History Characters / AvenueQ

A college graduate, who's 22, naive, chipper, and looking for his purpose in life.

* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: During the song 'Mixtape', where Kate cannot figure out if he likes her or not.[[note]] He does.[[/note]]
* NaiveNewcomer: Gary tends to treat him as this for thinking life would be easy.

A 23-year old monster who works in a kindergarten.

Kate's boss, a kindergarten teacher.

Two bears, one yellow, and one blue, who offer Princeton [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin very bad ideas]].

* {{Evil Mentor}}s: They suggest that Princeton gets drunk and then commit suicide. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

An unemployed 32-year old who's engaged to Christmas Eve.

* CrosscastRole: It is a tradition to have Gary be played by a woman. It has been stated that the reason for this is the people behind the production didn't want anyone to think they were making fun of the real life Gary Coleman (who was alive at the time of the play debut), and they believed that having him played by a woman would provide a clever "wink" to the audience to let them know it's not meant to be serious. Subverted in the UK version, where he's more often than not played by a man.

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[[folder:Puppets]]

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* MeaningfulName: She is just as much of a slut as her name implies.

* MeaningfulName: Thistle''twat''. She's a rather unlikable person.

[[folder:Live Actors]]

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* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He ignornatly trusts people called the "Bad Idea Bears"?

[[folder:People]]

!Princeton

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Hence, the aptly titled number 'Purpose.' In fact, he's so desperate to find a purpose in life that he [[spoiler:botches up his relationship with Kate midway through the show when she brings up the idea of marriage]].
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Why would you trust people called the "Bad Idea Bears"?
* InformedAttractiveness: According to Lucy, he's "well hung" and "baby-faced". Because he's a puppet, although he looks somewhat cute, it's harder for the audience to see this.

* InterspeciesRomance: With Kate Monster.
* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: During the song 'Mixtape' where Kate cannot figure out if he likes her or not.[[note]] He does.[[/note]]

!Kate Monster

!Nicky

He's 25-year old slacker with no job, who's Rod's roommate.

!Rod
Nicky's stuffy investment banker roommate.

* GirlfriendInCanada: {{Trope Namer|s}}. When he overhears a discussion that the others think he's gay, he sings a musical number about his alleged girlfriend.

* MeaningfulName: Like Bert, he's a "rod-hand" puppet, his hand controlled by a rod in the puppeteer's off-hand, in contrast to Nicky who, like Ernie, is a live-hand puppet, using the puppeteer's actual hand in a glove. Also appropriate that a closeted gay man would have a name that's a penis euphemism.

!Trekkie Monster

A monster who prefers to sit in his apartment and look at internet porn

* CatchPhrase: "...for porn!"
* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: He has savings that help Kate build her school for monsters.]]

* [[spoiler:EleventhHourRanger: Considering the lateness at which he assists the group...]]
* {{Expy}}: Of [[Series/SesameStreet Cookie Monster]].
** With some [[Series/SesameStreet Oscar the Grouch]] thrown in as well, considering his personality.

!Lucy the Slut

* AggressiveCategorism: Hates monsters

* ForTheEvulz: [[spoiler: Throwing away Kate's note]] was an entirely spiteful and petty act especially considering the fact that she didn't want a relationship with Princeton after their [[spoiler: one night stand]] and there was no need to get between them
* GoldDigger: Wants to marry a rich husband

* {{Jerkass}}: Lucy does a lot of petty things, one of those things is that she [[spoiler: gets rid of the note Kate wrote inviting Princeton in getting back together]] just because.
* LasciviousBeautyMark: Lucy has a beauty mark on her upper lip. Usually on her right, but some puppets have it on the left. As her [[MeaningfulName name indicates]], she ReallyGetsAround and acts as TheVamp, flirting [[spoiler:and sleeping]] with NiceGuy and NaiveNewcomer Princeton after he breaks up with Kate Monster to ensure they don't get together again.
* LaserGuidedKarma: After being the SpannerInTheWorks (see below) she ends up [[spoiler:being hit by the penny Kate drops off the Empire State Building and put in the hospital, eventually dying (temporarily)]]. Lampshaded by Kate, who first feels horrible [[spoiler:for having dropped the penny]], then once she realizes Lucy's spanner role: "I feel better now."

* MsFanservice: Designed to look as sexy as a muppet can be, up to having visible nipples under her dress.

* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler: Thanks to Kate,]] who accidentally hits her with a penny dropped from the Empire State Building and puts her into a coma. She finds religion afterward.
* ReallyGetsAround: She is stated to be very promiscuous. A line in the ''Life Outside Your Apartment'' has one of the characters saying, "Hope you don't get gonorrhea!"

