%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

This page is for the seven stranded castaways on ''[[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan's Island]]''.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Castaway Tropes]]
* EveryoneMeetsEveryone: In the first episode after the storm that got them stranded, where a radio broadcasts names off the missing persons one by one with the camera panning on each named person.
* GenreBlindness: They all make mistakes on the island, even the intellectual Professor.
* InterclassFriendship: Mr. and Mrs. Howell are upper-class and extremely wealthy, but they become friends with the rest of the Castaways (of whom only movie star Ginger Grant might be anywhere near their "class") during the time they're marooned on the island. Mr. Howell even changes his will for them and during ''Rescue From Gilligan's Island'', they throw out a couple of upper-class guests for insulting Gilligan and the Skipper.
* SevenDeadlySins: {{Invoked|Trope}} according to WordOfGod. Specifically:
** Gilligan, who is somewhat [[GoodIsDumb slow-witted]] and often messes up the castaways' escape plans, is ''Sloth'';
** The Skipper, with his [[HairTriggerTemper short temper]], is ''Wrath'';
** Thurston Howell, who is [[Fiction500 extremely wealthy]], is ''Avarice'';
** Lovey Howell, who [[ConspicuousConsumption enjoys the finer things in life]], is ''Gluttony'';
** Ginger, given her role as a MsFanservice (even InUniverse), is ''Lust'';
** The Professor, who considers himself [[InsufferableGenius smarter than others]], is ''Pride'';
** And Mary Ann, who often [[GreenEyedMonster longs for the attention Ginger gets]], is ''Envy.''
* SpannerInTheWorks: Mostly Gilligan, but not always.
* TrueCompanions: If one of them's in danger, the other six rush in to help. If one is (always wrongly, of course) believed to have died, the other six will be beside themselves with grief. And while they may not be able to get off the island, they are actually quite adept at surviving whatever obstacles could cause them to perish there. In the end, the answer to the infamous question, why don't they JustEatGilligan, is easy. Because they love him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gilligan]]
!!Willy "Little Buddy" Gilligan (Creator/BobDenver)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Gilligan_3_7445.jpg]]

->''"With Gilligan..."''

The first mate on the ''Minnow''. His defining personality trait is his stupidity, which often ruins the castaways' plans to get off the island. However, he also tends to inadvertently solve many of the problems the castaways face.
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Tropes associated with Gilligan:
* AchievementsInIgnorance: Sometimes his stupidity leads to him performing a great feat by accident. The crowning example is ''Rescue From Gilligan's Island'', where he starts a fire in a hut and ends up attracting the attention of the Coast Guard, which leads to the rescue of the castaways.
* AffectionateNickname: "Little buddy", which is what the Skipper calls him in his friendlier moments.
* ChasteHero: Despite being a single man whose fellow castaways include two gorgeous single women, he's not paired off with either of them.
* TheDitz: Part of the reason they're stuck on the island and he often exasperates the Skipper with his dumb comments.
* DumbIsGood: He may be ditzy, but he's often portrayed as the most kindhearted and noble of the castaways. When a scurvy epidemic threatened the castmates, he divided an orange into slices without a second thought.
%%%* TheIngenue:
* FreudianTrio: Ego- The most level headed of all the castaways.
%%%* TheFool
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With the Skipper. Granted, it's mixed with VitriolicBestBuds (at least on the Skipper's end), but they bunk together, work together, stick up for each other, served together in the war (UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar), and panic when they believe the other is in danger.
* KindheartedSimpleton: He may be immature and foolish, but he's always nice to his fellow castaways.
* LimitedWardrobe: He wears the same outfit practically every episode.
* ManChild: The most childlike and innocent of the castaways.
* TheMillstone: One of the most prominent examples in TV. history. [[NeverLiveItDown However, it should be noted that he personally ruined only 17 of the 37 escape attempts in the 98 episodes of the show.]]
* NoFullNameGiven: Creator [[WordOfGod Sherwood Schwartz]] said his first name was Willy, but all people called him was Gilligan, even when a radio announcer, who even called the Skipper and the Professor by their rarely used real names, just called him Gilligan in the pilot. His first name is never uttered in any episode or movie and unlike Mrs. Howell (whose real first name is likewise never uttered), AllThereInTheScript doesn't even apply. However, ''Film/BackToTheBeach'' does give him the name Willy.
** In the stage musical of the show, which was written by Sherwood and Lloyd Schwartz, Gilligan sings a song ("Lucky Guy") where he mentions his full name as Willy Gilligan, so that could be enough to confirm that as his name.
* NotMeThisTime: Despite his infamous penchant for screw ups, a surprising amount of occasions Gilligan ''wasn't'' the reason things went wrong, and the cause was either simple bad fate or someone else ruining everything. Perhaps most directly in "The Big Gold Strike" where everyone ''but'' Gilligan ruins their latest escape attempt out of greed.
* NumberTwo: Second in command to the Skipper on the Minnow.
* PhraseCatcher: "Hey little buddy!"
* [[FatAndSkinny The Skinny]]: The Skinny to the Skipper's Fat with his very lean figure with, at the most, microscopic body fat.
* [[LazyBum Sloth]]: Can be very lazy.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With the Skipper.
* UndyingLoyalty: Gilligan will never stop being the Skipper's first mate. On one occasion, he refused to attend a party the Howells were giving solely because he thought they had snubbed the Skipper.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Skipper]]
!!Captain Jonas "The Skipper" Grumby (Creator/AlanHaleJr)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligan_Island_Skipper_2_7522.jpg]]

