Child's Play: Original Trilogy / Characters

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Child's Play (1988)

Karen Barclay

Debut: Child’s Play (1988)

Portrayed by: Catherine Hicks

"Goddamn it! My son's life is at stake!"

Andy's widowed mother who works at a department store's jewelry section.

Badass Adorable: She might not look so tough at first, but she does prove handy with a firearm.
Butt-Monkey: She's nearly sexually assaulted by a vagrant, is attacked by Chucky numerous times as well as injured by him in some instances, and winds up being thrown into an insane asylum. Even with all that, she still has it easier than her son does.
Celebrity Paradox: If Colonel Chucky's "Khan!" Shout-Out in Chucky is any indication, the Star Trek franchise exists in the Child's Play universe as her actress Catherine Hicks had appeared in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Does not return for the sequels, but is mentioned during The Stinger for Curse.
Earn Your Happy Ending: The end of Curse implies this. After being sent to an asylum between the first and second movies, she was released at some point and is either dating or married to Detective Norris.
Final Girl: Of the first movie.
Heroine With Bad Publicity: Her claims of a killer doll aren't believed and she gets sent to an asylum between the first and second movies.
Mama Bear: Shields Andy from Chucky and his knife with just herself. And in the process gets her arm bitten and her hand cut.
Official Couple: During The Stinger of Curse, it is revealed that she is still dating and possibly married to Mike, the cop who gunned down Charles Lee Ray in the first film.
Only Sane Woman: She shares this with Andy and Mike in the first movie.
Theme Naming: With Kyle and Kristin as the female leads with "K" names who're close to Andy in the first three movies.

Detective Mike Norris

Debut: Child’s Play (1988)

Portrayed by: Chris Sarandon

A detective investigating the murder of Andy's babysitter.

Arch-Enemy: Was initially this for Chucky before Andy showed up.
Badass Normal: He's a cop so...
Big Damn Heroes: He saves Karen from being raped by the peddler and later pulls Chucky off Andy when he's one syllable away from finishing the soul transfer chant.
Big Good: Of the first film and by extension despite not making any more further appearances, the overall series, as he was Chucky's Arch-Enemy since the time he was human up to his human death that resulted in the birth of the Killer Doll and his first doll death at the first film. However, as revealed in Curse of Chucky, while he was on Chucky's case, he wasn't the only cause of his transformation into the horror icon we all know and fear.
Celebrity Paradox: If Colonel Chucky's "Khan!" Shout-Out in Chucky is any indication, the Star Trek franchise exists in the Child's Play universe as his actor Chris Sarandon would later appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Does not appear in the sequels. Chucky shot him to death in the comic book series serving as a bridge between the second and third movies, however Curse of Chucky has Andy state Mike is still alive and implies that he’s in a relationship with Karen making his death in the comics non canon.
Cowboy Cop: He takes an active role in stopping Charles Lee Ray/Chucky.
Expy: Appears to be one of Dr. Samuel Loomis from Halloween, due to being the killer's Arch-Enemy with an established history between the two before the events of the film series and fulfilling the role of The Hero who pursues the killer from getting to his target.
Fair Cop: He is played by the handsome Chris Sarandon after all.
Greater-Scope Paragon: Mike would qualify for the entire franchise as despite not making anymore appearances in the sequels, he was Chucky's first seasoned Arch-Enemy since he was human and was responsible for his human death that forced Ray to become the infamous Killer Doll in the first film.
It's Personal: Chucky has this attitude towards him. Mike was the one who shot him.
Official Couple: If Curse of Chucky is any indication, he ended up with Karen.
Only Sane Man: He shares this with Karen and Andy in the first film. He even tells Karen that he's "sane and rational" in-universe, though at the time he was initially expressing natural disbelief that Chucky is committing the murders before getting attacked by him in his car later on.
Papa Wolf: Towards Andy.
Reasonable Authority Figure: One of the few cop characters in the franchise who's not a Police Are Useless type.

Maggie Peterson

Karen's best friend and co-worker.