* TurnToReligion: She experiences [[spoiler:a penny to the head thrown from the top of the Empire State Building]]. Result: she turns into a goody-goody, religious girl. Her puppet's previously sultry, lowered eyelids are removed off-stage to make her eyes look brighter.

!Mrs. Thistletwat

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* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Well, she ''was'' willing to let Kate teach her own session...

!The Bad Idea Bears

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* BearsAreBadNews: They are not large and threatening as most examples of this trope, but don't let their cute appearance fool you: they are very malicious.
* CatchPhrase: YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
* CrocodileTears: The first thing they do is advise Princeton to buy some beer with the check his parents sent. When Princeton says he probably shouldn't be spending his parents' money on beer, they cry loudly and dramatically until he says maybe he can afford a six-pack, and then get him to up it to a case of beer.

* GoodAngelBadAngel: '''Don't believe a word of it'''. They're both the closest thing the show has to {{Chaotic Evil}} characters, so they are practically two Bad Angels.
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: This goes without saying, as they really don't have much in the line of goodness besides encouraging self-destructive behavior in the other characters. In one instance, later, they try to convince [[spoiler: Princeton to kill himself]].

* ToxicFriendInfluence: They act as if they wanted the best for Princeton, but their suggestions always make Princeton's life worse.

!Brian
An unemployed 32 year old who's engaged to Christmas Eve

!Christmas Eve
Brian's fiancee, who's a Japanese immigrant and a therapist, though,she doesn't get a lot of clients.

* CatchPhrase: "What!? Brian!"
* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Averted. Being Japanese is ''why'' she can't get a job in a Korean deli (Chinese restaurant in the UK West End version).

!Gary Coleman

* ButtMonkey: Very much. The song "It Sucks to be Me," the characters sing about how their lives are so much worse than everyone else's . . . until Gary pops in. Then everyone cheerfully agrees that he wins the MiseryPoker.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Deconstructed, as he's more or less grown resentful of it due to people [[PhraseCatcher always saying it to him]].
* CrosscastRole: It is a tradition to have Gary be played by a woman. It has been stated that the reason for this is the people behind the production didn't want anyone to think they were making fun of the real life Gary Coleman, and they believed that having him played by a woman would provide a clever "wink" to the audience to let them know it's not meant to be serious. Subverted in the UK version, where he's more often than not played by a man.

* DropInLandlord: As the building super, he's not part of the main ensemble of Avenue Q residents, but periodically shows up to interact with the main characters, who treat him with a mixture of amusement and pity. They all agree that while their lives are bad, his is the worst.
* {{Expy}}: In a roundabout way, of the stock role celebrities in general played on Sesame Street. He [[AdamWesting pokes fun at himself and his own public image]] and sings songs teaching the puppet characters about the concepts of the scene.

* MrFixIt: He works as the superintendant, and part of his job is to fix things.

* MeaningfulName: He's what Creator/JimHenson called a rod-hand puppet (in contrast to Nicky, who is live-hand). Also appropriate that a closeted gay man would have a name that's a penis euphemism.

* ArmoredClosetGay: Mild example: he's not aggressively homophobic, but when Nicky sings him a whole song about how it'd be okay if he was gay, he squawks, "Nicky, that is WRONG!" (But it ''might'' just be because Nicky mentioned specifically "what you do in bed with guys", which is a little too personal.)

* TheHero: The protagonist of the play.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Considering he thinks TheInternetIsForPorn, it should be obvious he's a masturbator.

* LovableSexManiac: Although he's a solo performer.

* TheInternetIsForPorn: Firmly believes in this. His signature song is the TropeNamer.

* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: With her virginity intact, too.]]

A college graduate, who's 22, naive, chipper guy, and looking for his purpose in life.

* BuxomIsBetter: Her large breasts match her seductive personality.

* TheChick: The most prominent female character in the play.

* CrocodileTears: When Princeton says he probably shouldn't be spending his parents money on beer, they cry loudly and dramatically until he says maybe he can afford a six-pack, and then get him to up it to a case of beer.

* [[spoiler:HeelFaithTurn: Subverted. They ''do'' find religion in the end (specifically the ChurchOfHappyology) but there's no indication that they're actually going to make a legitimate HeelFaceTurn.]]

* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: The guy is blue with a bowtie, the girl is yellow with a ribbon, eyelashes, and a pearl necklace.

* {{Poisonous Friend}}s: They act as if they wanted the best for Princeton, but their suggestions always make Princeton's life worse.

%% Doesnt' explain what the reaction is. * Berserk Button: Being accused of being gay.

* BerserkButton: Being accused of being gay.

* IllGirl: Her first scene has her telling Kate that she's getting a heart replacement surgery.