->''"...the Skipper, too..."''

The captain of the ''Minnow'' who spent some time in the Navy during "the war" (UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar). A RunningGag in the series is him losing his temper at Gilligan and hitting him with his hat. Despite this, he deeply cares for his "little buddy."
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Tropes associated with The Skipper:
* AsideGlance: Has a tendency to throw a glance at the camera in most episodes.
* BigEater: He eats a lot.
* BigFun: Chunky and funny.
* BoisterousBruiser: He's very tough and good-natured.
* TheCaptain: Of the S.S. Minnow and he often takes the lead in the group other than Mr. Howell and the Professor.
* CatchPhrase: "D'oh!"
* DopeSlap: He habitually cap-slaps Gilligan when he screws up or insults him.
* EnragedByIdiocy: As part of his being "wrath" in the "seven deadly sins" of the Castaways. He often gets mad at Gilligan when he does something goofy or unhelpful.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: "Skipper" isn't his real name, but nobody ever calls him by "Jonas Grumby".
** Mr. Howell usually calls him "Captain" (befitting his upper class diction) whereas Mrs. Howell tends to alternate between "Captain" and "Skipper".
* FatAndSkinny: Very chunky, and is the Fat to Gilligan's Skinny.
* TheGoodCaptain: A Good Guy and he leads the group with their welfare and comfort at the top of his priorities.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Gilligan. Granted, it's mixed with VitriolicBestBuds (at least on his end), but they bunk together, work together, stick up for each other, served in the war together, and panic when they believe the other is in danger.
* IAmBigBoned: He gets irritated about comments on his weight, and at least once told Gilligan that it's muscle, not fat.
* [[FreudianTrio The Id]]: He makes much rasher decisions and choices that are exasperated by the ditzy yet level headed Gilligan.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When he isn't being rash or greedy or yelling at Gilligan, he is a very nice guy.
* LimitedWardrobe: Wears the same captain uniform for several seasons, with no signs of wear and tear, as with Gilligan.
* StandardizedLeader: As such, with his position on the ship and [[ValuesDissonance his gender]].
* StoutStrength: He's on the hefty side, but is also the physically strongest of the castaways and the first to take a swing at any villains that cross their paths.
* SuperstitiousSailors: The Skipper's superstitiousness is a running trait, often putting him into conflict with [[AgentScully the Professor]]. The show varies with regard to whether what he's worried about is actually real.
* TeamDad: He often takes a protective view of the younger castaways--Mary Ann, Ginger, and especially his "little buddy" Gilligan--and gets a few PapaWolf moments when it comes to keeping them safe.
* ThoseTwoGuys: With Gilligan.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Thurston Howell III]]
!!Mr. Thurston Howell III (Creator/JimBackus)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Thurston_Howell_III_6183.jpg]]

->''"...the millionaire..."''

