Line #42 Characters/GingerOrphanPlayhouse


1	Characters from Ginger Orphan Playhouse
2	----
3	!! Ginger Orphans
4	[[folder:Cooper]]
5	The main character of the show. He is a ginger orphan who's trapped in a basement with a bunch of parrots.
6	----
7	* BerserkButton: Nicknames. Unfortunately, this happens to him a lot, mostly from [[TheNicknamer The Salesman]], so he has no choice but to accept it.
8	* ButtMonkey: Poor Cooper has to undergo an extreme amount of either pain or stress or both in every episode, usually without getting any redemption at the end.
9	* CharacterDevelopment: Cooper starts off as just a regular, if meek, little boy, but after being trapped in the basement for so long, he becomes much more assertive. In the finale, he really showed off what kind of a guy he was in the final musical number with The Salesman.
10	* DoNotCallMePaul: Does ''not'' appreciate being referring to as anything but "Cooper." Which makes being around [[TheNicknamer The Salesman]] all the more irritating for him.
11	* HeartwarmingOrphan: Cooper is a sympathetic and lovable protagonist with no parents.
12	* OnlySaneMan: He is the only person in the basement who doesn't act like a complete psycho.
13	* PerpetualFrowner: Rarely ever smiles. Justified, given how depressing his life has been.
14	* RageBreakingPoint: He gets progressively angrier the more he has to deal with The Salesman's actions, culminating in the finale with him [[spoiler:cussing out The Salesman while [[TurnsRed going red in the face]] and even adopting The Salesman's [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] for a few seconds.]]
15	* VerbalTic: Um, ... He ... Always ... Likes to um ... Break ... Down ... His ... Sentences? ... Like this? Saying, Um, ... "Um" ... A lot? And being ... Super Quiet?
16	** This was even joked about in "Living Life Underground", when his former orphanage buddy mimicked him.
17	* VocalDissonance: In "Circle", he did a perfect vocal impression of [[spoiler:his own mother]], the beautiful performance of [[spoiler:''Dying Alone'']] being directly pointed out by Vanessa and The Salesman.
18	-->'''The Salesman:''' ''Wow,'' Dumb-Dumb, what a voice!
19	-->'''Vanessa:''' [[NotSoStoic Oh my God, kid, that was so...]]''[[NotSoStoic beautiful.]]''
20	* YouthfulFreckles: Wouldn't be a ginger without them.
21	[[/folder]]
22	[[folder:The Salesman]]
23	A former vacuum salesman who serves as the leader of the imprisoned orphans, on account of being the only adult.
24	----
25	* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Always expressed hints of this throughout the series, but went full-on psycho in the finale.]]
26	* BerserkButton: '''[[VoiceOfTheLegion Interruptions.]]'''
27	* ADayInTheLimelight: "The Roots of Coincidence" details the origins of how he met Madame Trinkett and got trapped in her basement.
28	* FauxAffablyEvil: A core facet of his character, to the point where a decent amount of the [[BlackComedy humor]] in the series comes from his peppy, can-do attitude's contrast with the utter disregard he has for the orphans and their safety.
29	* TheGadfly: Loves to push Cooper's buttons. [[spoiler: However, he does this ''so often'' that Cooper eventually becomes [[GrewASpine much more assertive]] by the finale.]]
30	* HatesBeingAlone: [[spoiler:The finale reveals why he wants everyone to stay in the basement with him. He is afraid of being alone and does not like the thought of everyone abandoning him they escape because he believes that [[ZeroPercentApproval no one will like him in the real world]].]]
31	* HeelFaceTurn: Even after everything he did and everything that happened to him, The Salesman [[spoiler: manages to be redeemed after Cooper offers him genuine companionship.]]
32	* LaserGuidedKarma: In the past, he was a scamming serial killer. However when he tried to seduce Madame Trinkett 23 years ago, he ended up the first of many kidnapped gingers in her basement.
