5 Things You Didn't Know About Fictional Pets

Whether we’re talking about books, movies, or cartoons, we’re sure you’ll be amazed by these 5 things you didn’t know about fictional pets. Do you find yourself staring at your kitten and wishing it would suddenly start talking? Or do you dream of your dog being a superhero in disguise, and get ready to watch it sprout wings and fly off to fight crime? If you do this from time to time, you’ll enjoy reading about these fictional pets that once existed only in someone’s imagination.

This snorkasaurus, who was the most beloved pet in The Flintstones, was not originally a dog-like dinosaur at all. In fact, the first episode of the first season contains a flashback to when Fred and Barney met Dino. Back then, Dino could talk, clean the house, wash dishes, and even answer the phone. Unfortunately for him, this was the first and only episode where Dino could talk. After that, he went back to his more boring tasks: acting like a dog without being able to talk. Dino's coloring also underwent some changes: he changed from black to white again, but mostly remained purple.

Things You Didn't Know About Fictional Pets

You probably didn't know this, but Hedwig, Harry's adorable pet owl, was the first character cast in the wizarding series. The female owl (yes, Hedwig is a girl) is described in Rowling's books as being pristine white, which presented a bit of a challenge for the casting team, as females have darker feathers. As a result, Hedwig was played by several male owls, chosen for their white plumage. As a bonus, male snowy owls are lighter than females, making it easier for Radcliffe to carry his pet around.

Things You Didn't Know About Fictional Pets

Gizmo's voice was provided by Howie Munde, who also hosted Deal or No Deal. But for Gizmo's famous song, the producers decided to use a 13-year-old girl because it would have been too difficult for Howie to do. Gizmo was so popular in the 90s that he inspired Hasbro to make a toy in his honor. The company got into trouble with Warner Bros. and had to pay compensation and change the appearance of their toy.

Things You Didn't Know About Fictional Pets

If you thought Pikachu was just a name, think again. According to the inventor of Pokemon, the name is actually made up of the sound "pika," which is used in Japanese to describe the sound of an electric spark, and "chu," which is the sound a mouse makes. If we put them together, we get the rough equivalent of "electric mouse." But the electric mouse wasn't going to be the main character in the cartoons. However, it quickly became popular due to Clefairy, which was the original Pokemon mascot.

Things You Didn't Know About Fictional Pets

To say that dire wolves are fictional is not quite true. They were alive about 200,000 years ago, but I doubt they were kept as pets. They went extinct after the last ice age. The dire wolves in Game of Thrones were originally played by Northern Inuit dogs, but the producers soon changed their minds and began using CGI in the second season. This measure was intended to make the wolves look bigger and more dangerous. Another fun fact: 17-year-old Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark in the HBO fantasy series, adopted the dog that played Lady, her character’s dire wolf.