A wealthy businessman. His wealth at times makes him snooty and unempathetic. However, he does come to care for his fellow castaways and at one point he writes them into his will. A RunningGag is his hatred for "Yale men."
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Tropes associated with Mr. Howell:
* {{Fiction 500}}: He's extremely wealthy.
* {{Greed}}: He's the wealthiest and has an eye for more.
* HappilyMarried: He is still in love with and devoted to his Lovey.
* HollywoodNewEngland: His depiction is typically that of a stereotypical upper-crust Bostonian. Backus used an accent popularly known as the "Locust Lockjaw" for the character, making him sound like an older, stuffier version of John F. Kennedy.
* IdleRich: Doesn't do a lot of heavy lifting around the island, that's left to the guys or even the younger women, and doesn't do much around in his company.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: He graduated from Harvard and won't let you forget it. His standard insult toward somebody he disapproves of is to call them a "Yale man".
** Also a trait of Mr. Magoo, another famous Backus-voiced character (though ''he'' was a proud ''Rutgers'' alum).
* LargeHam: Even in a cast full of these, he stands head-and-shoulders above the rest.
* MoneyFetish: Perhaps the one thing he loves more than money is Lovey.
* PreppyName: A very old-fashioned and posh name.
* RamblingOldManMonologue: He was never short on stories and long-winded tales about himself, his rich and famous friends, or his upbringing.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
** Averted in the episode where he 'adopts' Gilligan; he explains to Gilligan that the snooty manners and distant behavior of the upper class is really a means of protecting people with less money/connections from being hurt by the inevitable excesses of the rich.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Manages to do this even on an island with only five people other than the Howells.
* TooProudForLowlyWork: Even though their money is worthless on the island, Thurston Howell III and his wife have never worked a day in their lives and don't intend to start now.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: He goes through several changes of clothes as the women.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mrs. Howell]]
!!Mrs. Eunice Wentworth "Lovey" Howell (Creator/NatalieSchafer)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Mrs_Howell_2_6781.jpg]]

->''"...and his wife..."''

Thurston's socialite wife. Like her husband, her wealth makes her a bit naive and out-of-touch with those poorer than her. However, she sometimes acts as the castaways' mother-figure.
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Tropes associated with Mrs. Howell:
* AllThereInTheScript: Her actual first name of Eunice appears in one episode's script, but is never mentioned on air.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Brains. The wisest and most formally educated of the women.
* DitzyGenius: A highly-intelligent and well-educated and cultured woman, she can even "speak fluent French and Italian", but seems to fall short in common sense and can even be pretty scatterbrained at times.
* {{Fiction 500}}: Her husband is totally wealthy and she might've brought some old money into the marriage.
%% ** [[InvertedTrope Not-so-]]VillainousGlutton: Gluttonous but one of the good guys.
%% * HappilyMarried: Still in love with Thurston after several years.
* HiddenDepths: She occasionally demonstrates knowledge of theatre, poetry, and literature. For example, the LysistrataGambit episode begins with her directly citing the trope-naming play and its plot.
* IdleRich: Doesn't do much around the island, and when she's with the girls, they take care of her. Occasionally, though, she's aware of the trope and tries her best to avoid it. She was apparently quite the social butterfly among her and Thurston's rich acquaintances, as she mentions a history of planning parties, luncheons, and other events. Heck, she even tries to pair up Mary Ann and Gilligan just so she can plan a wedding again!
* LastNameBasis: To everyone else but her husband she's known as Mrs. Howell.
* {{Malaproper}}: A RunningGag is her tendency to mix up her expressions, like "The way to a man's stomach is through the kitchen" or "Birds of a feather gather no moss".
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Lovey, to her husband Thurston
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: She hardly has a clue about how things work in the real world, even in the middle or working class lives of the island inhabitants.
* SevenDeadlySins: Gluttony. Not in appetite, but rather in excess--she loves expensive alcohol, clothes, and other luxuries.
* SilkHidingSteel: On at least two occasions, Mrs. Howell demonstrates a complete lack of fear in the face of danger. In "The Hunter", she breezes past Kincaid's henchman, Ramoo, practically daring him to spear her. And in "Our Vines Have Tender Apes" she chastises and berates "Tongo" for scaring Mr. Howell without batting an eyelash.
* SpoiledSweet: Yes, she's incredibly rich and sometimes hopelessly naive about the way the world works, but she's also a genuinely kindhearted, loving person who genuinely takes an interest in the castaways' lives and tries to do what's best for them. Even when greed or meddling get the better of her, she's almost always well-intentioned.
** The episode where the women go "on strike" and set off on their own also reveals that Mrs. Howell isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and help with chores when the need arises; this contrasts her husband, who doesn't pick up any of the slack in the men's camp.
* TeamMom: She's a matronly presence to the younger castaways and often looks out for their best interests. Interestingly, her husband Thurston is ''not'' the group's TeamDad; that honor goes to the Skipper instead.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Enough to rival her husband and the girls on the island.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Ginger Grant]]
!!Ginger Grant (Creator/TinaLouise)[[note]](Creator/JudithBaldwin in ''Rescue from Gilligan's Island'' and ''The Castaways on Gilligan's Island'', and Creator/ConstanceForslund in ''The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island'')[[/note]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Ginger_4998.jpeg]]

