Unlike all the usual hard-hitting serious posts on here, this is a bit of a “fluff” post. Both Leicester City players and fans alike are often referred to as foxes by the media but this feature isn’t really about either. Instead it is actually a list of favourite fox characters or people called Fox! There are a dozen of them to mark the 12th anniversary of Tokyo Fox which is obviously a commonly celebrated one, right?!! 

Such posts are almost always compiled in no particular order but for once I’ve ranked them in order of preference. No long winded countdown either as it’s straight to the top and you can scroll down to see the rest of the list if you so desire!

1. Michael J. Fox – There was only ever really candidate for the number one spot. ‘Back To The Future‘ (1985) is my all-time favourite film and one that defined our generation. Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the 1990’s he has been a strong advocate of Parkinson’s disease research and the Michael J. Fox Foundation was subsequently set up to help advance research for curing the disease with a whopping $450 million being raised thus far. A true legend.

2. Basil Brush – A legendary fixture on British TV in a different and more surreal era when 13 million people would regularly watch this mischievous, tweed capped fox wagging his brush (tail) and chortling “Ha Ha Ha! Boom! Boom!” after saying something he thought to be funny. His humour along with his posh accent and manner is still amusing to me many decades later.

3. Filbert Fox – The endearing and enduring Leicester City mascot has been the club much loved mascot since 1992. The appeal to kids is obvious and his work in the community is to be praised as is his energy and enthusiasm for geeing up the crowd or celebrating goals which are admired by many adult fans too.

4. (Fantastic) Mr Fox – Fantastic by name, fantastic by reputation! Despite many flaws, this cunning thief’s love for his family shines through and he does what he has to do to get food to feed him and his loved ones.

5. Christian Fuchs – His surname may be more famed for sounding like a very rude word (something he’s used to his advantage very well with his No Fuchs Given clothing range) but it is actually the German word for fox! What a fox he’s been as his inclusion in the team in his first season was an important tactics change which helped Leicester City go on and miraculously win the Premier League title against all the odds.

6. Fox Mulder – Admittedly I was a little late to the party when it came to watching X-Files. About a decade too late! And I only really started watching it when I first came to Japan as there were very few English language shows on. I soon got into it though and Fox Japan used to show episodes old and new which became a regular part of my limited TV viewing schedule. Mulder’s backstory with the abduction of his sister is fascinating and pivotal to his cool and distant character which is often cynical whilst his irrepressible enthusiasm for the paranormal stands out.

7. Nick Wilde – The star of ‘Zootopia‘ (2016) is this small time con-artist red fox. He may seem like a cool, laid-back fox with the gift of the gab but behind his sly and cunning appearance lies a more sensitive side as shown in some scenes with female rabbit Judy.

8. Ruel Fox – Unlike many others, my dad didn’t raise me to support his team Norwich City as he believed I should follow my local team. Thank you so much for that! However, before I was allowed to attend Leicester matches on my own we would sometimes go to watch the Canaries play and there were some fine times at Carrow Road with some great players including winger Fox who was a real handful for defenders due to his fast and tricky play which enabled him to get in some good crosses.

9. Commander Fox – Stationed on Coruscant during the Clone Wars, Fox (also known as CC-1010) is a fearless and highly decorated soldier with a strong sense of duty and honour which compelled him to loyally serve and protect the Galactic Senate and the Supreme Chancellor. He has little patience for criminals and plays an important role in those crucial fate of Ahsoka Tano episodes of ‘The Clone Wars‘ at the end of season five.

10. Tod – As mentioned in this ‘On The Fox Trail…‘ post I only watched ‘The Fox & The Hound‘ (1981) last year. It’s an emotional film which swings back and forth as Tod goes from being sweet, cunning and loveable to an affectionate and loyal fox for those he cares about most.

11. Jamie Foxx – A man of many talents whether it be as an actor, singer, songwriter, producer or comedian. It was his collaboration with Twista and Kanye West on ‘Slow Jamz‘ (2003) followed by his starring role alongside Tom Cruise in ‘Collateral‘ (2004) which brought him to my attention. That same year his portrayal of Ray Charles in the biographical film ‘Ray‘ (2004) won him a host of major awards. 

12. Samantha Fox – Ok, so this one is slightly tongue-in-cheek but she really was a big deal in the 1980’s when she regularly appeared topless on page 3 of a British tabloid newspaper and then went on to have some big hits.  For those of us living in the Midlands, she was the face of a Leicestershire-based car dealership network whose adverts used the slogan “Follow the Fox to Swithland Motors”.

Bonus: BJ Fox – This British guy is a stand-up comedian based in Japan who came to my attention in the NHK World four-part series ‘Home Sweet Tokyo‘ (2017)…..or so I thought! Turns out I’ve actually met him before! I quite enjoyed the show even if most of my fellow friends living here didn’t!!

Who is your favourite fox and why? Let me know in the comments as I am actually interested! Did I miss anyone more obvious?!