Characters / Dr. Crafty: Pepper & Pickles

Dr. Crafty Character Index
The Crafty Crew (Doctor Crafty, Nurse Worse, Pepper & Pickles, Messibelle, Crystelle)
Supporting Characters (Sasha)
Antagonists | Minor Characters

Pepper & Pickles

"There are so many unique combinations that are special in their own way. And baking is such a delicate process that it makes it such a new adventure every time!"
"Pfft!"

^{Click here to see Pepper rendered by Blue-Paint-Sea (and in her casual attire).} 

^{Click here to see Pickles rendered by Blue-Paint-Sea.} 

Voiced by: Katy Johnson (KaniDayOfficial)

A highly-reserved chef with life experience to spare, Pepper is a humanoid cephalopod mutant who was introduced in Season 2 as the co-host for the first of Dr. Crafty's spin-off series: Crafty's Chara-Cafe. She is the most kind-hearted of the cast by far, always approaching life with a gentle, affectionate touch. Conversely, she's also the most introverted of the Crafty Crew, to the point where she's barely able to keep up with the show's sense of humor. This passivity can impede her from helping out or contributing when she really should be, but otherwise, she tries her best in everything she does.

Before being hired into Crafty Industries, Pepper was a well-traveled nomad, one that gained a vast amount of culinary knowledge over a long period of time. Her most recent job prior to joining Crafty was that of a waitress at a seafood restaurant: The Fish'n'Fish. During his vacation between Seasons 1 and 2, Crafty visited said restaurant and easily picked up on how miserable Pepper was in her position. He immediately made arrangements for her to work with him—not just as the Chara-Cafe's co-host, but as the lair's head chef, and the Crafty Crewmates have been enjoying her meals ever since.

Pickles the Sea Cucumber is Pepper's small yet nimble traveling companion. He is always riding somewhere on her body to partake in just about everything that she does. He is introduced alongside Pepper in Season 2's premiere, and he sometimes voices his own opinions in an episode's commentary whenever Pepper is on-screen. Though these moments are just as brief as they are infrequent, Pickles demonstrates that he may be smarter than the Dr. Crafty cast gives him credit for.

Pepper and Pickles were created by Blue-Paint-Sea, an artist who also created several assets for the show. Notably, they have developed Pepper and Pickles even further on their Deviant Art page. It's been confirmed that anything they do with the characters is canon to the show, so tropes involving Blue-Paint-Sea's pieces—specifically if they offer general supporting details or directly pertain to her Dr. Crafty appearances—will appear here.

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A-G

• Art Evolution: Blue-Paint-Sea went on to simplify certain elements of Pepper's design that influenced how she appears in subsequent Dr. Crafty artwork. The most prominent changes were made to her hip tentacles — they were thinned out to match her head tentacles' proportions, but to keep them distinct, they're now conjoined by webs of skin, which maintains their resemblance to a skirt. The green portions of her design were redistributed to emphasize her yellow skin, as well. During its development in "We're Back! A Crafty Story," Pepper's Season 4 promotional artwork consolidates some of these changes into her Dr. Crafty design. It’s also in this episode where Pepper’s pose set became scaled up slightly. This makes her height above most everyone else more apparent.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance:
  • Pepper has a ribbon wrapped around her mantle. This combination evokes the idea of her hair being partially tied back, which is a good practice among cooks with long hair. For her show design specifically, she even wears her mantle like an upward ponytail.
  • Everything below Pepper's shoulders creates the vague, slightly exaggerated likeness of an octopus. Combined with her legs, all the tentacles around her hips merge into a bulky mantle — her belly — complete with protruding eye sockets — her breasts.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Octo-Bloat grants Pepper profound defense utility, but it's difficult for her to maintain, let alone set up. Another drawback is that the ability sometimes activates at inopportune moments, as shown in "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB," where Pepper reflexively balloons twice after being startled. The same episode shows how Pepper can use Octo-Bloat to become an impromptu battering ram—uncontrollably so. The excess air causes her to rocket forward and take out an attacking band of pirates on accident. By the end of it, she's back in her normal shape and very dazed on the floor.
• Balloon Belly:
  • Using air, ink, or water, she can inflate her belly and boost her defensive prowess. It's rather difficult for her to use it voluntarily; more often, she balloons up accidentally when under sufficient stress, as seen in "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB." The same episode demonstrates that, when expelled, the excess air can propel her forward with great force.
  • Since "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB," Pepper uses Octo-Bloat about once per season. Season 3’s "GEMS! Truly Outrageous!" shows one such case. While the crew reinforces the castle against a potential riot, Nurse accidentally catches a very on-edge Pepper by surprise, causing her to swell up. Pepper expands so abruptly that her belly sends Nurse flying out of the kitchen.