33	* MirrorCharacter: To Cooper. They both have had a crappy childhood, [[spoiler: suffered from ParentalAbandonment of some kind,]] and Cooper eventually [[spoiler: sports his [[RedEyesTakeWarning ominous glowing red eyes]] when he reaches his RageBreakingPoint]]. The finale even implies that the reason why The Salesman focuses much of his attention on Cooper is because he reminds him of his younger innocent self and [[TheCorruptor wants Cooper to grow up just like him]].
34	* NoNameGiven: Despite his prominence throughout the entire series, his name is never revealed. It's even [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] by Cooper during the finale.
35	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: When the series begins, he's primarily portrayed as a goofy, if occasionally off-kilter obstacle for [[OnlySaneMan Cooper]] to bounce off of comedically. Then ''Circle'' happens, in which he ''[[spoiler:murders Clayton in cold blood,]]'' and it becomes clear to the audience and Cooper just how threatening he is.
36	* SanitySlippage: Was already a little insane before, but being left in a basement full of screeching birds for two decades has made him even more manic and crazy.
37	[[/folder]]
38	[[folder:Vanessa]]
39	A ginger girl, who was adopted by Madame Trinkett in "Lost Love". She quickly became the love interest of Cooper.
40	----
41	* BloodyHorror: Aside from the obligatory fact that she sees this every day down in the basement, [[spoiler:she sees a hell of a lot more of it, when she works as a cleaning maid at the suicide motel.]]
42	* DamselInDistress: Naturally, Vanessa had to pass initiation, when she first got locked in the basement. This meant that the Parrot King started to attack her and Cooper had to save her life [[spoiler:by straight up killing the King Parrot with a vacuum]].
43	* DidNotGetTheGirl: Cooper asks Vanessa out in the finale, but she immediately responds with:
44	-->'''Vanessa''': Oh, well see, [[YoureNotMyType you're not really my type]]. [[StealthInsult I already have plans tonight]]. I gotta go. I gotta leave solo. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment That means alone]].
45	** That being said, after witnessing Cooper stand up for himself and managing to save the Salesman, she actually smiles at him and joins him in song at the end. The DistantPrologue has her a grown women, where she thoughtfully stares at a photo of Cooper -- implying that ''something'' may have happened between them.
46	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Before she's introduced, a different, non-ginger orphan enthusiastically decrees she'd love Madame Trinkett forever if she was adopted. When Vanessa is introduced proper, she sounds utterly ''bored'' when stating her name, and only says the similar decree at the insistence of the Orphanage Director.
47	* FrenchMaid: [[spoiler:She works as this in the future.]]
48	* HiddenDepths: The Season 1 finale gives us a lot of insight to her character. [[spoiler:For once, she starts to react to the terrible things around her and she makes it very clear that she's unhappy with the life she lives and the job she works, when she looks in the mirror and refers to herself as "the punchline".]]
49	* LoveInterest: To Cooper, though it's pretty one-sided.
50	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Save for a few [[LivingProp background characters]], she is the only female ginger in the basement.
51	* SpiritedYoungLady: Instead of swooning and falling into the arms of Cooper, when he asked her out, Vanessa turned him down and claimed that she'd be escaping the basement alone, [[spoiler:which is apparently exactly what she did as the flash forward to 20 years later, shows her outside of the basement, working as a cleaning maid at a suicide motel. She's not happy about it, ... but she's still alone.]]
52	* StealthInsult: When rejecting Cooper, she tells him that she already has plans that night. I'm sorry, but you've been trapped in a basement for days, probably even months [[spoiler:and you're just now getting out]]. What "plans" do you have, currently scheduled to happen later that day?
53	* TheStoic: She's fairly calm throughout the majority of the series, often reacting to the situations around her with simple, non-emotive statements, assuming she verbally reacts at all.
54	* AWizardDidIt: [[spoiler:It's learned that 20 years in the future, Vanessa will have escaped the basement. However, the finale ends with her getting locked in the basement forever. So how the heck did she get out 20 years later?]] As far as we're concered for now, a wizard did it.
