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General
- Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: A Two Guys and a Girl example:
- Beauty - J.P., the most imaginative, soft-spoken, compassionate, non-threatening, and optimistic of the trio.
- Brains - Craig, the most strategic, inventive, and go-getter member of the trio who's always making the maps, fixing problems, finding solutions, and coming up with plans on how to save the day or have fun at the creek. note
- Brawn - Kelsey, a fiery, aggressive, and brash tomboy who's always looking for an excuse to fight. Same with Omar if you count him as the fifth member of the Stump Kids.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: J.P. (big), Craig (thin), and Kelsey (short).
- Cloudcuckoolander: All of them are eccentric kids who let their imaginations run wild.
- Expy: At one point, Barry of the Elders of the Creek points out that the trio resembles Ed, Edd n Eddy. J.P. is like Ed (both are unintelligent, and both are the tallest of their respective trios), Craig is like Edd (both are the smart ones), and Kelsey is like Eddy (both are the shortest of their groups and both are short-tempered).
- Freudian Trio: Craig (Superego), Kelsey (Id), and J.P. (Ego).
- Iconic Item: Each kid has their own iconic accessory. Craig has his staff, Kelsey has her sword and J.P. has his oversized jersey.
- Nice, Mean, and In-Between: While Kelsey is a loyal and kind friend, she’ll be the first to resort to violence, making her the “mean”. J.P. is a kind and naïve kid, not often falling victim to vices, making him the “nice”. Craig is altruistic and friendly, but has a selfish streak, making him the “in-between”.
- MacGyvering: When it comes to adventures around the Creek they mostly rely on the stuff they find there (though it's mostly Craig and Omar who do this).
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Kelsey has shades of this dynamic with both boys on the team. Kelsey is a tomboy who views herself as a fearless warrior. Craig has shown signs of being In Touch with His Feminine Side and J.P. is a happy, cheerful, and friendly Kiddie Kid.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni:
- Kelsey: The Red to J.P. and Craig's Blue.
- J.P.: The Blue to Kelsey's Red and The Red to Craig's Blue.
- Craig: The Blue to Kelsey's and J.P.'s Red.
- Sixth Ranger: During the episode, Beyond the Overpass, Omar joins the Stump Kids to find the puzzle cubes and unlock the Heart of the Forest treasure.
- Token Trio: In a different twist, Craig, the black kid, is actually the leader, while J.P. is the white boy, and Kelsey is the white girl.
- Trademark Favorite Food: They all love Choco-Rolls.
Craig Williams
Voiced by: Phillip Solomon
"Safety is, like, my number two thing. After maps."
The series' title character: a 9-year-old boy who enjoys exploring his neighborhood creek.
- The Ace: In "The Invitation" he states that his only character flaw is that he's "too perfect".
- Acquired Situational Narcissism:
- "Ace of Squares" sees Craig develop an inflated ego after dethroning the previous Ace of Four Square. Because the kids of the Creek spend the next day talking trash to him about wanting to beat him, Craig decides to return the taunting in kind and starts playing dirty.
- At the start of season 4, "Beyond the Overpass", Craig once again develops an inflated ego and tries to ride out being the "Hero who saved the Creek" from King Xavier, wanting to get hero discounts from Kit and general acknowledgment from everyone for saving the day. This passes by the end of the episode when a group of previously banned rollerblader kids actually do thank Craig for his efforts.
- All-Loving Hero: He's a sweet boy with a heart of gold who's more than willing to help out any kid in need and would rather talk things through before resorting to combat.
- Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Craig is smart, creative, and a good student, and his head is meant to be shaped like a brain.
- Berserk Button: Insulting his art is usually a quick way to tick him off, as he was ready to whack a Cherry Blossom when he overheard her saying his map looked like it was drawn by a little kid, and Bryson even exploited this at one point to get under Craig's skin during their brief feud in The Dream Team.
- Black and Nerdy: He epitomizes the more traditionally "nerdy" part than his brother. Craig and his friends' adventures are basically a daily LARP session. "Escape From Family Dinner" also reveals he's in an advanced math course.