• Berserk Button: Under normal circumstances, it takes a lot to make Pepper angry. But one thing that is guaranteed to set her off is petty bullying, especially when it's directed toward a loved one. Her strong distaste for such behavior is first shown in "Pirates VS Doctors," during which a visiting Davy Jones quickly loses his (minimal) patience for Crafty and starts whaling on him. By this point in the show, Pepper has grown more confident in herself; thus, unlike other times when Crafty gets attacked in front of her, Pepper sticks up for him. She's still rather nervous, but her disposition is still noticeably more forceful and stern than ever before.
  [The final piece is presented on-screen. In the background, Davy Jones can be heard whaling on Crafty. Pepper arrives and tries her best to ignore the commotion.]
  Pepper: [rather forced] The piece is finished... and it looks really great. I'm...
  [Pepper winces as Crafty complains about his face getting hurt]
  Pepper: ... Super excited about how it turned out, and... *Sigh*...
  [Pepper walks towards the conflict, which has just about wrapped up, with Davy standing before a dazed Crafty.]
  Crafty: Eughhhhhh.... My Little Pony is a work of Shakespeare!!
  [Crafty collapses, and Davy laughs triumphantly as Pepper storms in from the left.]
  Pepper: I can't believe you! We are never getting tea again!
  Davy: Ahh, pipe down, lassie. He had it comin'.
  Pepper: N-no, he didn't!
  Crafty: [pointing a finger into frame from the floor] Pepper, it's okay! Please don't get yourself into this!
  [Crafty's arm falls back down.]
  Pepper: I... I just don't want to sit by while this rude ghost bullies you.
  [At this point, Pepper turns her attention to Davy Jones, and she glares harder than she ever has before.]
  Pepper: L-L-look. I've dealt with pirates before. And you ruining our episode like this is something I will not tolerate. Uhhh.... S-so you need to leave and never come back!
  Davy: Hehahahahaa! Isn't that adorable. And just how do you plan to make me leave, missy?
  Pepper: Like... Like this!
  [Pepper presents a dar of dirt.]
  Davy: What? NO!
  [Pepper tosses the jar, which breaks against Davy and causes him to slowly collapse. Pepper stares determinedly at him until he finishes speaking.]
  Davy: AUGHGHGHG, I'M MELTIN'! MELTIN'! AUGHGGUGHGUGHBBUBUBUBUBHBBBB....!
  [With Davy now rendered into mush on the floor, Crafty comes to.]
  Crafty: Ugh... I guess that's another spill Messi will have to clean later.
  Pepper: *Sigh*... It had to be done.
  Crafty: That was so very brave of you, Pepper!
  Pepper: I just hate seeing you mistreated like that, especially when you mean well...
• Big Beautiful Woman: In tandem with being the tallest Crewmate, Pepper is also the heaviest-set, with soft features dominated by her large breasts and huge belly. Being so fat doesn't exclude her from being regarded in-universe as one of the most attractive women on the show, in both personality and looks.
  • Valentine's Month highlights Pepper's attractiveness twice:
    • By the time of "Ad-ORC-Able," Pepper sheepishly admits that she has amassed tons of distant admirers. Each of them has been showering her with candied hearts on Valentine's Day to try and win her heart. Their gifts completely fill up Pepper's kitchen, and she receives an additional shipment of candy—one twice as large as its predecessor—that does the same before the episode ends. No one else during Valentine's Month is shown to have received this much attention.
    • One of the shipping images in "This is Crack(ship)" displays Pepper being hugged by guest-star Gecko, whose tiny figure has hopped against her, clasping onto her tummy and planting himself head-first between her massive breasts. When Pepper appears to commentate on the piece, so does Gecko, and before Nurse intervenes, he jumps for the real Pepper in hopes of recreating what he's doing in the art.
  • Pepper's attractiveness is consistently played up in Blue-Paint-Sea's supplementary artwork of her. There, she's given even heavier assets and a distinctive set of downturned eyes, all of which are emphasized in different ways, not only visually but also in the pieces' descriptions, too. One sketch outright shows Pepper playfully admiring herself to the viewer.
• Big Eater: It has been heavily implied, if not outright stated, that Pepper is an absolutely gluttonous character. Notably, she’s a rare example of a Chubby Chef who expressly has an immense appetite and goes out of her way to sate it—with tons of her own meals. It’s rare that she’s actually shown eating, especially in the show proper, but in "Ad-ORC-Able," she receives some candy hearts in the mail and offers to share some with Crafty. Her candy stash completely fills up the kitchen, and she sheepishly admits that she could probably finish all the candy herself, even what she imparts to Crafty.
• Big Fun: Not only is Pepper well-versed in pop culture like the other cohosts, she also has one major goal: to ensure that everyone she meets is well-fed and happy. She reveals as much in "The Art of the Con(vention)" when Crafty asks her about her backstory:
  Crafty: So you were baking pies on the street?! ... That's pretty hardcore.