Babysitter from Hell: Even if she didn't intend to be a jerkass, she does act quite abrasively to Andy blaming him for Chucky's antics.
Badly Battered Babysitter: She ends up becoming Chucky's first victim in his doll form after she angered him by refusing to let him watch the news on TV detailing Eddie Caputo's escape from the prison bus, but even if she didn't do so Chucky most likely would have offed her anyway for his own enjoyment.
Destination Defenestration: After Chucky chucks a Good Guys hammer at her face, she falls through the window of Andy and Karen's apartment all the way down to a Car Cushion. There is Artistic License – Physics involved since even if Chucky's hammer attack did cause serious blunt trauma to her it shouldn't have made Maggie heavy enough to smash through an apartment glass window so easily.
Jerkass: Maggie is quite arrogant and quick to judge others as less informed than she is, even berating Andy immediately for Chucky's antics.
Smug Snake: She underestimates matters because of her mental laziness:
- She pressures Karen to get a Good Guy doll for cheap off a homeless peddler instead of an authorized store.
- When Karen is ordered by her boss Chris to fill-in for a sick co-worker despite having to pick up Andy from daycare, Maggie offers to step in but Chris rejects this stating Maggie works in shoes, not jewelry.
- When Chucky starts making a ruckus in the Barclays apartment, Maggie immediately thinks she can control the situation by berating Andy only to be offed by Chucky with a hammer.

Eddie Caputo

Debut: Child’s Play (1988)

Portrayed by: Neil Giuntoli, Ivano DiCaro (Chucky)

An accomplice of Charles Lee Ray's who left him on the streets to be hunted down by the police.

Asshole Victim: He was a disloyal Dirty Coward of a partner for Chucky at the time of his death, not to mention his past participations in the latter's crimes.
Dirty Coward: He ran away from the police scene stranding Charles. Off-screen, he was still apprehended by the police but escaped during the prisoner transport back to his rat-infested house.
Locked Out of the Loop: The only one of Chucky's accomplices who was unaware of his state as a killer doll.
Offstage Villainy: He was Chucky's accomplice. Exactly what this entailed is so far unknown, though Eddie, at the very least, was seemingly aware of Chucky abducting and imprisoning Sarah Pierce, going by a flashback (which combined old and new footage) in Curse.
Plot-Triggering Death: Chucky blowing Eddie up in the latter's house by turning on the gas oven (and tricking Eddie into shooting it) is what gets Andy locked up in an asylum and helping Karen realize that Chucky is alive and evil.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: His cowardice at the beginning of the movie gets him on Chucky's shit list very quickly. It's telling that Chucky chooses to blow up Eddie's house with him inside it rather than simply stab him.
The Voiceless: He doesn't have a single line of dialogue. Though he says "oh shit" twice at the beginning of the film, when he saw Charles get shot and when the police car shows up.
Would Not Hurt A Child: While the degree of his complicity in and knowledge of Charles's previous murders is somewhat ambiguous, up to and including stabbing a developing baby in utero through her captive mother's belly, he does not seem willing to hurt Andy when he sees him out his hideout window.

John "Dr. Death" Bishop

Debut: Child’s Play (1988)

Portrayed by: Raymond Oliver

Dubbed by: Pascal N'Zonzi (European French)

Charles Lee Ray's voodoo instructor.

Cruel and Unusual Death: Chucky breaks his arm and leg, then stabs him and leaves him for dead. Even worse that he's still alive when Karen and Norris find him, suggesting he's been lying there in agony for hours.
Everyone Has Standards: While it's implied he was a criminal, he's thoroughly appalled by how Chucky has bastardized his teachings and become an affront against nature by cheating death to become a doll to kill even more people and planning to circumvent it through even viler means via John's advice and says as much directly to him, showing that there are limits to what even he would want to do with the arts.
Noodle Incident: It is implied before the events of this film, John while not exactly a bad man, was arrested by the police after Mike Norris shows Karen a mugshot of him. Although we don't know what he was arrested for, it can be suggested he was in cahoots with Charles Lee Ray leading to his arrest.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only shows up in the first movie for one scene, after which Chucky kills him, but he’s the one who taught Chucky the Demballa chant in the first place. Without him, Chucky wouldn’t be able to continue his spree.
Too Dumb to Live: Not only did he make a voodoo doll of himself, but Chucky also taunts him for showing his customers where he hides it.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He's the one who taught Chucky voodoo in the first place, including how to switch bodies. While Chucky was already a Serial Killer, if it weren't for John he would have just died at the beginning.
Voodoo Doll: What Chucky uses to torture John and make him squeal about how to escape being a walking-talking children's toy.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Even after caving into his demands, Chucky decides to kill him anyway.