- One of his favorite past-times involves reading "Slide the Ferret" comics and playing video games.
- Blatant Lies: In "Escape from Family Dinner" he lies and says that he has become a vegetarian and thusly cannot eat what was being served for dinner (steaks). His mother believes him until he decides to bring something suitable to eat before heading to the creek and grabbing a chicken leg from the refrigerator.
- Bold Explorer: Craig tries to map out the more obscure areas of the creek.
- Character Tics: Craig is particular about his "tootsies" (feet). He has special stompy slippers and bags his shoes to keep them dry while in the water.
- Cheerful Child: Optimistic and just wants to have fun and adventures with his friend.
- The Ditherer: One of his flaws is that he has a difficult time with decision-making. This stemmed from ruining a weekend with his grandparents and siblings after choosing a court drama movie to watch - not realizing that it would be boring because of its promising and misleading cover art.
- Drunk on the Dark Side: After becoming the new champion of Four Square, Craig takes on a bolder and more arrogant persona which in turn drives his friends and companions away. Thankfully he overcomes this when he realizes how the rules of the game are the problem.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: After the Capture the Flag event, Craig tries to get appreciation from the kids at the Creek (and Jessica), except no one gives him any ranging from being too busy to try to get respect from the wrong people (except for the Roller Bladers on the other side, who kick start the quest to find Kenneth's cube pieces).
- Embarrassing Nickname: In "The Quick Name", Craig goes through a succession of six unfortunate nicknames:
- Finesse, after being too slow when going to give Keun Sup a handshake.
- Barfy, after drinking too much soda and throwing up.
- Mis-Snake, after accidentally hitting Big Red with a toy snake.
- Tumbles, after falling off a skateboard.
- Big Tuna, after being hit in the face with a fish while fishing in the Creek.
- And finally Carrot Cakes, after... wearing a carrot costume.
- However, this ends when Keun Sup tells everyone that nicknames can hurt when nobody wants them, even when joking around is fun and all.
- Evil Costume Switch: When he becomes the new Ace of Foursquare. He regrets it, though - the edgy rips ruined his shirt.
- Fire-Forged Friends: He and Jason gradually set aside their differences during the series, which leads to Jason working as The Mole for Craig to spy on Xavier. The Capture the Flag special shows how much Craig has grown to trust Jason, as he never once questions the Intel Jason gives about Xavier.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: He occasionally alludes to the fact that he's in a TV show, and he once addressed the audience directly.
- Gadgeteer Genius: He's really good at building things and he's quite resourceful when thinking of things to create.
- His staff is a paperweight and table leg, cobbled together to a crude surveying tool.
- Good with Numbers: He gets placed in an advanced math class, which he enjoys, but he admits that he finds the material to be pretty hard.
- Growing Up Sucks: A common conflict that Craig frequently encounters is how he can't keep things the way they are forever ("Summer Wish") and that he, and the people around him, will have to grow up ("Craig and the Kid's Table").
- Hidden Depths: He admits to Helen that the reason he loves the Creek so much is the freedom to be as weird as he wants.
- In Adventures in Baby Casino, Craig is also good at Tic-Tac-Toe, thanks to a corner method he uses to win.
- Identical Grandson: He and his grandpa Earl have the same peanut-shaped head, a trait that seemed to skip both of his sons.
- In-Series Nickname: "Craigford", for some reason.
- Self-given example: he calls himself "Craigy-boy".
- The Sewer Queen exclusively refers to him as "Mapmaker".
- To his displeasure, he often gets called "peanut/peanut head" (usually by Toman).
- In Touch with His Feminine Side:
- His satchel is actually a purse, but he doesn't pay it any mind.
- In Operation Hive-Mind he gets a fuchsia-colored splint for his bee-stung finger as he mentions fuchsia is his favorite color. Fuchsia technically falls under pink which is seen as more of a "girly" shade in modern times.
- It's All About Me: In "Tea Timer's Ball", he is disappointed to learn the party wasn't about Eliza trying to get revenge on him (but rather the Sailor Boy because he didn't invite her to his family's yacht party because he couldn't invite more than 2 friends). Craig is happy to learn he still has people who want to take their revenge on him, though.
