Line #82 Characters/TheClueFinders


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	[[folder:The [=ClueFinders=] team]]
4	!!Joni Savage
5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joni_toystore.png]]
6	The daring redheaded tomboy who founded the [=ClueFinders=] and serves as team leader. According to her in-game profile, she is twelve years old and in the seventh grade. When the kids split up, the player almost invariably follows the team that Joni is on. In most of the games, she wears a backpack that serves as the PlayerInventory.
7	----
8	* BadassInDistress: Any time she ends up captured by the threat of the game.
9	* TheBigGal: Along with Owen, she's one of the more physical members of the team. Often charging headfirst into danger.
10	* BlindWithoutEm: She can't see without her glasses.
11	* CatchPhrase: "I dunno, but we're ''gonna'' find out!" and "Let's go, Santiago."
12	* CharacterTics: In idle animation in many of the games, she wrinkles her nose and glares at the player or plays with one of her braids.
13	* CrazyPrepared: Infrequently but when she is this trope, it's pretty impressive.
14	* FearlessFool: Initially. She grows out of it.
15	* FieryRedhead: More controlled than the average but she does have a temper.
16	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric; for she is the team leader and also has a temper.
17	* TheLeader: She's this to the Cluefinders.
18	* MeaningfulName: Her last name, befitting her wild and hotheaded personality.
19	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The Energetic Girl to Santiago's Savvy Guy.
20	* StepfordSmiler: It’s possible in 6th Grade Adventures that she knew [[spoiler:she was turning into a plant, but kept acting like she was okay so her friends wouldn’t worry about her.]]
21	* TeamMom: Mild case as she tends to make sure her friends are okay (which includes such things as making back up food supplies for picnics and knocking sense into Owen) and really doesn't like it when they're put in danger.
22	* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Despite her rough-and-tumble appearance and personality, Joni's quite enamored with the Egyptian jewelry in the tomb they visit in ''4th Grade Adventures'', or at least until the ring [[ClingyMacguffin won't come off]].
23
24	!!Santiago Rivera
25	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/search_solve_santiago_closeup.png]]
26	The team's mechanic who invented the red video phones that they use to keep in contact with each other. According to his in-game profile, he is twelve years old and in the seventh grade. He appears most prominently in the earlier games, in which he's frequently paired with Joni. There, he serves as a level-headed counterpoint to Joni's brash adventurousness. In the later games, he's paired with Leslie instead.
27	----
28	* DesignatedVictim: He shares the role of being the standard kidnapping victim with Leslie, especially when they're paired up. Primary evidence for this trope is ''"Toy Store"'' where Santiago and Leslie get shrunk and trapped in a bubblegum machine ''after'' being played up as rescuing Joni, Owen and Laptrap (who had gotten shrunk with the cable car the group rode to the titular store in and then got kidnapped, albeit unintentionally, by the game's villain).
29	* ExposedToTheElements: Inverted. His standard outfit of a hooded sweatshirt over an undershirt and blue jeans has been worn in every game save ''Math Adventures'' (where it would have been this trope given said game takes place in the Himalayas) and ''4th Grade'' (where he switched the sweatshirt for a t-shirt), meaning he's worn said sweatshirt in such locales as South America (''3rd Grade''), a tropical island (''5th Grade'') and San Francisco (''6th Grade'').
30	* {{Foil}}: To Joni. She’s quick to act before thinking and has a temper while Santiago thinks things through before acting and is level-headed.
31	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: A mixture of Phlegmatic and Melancholic; for he thinks things through before acting, is level-headed and the [[GadgeteerGenius Gadgeteer Genius]].
32	* GadgeteerGenius: He's the expert in all of the tech and even programs their floating computer buddy.
33	* HumbleHero: While he doesn't exactly say ThinkNothingOfIt, he tends to shy away from compliments on stuff that hasn't been proven to work yet.
34	* TheLancer: He functions somewhat as the second-in-command of the team and his calmer personality contrasts with Joni's impulsivity and passion. He comes with a side of the tech side of TheSmartGuy.
35	* MrFixIt: He can fix up any broken invention or mechanical marvel.
36	* NiceGuy: The majority of his inventions are either to further the crew's mission or just to be helpful in general.