Child's Play 2

Phil Simpson

Debut: Child's Play 2 (1990)

Portrayed by: Gerrit Graham

A doubtful and curmudgeon foster parent, implied bureaucrat and husband of Joanne who foremost questions Andy's sanity.

Abusive Dad: Downplayed (though the better term would be "Abusive Foster Dad"). He is the emotional type due to his Obstructive Bureaucrat nature and is really, really attitude-wise and judgmentally harsh on Andy. However, it's downplayed moreso (or even averted) in the television cut, where it reveals Phil has a Hidden Heart of Gold and makes it clear that Phil's harshness on Andy is a result of lack of confidence to take care of a child who is a Hero with Bad Publicity rather then just out of narrow-minded dislike of Andy for being a Hero with Bad Publicity that the theatrical cut interprets instead.
Actor Allusion: Gerrit Graham's character Phil drives a red Ford Taurus station wagon, ironically a decade ago, Graham's previous character Jeff was superstitious about red cars being bad luck in Robert Zemeckis' Used Cars. Considering Phil would later get killed, maybe Jeff was right about red cars being bad luck if associated with one. Also, Graham's past character Jeff mentions he takes Valium, which Phil jokingly responds to Joanne's question to calm Andy down, that makes him rattle when he walks.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Is portrayed more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in the television cut then in the theatrical cut.
Adults Are Useless: It's hard to feel sorry for him (at least in the theatrical cut) when Chucky does him in.
Ambiguously Evil: While showcased a straight up Jerkass in the theatrical cut unlike his more sympathetic depiction in the television version, Phil can be considered this for his character depicted in the former cut.
Anger Born of Worry: The television cut makes it clear his apparent Jerkassery is result of this due to his worry for his wife Joanne.
Asshole Victim: While downplayed in the theatrical cut, however, the trope is subverted (or possibly averted) in the television cut, due to that version showing his Pet the Dog scenes with his wife, which makes more sense of why his wife would mourn for a seemingly unlikeable character like him. However, depending on either version of the film he appeared in whether a straight up Jerkass or a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, he's actually the least terrible compared to others who bordered on this in Chucky's body count in the film series and actually and ironically come across as more sympathetic then his wife who would follow getting killed not long after.
Celebrity Paradox: If Colonel Chucky's "Khan!" Shout-Out in Chucky is any indication, the Star Trek franchise exists in the Child's Play universe as his actor Gerrit Graham would later appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager.
Condescending Compassion: Demonstrates this towards Andy when he first welcomes him to his foster family, while trying to be personable towards him, but is emotionally distant with him initially unlike his wife's warmer welcome.
Could Say It, But...: In the theatrical cut, while Phil confides that Andy needs more "attention then (he and his wife) could give him" or "professional help," it's clear he means Andy should be incarcerated in a mental institution for the criminally insane in all, but name rather under their foster care for being found near Chucky's killings and the likelihood of being the only logical murder suspect then a surviving trauma victim, which is enough for him to pose as a threat to him and his wife. Also, Phil tells Joanne if Andy stay with them that "he's gonna tear this family apart!," which likely means he thinks Andy would kill them all if he's that dangerous depending on his alleged flawed mental state, but without actually saying exactly, serving as a catalyst for Joanne to blame Andy for his death.
Dead Star Walking: A lesser extent, but Phil was played by Gerrit Graham, a veteran cult character actor who is known for supporting roles in genre projects such as Phantom of the Paradise, Demon Seed and Robert Zemeckis' Used Cars, was something of the Alan Tudyk equivalent (due to the Celebrity Resemblance) at the time the second film was made and ends up part of the body count.
Decoy Deuteragonist: In the television cut only, sharing this role with his wife Joanne, due to them being given more screen time then their roles in the theatrical cut which results in the first and second acts of the film cut for TV initially focusing largely on him and his wife Joanne. Apparently, the foster parents were meant to be equivalent to Karen Barclay's concerned parent role in the first film, before he and his wife are butchered by Chucky and the role of the Supporting Protagonist goes to Kyle, who aids Andy to destroy Chucky.
Didn't Think This Through: His reason why he and his wife cannot take care of Andy, made explicit in the television cut as he felt unconfident if they could be under-equipped to foster Andy. As Phil said to Joanne during their meeting with Grace Poole in the television version that he's making sure they don't bite more than they can chew.
Expy: Apparently, of Charles McColluch from Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, due to their roles as stuffy Jerkass Obstructive Bureaucrat parental figures in charge of the protagonist's care under their wings who both end up as Asshole Victims. Both characters are shown to be strict, but pointedly cold, harsh, unpleasant, no-nonsense skeptics akin to that of typical disciplinary high school principal caricatures portrayed in media then their actual job occupations and would scold the protagonist, while verbalizing berating another character, in Phil's case his wife (in the theatrical cut only, which Adapted Out the Simpsons being Happily Married as shown in the television cut). But unlike McColluch, Phil can also be seen as a somewhat benign and ultimately harmless Foil to him and more of Villainy-Free Villain in comparison as he is not that terrible in either version of the second film, while McColluch pushed his kid niece who's the protagonist into the lake to teach her to swim, causing her to almost drown, which was something Phil never did similar to McColluch's said misdeed against Andy or anyone in his screen time of either version.
