Mouse Deer is the favorite trickster of Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries of Southeast Asia. But what is a mouse deer? It is an animal about the size of a cat, and it lives in the jungles of Africa, Asia, and many Pacific islands. It has the legs and the tail of a deer, and the face and the body of a mouse—but it is not really a mouse or a deer.
The mouse deer eats only plants, but lots of animals eat the mouse deer. To stay alive, it must be quick and smart. That is why the Indonesians and Malaysians have made Mouse Deer their favorite trickster.
The stories of Sang Kancil is a series of traditional fables about a clever mouse-deer. They are popular in Indonesia and Malaysia.[1] A weak and small yet cunning figure, Sang Kancil uses his intelligence to triumph over beings more powerful than himself.[2] The protagonist of these stories is Sang Kancil, a smart and sly mouse deer. He can fool the other animals to escape from trouble. This folk figure is similar to another folk figure, Br'er Rabbit.