- Klingon Promotion: A non-lethal example: After defeating King Xavier in the Capture the Flag game, the soldiers of the other side of the Creek immediately bow down to him as the new ruler. Craig tears up the flag and declines the title.
- Leeroy Jenkins: His Fatal Flaw. According to his grandmother, Craig shares this trait with his father and grandfather.
- Limited Wardrobe: Has two main outfits, his school clothes which imply he attends a school with a uniform that consists of a white shirt and blue pants but also his "Creek Clothes", a yellow shirt combined with a short-sleeved gray jacket.
- Love Revelation Epiphany: In "Puppy Love", when Craig sees Wildernessa's text about wanting to meet him alone, he realizes that they haven't really spoken since the Capture the Flag game, which then makes him recall the last thing she said after stopping him from getting tagged out. Upon realizing how that sentence was likely going to end, he immediately becomes nervous about what'll happen once they meet up. After Wildernessa confesses her feelings to him by saying "Cheesesticks" likes him, he understands what she means and tells her he likes "both of them", too.
- Middle Child Syndrome: One of the reasons he prefers hanging out at the creek is because he feels oppressed by his Big Brother Bully and Annoying Younger Sibling at home.
- Morality Pet: To a certain extent, he is this to Jason. It was due to Craig's influence that Jason started to mellow out and become nicer. Craig took the time to talk to and get to know Jason, and Jason seemed to really appreciate that.
- Mr. Imagination: There are several moments throughout his daily life that become more wild and fantastical to make them more exciting.
- The Navigator: He always carries a map of the creek which he made himself and always updates it whenever he discovers a new location.
- Nice Guy: A sweet, brave and selfless kid who's there for others.
- "Not So Different" Remark: In "Dinner at the Creek", after failing to make a meal to provide for himself, he finds out that Bernard is on the same boat as he not only botched his dinner plans but also feels insecure about being able to provide for himself.
- Oblivious to Love: Towards Wildernessa, somewhat justified as when she tells him how she feels about him in "Breaking the Ice", she expresses it in an animal-like way with her birdlike mating dance.
- Come "Puppy Love", he becomes less oblivious when her text asking them to meet alone makes him remember her Dying Declaration of Love from the last time they met up, despite it being cut short.
- The Only One I Trust: "Puppy Love" reveals he's this to Wildernessa. She only contacts Craig and wants to talk to him alone to tell him Cheesesticks ran away because she trusts him and she's worried Kelsey and J.P. would think less of her for losing Cheesesticks. Although it's justified since Wildernessa doesn't have a lot of human friends and she mostly interacts with the Stump Trio, and she's more open to Craig after the events of "Breaking the Ice".
- Real Men Wear Pink: His pajamas are a fuchsia shirt with a pink cat/bear face on them.
- Red Baron: In "The Other Side" when King Xavier asks who he is, Craig refers to himself as "Craig of the Creek", which Xavier refers to him as from then on.
- Scarf of Asskicking: While he has not worn it since then early on in the series his mother gave him one of her old scarves to serve this role to his Creek Clothes.
- Sympathy for the Devil: No matter how much of an ungrateful jerk his brother Bernard is to him, Craig will often find a reason or two to feel pity for the guy and offer him some help.
- The Unfavorite: In "The Boy from 3030", he feels this way - his parents are so proud of Bernard going to junior prom, they more or less ignore Craig.
- Vocal Evolution: At the start, Solomon was 14 when he voiced Craig, until a few years later as his voice becomes deeper and more scratchy in later episodes.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: "Vulture's Nest" shows he's terrified of vultures after one attacked him for going near its nest at an abandoned barn. He gets over this fear after Bad Moves invites him and his friends to give a performance at their concert in said abandoned barn, and their song manages to intimidate that same vulture.
- Would Hit a Girl: He almost gave a Cherry Blossom girl on the other side of the creek a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown when he heard her telling the Honeysuckle Rangers that his map looked like it was drawn by a little kid but JP stopped him before he got detected.