55	* YoureNotMyType: Vanessa's feelings about [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Cooper]].
56	[[/folder]]
57	[[folder:Saltrot Joe]]
58	A [[FatherNeptune salty seadog archetype]] who dressed as a sailor for Halloween and went trick-or-treating at Madame Trinkett's house, which is when he got captured.
59	----
60	* AbusiveParents: A surprising subtle example. In Joe's flashback, we see him going trick-or-treating at Madame Trinkett's house, which is when he gets kidnapped. Since then, he's been trapped in the basement for 3 years. Now, if you pay attention, you can see his mother with him. So, if that was the moment he was kidnapped and he's been there for 3 years, that meant his mother just let this happen and didn't bother to try and get him back. It's not like she didn't know where he was.
61	* {{Backstory}}: Saltrot Joe's backstory is that one Halloween, he was trick-or-treating in costume as a sailor. He went to Madame Trinkett's house and the rest is history.
62	* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Saltrot's Shanty'', where he sings his sailor song about the fall of Sir Trinkett.
63	* EarlyBirdCameo: Saltrot Joe makes a cameo in ''Like Father, Like Son'', when The Salesman tells Cooper about the various other characters he'll be meeting along the way.
64	* EveryScarHasAStory: Or in his case, a rash. He has a big red rash on his face and the reason for that is because he's allergic to his hat.
65	* FatherNeptune: His basic archetype. Although technically, he isn't actually a seadog. It was just a costume he was wearing the night he got kidnapped. Still, this doesn't stop him from committing to the character and taking on the personality.
66	* TalkLikeAPirate: Noticing a pattern?
67	* TheStoryteller: In ''Starlot's Shanty'', he tells the story of the disappearance of Sir Trinkett in the most sea captain-y way possible. Apparently, this is a monthly occurrence down in the basement.
68	* TooDumbToLive: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed,]] but this kid still willingly wears a costume he's ''actively allergic too.''
69	[[/folder]]
70	[[folder:Bully]]
71	[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The bully of the orphanage]].
72	----
73	* TheBigGuy: He's slightly larger-framed than the other kids.
74	* TheBully: Bully bullies people.
75	* DareToBeBadass: In the episode "Like Father, Like Son", Bully antagonized Cooper, by daring him to go along with climbing up on the rafters and steal the egg from King Parrot.
76	* DemotedToExtra: After the second episode he appears mostly in the background for the rest of the show.
77	* FlatCharacter: He's really nothing more than just "The Bully".
78	* IdiotHair: His hair sticks up on his head.
79	* KarmaHoudini: Aside from obviously being trapped in a basement his entire life against his will, Bully never really seems to get any punishment for being an asshole.
80	[[/folder]]
81	[[folder:Clayton and Clinton]]
82	Twin brothers.
83	----
84	* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: There's no discernable physical difference between the two characters.
85	* CainAndAbel: Clinton is the Cain to Clayton's Abel. This metaphor was followed all to down to the letter when [[spoiler:Clinton actually followed through with sacrificing Clayton's life to the Parrot King.]]
86	* CharacterDevelopment: At the beginning of the series, they had [[FlatCharacter no personality at all]], being known as nothing other than "[[ThoseTwoGuys the twins]]". However, "The Roots of Coincidence" did give us a little information about their characters. [[spoiler:Clinton's voluntary sacrifice to the Parrot King lets us know that he's been completely brainwashed by the cult, to the point where he's become suicidal and at peace with killing himself just to please some false god. Also, the fact that Clinton didn't even shed a single tear over the fact that his brother died just goes to show how cold and heartless he is.]]
87	* CreepyTwins: Considering their willingness to participate in The Salesman's "Circle",[[spoiler:where orphans are sacrificed to finish the "circle,"]], they ''definitely'' qualify.
88	* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:Clayton was sacrificed.]]
89	* [[spoiler:OneTwinMustDie]]: [[spoiler:Someone had to be sacrificed, and Clayton was more than ready for his [[DeadlyEuphemism final adoption]].]]
