He's so lonely he's trying to play Ping-Pong with a goldfish. It's probably a good thing he starts hanging around with Phineas and Ferb more after that episode.
    • Isabella could count too. Especially in "Summer Belongs To You", where she sings an entire song about her love for Phineas....but he doesn't notice her.
    • This one may sound weird but...Irving. After seeing how his Brother Treats him, is it no wonder he turned into a obsessive fanboy?
    • Phineas. 99% of the time, he's an excitable, optimistic bundle of joy, but when he breaks? He really breaks.
    • Even Ferb has had his fair share of Stoic Woobie moments. Two prominent examples would be the end of The Beak (It's Played for Laughs, but you can still feel bad for the poor guy), and his Eiffel tower scene in Summer Belongs to You. And the saddest thing is, no matter what happens to him, he never complains, at least not prominantly, and always acts as if everything is just cool with him.
    • What about poor Carl? He works hard as an unpayed intern for a boss who pretty much blames him for everything. The thirds season seems to play up his Woobie status by having him get captured while in a squirrel suit, having his relationship with Monogram (his boss), strained in an upcoming episode, "Minor Monogram", and even having him turn horribly evil in the season finale cliffhanger episode "World Without A Platypus". Throw in the fact that he's an adorable geek, you cannot POSSIBLY get any more Woobie than Carl.
      • His status on the show could be more accurately described as a Butt Monkey instead of a Woobie, but that still doesn't stop you from feeling sorry for him once in a while.
  • Maurice of The Penguins of Madagascar. Poor guy bends over backward for King Julien day and night, and barely gets any thanks for it. And how can you watch the pilot episode and not want to give him a big hug? The fact that his species is one of the greatest examples of an Ugly Cute/Woobie animal alive certainly doesn't hurt (see here)=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aye-aye. (Ugly Cute because, well, just look at one, and Woobie because they are often killed by Madagascar natives because of superstitions about them.) I personally consider the episode "Kingdom Come" to be Maurice's Crowning Moment of Awesome.
  • Both Snitter and Rowf from The Plague Dogs. Snitter's master is killed by jumping in front of truck to save Snitter's life. Snitter is blamed for his master's death and sent to animal research lab, where this poor terrier receives experimental brain surgery. Rowf is drowned and then revived by "the whitecoats" simply so they can measure his will to survive. Even though, Rowf hates and fears "the whitecoats" he still believes it is a dog's duty to serve people. And on top of all this, every time you think something good will finally happen to Snitter and Rowf, something twenty times worse than what you can imagine happens.
    • And even worse, they don't get the happy ending they had in the book (in which Snitter's owner is alive and adopts them both). No, the last we see of them is that they're swimming out into the ocean with the faint hope of finding an island they can be safe on, but probably instead are just going to drown. GAH!!!
  • Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls certainly counts as a Woobie.
    • YMMV, but Buttercup may also count. Her sisters were named for their personalities, she was named Buttercup because "It also begins with a B!" and she her special power is to Curl her tongue.
  • Robot Chicken pulls this off with Darth Vader.
  • Gus from Recess, and when the plot calls for it, T.J. can be one at times, escpecially in the first part of the movie.
  • Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life sure is one.
  • Misery from Ruby Gloom is quite Woobie-ish. She always looks sad and she's super cute and bad things always happen to her.
    • Misery is an unusual case of Woobie and Chew Toy actually overlapping. Her misfortune is nearly always played for laughs, her ability to shrug it off is a major part of her personality, and yet she still has moments where you just want to give her a hug.
  • Who can forget Samurai Jack, who spends practically every other episode almost finding a way to transport back in time so he can stop the evil demon/wizard Aku from turning earth into the hell that it has become (as well as save his family and entire nation) only to have victory snatched away from him time and time again. How can you not sympathize with that lone samurai trapped in a world that is not his own? Nothing he can do but pack up and find another way back.
  • Played ridiculously over the top (intentionally, of course) on The Simpsons, in the form of Frank "Grimey" Grimes. And then he goes insane with woobieness and electrocutes himself...
    • Don't forget Ol' Gil.
      • The amount of sympathy I have for this cartoon character is above what I have for most people. Damn.
    • And Moleman. Poor guy.
    • Ralph Wiggum. In the two episodes that really featured him ("I Love Lisa" and "This Little Wiggy") he was dumped and humiliated on live TV in the first one, and ruthlessly exploited for his dad's skeleton key in the second one (and terrified as a result). Flanderization has also turned him from sort of a younger version of Homer in earlier episodes (with some hidden acting talent) into the mental three-year-old that he is today, which also makes you pity him in a sort of meta sense (almost like watching someone with Alzheimer's).