Kelsey Pokoly
Voiced by: Georgina Kidder (episodes 1-3), Noël Wells (episode 4 onward)
One of Craig's friends, an 8-year-old only child, and fan of fantasy. Never goes anywhere without her parakeet, Mortimor.
- Author Avatar: Her character in the story she and Stacks - who also has one - write in "Fire & Ice." Ironically, despite the obvious similarities, Kelsey doesn't notice it at first but gets very embarrassed that the other kids in the book club find the connection before she does, which isn't helped by how accidentally romantic the girls in the story were like. After much anguish, she comes to terms with it, though.
- Ascended Fanboy: to the Elders of the Creek. Like all kids in the creek, Kelsey looks up to the elders as the oldest kids who still play in the creek. It can be said that Kelsey has the closest thing to a friendship out of the other stump kids (perhaps the entire creek) as the Elders are quick to include her whenever they need a fourth member. This might just be due to their shared interest in cosplay and high fantasy, however.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Says she's able to recognize and read cursive due to her "bubbe" (grandmother). Made explicit in a Passover tweet
from Cartoon Network, and "Locked Out Cold" has her celebrating Hanukkah. - Badass Adorable: A tiny 8-year-old girl and fierce warrior.
- Badass Bookworm: The show's opening introduces her by showing her holding a fantasy novel while picturing herself as part of the scene at play.
- Badass Cape: She has one to go with her warrior theme. She rocks it quite well.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: She has thick, dark red eyebrows.
- Blood Knight: At least as far as child-friendly "fighting" goes. She's always eager to use her PVC-pipe sword against potential adversaries.
- Boisterous Weakling: Kelsey thinks herself a warrior and will readily try to solve problems with force. This usually only works against kids either intimidated by her willingness to fight or willing to play fight in response. Otherwise, she tends to get subdued rather easily.
- Butch Lesbian: She is attracted to other girls and she has an extremely tomboyish personality and aggressive tendencies. She more or less hooks up with Stacks by "Fire & Ice."
- Butt-Monkey: Half the time, whenever she picks fights within reason, it’s either with the wrong kids or at the wrong opportunity which could result in her injuries or embarrassment.
- Chronic Pet Killer: Kelsey had thirty-seven pet birds, all of which have died. She reassures Mortimor, the thirty-eighth, that things will be different with him. Cue an ominous close-up on Mortimor.
- Compressed Hair: That bun of hers holds a lot of hair. When her hairband breaks, her hair cascades to her feet.
- Fiery Redhead: Pictures herself as a warrior at heart, and when trouble ensues, she is quick and ready to attack with her sword in hand.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Of the main trio, Kelsey is the one most inclined to unleash her rage in battle, and anyone who approaches her should take caution, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of her sword or her fists.
- Heart Symbol: Her typical outfit has a white heart symbol on it.
- Height Angst: She punches J.P. in the ribs when he cracks a joke about her height and gets angry at younger kids who assume she's their age.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: As part of her fantasy warrior obsession she carries around a tube crafted to be like a blade.
- Hidden Depths: "The Brood" reveals that Kelsey doesn't care what the adventure is. All she cares about is hanging with Craig and J.P.
- Kelsey is shown on numerous occasions to be incredibly introspective and smart, and is actually a very anxious child, prone to getting in her own head and doubting her worthiness as a "warrior".
- I Call Her "Vera": Has called her sword things like "Li'l Stabby".
- Image Song: Gets one in "Kelsey Quest"
- Internal Monologue: She's prone to dramatically narrating her thoughts. This extends to her external mannerisms, as it's shown that she outwardly pauses as she monologues and her friends watch as she does so, waiting to see what happens.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She tends to be rather aggressive and impulsive, yet she's also a very loyal friend.
- Large Ham: Comes with her boisterous attitude.
- Leeroy Jenkins: In "Lost in the Sewer", Craig is just about to take his time and think things through to get the toy car off the Sewer Queen, when Kelsey rushes up and karate kicks it away.
- Madness Mantra: Paired with her narration habit when she gets 'stuck in her own head'.Kelsey: Kelsey thought - Kelsey thought - Kelsey thought - Kelsey thought - ...