  Pepper: Well... I'm not sure if I would put it that way. But what is important now is that I can create all of the delicious things I want now not just for my survival, but for others to enjoy as well!
• Bizarre Alien Biology: Pepper’s genetic information and just what her body is capable of are some of the biggest mysteries on the show.
  • At face value, she’s just an octopus mutant, but as of "Journey to the Forbidden Water Temple," it turns out that Nurse has found more to her DNA bubbling under the surface, but nothing specific. Pepper admits that even she has no idea what species her genes account for in the same episode, musing that it’s very likely that she could be related to Zoras and Octarians.
  • The various shenanigans of the show sometimes lead to Pepper discovering one contributor to her DNA at a time. "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB" starts off this trend thanks to the episode’s artwork, which depicts a pufferfish mermaid. The finished character design leads to a discussion wherein Pepper and Crafty muse about whether Pepper has pufferfish in her DNA. They accidentally discover that she does; some piping loosened up by a group of invading pirates falls to the floor, making a huge crash and causing Pepper's stomach to balloon up in shock.
    Crafty: Jeez, Pepper! As if your anatomy couldn’t get anymore baffling!
  • Messi banks on Pepper’s weird genetics being able to help Crafty in some way in "I Need a Hero Academia." She correctly guesses that Pepper has whale DNA in her genes, which allows Pepper to use echolocation to amplify Kyoka Jiro’s abilities to help with Messi’s plan to finish off Mindstein from a distance.
  • Blue-Paint-Sea's initial concept artwork explains that, unlike most octopi, Pepper’s mantle doesn’t contain her vital organs, which are relegated inside her main, humanoid body. Instead, her mantle houses her water tank, which helps her survive on land.
• Catchphrase: Whenever Pepper is surprised or overwhelmed about something, she usually exclaims "Good Gravy" in response.
• Celibate Hero: Pepper is a loving, compassionate person, but she never feels the need to pursue a romantic relationship. Her outlook on romance and her sexuality—a contributing factor behind the former—are both explored on occasion.
  • Certain episodes imply that Pepper enjoys romance vicariously.
    • "Going Poster" is the first to drop such a hint; it also implys Pepper's asexuality before it's explicitly revealed in "Ad-ORC-able!" When the Crewmates discuss what genre a hypothetical Dr. Crafty movie should be, Pepper suggests making a romantic comedy. Messi agrees to the idea and coyly suggests the addition of sex scenes, which Pepper noticeably balks at.
      Pepper: Um... You don't necessarily have to have an action movie to make a movie, Doctor. Maybe we could make something like, uh... a romantic comedy?
      Messi: I'm interested! Buuuut, if we're going that route, we're gonna need to increase the rating on our show for all the romance scenes...
      [At Messi's suggestion, Nurse blushes profusely, not at all hiding her enjoyment of the idea. Pepper, meanwhile, doesn’t blush; she simply stares awkwardly at the camera, unsure of how to respond at first.]
      Pepper: I wasn't picturing that kind of movie, but, um...
    • She and Crafty grow rather invested in the character design that they're making in "Pirates Vs Doctors," and they each suggest story ideas for him. Crafty edges towards something dark and suspenseful, while Pepper prefers something lighthearted and romantic for Captain Crowsnest and his crow companion.
      Pepper: Wow, Doctor! You seem to be really into this character!
      Crafty: I really do love this idea and wouldn't mind building on it more! Maybe a spin-off show about a crow looking for love out on the open ocean—
      [Pepper blushes and clasps her face in joy, but her smile drops when Crafty continues explaining his idea.]
      Crafty: —only to find the hooked hands of the captain!
      Pepper: As much as I can appreciate dark shanty tales, Doctor, maybe it could be about the Captain and the crow both finding love out on the open ocean instead! They can go on enchanted adventures together, and—
      Crafty: Mmmmmm, nahhhh. I want it to be a rough and gritty story, not a magical girl reboot.
      Pepper: [dejectedly] I suppose I'll keep my fan fiction to myself, then...
    • "Over the Moonsault" reveals that Pepper is an avid shipper, even making cross-franchise pairings if it suits her whims. Specifically, she ships the episode’s character design, the wolf wrestler Moonsault, with Incineroar, who partially inspired Moonsault.
      Pepper: Okay, I know they’re two fictional animals from different universes... But I ship them~.
      [A picture of a cargo ship appears onscreen to illustrate Pepper's point.]
      Crafty: How would that even work?
      Pepper: I just want them to ride off into the sunset and wrestle each other! I am a girl of simple needs...
      Crafty: Riiiiiiight...