90	* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]: [[spoiler:Clayton's death is what signifies both the viewer and Cooper on who the real main threat of the show is]].
91	* ThemeTwinNaming: Clayton and Clinton both have similar-sounding names.
92	* ThoseTwoGuys: Clayton and Clinton aren't really much beyond being "the twins".
93	[[/folder]]
94	[[folder:Couper]]
95	A ginger boy in the orphanage.
96	----
97	* OneSteveLimit: When Cooper came to the orphanage, The Salesman thought it would be a problem with there being two "Coopers". However, the first "Cooper" spelled his name with a "U", so it was perfectly fine.
98	* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Be sure you spell his name with a "U" instead of two "O"s like the main character.
99	[[/folder]]
100	[[folder:Black Ginger]]
101	The black guy in the group, who sings rap songs.
102	----
103	* BackForTheFinale: He makes an appearance in "Living Life Underground" and doesn't appear again until the finale, where takes part in the final song.
104	* TheCasanova: The Black Ginger is usually surrounded by a bunch of adoring redheaded sluts, that as he mentioned, he isn't even trying to nail.
105	* NoNameGiven: His name was never mentioned.
106	* OxymoronicBeing: A black dude with red hair.
107	* TokenMinority: [[CaptainObvious The black guy.]]
108	* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: He is usually accompanied by a pair of redheaded sluts.
109	[[/folder]]
110	[[folder:Redheaded Sluts]]
111	Two redheaded girls who usually accompany the black ginger.
112	----
113	* AscendedExtra: Originally appearing as nothing more than non-speaking background characters, the redheaded sluts made another appearance in "The Trial of Cooper", where they had a bigger role, shunning Cooper for killing the Parrot King.
114	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Their entire existence could be considered this, considering that they only appeared as essential imagery for the Black Ginger's section of ''Living Live Underground'' and were never shown in any other frame, even when it was a shot of the entire basement.
115	** [[SubvertedTrope However]], they did make another appearance in the final episode, during Cooper's trial and this time, [[AscendedExtra they not only had dialogue but also served a purpose in the story]].
116	* {{Fangirl}}: To the Black Ginger.
117	* HeartSymbol: The freckles on their cheeks are shaped like hearts.
118	* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: They all look exactly the same.
119	* LivingProp: The sluts really have no roles or idividual personalities and are really only used as props to accentuate how much of a [[TheCasanova casanova]] the Black Ginger is.
120	[[/folder]]
121	[[folder:Dummy Cooper]]
122	A ventriloquist dummy modeled after Cooper, made by The Salesman.
123	----
124	* CompanionCube: Dummy Cooper is somewhat of this to The Salesman.
125	* KilledOffForReal: In "The Trial of Cooper", The Salesman tore him in half.
126	* {{Ventriloquism}}: He is a ventriloquist dummy.
127	[[/folder]]
128	!! The Trinketts
129	[[folder:Madame Trinkett]]
130	----
131	* AffablyEvil: She's kidnapped who-knows how many orphans and is clearly deranged, but she's still a polite old woman who gives the people in her basement three steaks a day.
132	* BigBad: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. She appears to be the main antagonist for the majority of the series by default, considering she's the one kidnapping the orphans, but upon the events of [[WhamEpisode "Circle"]], it's clear that [[spoiler:The Salesman]] is a ''significantly'' more pressing threat.
133	* CoolOldLady: At her age, she's incredibly calm, collected, and polite, [[AffablyEvil even considering the string of kidnappings.]]
134	* ADayInTheLimelight: She's the main focus of "Lost Love" and "Roots of Coincidence".
135	* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:We learn that she's mourning over the loss of her dead husband.]]
136	* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler: Losing her only husband and being alone for several years with only her birds for company]] has made her quite a peculiar person.
137	[[/folder]]
138	[[folder:Sir Trinkett]]
139	----
140	* GoingDownWithTheShip: He most certainly did.