Fantasy Forbidding Foster Father: He is not fond of Andy's claims of Chucky being alive.
Phil: All right, Andy, come on. Now, this is going to stop. I will not allow this foolishness in my house. Do you understand? Open the door.
Flat Character: In the theatrical cut only.
Fostering for Profit: The theatrical cut gave off the impression he and his wife are doing this part-time next to his full-time office job. Averted in the television cut which explains a less monetary reason behind their foster duties due to Joanne's inability to have biological children.
Good is Not Nice: In the television cut, while he is apparently a Jerkass to One towards Andy, he's also a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who is Happily Married with his wife Joanne that he worries for.
Happily Married: In the television cut, he and his wife are this despite their disagreements of how to deal with Andy. Averted in the theatrical cut.
Hate at First Sight: In the theatrical cut upon first meeting Andy, presumably thinking he could be the actual murder suspect than Chucky for being found near the violent murder crime scenes and should be imprisoned and prosecuted rather than fostered by him and his wife.
Hate Sink: In the theatrical cut only, not as despicable compared to others in the films, but the closest there is to one in the second film, sharing this with Miss Kettlewell, who's apparently worse than Phil when the ways they mishandled Andy are compared to each other.
Hidden Heart of Gold: In the television cut only.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In the television cut, which adds some dimension to his otherwise-unlikable personality.
Insane Equals Violent: In the theatrical cut, he believes in this, when he questions Andy's alleged troubled sanity and suspected to be Troubling Unchildlike Behavior enough to make him pose as a threat to the foster family, firmingly believing he belongs more in a mental institution for the criminally insane then with them. He may have likely confide this to his wife off-screen, which could be a factor to why she later Wrongly Accused Andy for Phil's death based on this.
Jerkass Has a Point: Phil may not be a saint, but his concerns about whether he and his wife are capable of caring for Andy and his emotional trauma and questioning Andy's sanity and if it's manageable aren't exactly unfounded and him disbelieving Andy about the existence of a Killer Doll was a natural reaction like all the other characters in the films. Also, despite jumping to a conclusion that Andy could be Insane Equals Violent due to the suspicious circumstances of happening to be found near a series of violent crime scenes and believing he could be a threat to the foster family, it is somewhat justified in his doubting at Andy being a more-then-a-problem child and a possible murder suspect then a survivor since he thinks he just protecting his family from either torn apart of having the lives of his wife, himself and Kyle threatened as best as he can. From his viewpoint, there was no clear way he and his wife know for sure that Andy wasn't dangerous after learning of being near the deaths with him as the Sole Survivor of each. Subverted in the television cut, where the 'Has a Point' part outweighs the Jerkass part, especially the deleted scene at the driveway (which happens to be a less intense, less insensitive and more reasonable version of the Simpsons' bedroom scene after Andy comes back from school, evidenced by the word for word dialogue both scenes used) where Phil drops his minor Jerkassery towards Joanne and started to talk to her reasonably of why he thinks they are not able to care for Andy.
Jerkass to One: While he's an Obstructive Bureaucrat Fantasy Forbidding Foster Father towards Andy, he's a caring husband towards his wife as explored in the television cut.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In the television cut, despite his somewhat low curmudgeon treatment of Andy, Phil does show he sincerely loves his wife and it's possible his bitter behavior could have been a result of his concern for his wife, who has her heart broken every time a child leaves after being under their foster care which Phil can no longer bare with. Plus, it's also possible his harshness on Andy and being seemingly very unsympathetic towards his bad history, is sincerely out of lack of confidence to take care of him and the fact he's too preoccupied to deal with his and his wife's constant aforementioned fostering problems to deal with another at the same time rather then out of dislike that the theatrical cut interprets instead. In other words, while he has nothing for Andy, Phil shows he has nothing really against him neither unlike the theatrical cut's Phil. These deleted Pet the Dog moments also makes more sense of why Kyle expresses to Andy while they were doing laundry that she thinks Phil is alright despite his somewhat despicable attitude in comparison to previous foster parents she stayed with who were probably worst and why his wife would grieve for him after he was killed.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He can be viewed by some as this if both his Pet the Dog scenes and the penultimate argument scene in the bedroom after Andy comes back from school are kept together in one version of the film.
Locked Out of the Loop: He's completely unaware of the danger Chucky poses to Andy. See also Supernatural Proof Foster Father below.