  • To justify why she can't reciprocate her admirers' feelings, Pepper reveals in "Ad-ORC-able!" that she's asexual. The description of this reference sheet elaborates on this quality, specifically labeling her as gray-asexual—but not aromantic. She's very capable of feeling romantic attraction; she just never feels compelled to act upon it. Past her consumption and production of romantic works, the simple joys of cooking and providing for others in need are more than enough for Pepper.
• Character Tics: If she's particularly happy or content and her arms are unoccupied, Pepper holds her lower arms aloft, with her hands folded into gentle fists. It's a frequent sight between both Crafty's and Blue-Paint-Sea's takes on her.
• Chekhov's Gun: After being used for comedic purposes throughout most of the show, Pepper’s Octo-Bloat ability is put to serious, deliberate use in "Let’s. Get. Metal..." She uses her expanded belly to help catch Crafty and Nurse after Crystelle rescues them from a dangerous void. Since Crafty and Nurse were rocketing towards a black hole before Crystelle's intervention, they crash into Pepper hard. The impact is so harsh that it renders Pepper unconscious for the rest of the scene, but the main duo, while terrified by what they had seen in the void, are physically safe and sound.
• Chubby Chef: Pepper's quite a heavy-set mutant, mostly due to her insatiable appetite and all the taste-testing she must perform. With her expansive waistline comes her expansive taste and cooking experience; she's deeply familiar with preparing a diverse selection of meals to perfection. From the English fry up that she prepares for Crafty in "Crafty Hearts Re:Grouped" to something as simple as garlic cheese bread in "I'MA VAMPIRE," there isn't a dish that Pepper won't cook... unless it involves seafood, an aversion that is alluded to whenever her time in the Fish'n'Fish is brought up.
• Cuddle Bug: Pepper is a known hugger, frequently offering her chubby self up for basic affection, sometimes as a therapeutic gesture.
  • The spin-off cohosts are absolutely delighted to see Crafty and Nurse alive and well at the end of "I Need a Hero Academia." Pepper makes a point to wait for Messi and Crystelle to hug first. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she wraps all of her coworkers in a tight embrace of her own, sobbing profusely.
  • Another notable moment of Pepper acting cuddly is when Crafty breaks down in "Happy Crafty Day." Pepper is the very first of the cohosts that hug him, doing so in a way that presses him up against her torso. In fact, she holds Crafty so closely that her coworkers have to either lean in and reach for Crafty or simply offer a reassuring hand from a distance.
• Cute Monster Girl: Pepper is a large, mutated octopus who just wants to enjoy what life offers and keep those around her happy. Her adorableness wins over Dr. Crafty's in-universe fans, something especially highlighted in "Ad-ORC-Able," what with the mountain of Valentine's candies that fans have gifted her. However, her backstory explains that her appearance also made her a prime target for racism in certain areas. Specifically, Pepper faced constant workplace discrimination at the Fish'n'Fish, which was a big reason behind Crafty's decision to hire her when they met.
• Cuteness Proximity: While she doesn't grow overwhelmed with happiness most of the time, Pepper is quick to comment on whatever she finds cute. Sometimes, such remarks from Pepper almost immediately get shut down by Crafty doing a bit.
  • When Pepper coos at a Mimikyu that wanders into the castle in "Send in the Clowns," Crafty immediately reminds her of the horrors that await her beneath Mimikyu's disguise, at least according to the creature's Pokédex entries. And he immediately goes to uncover the Pokémon when he starts doubting the claims.
  • In "Dumb Dingies," The sight of her in-progress chibi drawing causes her to jump for joy... At which point Crafty initiates a grifting attempt that tries to paint chibi art styles as a disease, and that money donated to his Patreon will be totally, absolutely put towards fighting it.
• The Cutie: Established as early as "New Season, New Friends" and "Salt and Pepper," the in-universe audience absolutely adores Pepper. It's because, to complement her soft appearance, she has a soft personality. She's never seen apart from Pickles, her pet and best friend, and her whole motivation for becoming a chef is to make other people happy. She also has a motherly disposition, easily being the gentlest and most understanding of the Crafty Crew.
• The Confidant: As they grow acquainted with each other, Messibelle starts turning to Pepper whenever something serious is on her mind. Due to experiencing what they do throughout the series, along with sharing her mere outsider's perspective on Crafty and Nurse's troubles, Pepper is more than happy to lend an ear. For example, in "We're Back! A Crafty Story," Messi discovers a Journal in Crafty's possession, one that has a section dedicated to the Infinium relics. She immediately seeks out Pepper to discuss her disturbing findings; Pepper herself is quick to lend an ear.
• Deadpan Snarker: While Pepper is often left befuddled by the show's daily weirdness, she at least develops some dry wit to carry her weight. However, she makes a point to clarify that she's joking or did not mean to be so harsh to soften her remarks. When Crafty demonstrates what could charitably called his dance moves to her in "Best Skullgirl," Pepper tries to politely return the conversation to the art. An annoyed Crafty questions the change in subject, and Pepper smoothly counters with something that visibly catches Crafty by surprise.