->''"...the movie star..."''

Often uses her sex appeal to charm men into giving her what she wants.
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Tropes associated with Ginger:
* AffectionateParody: Of Hollywood starlets, especially Creator/MarilynMonroe.
* AlliterativeName: They both start with a "G".
* BettyAndVeronica: She's more of a seductress than GirlNextDoor Mary Ann.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Beauty. The glamorous movie star who loves to flirt with men.
* CelebritySurvivor: She's the famous one of the group, being a movie star, yet she isn't above doing domestic chores or any such duties that'd get her hands dirty.
* {{Expy}}: Of Creator/MarilynMonroe, even using her same throaty voice.
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Girly Girl]]: To Mary Ann's "Tomboy"; though Mary Ann is also very feminine, Ginger is more impractically dressed, coiffed and sexy, while Mary Ann is a GirlNextDoor.
* HeroicSeductress: She often does this to get the castaways out of a situation.
* LethalChef: In one episode, Mary Ann is [[EasyAmnesia conked on the head]] and thinks she's Ginger, so the real Ginger must switch places with her; this includes cooking, as Mary Ann takes care of the food for the castaways. Unfortunately for everyone, Ginger is a terrible chef--her recipe for "fish pie" includes baking a full fish (bones, scales, tail and all) into a crust. It's lampshaded by Ginger herself, who knows she's bad at cooking.
* {{Lust}}: She's the seductress and inspires lust in many of the men, whether it's the Skipper or the Guest Stars that show up.
* MsFanservice: With her shapely, slim figure, red hair, cut class features, breathy voice, and clad in body hugging dresses that show some cleavage.
* ShowSomeLeg: Aside from the cleavage, she does have great legs.
* SmallNameBigEgo: It is clear that Ginger is not NEARLY as famous as she claims she is. Her credits include mostly low-grade B-movies and a one-episode stint as a nurse on ''Ben Casey''. In fact, almost none of the visitors on the island knew who she was. Even the famous movie producer Harold Hecuba was not impressed by Ginger at all, calling her out on her over-acting and mocking her.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Lot of clothes, luxurious as Lovey's and as curve reavealing as Mary Ann's. Though this is a case of {{Flanderization}}, in the early going she's often seen wearing a dress evidently cobbled together from some ship's gear, and is stenciled with "S.S. MINNOW".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Professor]]
!!Roy "The Professor" Hinkley (Russell Johnson)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Professor_9532.jpeg]]

->''"...the professor, and..."''