- Missing Mom: In one of her monologues, Kelsey describes herself as a 'half orphan', implying her mother has passed away. This is confirmed in "The Takeout Mission" when Kelsey says that her mother "passed".
- The Napoleon: The shortest in height as well as the shortest in temper.
- Performance Anxiety: She gets very nervous whenever she's being filmed.
- Pipe Pain: In a less-lethal variant, Kelsey uses a prop sword made from a plastic pipe. Less dangerous than a real sword or metal pipe, but still quite capable of breaking things. It even gets taken away for an episode when she accidentally breaks a hole in a wall. The show's staff actually made a replica and were surprised at how heavy it was.
- Puppy Love: She's implied to have a crush on Wildernessa a few times. It ultimately went nowhere. Later on, she has Ship Tease with Stacks that becomes a real romantic relationship in "Fire and Ice".
- Queer Establishing Moment: "Fire & Ice" deals with Kelsey's frustrations and the budding realization that she's starting to like Stacks as someone more than just a friend. Stacks returns the same feelings by the end of the episode. The episode doesn't delve directly into addressing her feelings, but the theme is still there.
- Sudden Eye Colour: There are certain scenes to show that her natural eye color is brown.
- Tomboy: Kelsey regularly imagines herself as an adventurer and a warrior. She's also never seen without her prop sword, which she uses for the many fights, mostly pretend but sometimes real, that she gets into.
- Unusual Pets for Unusual People: Her pet budgie is always on her head. Kelsey is eccentric and hot-blooded.
- Vocal Evolution: Her voice sounded younger in earlier episodes compared to the way she sounds now.
John Paul "J.P." Mercer
Voiced by: H. Michael Croner
Another of Craig's friends, he's a redheaded ten-year-old boy with a country accent.
- Ambiguously Christian: He has "Sunday clothes" (which implies he regularly attends church). He's also named after a Pope.
- The Big Guy: He's the largest of Craig's friends and has the most muscle - for a child, anyway.J.P.: So many of your machines are me-powered, Craig.
- Big Sister Worship: J.P. really looks up to his big sister, in part because she has her life together despite hearing she was an oddball like him when she was his age.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Very distractible, will believe any bizarre idea as soon as it is proposed, and has to be reminded to keep his clothes on...
- He weaponizes this against Paloma, who had studied everyone in the creek for a year while jinxed that she could pick up their talking patterns and match them. She couldn't predict J.P.
- Cute Oversized Sleeves: He wears an oversized jersey with sleeves that cover his hands, which emphasizes him being the most innocent and childlike of the Stump Trio.
- The Ditz: He's not very bright, though he has hidden depths.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Laura's responsible.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: J.P. is the one most likely to break the fourth wall.
- In "JPony", he addresses "everyone watching at home", and acknowledges he "doesn't have eye whites" that can be seen in the dark.
- After Craig overcomes the Pucker Sucker challenge, he looks to the sky to see his family who helped him along the way. J.P. freaks him out by mentioning that he can see them too.
- Gentle Giant: He can lift both Kelsey and Craig in a hug easily.
- The Heart: The friendliest of the group and also the one who is least likely to cause any sort of conflict unless it is to bring people closer together.
- Hidden Depths: His best subject is dinosaur history.
- Image Song: Gets one in "JPony" called "Do The J.P."
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: Downplayed. He seems to be somewhat into fashion as seen in the episodes "Sunday Clothes" and "Escape from Family Dinner."Kelsey: Why did you change your shoes?J.P.: (annoyed) Uh, you got to commit to the whole look, Kelsey.
- Kiddie Kid: He's 12, but he acts very immature for the average kid his age.
- Kids Love Dinosaurs: He's a major dinosaur lover, to the point dinosaur history is his best subject.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Mentions owning a cat but according to a line Kelsey said it's been missing for a while (or is just very aloof), although his cat finally makes an on-screen appearance in "Jextra Perrestrial".