  Pepper: These dances evoke passion and energy, making it one of the most exhilarating art forms to witness, both visually and audibly. The rich history unfolds with every stomp of the feet, every strum of the musician's guitar, and clap of the singer's hands.
  Crafty: Sounds easy enough!
  Pepper: Oh! Are you a dancer, Doctor? I had no idea!
  Crafty: Well, let's just say, back in my day, I knew how to get down!
  Pepper: I'm not following...
  Crafty: What? You know, like... 'Get down!'... 'Boogie!'... 'Jive!'... 'Freestyle.'...... 'Charleston.'....... 'Harlem Shake?'
  Pepper: Are... Are those dances? Those just sound like made-up words.
  Crafty: Of course, they're dances! Here, I'll prove it. Nurse! Cue the disco ball!
  [Chic's "Freak Out" starts playing as the disco ball appears and Crafty starts dancing. To represent how awful it is, Crafty's dancing is depicted as him merely swinging punches from side to side.]
  Pepper: Oh, n-no no. D-Doctor, I-I believe you!
  [Crafty comes to a halt, and the ball falls and breaks.]
  Pepper: ... But we really do need to stay on track. Perhaps you can show me another time?
  Crafty: Fiiine. I was just trying to lighten the mood.
  Pepper: It was a good effort, much like the efforts of many fighting game companies to incorporate dancing into their rosters!
  Crafty: I can't tell if that was a smooth segue or not.
  Pepper: It was smoother than your dance moves.
  Crafty: ... Point taken.
  Pepper: I only tease, Doctor.
• Depending on the Artist: There are quite a few noticeable differences between how Crafty and Blue-Paint-Sea draw Pepper.
  • Pepper's face is shaped differently between the two art styles. Her Crafty design's face is more in line with Messibelle's facial construction, with rounded eyes and no hint of a nose at all. Meanwhile, Pepper's Blue-Paint-Sea design gives her soft, sagging, triangular eyes, and while she remains noseless, her face accommodates for a vague shape of where a nose should be.
  • The tentacles on Pepper's hips see some variation between the two art styles. For her Dr. Crafty design, Crafty sometimes plays with the number of hip tentacles in certain pieces, but the minimum is seven, with one sprouting from her rear like a tail. Blue-Paint-Sea's design, meanwhile, keeps the number of hip tentacles capped at six. Combined with her legs, she maintains a complete set of eight tentacles on her lower body, thus completing its vague resemblance to an octopus in and of itself.
  • Blue-Paint-Sea's art generally makes a point to emphasize Pepper's size a lot more. She's heavier set than Crafty's design and her belly weighs upon the web of skin surrounding her hips. This grants her tummy a fully rounded shape at rest, whereas Crafty has Pepper's belly pile up on top of that web of skin, giving her a perpetual muffin-top.
  • Pepper's mantle differs between the two artists; Crafty has her wear it up as though it were a ponytail. It's also nearly twice its original size, and because she wears it up, it takes up a good chunk of her height. Consequentially, if she were to wear her mantle downward, she'd actually stand only a little over 6 feet tall. The original design, however, has Pepper wearing her much smaller mantle downward. Here, her height is capped off by the top of her skull. But she remains 7 feet tall, meaning that her original design is a full head taller than the Crafty design.
• Does Not Like Spam: With few exceptions, Pepper refuses to eat seafood; she's afraid of becoming a cannibal of sea life if she goes too far. For the same reason, she avoids seafood preparation entirely.
  • To make ends meet, Pepper once became part of a seafood restaurant, the Fish'n'Fish. Her discomfort around seafood meant that she refused to work there as a chef, but with no other job opportunities at the time, she resigned to working there as a waitress. She still felt miserable under these arrangements, at least until a sympathetic Crafty visited and inducted her into his Crew.
  • Some trivia on this model sheet reveals her extremely few, infrequent exceptions to her otherwise broad aversion to seafood, provided that someone else prepares them for her. All of her choices come from creatures that normal octopi typically prey upon: crabs, scallops, and other similar meats used to prepare seafood fettuccine, her favorite pasta dish.
• Dork in a Sweater: When off the clock, Pepper wears a shoulder-baring magenta sweater with puffy sleeves, complementing her social awkwardness and her gentle, sweet personality all at once. This sweater is also her default outfit outside the Dr. Crafty series, and she also wears a white apron over it when cooking.
• Endearingly Dorky: She perpetually struggles to keep up with the show's eccentricities, sometimes stumbling a bit when she tries to contribute herself. Yet, she's also immensely sweet, sincere, and practical. All these traits have endeared Pepper to Crafty, the rest of the crew, and even the in-universe audience, whose members unanimously cheer her on in "New Season, New Friends" and "Salt and Pepper." For these reasons, "Ad-ORC-Able" would later reveal that Pepper has accrued a mountain of admirers, each of them overwhelming her with Valentine's requests and candy.