No Sympathy: Being the inflexible Obstructive Bureaucrat he is, he displays no sympathy for Andy's Dark and Troubled Past of being haunted and stalked by Chucky the Killer Doll, continuing to (wrongly) blame the little boy for his wife's favorite angel antique, while implicitly believing in Insane Equals Violent when questioning the boy's sanity and shortsightedly suspecting he could be an Enfant Terrible with Troubling Unchildlike Behavior who belongs in an mental institution for the criminally insane then a foster home for being the killer in the first film rather then the so-called Killer Doll that he claims despite lack of evidence for neither cases. Even Joanne shows sympathy for Andy's problems, while Phil shies away from discussing this. Downplayed in the television cut however due to his own fostering-related insecurities and making it clear while he and his wife have nothing for Andy under their care, he has nothing against him neither, they just Didn't Think This Through beforehand.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: He's the foster parent example, due to him being an uptight Moral Guardian-like puritan doubtful about taking care of Andy from the time he and his wife took him in up to the time of his death, as he felt Andy is too unfit to be taken care of by him and Joanne due to his unflattering reputation as well as the fact Phil constantly questions Andy's sanity and if is unmanageable for them to handle. In the television cut, however it was more of the case of them Didn't Think This Through. Plus, in addition, the way he dresses to go to work (a suit and tie with a briefcase) fits him bordering on this trope. It's presumed that this trope could be his actual job occupation despite the film never specifying it other than Phil mentioning to Joanne that he needs to go back to the office while being Out of Focus when Andy walks into their home for the first time.
Phil: Are we even qualified to take care of a boy like this?
Phil: For crying out loud, Joanne! The child needs professional help!
Papa Wolf: In the theatrical cut only, it can be interpreted that Phil's attitude as a foster father and the patriarch towards Andy could be misguidedly this, out of Anger Born of Worry of the implied likelihood Andy could be the killer then a traumatized victim which is enough for him to pose as a threat to the foster family within his presence.
The Paranoiac: In the theatrical and DVD cut only, based on one's interpretation, it's implied the reason why Phil wants to get Andy off his and his wife's hands very eagerly is probably because Phil thinks Andy could have committed the murders himself despite lack of evidence in the first film since after orphanage head Grace Poole informed him and his wife Joanne how Andy ended up at the orphanage in the first place. When questioning Andy's sanity of why he blames inanimate toys for murders, he jumped to a conclusion that Insane Equals Violent in regards and firmly believing Andy belongs more in a mental institution for the criminally insane than under their foster care. Phil worries that Andy one day would slaughter him and his wife and it's possible he expressed those feelings to her offscreen, which explains why Joanne immediately accuses Andy of killing Phil and finally took his advise to send Andy back as though she's throwing out a dangerous and evil animal that has been taken in as a seemingly harmless house pet.
Phil: Look, if that kid stays here he's gonna tear this family apart!
Parents as People: See Obstructive Bureaucrat.
Pet the Dog: In the television cut only. See I Want My Beloved to Be Happy. Counting also the deleted scenes shown in the TV cut, he's probably the only Jerkass and Asshole Victim in the film series to have any redeeming qualities underneath his mask.
Reasonable Authority Figure: In the television cut only, averted in the theatrical cut.
Resentful Guardian: Seemingly towards Andy in the theatrical cut, believing he belongs more in a mental institution for the criminally insane then a foster home due to the likelihood of him being the only logical murder suspect for being found near the murders in the first film.
Phil: If that kid stays here he's gonna tear this family apart!
Schrödinger's Cast: While he is still depicted as a somewhat doubtful Obstructive Bureaucrat of a foster father, in the television cut, his characterization was portrayed differently as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold and being given more screen time makes him more of a Decoy Deuteragonist to Joanne's Decoy Protagonist in contrast to his non-vital straight Jerkass Hate Sink role in the theatrical cut, so therefore when Phil is killed, the Asshole Victim trope for him is mostly averted unlike the theatrical cut.
Slimeball: In the theatrical cut only, framing his Obstructive Bureaucratic consideration to return Andy to the orphanage in this light, heavily implying he was willing to either let Andy rot in some mental asylum for the criminally insane (where they likely would also lobotomized him for possibly being a killer rather than Chucky that he claims) or even put on death row at a young age to be executed in case Andy was officially confirmed to be the murderer and not Chucky followed by being subsequently charged with murder in the first degree as long his foster family is safe from him harming them.
Supernatural Proof Foster Father: Doesn't believe Andy about the killer doll Chucky being on the loose, this ends badly for him.
This Cannot Be!: The look on his face as he wiggles in horror at the sight of Chucky just before his death.
Took a Level in Jerkass: It seems the more fed up he is with Andy's constant Killer Doll claims, the more at best obstructively or at worst poorly he judges and treats him under his foster care, at least in the theatrical cut.
Phil: Joanne! He's NOT our child!
The Unsmile: He makes this expression just for a split second as Chucky trips before hanging him upside down, most likely an unintentional Blooper resulted from his actor Gerrit Graham's Corpsing during the film shoot of his character's death scene.
Villainy-Free Villain: He can be considered this in the theatrical cut as despite being framed as a Hate Sink and an Asshole Victim then the sympathetic Decoy Protagonist depiction the television cut made him out be, he's still correct to like-mindedly question Andy's sanity and presumably the suspicious circumstances of being around the murders with him as a Sole Survivor for each. His Flat-Earth Atheist-like skepticism to Andy's story of a "killer doll possessed by a serial killer" would be anyone's natural reaction as it is outside the realm of reality. When was Phil ever considered an antagonist? He's just a foster dad dealing with troubled children.