37	* NotSoAboveItAll: Has two major moments of this over the series: telling Joni, quote, "I guess this (taking a ring from the Egyptian tomb they visited) makes you an international jewel thief" in ''4th Grade Adventures'' and participating in the pizza topping argument at the beginning of ''The Mystery of Microsneezia''.
38	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The Savvy Guy to Joni's Energetic Girl.
39
40	!!Owen Lam
41	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6g_owen_closeup.png]]
42	A, like, totally cool dude who loves skateboarding and pizza. According to his in-game profile, he is eleven years old and in the sixth grade. In the earlier games, he's usually paired with Leslie, with whom he tends to humorously bicker. In the later games, he's paired with Joni instead, and thus appears more frequently.
43	----
44	* TheBigGuy: The least brightest and also one of the most physical capable members of the team. Sixth Grade even has him leaping about a cliff-side to crack boards up.
45	* BigEater: Especially when there's pizza.
46	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine; for he is the most hyperactive member of the team.
47	* IdiotHero: Notably the only one in the main cast.
48	** Granted, he is smarter than ''most'' [[IdiotHero Idiot Heroes]], apparently able to translate Leslie's SesquipedalianLoquaciousness with relative ease.
49	* TheLoad: He offers the least obvious contribution to the team aside from being the PluckyComicRelief.
50	* OppositesAttract: Has a G-Rated version of this with Leslie.
51	* SunglassesAtNight: Given he never takes off his signature shades, this is bound to happen.
52	* SurferDude: Skateboarding is more his game but he does remark "Dude, where's my board?" when a tsunami interrupts the group's sailing trip in ''Fifth Grade''. Plus his dialogue does evoke this trope.
53	* TheRival: To Fletcher as they're both totally radical.
54	* TotallyRadical: Most, if not all, of his dialogue.
55	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Pizza. According to his character card, his favorite saying is "I never met a pizza I didn't like".
56
57	!!Leslie Clark
58	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5g_leslie_opening_scene.png]]
59	The dreadlocked bookworm who is not shy about showing off her vocabulary. According to her in-game profile, she is in sixth grade, but skipped a grade. Originally, her profile gave her age as eleven, but this was later retconned to ten, presumably to account for the grade that she skipped. Leslie is most prominently featured in ''6th Grade Adventures'', the only entry in which the player never follows the team that Joni is on. Whenever the player has to collect items and Joni isn't around, Leslie will be conveniently outfitted with a backpack.
60	----
61	* BabysFirstWords: Her in-game profile claims that her first word was, "encyclopedia."
62	* BadassBookworm: Unfortunately doesn't often get to showcase the first half of the trope. That said, in ''6th Grade Adventures'', she's a crack shot with a slingshot.
63	* BirdsOfAFeather: Her dynamic with Santiago.
64	* BlackAndNerdy: She is African-American and is the bookworm/smart girl of the group.
65	* {{Foil}}: To Owen.
66	* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic; for she is reserved and analytical.
67	* GirlyGirl: Sort of. While not the stereotypical one, Leslie ''is'' considerably more feminine than Joni.
68	* [[DaddysGirl Grandaddy's Girl]]: She very obviously adores her grandfather when he appears in ''5th Grade''.
69	* MagicSkirt: For a childrens' game, this is a given, but it might just be the way the skirt is fitted.
70	* NotSoAboveItAll: Participates in the pizza topping argument at the beginning of ''The Mystery of Microsneezia''.
71	* OutOfFocus: In a unique way. She's the character with the least games as a playable character to her name (since she's only playable for about half of ''5th Grade'' and ''Toy Store'' and only truly has ''6th Grade'' to her name as the whole group was playable in ''4th Grade'').
72	* TheQuietOne: She talks much less than her peers, and usually only to say something impersonal.
73	* ShorterMeansSmarter: While it's hard to tell, she is the shortest team member and definitely the smartest.
74	* TheSmartGirl: According to background information, her first word was "encyclopedia." As an older child, she is quite a bookworm.
75	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Leslie tends to talk in long words, probably as a reflection of how smart she is.
76	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Bubble gum in ''The Mystery of Microsneezia''.