• Establishing Character Moment: Pepper’s introduction in "New Season, New Friends," is delayed because she’s far too shy to show herself on camera at first. During her absence, Nurse begins to suspect that Crafty intends to replace her with Pepper, even after Crafty reassures her that she is here to stay. By the time Pepper finally shows herself when her promotional art is complete, she unknowingly reveals that she couldn’t be more different from the extroverted, assertive Nurse if she tried. She’s not only still battling with her shyness, but she’s audibly, visibly panicking when she realizes that she may have bungled her introduction.
  Crafty: Ha-ha! Another successful piece! Shame Pepper couldn’t come out and say hello, though...
  Nurse: Well! That just leaves more room for screen-room for me—EEEEEE!!
  [Nurse slips and falls in a puddle of something, prompting Pepper to finally show herself after much buildup.]
  Pepper: Oh gosh! Oh gosh! I’m so-so-so-so sorry!
  [Nurse grumbles in annoyance at Pepper’s presence from down offscreen.]
  Pepper: I-I... I was about to come on-stage, but then I got nervous, and I... inked... myself...
  Crafty: Ohhh, we just finished drawing you! What do you want?
  Pepper: [surprised] Ah... I-I’m r-ready now! So I thought I’d come out and, uh, i-introduce myself.
  Crafty: Oh, I’m sorry, Pepper dear! We already introduced you! You should’ve come out sooner when I called you!
  Pepper: Oh... uh-um, I’m-I’m sorry...!!
  [Pepper starts to cry.]
  Crafty: Give her a big hand, everyone!
  [The audience showers Pepper with applause, completely taking her off-guard.]
  Pepper: [blushing profusely] U-uh, oh...!
  [Pepper, cheered up, leaves for her kitchen.]
  Crafty: Oh, the audience is going to find her adorable.
• Eye Take: Some of Pepper's most common poses give her a dumbfounded expression, with wide eyes and shrunken pupils. They're commonly made in reaction to Dr. Crafty's daily weirdness. They appear more frequently than anyone else's similar poses, due to how low-key Pepper is as a person compared to the show.
• Exposed Animal Belly Button: A consistent detail across Pepper's outfits is that her tops leave most of her large belly bare, always just enough to show off her navel. The description of this piece explains that her bare belly isn't completely intentional; it's just that her clothing tends to be slightly undersized, with their hems always rising back up despite her attempts to pull them down. This detail is corroborated by a few of Pepper's reusable Dr. Crafty poses, in which she's visibly tugging her apron down over her tummy with both hands.
• Fish Person: Despite the sheer number of aquatic creatures in her genes, Pepper is expressly an octopus mutant first and foremost; it’s the most obvious species that she is to her and everyone else around her. When the discussion of furries comes up in "Dog Days," Pepper expressly identifies herself as an anthropomorphic octopus, never once acknowledging her other genetic qualities in doing so.
• Foil: Pepper serves as a distinct counterpart to Messibelle, the other cohost introduced in Season 2. Messi can be crass and is decidedly extroverted, while Pepper tends to be well-mannered and introverted. Meanwhile, whereas Messi is homosexual and incredibly lecherous (even after she toned things down later on), Pepper is grey-asexual and doesn't act on her romantic feelings. Ironically, despite the adult edge to Messi's character, Pepper carries significantly more life experience by comparison. This is because Pepper was a seasoned nomad before settling down at Crafty's, whereas Messi was born only a few days before her debut appearance and has barely ventured beyond the castle. As a consequence, Pepper exhibits some motherly tendencies, while Messi exhibits some childish tendencies, a contrast that is occasionally highlighted in their interactions.
• Gentle Giant: Like Nurse, Pepper's height can be hard to discern during a typical Dr. Crafty episode. A height chart depicting the Crafty-original characters reveals that she's a little over seven feet tall, being the biggest Crewmate in height and weight. She's also immensely caring, accommodating, and affectionate.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Notably, despite Dr. Crafty's lenience on low-tier vulgarity, Pepper never swears, even using "gosh" where appropriate. The same goes for her appearances in Blue-Paint-Sea's work.
• Grew a Spine: Pepper starts out her tenure on Dr. Crafty as an extremely shy and easily overstimulated host, just barely keeping up with the show's strange sense of humor. She grows more and more confident with being on-camera over time, and more assertive about her needs as the series progresses.
  • "Pirates VS Doctors" showcases a big turning point in Pepper's confidence. Faced with Davy Jones' abuse of Crafty, Pepper isn't sure how to react at first. Just when it seems that she'll just sit back and let things happen, Pepper actively takes a stand and successfully defends Crafty against Jones' attacks. From that point forward, she's noticeably less awkward and is more excited for every ‘'Chara-Cafe'' episode going forward.