Joanne Simpson

Debut: Child's Play 2 (1990)

Portrayed by: Jenny Agutter

Phil's seemingly caring, but insecure wife.

Adults Are Useless: It's hard to feel sorry for her when Chucky does her in.
Ambiguous Situation: It's unknown how she is Killed Offscreen by Chucky, either by getting a Slashed Throat with an unknown sharp weapon (which Chucky somehow did not have when ambushing Kyle), while being Bound and Gagged with fabric or if she was strangled with the fabric to a point it dug into her throat that she bled.
Ambiguously Evil: In both theatrical and television cut, Joanne can come across as this, especially in regards to her reaction to Phil's death.
Asshole Victim: She's killed just after having to Took a Level in Jerkass.
Beware of the Nice Ones: As shown after her husband's death.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Once grief causes to shatter her Stepford Smiler facade, exposing her insecurities with a vengeance and making her view Andy as Broken Pedestal. Throughout the film she initially appeared gentle and loving, but her true nature is shown after Phil's death. What she felt for Andy was a selfish love, and it is precisely because she is a selfish woman that she comes to blame a child for the death of a person. It hits home how much the films' universe is a World of Jerkass with many different kinds of unpleasant people, whether outright or initially and passive-aggressively subtle.
Blame Game: Immediately thinks Andy is a Broken Pedestal who killed her husband.
Bound and Gagged: On how she was found dead.
Celebrity Paradox:
- The show Murder, She Wrote exists in the films' universe, which Tiffany was watching on her television set at the time of her human death before switching to Bride of Frankenstein in Bride. Joanne's actress Jenny Agutter has made a guest appearance in an episode of the show.
- Also, as far as season 2 of Chucky is concerned, Darkman exists in the franchise's universe too, which featured Agutter in a cameo as a burn doctor, which she filmed simultaneously opposite her role as Joanne around the same year.
Dead Star Walking: She was played by veteran BAFTA and Emmy winning and future Order of the British Empire awarded actress and An American Werewolf in London, Logan's Run and The Eagle Has Landed cult starlet Jenny Agutter and ends up part of the body count.
Decoy Protagonist: In the television cut only, sharing this role with her husband Phil, due to them being given more screen time then their roles in the theatrical cut, her actress being the most known name amongst the cast and her actress's second billing just below Andy's actor's top billing which results in the first and second acts of the film cut for TV initially focusing largely on her and her husband Phil. Apparently, the foster parents were meant to be equivalent to Karen Barclay's concerned parent role in the first film, before he and his wife are butchered by Chucky and the role of the Supporting Protagonist goes to Kyle, who aids Andy to destroy Chucky.
Empty Nest: The television cut reveals that the shortcomings of her fostering duties is that she gets her heart broken every time after children leaves from their care once her and her husband's tasks are accomplished.
Flat Character: In the theatrical cut only.
Fostering for Profit: The theatrical cut gave off the impression she and her husband are doing this. Averted in the television cut which explains a less monetary reason behind their foster duties due to her inability to have biological children.
Good Is Dumb: Unlike her Obstructive Bureaucratic husband, she instantly grew with compassion for Andy despite herself naturally not believing Chucky is alive like everybody else except Andy, but she does not contribute to the main storyline and Took a Level in Jerkass after Phil's death when she finally accepts Phil's Insane Troll Logic of Andy being bad luck (and probably the killer as the theatrical cut implies unlike the television cut) before ending up an Asshole Victim one moment later. Despite given more screen time in the television cut, her Took a Level in Jerkass move was worse than her theatrical depiction as while Phil's skeptics of taking care of Andy are more justifiable and reasonable that the television cut shows, it makes it look like her blaming Andy for being a killer was her Insane Troll Logic alone, not Phil's.