- Literal-Minded: The plot point of "Jextra Perrestrial" is J.P. literally taking Laura's joke that he's "not human" leading to him and his friends believing that he's an alien. Laura even has to tell him not to take her literally at the end of the episode.
- Nice Guy: Despite his weirdness, he's a genuinely sweet kid.
- No Sense of Personal Space: He has a spare key to Craig's house in case of an emergency for when the kids are locked out, except he regularly enters the house when the family is out, much to Laura's dismay, and Craig's, Jessica's, and Bernard's chagrin.
- Older Than They Look: Downplayed. While the trio is all kids, "Sunday Clothes" reveals that J.P. is in middle school while Craig and Kelsey are in elementary school, but he doesn't look much older than either of his friends.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He goes by "J.P.", which is short for John Paul.
- Pretty in Mink: Tends to wear a large fluffy pale blue and white coat to special events, along with a pair of opera glasses to complete the fancy look.
- Puppy Love: He was oblivious to Maney's crush on him at first but he starts to feel the same way for her during "JPony".
- Skintone Sclerae: Unlike most of the other characters, he and his sister have skin-toned whites. Though "Jextra Perrestrial" seems to imply that they're actually black/deep grey (provided they're not the irises). He later straight up claims he has no "whites" in the eyes. Some episodes do show him with eye whites at certain points.
- Super Gullible: He will believe virtually anything he's told.
- Vibrant Orange: He wears an orange jersey, has orange hair, and is also very playful and fun-loving.
- Vocal Evolution: His voice in early episodes was more southern-accent until the way he sounds in later episodes.
Mortimor
Voiced by: Noël Wells
Kelsey's pet parakeet, which usually stays on her head.
- Anthropomorphic Shift: In the earliest episodes, Mortimor was completely animal-like. Over the course of the first season, he began to emote using his wings like human hands and react to human speech as if he understood it. In "Mortimor to the Rescue", he is mostly human in thought-process and has bursts of overtly human body language.
- Artistic License – Ornithology: He has three toes pointing forward and one pointing back, rather than two in front and two in back like on real parrots.
- Empathy Pet: Mimics Kelsey's expressions or body language in some episodes.
- Feather Fingers: Mortimor often uses his wings like human hands to emote, though not to manipulate objects. Most blatantly, he gives Craig a thumbs-up near the end of “The Curse.”
- Head Pet: He spends most of his time standing on top of her head, occasionally hiding in her hair bun. When Kelsey wears a cloak in "You're It!", it has a smaller cloak built in for him.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Closed captions originally spelled his name "Mortimer".
- Living Prop: Originally, Mortimor had no character than just being Kelsey's small pet bird, though Kelsey sometimes exaggerated his abilities. As episodes progress he has been shown to have subtle traces of personality and desires such as shaking his head "No" and rampaging on Craig's bug city. In "Secret In A Bottle", Kelsey even expresses displeasure on how Craig and J.P. don't consider Mortimor as an official member of the team.Kelsey: We're not a trio. We're a quartet.
- Nearly Normal Animal: Mortimor looks fully like an animal, cannot speak, and has about the physical capability of a real parakeet, but understands his surroundings in a humanlike way and can make humanlike expressions with his face and wings.
- Not So Stoic: He's actually a lot more expressive than he looks. In "JPony", he showed silent disdain when Craig apologizes to him for not bringing food for him, and he was also shocked as everyone else when J.P. injures himself from attempting to jump over the (sabotaged) pole fence.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Hides in Kelsey's bun sticking his wings out when in a location that normally would not allow a bird.
- Replacement Goldfish: He's Kelsey's 37th parrot.
- Significant Double Casting: The sounds he makes are provided by his owner's voice actor, likely playing off real parakeets' vocal mimicry.
- Stealth Pun: Being portrayed as Kelsey's pet mouse rather than a bird in Alternate Creekiverse is thought to be a play on how Disney's Mickey Mouse was originally planned to be known as Mortimer.
- Suddenly Voiced: Downplayed; Mortimor was originally completely silent, but eventually gained vocalization provided by a voice actor.
- Team Pet: Kelsey always takes him on her adventures at the creek.