77
78	!![=LapTrap=]
79	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5g_laptrap.png]]
80	->'''Voiced by''': Les Hedger (American dub, all games), Dai Jenkins (British dub, ''3rd Grade'' through ''6th Grade Adventures'' and ''Math Adventures''), Justin Fletcher (British dub, ''Real World Adventure Kit'')
81	The [=ClueFinders'=] robotic companion who behaves in a humorously cowardly fashion. He is a Turbo T.U.R.T.L.E. which, according to his in-game profile, stands for '''T'''urbocharged '''U'''ltra-'''R'''ugged-'''T'''errain '''L'''aptop '''E'''quipment. [=LapTrap=] carries the game options, which the player accesses by clicking on him. As such, [=LapTrap=] is essentially the successor to P.O.P. (the '''P'''rogram '''O'''ptions '''P'''ad) in the ''VideoGame/ReaderRabbit'' games.
82	----
83	* CowardlyLion: Constantly petrified by the threats the adventures bring the gang into but he's quite fond of and protective of the kids, to the extent that his sudden lack of care for their safety in ''The Mystery of Microsneezia'' is [[ImposterForgotOneDetail a major flaw in S.N.A.I.L.'s disguise that winds up unmasking him completely]].
84	* DeadpanSnarker: Never misses an opportunity to snipe at pretty much anyone he thinks is being less than intelligent. Owen is the most frequent target, but all of the kids have gotten some of his snark.
85	* TheEeyore: Tends to always look on the gloomy side of things.
86	* HoverBot: He's a floating robotic laptop.
87	* InformedSpecies: His nickname is "The Turbo Turtle". You'd probably never would have guessed otherwise...
88	* {{Omniglot}}: Though this could be justified by him being a computer.
89	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: His voice sounds an awful lot like Creator/BillyCrystal.
90	* RobotBuddy: Was originally meant to serve as a military bot, but a flaw in the programming turned him into this, originally for Joni's uncle and eventually for the Cluefinders.
91	* TokenRobot: The robotic member of the team.
92	* YouDontLookLikeYou: Has a more Disk-Shaped appearance in ''4th-grade''.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Villains of note]]
96	!!Fletcher Limburger
97	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fl.png]]
98	A pilot and furrier who disguises his airplane as the ancient flying beast Mathra in order to discreetly collect animals for his fur company.
99	----
100	* BigBad: Originally posing as an ally, he turns out to be the main villain of ''3rd Grade Adventure'' all along.
101	* BitchInSheepsClothing: Appears to be a nice and helpful pilot, but when the kids find the keys to the lost city of Numeria, his offer to take Joni and Santiago there leads to them being abandoned in the middle of nowhere.
102	* EvilIsHammy: More so in ''Mystery Mansion'' but has his moments in ''Mystery of Mathra'' as well.
103	* EvilPoacher: Steals animals purely for profit and when there's even a chance Joni and Santiago are onto him, he abandons them in the middle of the jungle, several feet in the air.
104	* LightIsNotGood: He has blond hair and blue eyes and is an evil poacher who’s willing to kidnap people and abandon kids in a rainforest.
105	* PunnyName: A fletcher is someone who makes arrows. Limburger is a kind of cheese and sounds similar to "Lindbergh", the last name of a famous airplane pilot.
106
107	!!Sir Alistair Loveless III
108	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/loveless_with_the_ring.png]]
109	A wicked archaeologist who plans to achieve world domination by unleashing the power of Set, foolishly believing that the god of chaos will be his slave.
110	----
111	* BigBad: The main villain of ''4th Grade Adventures'', who sets up the conflict with his plan to gain the power of Set.
112	* CardCarryingVillain: He has no trouble admitting that he's a "villain" and "an evil man...up to no good."
113	* DastardlyWhiplash: The wardrobe is a bit updated (top hats and bowlers are pretty passé nowadays, etc.) but otherwise he fits very well into this archetype.
114	* EvilBrit: An evil DastardlyWhiplash who comes from London.
115	* EvilEyebrows: His eyebrows are so evil, they curl ''upwards''.
116	* EvilLaugh: He does one, if not more, in almost every scene he's in.
117	* EvilIsNotAToy: Loveless summons the evil god Set in hopes that Set will share his power with Loveless and allow him to TakeOverTheWorld. [[spoiler:Set dismisses him and turns him into a mummy.]]
118	* {{Mummy}}: [[spoiler:Set seals his body/soul inside the mummified corpse of Perabsen.]] He's gotten better as of ''Mystery Mansion Arcade''.