Happily Married: In the television cut, she and Phil are this despite their disagreements of how to deal with Andy, which completely justifies her grief at her husband's death. Averted in the theatrical cut, which makes Joanne's grief over the death of Phil as a Horrible Judge of Character.
Helicopter Parents: She constantly meddles with Kyle's life, interfering with her smoking cigarettes and trying to stop her from going to work (Kyle said she needs the money to move out) saying it goes against "family time". It appears that Joanne doesn't want Kyle to grow up and leave the house.
Horrible Judge of Character: Her believing the completely innocent Andy having killed Phil would count, especially in the theatrical cut where Phil is reduced to a Hate Sink Asshole Victim and yet she still mourns him and blames Andy. Though is could be a possibility Phil may have gave her the idea off-screen that Andy could logically have been the only prime suspect for the first film's murders than just being a traumatized victim of them, hence why she would believed Andy killed Phil.
Hysterical Woman: When grief-stricken over her husband's death.
Insane Troll Logic: What possessed her to believe an 8-year-old killed her husband without any visible evidence?
It's All About Me: As shown when she blames Andy for Phil's death because what Joanne feels for Andy at first was a selfish love, and then, for the death of Phil, she wanted someone to blame.
Killed Offscreen: She has a Slashed Throat without the actual killing being shown.
Locked Out of the Loop: She's completely unaware of the danger Chucky poses to Andy. See also Supernatural Proof Foster Mother below.
No Accounting for Taste: In the theatrical cut only, her husband's an Obstructive Bureaucrat Resentful Guardian and they appeared be in an Awful Wedded Life, but she still mourns him after finding him dead and believed he was murdered by Andy in what appears to be a Horrible Judge of Character.
Not So Above It All: Despite having the stereotypically ideal appearance of a model Nuclear Family mother and housewife who cooks and clean and initially appearing to be more compassionate and caring then her husband Phil, she is internally uptight and insecure and have Took a Level in Jerkass towards Andy after thinking Andy killed Phil, prompting her to snap at Andy and throwing him out of her house like trash. She turns out to be much of a despicable character then what she appeared before his husband's death.
Parents as People: Despite being more compassionate in being a parental figure in her fostering duties then her husband, she is still Not So Above It All.
Resentful Guardian: Much like Phil, she became this towards Andy.
Slashed Throat: How she is killed.
Sound-Only Death: Thuds from her struggles as Chucky kills her were heard from outside of the house by Kyle.
Stay in the Kitchen: She invokes this role as part of the foster family's Nuclear Family image. The television actually explains it's because Joanne quits her job in order to fully commit to fostering.
Stepford Smiler: She's an insecure being beneath the ideal mother and housewife stereotype.
Supernatural Proof Foster Mother: Doesn't believe Andy about the killer doll Chucky being on the loose, this ends badly for her.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Starts out as this for Karen, before pointedly revealing herself to be a Not So Above It All Foil instead later on.
Too Dumb to Live: By rashly evicting Andy from her foster home, letting her judgement getting clouded, spurning Kyle's attempts to reason with her and being a Supernatural Proof Foster Mother who doesn't believe in Killer Dolls, she makes herself a sitting duck for Chucky.
Took a Level in Jerkass: When she irrationally blames Andy for killing Phil, which was cruel, unjust and inhumane.
We Hardly Knew Ye: She hardly gets any characterization before Chucky slits her throat off-screen except in the television cut. It's no wonder her actress Jenny Agutter viewed her role as an Old Shameinvoked when she said about it "It was much less than the script I read."
What You Are in the Dark: Phil's death and her false accusation towards Andy reveals a hypocritically despicable side to herself.