141	* TheLostLenore: The effect his death had on his wife pretty much caused the entire series to occur.
142	----
143	[[/folder]]
144	!! Parrots
145	[[folder:Parrots]]
146	Thousands and thousands of parrots who resign in the cages in the walls of the basement.
147	----
148	* AmbiguouslyEvil: These are ''not'' normal parrots. Many scenes suggest that they are much more on the ball than one may think and have sinister motives in mind.
149	* TeamPet: They're all the collective team pet of the ginger orphan team.
150	[[/folder]]
151	[[folder:Parrot King]]
152	A giant parrot that sleeps in the rafters of the basement.
153	----
154	* BigBad: Unless you consider Madame Trinkett or The Salesman to be the big bad, The Parrot King serves this purpose.
155	* DireBeast: He's a violent and dangerously sized parrot, who's even bigger than a full-grown adult man.
156	* DontWakeTheSleeper: [[WaxingLyrical Don't even think of waking him. A big mistake.]] When he's awoken from his nap, he'll beat the living shit out of you and maybe even kill you.
157	* TheEmperor: The king of all the parrots and the ruler of the ginger orphan playhouse.
158	* GiantAnimalWorship: The King Parrot is a colossal sized parrot, who the parrots, and to a lesser extent the ginger orphans, worship and, primarily, fear.
159	* KilledOffForReal: Smacked to death by Cooper's vaccuum in "Lil' Mitts Come Home".
160	[[/folder]]
161	[[folder:Prince Parrot]]
162	The son of the Parrot King.
163	----
164	* AvengingTheVillain: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]], considering he [[spoiler:waited ''[[YankTheDogsChain just before]]'' the orphans were about to obtain their freedom to bash the door close, and Cooper killing The Parrot King not too long before this definitely implies it was an act of spite.]]
165	* LikeFatherLikeSon: Both the Parrot King and Prince Parrot both are prone to letting out screeches, even if Prince Parrot's is much more subdued.
166	[[/folder]]
167	[[folder:Messenger Parrot]]
168	A parrot who served as Sir Trinkett's messenger to his wife, just before he died.
169	----
170	* {{Catchphrase}}: "[[ArcWords Don't miss me, Madame.]] Time may have claimed the battle, but our hears are the cavalry and in the end, 'tis love that conquers all."
171	* InstantMessengerPigeon: A variation on this. Given that he's a parrot, Sir Trinkett didn't need to attach a message to him, as he could just verbally repeat his message.
172	[[/folder]]
173	!! Recurring Characters
174	[[folder:Orphanage Director]]
175	----
176	* BackForTheFinale: In the GrandFinale, he returns briefly in a flashback where he first opens up the orphanage.
177	* LackOfEmpathy: His response to Cooper going missing with no explanation?
178	-->'''Orphanage Director:''' ''Look,'' we can't hold a funeral every time one of you doesn't ''come back!''
179	[[/folder]]
180	[[folder:Hank and Carole]]
181	* TheDitz: Dear Lord, ''yes.''
182	* EyeTwitch: Carole's eyes tend to twitch a lot, especially during the couple's more ''crazy'' outbursts.
183	* GoodIsNotNice: One of the few adults in the show that actually care about the safety of kids, but are still grade A [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkasses]].
184	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: They're manic, impulsive, and mean to almost everyone they meet, but they are clearly a [[HappilyMarried happy couple]] and will go to the ends of the earth to find Cooper/Lil' Mitts.
185	* RunningGag: Every time they appear, one of them will probably end up breaking an object by throwing another object at it, whether it be a window, a car, or [[spoiler: an entire airplane.]]
186	* SharedUnusualTrait: Both of them appear to have unusual eyes, with Hank's facing wrong directions and being too far apart, and Carole's being pointed inward and often twitching. Presumably, this is to make their...let's just say ''unimpressive'' intellect immediately clear.
187	* SickeninglySweethearts: They make their attraction to one another ''very'' clear.