  • Butters is constantly mistreated and abused both by the boys and by his authoritarian parents (who punish him horribly for things he hasn't done, has had no control over, or shouldn't be considered as bad at all). And yet he still keeps a fairly sunny disposition. Even when he finally loses it and becomes supervillain Professor Chaos, his schemes are so endearingly pathetic (like stealing erasers and trying to flood the earth with a garden hose) that you still want to just give him a big hug and make him feel better.
    • Anyone remember Pip? You know, that British orphan kid that disappeared somewhere between the sixth and seventh season? He's a huge woobie, considering that he's constantly bullied and picked on by his peers for being different. And then he reappeared in the 201st episode...and got stepped on by Mecha-Streisand.
    • Stan and Kyle also suffer from the effects of living in a Crapsack World like South Park. Stan lives with, aside from a decent sensible mother, an abusive older sister an Adult Child father, and a suicidal grandfather, but the highest points of Stan's Woobie status were when Wendy broke up with him for four seasons, and the Drama Bomb-laden "You're Getting Old". Kyle's life might be slightly worse than Stan's considering what happens to him in more recent episodes, and not only that, but his parents are an over-bearing Mama Bear (who becomes a borderline Complete Monster in The Movie) and an Amoral Attorney that shifts between being a decent father or, on occasion, treating Kyle like a "Well Done, Son" Guy.
    • And now, we have Kip Drordy from You Have 0 Friends. Only someone with a heart of stone doesn't melt at this poor third grader's quest for Facebook friendship. It's very telling when a fan page created for him swells to 30,000 fans overnight.
  • Gwen Stacy in The Spectacular Spider-Man seems to fill this role quite nicely for many people. (If nothing else, the realization that she IS going to die sooner or later should make you pity her for at least a second.)
  • Squidward and Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants. The latter mainly due to recent characterization; he was always an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain but he really enjoyed being evil. Now he just wants one customer and some success, even by honest means, and constantly winds up failing and sobbing while Mr. Krabs laughs at him.
    • Spongebob in some episodes (specially in the first season). Even SQUIDWARD feels sorry for him on certain ocassions.
  • Though not usually Woobies, The Twins of Superjail had a moment of this in the season finale after being kidnapped by the pornographer. "We don't want to talk about it."
    • A more conventional Woobie in Superjail would be Jared. Poor guy.
  • Wendell T. Wolf from Taz-Mania. He's the Last of His Kind and his personality and voice are nearly identical to Woody Allen, he is mistaken for a silly-looking dog and has become very clingy towards Taz due to his loneliness. And to make him even more of a Woobie, he was orphaned as a child and constantly bullied, having his stuffed animals ripped apart. This troper wants to give the poor guy a big hug.
    • Also Axel, considering how Bull Gator treats the poor guy.
  • Starfire, Raven, and Terra from the animated Teen Titans.
    • I think that Beast Boy can be seen as one as well, mainly in Seasons 2 and 5.
  • Peter Sam from Thomas the Tank Engine, especially around Season 4. For proof of his adorable Woobie-dom, see here and here. It doesn't help that he looks really cute with his Giesel ejector-style funnel.
  • Benny the ball from Top Cat and to a lesser extent, Choo-Choo.
  • Everyone on Total Drama Island has at least one Woobie moment, which is quite understandable considering what they go through on a regular basis.
  • Perceptor from Transformers Generation 1. Anyone who has ever read anything about him, fanon or otherwise, knows that everyone who likes him at all makes him suffer horribly in every possible way. But we love him. Really. Honest.
    • Red Alert, as well.
    • Wasp(inator). Full stop. No matter what continuity he's in, he will suffer miserably - and we absolutely love him for it.
    • Beast Wars also had Transmutate, a malformed, mentally challenged Robot Girl who died in a battle between Silverbolt and Rampage, the only ones who cared for her, when she tried to stop them from killing eachother. She was a case of a Woobie and Nightmare Fuel in one.
    • Skywarp from Transformers Animated. Maybe it's the pantophobia,[1] maybe it's the likelyhood that he gets picked on the most out of all the clones. Whatever it is, you just wanna give the guy a BIG hug (of course, he'd probably be scared of that too.).
    • Sari Sumdac becomes one in the second and third seasons, starting when she gets kicked out of her home by the Corrupt Corporate Executive that had taken over her father's company and being told there's no legal proof she even exists. Ouch.
  • Kitty Katswell on Tuff Puppy, due to the numerous Amusing Injuries she suffers.
  • Luxor from Tutenstein. It must really suck being a servant to a Jerkass pharaoh, but his most woobie-ish moment is in Something Sphinx where he thinks he's being replaced by a monkey servant and is so sad about it he walks away, not even bothering to pick up his ball of yarn.