Miss Elizabeth Kettlewell

Debut: Child's Play 2 (1990)

Portrayed by: Beth Grant

Andy Barclay’s abusive teacher.

Artistic License – Law: After she gives Andy detention, Miss Kettlewell locks him in the classroom to keep him from going anywhere. While teachers can make a student stay after class, they aren't allowed to physically bar a student from being able to leave like that outside of a specific dangerous circumstance or medical emergencies. However, there could be a possibility that Miss Kettlewell is corrupt and deliberately commits these kinds of crimes behind the system's back in her teachings.
Asshole Victim: She's a Sadist Teacher if ever there was one, and even shown to be outright abusive (which in turn makes her corrupt as those kinds of severe practices including physical abuse, which implied she would have inflicted on Andy if he stayed in class once she returned, held in schools were made illegal by the time the film was made and set in) before crossing paths with Chucky.
Berserk Button: FUCK YOU BITCH written by Chucky to pettily frame Andy as one for her, prompting her to blow her stack against Andy for allegedly writing this vulgar insult towards her on his assignment.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She isn't fooling anybody at first glance, she falsely sugary-sweetly and friendlily warns Andy to stay on her good side, but once her Berserk Button is pushed, her nasty side emerges in an instant.
Born in the Wrong Century: Her Schoolmarm caricature appearance and tendencies seemed out of place early in The '90s.
Bludgeoned to Death: With a ruler nonetheless, even though the strike to her head is never shown, unlike most examples.
Celebrity Paradox: The show Murder, She Wrote exists in the films' universe, which Tiffany was watching on her television set at the time of her human death before switching to Bride of Frankenstein in Bride. Miss Kettlewell's actress Beth Grant has made a guest appearance in an episode of the show.
Gory Discretion Shot: The second film only shows from her perspective it seems Chucky striking her with the ruler and later a far shot of Chucky raising and slamming the ruler over and over, without actually seeing her struck nor where she was fatally wounded.
Hate Sink: Very obvious example in the second film, as she has zero redeeming qualities, while Phil, who is also this in the theatrical cut, but is shown as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold in the television cut. In either cut, she's downright despicable.
Killed Offscreen: She is last seen getting attacked by Chucky with a ruler while screaming all the way, but her final fate isn't clearly shown.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Inflicted with this by a ruler. Only Chucky's striking is shown, while her injuries are omitted.
Sadist Teacher: She's a 90s take on the Schoolmarm Apron Matron caricature kind.
Schoolmarm: Her physical appearance, her strict (though it's more an extreme take to the point of child abuse) approach, and her chalkboard classroom fit the stereotype very well, with the exception that the school she works at is a public elementary school, unlike most examples of this trope, which makes her one step away for fulfilling the 100% stereotype and almost gives an impression she was Born in the Wrong Century.
Would Hurt a Child: She was already shown to be emotionally abusive towards Andy after Chucky frames him by writing a vulgar insult on his schoolwork to push her Berserk Button and she would not look out of place as one of those old-fashioned, disciplining Schoolmarm stereotypes before the 1980s and 90s (which the original trilogy including this film took place and when they were filmed), where those practices were declared illegal in Western countries, so she would be considered corrupt by the film's timeframe for her brutal methods. When she confronts and berates Andy for this alleged action against her, it can almost look like she was about to physically slap Andy for protesting his innocence to her or just looking at Chucky hiding in the classroom's cabinet.