188	* UncertainDoom: The series ends with them stranded on the island with Madame Trinkett and [[spoiler: The Salesman's father]], with no hope of ever escaping. They don't seem to mind, as the latter's jokes lift their spirits.
189	[[/folder]]
190	[[folder:Officer Sandy Socks]]
191	----
192	* AlliterativeName: '''S'''andy '''S'''ocks.
193	* CoolShades: Always wears them and only takes them off briefly in the finale.
194	* GivenNameReveal: Although it was never mentioned in the series, [[WordOfGod Word Of God]] says that her first name is "Sandy".
195	* GoodIsDumb: She's more or less the ''only'' adult in the entire series trying to help the orphans in any way whatsoever that isn't for utterly selfish reasons. Too bad she's apparently so incompetent [[AdultsAreUseless she can't see what the kidnapped orphans might have in common.]] [[spoiler:Emphasis on [[SubvertedTrope "apparently"]], as it's revealed in ''The Trial of Cooper'' that her CoolShades blocked out any shade of color. The moment she takes them off, she ''immediately'' notices that they're all ginger]].
196	----
197	[[/folder]]
198	!! Spoiler Characters. ''The majority of spoilers are unmarked.''
199	[[folder:[[spoiler:Cooper's Birth Mom]]]]
200	Cooper's biological mother, who had to sell Cooper to an orphanage as she was incapable of handling him on her own.
201	----
202	* BeautifulSingingVoice: Has the voice of an angel and her defining musical number "Stay With Me", is arguably the best song in the series.
203	* ContinuityDrift: In the first episode, Cooper told Madame Trinkett that he didn't know what happened to his parents. However, in "Circle", Cooper proved that he remembered very, very vividly that his mom killed herself.
204	** To be fair, Cooper probably just said he didn't know what happened to his parents because he didn't want to get into such a sore subject with a stranger, who he'd just met.
205	* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Cooper's mom killed herself, shortly after parting with him.
206	* DisappearedDad: We know just about everything about her but we've yet to hear any information about who Cooper's biological father is/was or why he wasn't present in the flashback to Cooper's mom.
207	* DrivenToSuicide: She couldn't handle the miserable life she was forced through, on top of her crappy apartment, lack of any money, constant sexual harassment at work, the straw that broke the camel's back was having to part ways with her son, the only shining light in her life. Right after this, she jumped off a building and ended it all ... right in front of her baby son, who still remembers it vividly.
208	* InvisibleParents: She was this for the beginning of the series before she and her story were revealed in "Circle".
209	* NoNameGiven: We never learned her name.
210	* ParentsAsPeople: Cooper's mom didn't sell her son because she was evil, greedy, selfish, etc. She truly loved her son and wanted to raise him but she knew that because of the horrible and inescapable conditions of her life, there was no way she'd be able to support him and knew he'd be much safer if he was in an orphanage.
211	* WalkingSpoiler: Cooper's mom makes many appearances in future episodes, which spoil her big reveal in "Circle".
212	[[/folder]]
213	[[folder:The Stranded Man]]
214	* AbusiveParents: Is all but stated to be this. Although we do not see him be physically abusive towards his son, he did ''sell'' him to an orphanage.
215	* EarlyBirdCameo: Can be seen in "Saltrot's Shanty".
216	* ItRunsInTheFamily: It's clear where The Salesman gets his eccentric behavior from.
217	* LaserGuidedKarma: He sold his son for cheap money -- and ended up stranded on an island alone for almost two decades.
218	* SmallRoleBigImpact: He only appears in the final episode, and doesn't get a significant amount of screen time. Not only did him holding on to the radio send Madame Trinkett off, giving the orphans a chance at freedom, but his abandoning of his son either left The Salesman's [[AxCrazy murderous tendencies]] unchecked, or directly ''caused them.'' If this didn't occur, the orphans probably could've found their way out sooner, and a ''lot'' less people would be dead.
219	* StrongFamilyResemblance: [[InvokedTrope Directly pointed out by his son in the finale.]]

Context Characters / GingerOrphanPlayhouse