119	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Loveless"...you think this is a bad guy? (Completely right, as [[CardCarryingVillain he will admit.]])
120	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Martinet seems to be channeling a bit of Creator/VincentPrice in his performance. Loveless looks like Price himself as well.
121	* ObviouslyEvil: Even without the name, he might just as well be walking around under a neon sign reading "BAD GUY". Humorously enough, even Website/TheOtherWiki observes in its article on the game that there's something off about him. "In one scene, he cackled manically for a long time in the typical villain fashion, before coughing and explaining that he swallowed his mint."
122	* PreppyName: Noble title? Check. Old-fashioned first and last name? Check. Roman numeral at the end? Check.
123	* RagsToRiches: He mentions offhandedly that he used to be a poor child living on the streets. Now he's the well-to-do colleague of an archeologist. That's not good enough for him, though, he wants the power that only Set can give him.
124	* UnexplainedRecovery: No longer a mummy in ''Mystery Mansion''.
125
126	!!Set
127	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/set_awakens.jpg]]
128	The ancient Egyptian god of chaos.
129	----
130	* BigNo: His last words as he's sent back to the underworld.
131	* BlueIsHeroic: Inverted. He's the GodOfEvil, and he's colored dark blue.
132	* EvilGloating: Deconstructed. After dispatching Loveless, he does almost ''nothing'' other than gloat about how powerful he is and how the kids will never stop him. Ironically, this is what allows the [=ClueFinder=]s to get the drop on him while he does absolutely nothing to stop them until it's too late.
133	* IAmTheNoun: When he is quite literally staring down at the heroes, he loudly declares that he is chaos.
134	* NoIndoorVoice: Due to his size and divine nature, all of Set's lines are spoken at the top of his lungs.
135	* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: He's the evil god of chaos, and he has yellow sclerae with no pupils.
136
137	!!Pericles Lear
138	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swiffle_confronts_pericles.png]]
139	The store manager for Ultimate Toys.
140	%%* EvilGenius
141
142	!!Malicia
143	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/malicia_closeup.png]]
144	An evil sorceress who has been draining all life from the planet Millennia.
145	----
146	* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:She disguised herself as a beautiful human girl and pretended to be a princess in distress. Once Joni and Owen get the amulet for her, she transforms into her real form and forcibly takes it from them.]]
147	* EvilMakesYouUgly: [[spoiler:Her true form is quite hideous in contrast to her beautiful human form.]]
148	%%* KnightOfCerebus
149	* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:She attempts to use the amulet to drain life from Owen, but he reflects the beam off [=LapTrap=], trapping her inside the amulet.]]
150	* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler:She has blonde hair, wears a blue dress, and has pale skin and is evil and manipulative.]]
151	* MeaningfulName: “Malicia” sounds close to the word “malice” and she is quite evil.
152	* WalkingSpoiler: Most of her tropes reveal a major plot element.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Other characters]]
156	!!Dr. Horace Pythagoras, Joni's uncle
157	* DistressedDude: The 3rd Grade Adventures starts with him being kidnapped by Mathra, which brings the Clue Finders into it. ''Mystery of Microsneezia'' features a similar plot, with the Clue Finders having to go to the titular island to rescue him after he sends Joni a distress signal.
158	* HonoraryUncle: Implied to be one to Santiago since he's just as enthusiastic about greeting the boy as he is his niece and Santiago is just as relieved as Joni that he's all right.
159	* OnlySaneMan: He's the only member of his team not to believe Mathra is behind the animal disappearances.
160	* StrongFamilyResemblance: He's practically a male Joni in appearance, down to the eyeglasses.
161
162	!!Socrates, Joni's dog
163	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After his appearance in "4th Grade", vanishes until "Reading" and then never appears again.
164	* EvilDetectingDog: He's the first one of the team to realize that Alastair Loveless is a bad guy, saying that "he smelled like trouble."
165	* RememberTheNewGuy: Is introduced as Joni's pet and all the characters are familiar with him. The audience on the other hand has never met him before.
166	* TalkingAnimal: Averted, despite coming from an island of these. His thoughts are audible to the player, but not to the characters in-universe.
167	* TeamPet: Technically, by virtue of being the pet of the team leader.
168
169	!!Professor Botch
170	* AbsentMindedProfessor: Very much so, given his initial obliviousness to Loveless's villainy.
