Tree Squirrel - in Culture

In Culture

Further information: List of fictional squirrels

Despite periodic complaints about the animal as a pest, general public opinion towards the animal is favorable. Squirrels are popular characters in many forms of media. An early cultural reference to a specific-named squirrel is Ratatoskr, a mythological Norse squirrel that carries messages by running up and down the world tree Yggdrasil. The Ratatoskr myth dates back to the Early Middle Ages, and possibly earlier.

Literary references to squirrels include the works of Beatrix Potter, Brian Jacques' Redwall series (including Jess Squirrel and numerous other squirrels), Pattertwig in C. S. Lewis' Prince Caspian, Michael Tod's Woodstock Saga of novels featuring squirrel communities in the style of Watership Down, and the Starwife and her subjects from Robin Jarvis's Deptford novels. The title character in Miriam Young's 1964 children's book Miss Suzy is a squirrel.

Squirrels are also popular characters in cartoons, such as Scrat from Ice Age, Slappy Squirrel of the Animaniacs, Sandy Cheeks from SpongeBob SquarePants, Hammy from Over the Hedge, Benny in The Wild, Rodney and Leon and Darlene from Squirrel Boy, Secret Squirrel, Screwy Squirrel, Nutty from Happy Tree Friends, and Rocky, Bullwinkle's adventuring partner. Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls cartoon has the superhero ability to communicate with squirrels, which she does by saying "Chee, chee, che-chee, chee, chee...".

Video games include squirrel characters such as Rare's Conker series starring Conker the Squirrel, as well as Ocean Software's Mr. Nutz. There is even a squirrel-themed super-heroine, Squirrel Girl. The popular Pokémon game includes a squirrel-like character by the name of Pachirisu.

There are also numerous references to squirrels in the music industry, including the North Carolina group Squirrel Nut Zippers, the electronica group Techno Squirrels, the now-defunct Florida band called For Squirrels (who claimed that they performed their music for squirrels), a children's music group called The Nutty Squirrels, and even a record label with the name Blank Squirrel Musics. There is also a student-run radio station at Kent State University called Black Squirrel Radio.

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