  • Koala Man of Ugly Americans. They guy chokes in the first episode and Mark is the only one who moves to help him. He can't reach the elevator button on his own—too short. He gets picked out as a possible problem when Honest Abe comes to town, and the cops tell him he is "in for a world of hurt," as he whimpers. It gets you cheering when he steals a plate of cookies, though.
  • The latter in the Wallace and Gromit relationship, receives a fair amount of ill-treatment in "A Matter Of Loaf And Death", "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave".
  • WALL-E, who even illustrates the main page.
  • Corneil from Watch My Chops fits this nicely. He tries to keep being a talking dog a secret between he and Bernie. Bernie often jeopardizes this and the poor guy is on the edge of a panic attack.
  • It's been generally agreed that most, if not all of the Winnie the Pooh characters are this, though perhaps Rabbit, Owl, Beaver, Christopher Robin, Darby and certain other incidental characters less so.
    • Christopher Robin becomes a bit more of one after you see the end of Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, and notice how similar it is to the end of the last Winnie The Pooh story - specifically Christopher Robin and Pooh talking about how they never will forget each other, even if they can never see each other again. The last book strongly implies that Christopher Robin is being sent to a boarding school and can never visit the Hundred Acre Woods again, and the movie very well could have been suggesting the same thing. At the very least, the implication that the kid will grow up and have to leave his childhood behind is quite sad.
    • Rabbit at the very least is a tall order Jerkass Woobie. Why do these things always happen to him? Why, oh, why, oh, why?
  • Xiaolin Showdown: Jack Spicer, the resident Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain.
  • X-Men: Evolution has Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Toad. Really, all of the kids turn into Woobies at some point or another.
    • One episode is devoted to Scott being kidnapped by Mystique, knocked out, and waking up in Mexico with his glasses stolen, leaving him forced to stumble around blindly, being attacked by wolves, falling off of cliffs, and being beaten up by Mystique. And she implies that she intends to keep knocking him out and abandoning him in even more remote places.
    • Can't forget X-23. Poor girl.
    • The 90's X-Men series gives everyone their woobie moments, but after "Bloodlines," Nightcrawler takes the cake.
    • Wasn't Jubilee the most classic woobie example of the 90s X-Men from beginning to end though? Nightcrawler always handled his sorrow stoically.
    • In Wolverine and the X-Men Forge and Toad pretty much serve no other purpose to their teams other than to stand there and be adorable Woobies. Although the amnesiac Jean Grey has her moments.
  • Mrs Brisby from The Secret of NIMH almost certainly deserves a place here, going through all manner of hell to save her dying son. It doesn't help she's clearly terrified of everything she meets.
  • Believe it or not, IM Weasel is one. Think about it. In one episode (Ping Pong At Sea) he knew that his parents sucked eggs and in another (the Christmas special) he claimed to be an orphan so that must mean his parents died when he was young and he went to live at an orphanage. The caretaker forced him to go to regular school despite his gifts and he was constantly bullied and picked on for being smarter than the other kids (this is validified through a comment he makes in the Back To School episode). He probably had a very sad life in his early years and many nights, he probably cried himself to sleep because he missed his parents so much. But then one day he decided to put it all behind him and transformed his feelings of greif into helping others. However, he still has very woobie-ish moments like in I Am Legend, where he sits on a bench and cries his heart out because he thinks he's the only one alive on Earth and the very end when he finds out the only reason everyone is watching their show is because of IR Baboon and not him so he looked absolutely heartbroken. Who wouldn't want to give him a hug after all that?
  • Claude from Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale.
  • In Time Squad You had Otto Osworth. Otto was living in a horrible orphanage where a nun named Sister Thornley often singled him out to force him to do hard labor type chores a seven year old couldn't possibly do by himself, all because he broke one of her big rules: no reading. It's impossible for this kid to not read, and for someone that just wants, mind you loves to read history for the fun of it, it’s really sad that he would be ostracized and berated for something so innocent, and pretty endearing. Also when he is finally with a closest thing to a 'family', Tuddrussel and Larry aren't always to the task. Like when they completely ABANDON him on a desert island and he had to find for himself, living off sand and salt water and almost getting killed by monkeys; all because Tuddrussel and Larry were having a petty argument. And that isn’t the only time they’ve done that to him ether, and all for very stupid reasons.
    • Then there's Larry 3000, a sophisticated, sensitive robot that was once serving kings and presidents and worked as an ambassador for Earth until world peace was ultimately accomplished, then everything went downhill. Without a job and considered almost useless he went to work for Time Squad and got saddled with Buck Tuddrussel, while a lot of Ho Yay goes on in the show you can't help but feel sorry for a robot that's reduced to cooking and cleaning for two humans without so much as a thank you and is often reduced to tears because of Tuddrussel's Jerkass attitude towards him.
