With speculation about the Centennial and 60th Anniversary Specials, fans are wondering which iconic Doctor Who monsters might make an appearance, or if new, fear-inducing foes will be added to the roster.
Monsters aren't just terrifying though, sometimes they can be cute. Some of these are more evil than others, but they are all adorable in their own special way. At times this is intentional and they are meant to look cute, while others are not at all and are meant to be terrifying. Some of them can still be kind of scary, while others aren't fearsome at all.
The Slitheen
Appearing in "Aliens of London," "World War Three" and "Boom Town," they were a family of con artists from Raxacoricofallapatorius who impersonated politicians in the British government.
While they were still fearsome due to the fact that they kill and skin their victims to wear as skin suits, their natural appearance is rather innocent. Slitheens have big heads that resemble babies and big black eyes. Also, their habit of farting makes them seem silly in a way. Blon in "Boom Town" also has some redeeming factors that make her more likable - such as sparing reporter Cathy Salt when Blon learns she has a family and wants a second chance to be good.
Sontarans
First appearing in the "Time Warrior,' Sontarans are a race of militaristic clones obsessed with war against their enemy, the Rutons. Though fans may have seen too much of the Sontarans, there's no denying how endearing the race was.
Sontarans may be war-hungry, but their small potato-like bodies make them endearing and hard to find intimidating or scary. This is definitely the case with Strax, butler, and member of The Paternoster Gang. He is a loyal and kind Sontaran who cares about his friends such as Jenny, Madame Vastra, the Doctor, and Clara. Sontarans in general can have odd quirks that can be endearing, such as in "The Vanquishers" when it is revealed that they love chocolate.
Mister Sweet
Mister Sweet in "The Crimson Horror" was a red leech, an ancient species that needed salt to survive and could create deadly poison. Mister Sweet lived symbiotically on the chest of Winifred Gillyflower, founder of Sweetville.
Although Mister Sweet does have deadly poison, it's difficult to find him all that scary. Mister Sweet is very small and has enormous eyes, which makes him seem not very intimidating. The red leech just wanted to survive rather than actively do anyone any harm. It also helps that in this episode of Doctor Who, the human villain Winifred Gillyflower is far worse in contrast to Mister Sweet, even abusing her own daughter.
Peg Dolls
A one-time Doctor Who villain, peg dolls appeared in "Night Terrors" where they live in a small boy named George's doll house.
While the peg dolls are legitimately very creepy due to the disturbing viral transformations they inflict on their victims, their innocence does make them endearing in an odd way. Their childlike personalities make them seem cute and scary at the same time, with the way that they giggle and seem to be playing games with their victims. They also sing a nursery rhyme throughout, that while foreboding still evokes innocence. The fact that they live in a doll house also adds to the creepy and cute presence they have.
Daleks
Daleks, first appearing in "The Daleks," are mutants encased in an armored shell. Having appeared numerous times over the course of Doctor Who's extensive history, the Daleks are undoubtedly one of the best Doctor Who monsters.
Despite as a species being hateful and scheming, they do have an oddly misleading endearing appearance. Their eye stalks and plungers almost seem comical in a way that contrasts with their evil nature. Their over-the-top screechy voices and small slimy bodies only add to this oddly endearing aspect. There are also specific examples of Daleks who are more sympathetic, such as the imprisoned Dalek in "Dalek" and Rusty in "Into the Dalek," who both become more human in thought.
The Teller
The Teller appeared in "Time Heist." They were a telepathic being that could sense guilt by scanning thoughts. Despite the Teller's terrifying abilities to turn brains into soup, they are a very sympathetic creature.
The Teller is being imprisoned at the bank and kept from their mate. When the Teller is reunited with their mate at the end, they are very sweet and peaceful. This makes it clear that under different circumstances where they were not being tortured, the Teller would not be fearsome at all. Although not cute in the traditional sense, they are still rather endearing with their eyestalks, lumbering movement, and sad mouths.
Robot Yeti
First appearing in the Classic series second Doctor story "The Abominable Snowmen," the robot Yetis served the Greater Intelligence.
Although serving the main villain, the Yetis do have a very appealing design. Although this is entirely unintentional, their large hairy bodies and big round glowing eyes make them seem far more huggable than fearsome. It helps that they are only serving the Greater Intelligence rather than villains themselves. This makes them seem less intimidating than if they were the main threat.
Emojibot
Emojibots appeared in "Smile" - they were robots who worked as an interface for microbots called the Vardy, designed to keep humans happy at all times.
While the emojibots did kill people, they only did so because they were trying to keep the humans happy and had difficulty recognizing human emotions such as grief. This makes them more innocent than if the killing was purely out of malice. A major factor of the emojibots' cuteness is their small squat bodies and their faces made to look like they are composed of emoji faces. This gives them a lovable, if unsettling, appearance. Another factor that endears them to the audience is that when the Doctor wipes their consciousness they no longer have to make humans happy, making them seem less other and more equal.
Pting
The Pting, who appeared in "The Tsuranga Conundrum," is a creature that is able to eat inorganic materials.
The Pting is treated as a serious threat in the episode, however, they are completely adorable looking. They have a very unintimidating appearance, with their small stature and big eyes. This does have the factor of the audience not taking them seriously as a threat despite their dangerous abilities while allowing them to be the memorable combination of being able to eat a spaceship while also being small and cute.
Adipose
Adipose first appeared in "Partners in Crime," and were creatures made from human fat.
Although the way they are created caused humans to die, these small marshmallow-like creatures are completely adorable and innocent. Their smiling faces are very endearing to look at. The ones featured in the episode are all infants, which adds to their innocence factor. The fact that they themselves are not responsible for the killing of their human hosts makes the audience more forgiving of the genuinely disturbing birth scenes of these creatures.