  • "Dog Days" sees her finally stand up for herself to Crafty, who has been ignoring her requests for a new oven until now. She doesn't do so right away, instead opting to uphold a lie about storebought foods being her creations to avoid confronting the matter. But when she's backed into a corner, Pepper finally puts her foot down and lays her issues out explicitly to Crafty, who listens and finally gets her a repaired oven.
• Growling Gut: In "Magic Kingdom Mania" her belly audibly grumbles — not due to hunger, but out of disgust for Crafty's convoluted carnival idea. For Pepper specifically, Crafty deliberately sets up her Tentacular-Tilt-A-Whirl ride right next to her food stand, and his reasoning for why is what makes Pepper's stomach churn.
  Crafty: Ah, Pepper! Looks like your ride, the Tentacular-Tilt-A-Whirl, is coming along smoothly, I see.
  Pepper: I'm... hesitant to agree. Are you sure it was a good idea to have my food stand directly adjacent to the ride?
  Crafty: Of course! Why not?
  Pepper: Doctor, the guests are throwing up all my food after they ride!
  Crafty: That's the beauty of my design: their stomachs are empty after riding, so they come back and purchase more overpriced food!
  [Pepper's gut produces an extremely audible, low growl.]
  Pepper: ... I think my stomach just cringed at the thought for me...
  [Crafty eagerly moves on to the next attraction.]
  Crafty: Just goes to show it has to work if it'll even affect you, Pepper!

H-Y

• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The tentacles encircling her hips evoke bottom-wear, but it's nonetheless very noticeable that Pepper never wears pants. According to her in "Journey to the Forbidden Water Temple," she has trouble fitting in them.
  [A Cutaway Gag shows Pepper hidden within a dressing room, trying on some pants.]
  Pepper: Uh, okay! Come oooonnnn! I'm sure these are right...
  [There's a very audible RRRRRRIIP!]
  Pepper: .... Siiiiiiiiize!
  [Pepper starts sobbing.]
• The Heart: Despite generally being the most passive member of the Crafty Crew, Pepper more than makes up for it by being an incredibly sweet person, both through her general goals and her approach to life. This tenderness helps keep the Crew together during tough times, helping ease tension between her coworkers and having a positive influence on them.
  • During "The Beachles" things get off to a rocky start, as Crafty and Nurse start bickering incessantly. Pepper eventually reaches her limit and tries getting them to calm down and enjoy themselves. It takes a few attempts for her to get through to everybody, but she finally does after the Crew eats the picnic lunch that Pepper prepared. When the episode’s art is finished, Crafty sums up the overall change in mood succinctly:
    Crafty: I think, ultimately, we may have had our disagreements this episode. But what really matters at this point is we all had a fun time! And no matter what happens, we’re all one big happy family!
  • The Spin-Off Special owes its existence to her. Noticing how restless Messi and Crystelle grow with their imprisonment, Pepper suddenly gets the idea to complete Season 3’s spin-off segments consecutively to keep everyone calm and distracted. She then spends her Chara-Cafe segment building up her coworkers’ morale. She uses a spur-of-the-moment gold-star rewards system for Messi and Crystelle’s observations, and she makes it abundantly clear that she values their time together. Topping it off, she even indulges Messi’s love for bubbles, established to her all the way back in "The Art of the Con(vention), for the segment’s final talking point.
  • "Happy Crafty Day" ends with a touched Crafty receiving a group hug from his coworkers. As Crafty begins sobbing and the girls all hurry over to him, it’s very noticeable that Pepper initiates the hug; she ends up right behind Crafty and holds him very close to her torso. Everyone else—even Stylene, who would normally be indifferent by this point in her story—follows her lead.
  • When Stylene succumbs to her road rage and the other Crewmates express their concerns about the traffic jam they're in during "Roses are Red, Black, White and Blue," Pepper immediately sets about preparing some tea to help everyone relax. Her coworkers presumably enjoy it off-screen, and everyone's a bit calmer—though still annoyed—when they encounter a second traffic jam.
• Hero of Another Story:
  • Pepper and Pickles are hinted at having experienced many things thanks to their nomadic lifestyle, with Pepper's implicitly old age making way for several possible stories. This is a detail discussed most prominently in the show's supplemental material, such as "Where to Next," whose description describes the many different places that the duo have visited. While rarely discussed on the show itself, this detail does come up now and then, such as in "Pirates Vs. Doctors." At the end of that episode, Pepper, trying to intimidate Davy Jones, mentions that she's dealt with pirates in the past and knows how to fight them off.