    • Al Capone in "The Clownfather" takes up the clown trade (and forces his underlings to do so too) to prevent any clowns from ruining the birthday of his son or any other children, after a clown ruined his fifth birthday. Tuddrussel weeps after hearing his story.
  • Rufus Hyena from My Gym Partner's a Monkey, after Adam insults him and makes him cry.
    • Adam himself sometimes.
  • What do you get when you put an Adorkable Teen Genius through hell? Donatello. Yes, that Donatello. He's the one who gets captured by aliens, sent to a Bad Future, mutated beyond recognition and, generally, gets the short end of the stick. On top of everything, he's a Technical Pacifist and a reptile of science, which, respectively, conflict with the fact that he also happens to be a ninja and a mutant. There are some episodes where you just can't help wanting to give him a hug.[2]
  • Everyone except Margo in Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. ESPECIALLY Ed Otter and Lola Boa. In one episode Ed even stated "I cannot see your face, stranger for I must hide my own in disgrace but if you have come from distant lands, feel free to ridicule me as you would your own" after being embarassed by having whipped cream on him. In another episode, Brandy cuts Ed from the coco ball team. His reaction? Silent, painful tears. And let's not forget the episode where Mr.Whiskers verbally abused Ed and made him cry when all Ed wanted to do was help. Lola Boa has very low self-esteem, too. Also, both Brandy and Gaspar count as Jerkass Woobies. Brandy has trouble adjusting to jungle life, being all pampered and Mr.Whiskers practically drives her crazy.
  • Eugene, a one shot skunk character from the Scenter Of Attention Chucklewood Critters IS this trope. First a wildfire forces him to evacuate his home then he starts crying cause he misses his parents then he stinks up everyone's homes by accident and feels terrible about it. On top of that, he's a Shrinking Violet who speaks in a really soft-spoken southern accent. That episode is just pure Tear Jerker.
  • You could say Klaus from American Dad is a woobie sometimes due to his desperation for attention.
    • Especially since he was once a human being before the CIA switched his brain with a goldfish.
  • Supergirl from Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
  • Zach and Annie from Adventures from the Book of Virtues. Even if they care about everything, they always get so disappointed upon having issues with other children and their parents, ultimately fail at something they tried to study, and sometimes have arguments with each other, especially at the beginning of each episode. They learn to get much better in the end.
  • Furrball and Fifi from Tiny Toon Adventures. Furrball is usually homeless or one of Elmyra's pets, and is often abused. Fifi lives in the junkyard and is usually lonely and upset due to every male running away from her because she is a skunk, and usually isn't much better off than Furrball, often also being abused and ignored.
  • Scaredy from Scaredy Squirrel seems to be a mix of this and The Pollyanna, considering the way Nestor treats him. He rarely breaks down crying but when he does....
  • How about Porky Pig in The Looney Tunes Show? Doomed to the status of a Butt Monkey at the hands of Daffy Duck, despite the fact that he is the nicest character in the show.
    • While original Looney Tunes shorts and media play his abuse more for laughs, there are some occasions what he goes through is outright heartbreaking (watch "Porky's Romance" or "Bah Humduck, A Looney Tunes Christmas" for key examples).
    • Bugs Bunny, considering he deals with people like Daffy and Lola on a daily basis.
  • Peter Puppy from the Earthworm Jim cartoon. Seriously, he was picked on by all the neighborhood dogs for being a coward and then he finally faced his fear of the vacuum and got cursed with the ability to transform into a monster when upset. In the pilot episode, he was shown bawling his eyes out, begging for Jim not to leave him. Watch "The Origin Of Peter Puppy" then watch "Sidekicked". If you don't have the urge to just give the poor puppy a hug after that, you've got no soul.
  • Victoria from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. She says she dreamed of her wedding day her whole life. The man she's arranged to marry is nice enough but he disappears and she's forced to marry Lord Berkis. That scene of her in her wedding dress with her maid trying to comfort her is almost heartbreaking. Then add that to the fact that her parents are utter snobs and jerkasses as well, not to mention them being on the brink of entering the poor house.
    • Emily too. Her husband-to-be convinced her to steal her family's treasures and elope in the dead of night without telling anyone. She was murdered while she was waiting for her fiancee and it's implied her body was never found, simply left there in the forest. Then when she is inadvertently married to Victor, she thinks he loves her when he's already set to marry Victoria. And when she finds this out, Victor unfortunately says "It was a mistake, I would never marry you".
Back to The Woobie
  1. ↑ fear of everything
  2. ↑ Watch The King and the end of the Outbreak arc-- that is to say Adventures in Turtle Sitting, and Good Genes Parts 1 & 2.
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