His numerous degrees allow him to do anything from building BambooTechnology to predicting the weather to translating the languages of native tribes. He is a calm and intelligent rock to whom the other Castaways can cling to in times of trouble, and as such, is often the de facto leader of the bunch. However, he can also be arrogant, especially when contrasted with other more superstitious castaways.
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Tropes associated with The Professor:
* AgentScully: He varies from reluctance to outright refusal in accepting any superstitious explanation for ongoings on the island, even when it seems as though there might be evidence for it.
* AndTheRest: One half of "...and the rest" in the first season credits.
* BagOfHolding: Has plenty of supplies the way the Howells, Mary Ann, and Ginger have wardrobe and makeup.
* BambooTechnology: The undisputed freaking master.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Though his first and last name are known, no one ever calls him by them.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: Has unlimited information from his memory and literature, even if there is no evidence of an expansive library.
* InsufferableGenius: Although a NiceGuy, he often falls into this trope.
* LimitedWardrobe: As limited as Gilligan and the Skipper's.
* MacGyvering: Can you make a car out of sticks?
* MrFanservice: The only man on the island that was meant to attract the FemaleGaze, his tastefully cut clothing helps. Reportedly, Johnson was asked to pose shirtless when auditioning. He refused, but still got the part.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Although he's often the most mature one of the Castaways, he can be as petty as the rest of them from time to time (e.g., "Seer Gilligan").
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: He is knowledgeable about many scientific fields, not being pinned to one discipline.
* OnlySaneMan: The most competent, level headed, and mature person on the island.
* {{Pride}}: His flaw, if any, is being uncomfortably aware of how smart and sensible he is.
* TheProfessor: As his name states and he is a font of knowledge.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Along with Mary Ann, he isn't in the opening until the second season.
* ReedRichardsIsUseless: The Professor can do miracles with BambooTechnology, but he can't build a raft or fix the Minnow, which would solve the single most pressing problem in that little microcosmic society. Lampshaded in ''Film/BackToTheBeach'', when Willy Gilligan snarks, "You know, I lived with a guy for years. A real genius. He could take a couple of these pineapples or a couple of coconuts with some strings and wire and make a nuclear reactor. But he couldn't fix a two-foot hole in a boat."
** In fairness, this trope for the Professor was subverted in season one, episode eight ("Goodbye Island".) Gilligan discovers a glue-like substance that the Skipper uses to re-caulk the entire Minnow. Unfortunately, the bonding effects are only temporary, and right before they get ready to launch, the ENTIRE ship falls completely to pieces. Even the keel falls apart, which would be hard, if not impossible, for even a ship maker to fix.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Often the audience and island inhabitants have to strain to understand what he's saying or ask him to simplify.
* [[FreudianTrio The Superego]]: The most intellectual and logical on the island.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mary Ann Summers]]
!!Mary Ann Summers (Creator/DawnWells)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gilligans_Island_Mary_Ann_2_6533.jpg]]

->''"...Mary Ann..."''

A sweet young girl from Kansas. She takes care of the cooking and cleaning.
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Tropes associated with Mary Ann:
* AndTheRest: One half of "...and the rest" in the first season credits.
* BareMidriffsAreFeminine: She's the sweetest, most wholesome of the three female characters, and her fondness for belly baring outfits gave the censors fits. (These were the days when you couldn't show your navel on television.)
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Brawn. The farm girl who is the only woman who does any real physical work.
* BettyAndVeronica: She's an innocent GirlNextDoor compared to Ginger's seductress..
* {{Expy}}: Her outfit and down-to-earth nature are reminiscent of Dorothy Gale from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''.
* [[FarmBoy Farm Girl]]: She's a female version of the humble and hard-working trope and is put in an extraordinary scenario.
* FarmersDaughter: A wholesome Midwest version; even though her outfits are rather provocative, she isn't as vampy as Ginger.
* FeminineWomenCanCook: She does most of the cooking on the island, though Ginger helps her out with the domestic chores.
* GirlishPigtails: Wears her hair in bouffant style with the loose ends tied into tails.
* GirlNextDoor: She's a more "wholesome" version of beauty compared to Ginger and is very approachable.
* GreenEyedMonster: Not often but a bit jealous of the male attention Ginger receives
* MsFanservice: Not to the extent of Ginger—she really isn't the one to seduce people—but a lot of the clothes she wears tend to be [[{{Stripperific}} rather revealing.]] Not to mention that one time she lost her bathing suit. Gilligan's and The Professor's [[MaleGaze reactions]] [[OutdoorBathPeeping say it all]].
* NoFullNameGiven: Not to the same degree as Gilligan, but Mary Ann's last name was nonetheless rarely invoked on screen.
* OnlySaneMan: She sometimes shares this role with the Professor, being the most down-to-earth of the group.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Gets in the intro starting in Season 2.
* StraightMan: She seems to be the only character with no regular funny schtick of her own.
* TeamChef: She does most, if not, all the cooking on the island.
* [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Tomboy]]: Still feminine, but she is more practically dressed than Ginger and wears more pants. Her farming background comes in handy for the tasks.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Though not as bad as the Howells and Ginger.
* VagueAge: Her exact age is unknown but is implied to in either her mid-late teens or early twenties
[[/folder]]

->''...heeeere on [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan's Isle]]!''
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