171	* NiceGuy: Absentmindedness aside, he's a lovable fellow.
172
173	!!The Egyptian God quartet
174	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eg.png]]
175	A quartet of [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Egyptian Gods]] who appear during the climax of ''4th Grade Adventures'' to give the kids powers. The quarter consists of Horus (the leader), then Sobek, Bastet, and Isis.
176	----
177	* {{Animorphism}}: Where as in [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Egyptian lore]], gods were depicted as humans with animal heads or were humans who could transform into an animal form, Horus, Sobek, and Bastet are fully anthropomorphic animals.
178	* FurryConfusion: Despite Bastet being a humanoid cat, she holds a normal looking cat in her arms, which isn't explained.
179	* GodIsFlawed: Precisely the reason why the quartet can't stop Loveless from unleashing Set and the forces of Chaos: they're too tall.
180	* {{Joisey}}: Horus and Isis speak with a very distinct Jersey accent.
181	* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: Isis is notably, the only human of the Egyptian God quartet, as the other three members are anthropomorphic animals.
182	* MusclesAreMeaningful: Sobek isn't designed more muscular compared to most characters in the series for no reason, it directly ties into the power he gives Santiago: super strength.
183	* ToothyBird: Horus can be seen grinning or talking with a perfect set of human teeth.
184
185	!!Captain Clark, Leslie's grandfather
186	* DistressedDude: Similar to Joni’s uncle in 3rd Grade Adventures, Captain Clark goes missing in 5th Grade Adventures.It’s revealed that he, his crew, and the islanders have been captured by [[spoiler:aliens.]]
187	* [[DotingParent Doting Grandparent]]: Appears to have this kind of relationship with Leslie.
188	* NoNameGiven: His first name is never revealed.
189
190	!!Miss Rose
191	* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: Yes, she wanted to attack and enslave the humans, but it was only because the humans were poisoning her people's water supply. She expresses concern for Joni when Leslie and Owen see that she’s slowly turning into a plant and urges them to hurry up for Joni’s sake. She releases and cures her prisoners once the water is clean again.]]
192	* CoolOldLady: Implied.
193	* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler: Subverted. When Leslie finds her crutch in the underground world of the plants, she thinks she's been kidnapped. Actually, she's the plant leader.]]
194	* {{Foreshadowing}}: During her first scene of the game, she talks about taking care of her children, which are [[spoiler:plants.]]
195	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Even prior to ''Mystery Mansion'' she seemed to have a screw loose and would cycle between acting concerned about [[spoiler: Joni's {{Transflormation}}]] and smugly taunting the protagonists about it.
196	* HumanDisguise: [[spoiler:She took on the form of an elderly woman living next to Joni. During the last half of the game, she reveals her true form to the Cluefinders.]]
197	* MeaningfulName: Her name is Miss Rose, she wears a red shirt [[spoiler:and she’s the leader of the plant people. Whether her real name is Rose or not is never answered.]]
198	* WalkingSpoiler: As you can see, discussing her involves a lot of reveals.
199	* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Her plots for world domination are only due to a polluted water supply]].
200
201	!!Ficus
202	* MrExposition: Explains what's happening and what they need to do to Owen and Leslie once they get underground.
203	* PlantPerson: He’s a small plant being with a leaf for a head and roots for limbs.
204
205	!!The Mastermind/[[spoiler:Carmen Sandiego]]
206	->'''Voiced by''': [[spoiler:Christiane Crawford]]
207	[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to reveal the Mastermind's identity]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carmen_sandiego_cluefinders.png\
208	''"I'm so flattered you recognize me!"''[[/labelnote]]]]
209	* TheDogWasTheMastermind: Or in this case, [[spoiler:the master thief that came out of nowhere]].
210	* EvilSoundsDeep: Justified. It's to keep everyone from finding out their true identity.
211	* FaceRevealingTurn: The figure is hidden behind a swivel chair in the shadows. When the chair does turn around [[spoiler:it's the Lady in Red herself.]]
212	* UnexpectedCharacter: So that's where [[spoiler:Franchise/CarmenSandiego]] has been all along!
213	* WalkingSpoiler: Almost all the tropes here have white spaces for good reasons.
214	* WouldntHurtAChild: Maybe. [[spoiler:Could be the reason why she sent the other villains into their traps after they failed.]]

Context Characters / TheClueFinders