  • In addition to their appearances on Dr. Crafty, Pepper and Pickles are prominent figures in Blue-Paint-Sea's personal art projects. It's to the extent that they have an entire separate cast of characters that they interact with, with Pepper working as a chef under Blucy Poogle. Despite being canon to the Dr. Crafty universe, these events have no explicit bearing on the show. Additionally, exactly when Pepper's time under Blucy takes place relative to Dr. Crafty is intentionally left ambiguous.
• Hidden Depths: A quiet, persistent aspect of Pepper's character is her interest in bikes and mild familiarity with vehicular machinery.
  • A certain piece made to supplement some Dr. Crafty trivia shows off Pepper's old, beat-up, slightly undersized scooter as her primary means of transportation. It's notably one of her only keepsakes from her past, being a goodbye gift from her coworkers during her old, beloved pizza delivery job. The fact it still works despite its current state, combined with later hints of her mechanical expertise, implies that she learned some ways to maintain it herself.
  • When the Crew's bus crashes in "Host Club Hysterics," Stylene calls upon Pepper to help her repair it off-screen. They don't have much to work with, but the repairs are successful; after sputtering a bit, the engine starts again and the bus is back in working order.
  • For "Crafty Horror Picture Show," the Crewmates all dress up as "Rocky Horror" characters while performing a "Sweet Transvestite" parody. Pepper dresses as Eddie; the one immediate thing that the two share in common is their use of bikes. Pickles even dons motorcycle handlebars on his head to complete the homage.
• How Do I Shot Web?: With Pepper’s diverse DNA comes an equally diverse set of skills at her disposal. However, Pepper is totally unaware of some of these abilities beyond the obvious skills that come with being a mutant octopus. She generally doesn't think to try them herself because she's unaware of what her genes would allow.
  • When her Octo-Bloat activates onscreen for the first time in "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB," she’s clearly surprised about ballooning up, especially since she uses the ability involuntarily. And just before this happens, she openly doubts the possibility of her genes having pufferfish DNA—the very reason that her belly can expand the way it does. It's not until "Let's. Get. Metal" that Pepper gains control of her Octo-Bloat ability and uses it deliberately, just in time to save Nurse and Crafty from a nasty crash-landing.
  • In "I Need a Hero Academia," Screw’s file on Pepper lists this ignorance about her powers as Pepper's primary weakness alongside her timidness. And during the climax of the same special, it is only due to Messi’s resourcefulness that Pepper thinks to try using whale echolocation. It turns out that she indeed has that skill, and she manages to use it to help amplify Kyoko Jiro’s own abilities for Messi’s plan to help Crafty defeat Mindstein.
• Humble Hero: Despite having quite a few accomplishments under her belt, Pepper remains very modest. When Crafty tries praising her for her survival skills while traveling in "The Art of the Con(vention)," Pepper tries playing it off like it's no big deal. She instead focuses on how she's now able to serve other people and make them happy.
• I Am Not Pretty: It's implied now and then that Pepper has some body-image issues, yet others regard her as quite an attractive woman. When offered a diminutive bikini top in "The Beachles," Pepper admits that she doesn't want people to stare at her while she wears it. Messibelle looks upon the top with utter glee. Later in "Dumb Dingies," Messi practically orgasms when she overhears Nurse's observations of Pepper's body, having no qualms about imagining perverse fantasies about Pepper’s inner workings.
• Jiggle Physics: According to her bio, Pepper's soft, stretchy body jiggles fairly easily whenever she moves because of all the fluid she retains, and due to her semi-boneless flexibility. Messi mentions that this uncontrollable jiggling is something that she has in common with Pepper in "Player Select."
• Leitmotif: Pepper's theme tune in the Dr. Crafty series is the Chara-Cafe theme, which changed twice before settling on the third iteration midway through Season 3. The final song is a jazz tune like the main show's theme, but this time, the strings take the lead with the trumpets backing them up. The strings give the song a hesitant edge, fitting Pepper's shyness.
• Meaningful Name: Pepper's bio mentions how her name is based on the bell pepper vegetable, with her colour scheme referencing the green variety they appear in. Bell peppers also happen to be very mild, much like Pepper's personality.
• Multi-Armed Multitasking: Pepper's tentacles—both sets, on her head and around her hips—are very practical for multi-tasking, which plays a big part in why she's such an effective chef. It has yet to be demonstrated in the show proper, but various pieces of official artwork (such as this Halloween piece and this design of Pepper from a Dungeons and Dragons campaign) show this skill in action.
• Mysterious Past: Beyond her most recent memories before joining the Crew, Pepper has no clue about what her past was like.
  • In "The Art of the Con(vention)," Crafty decides to ask Pepper about her past before he found her at the Fish n' Fish. Curiously, Pepper claims to only remember so much before drawing a blank. She can only recall the most basic details, that she was a nomadic chef who traveled the world endlessly, and used her cooking talents as one of her survival skills. Supplementary details reveal that she became a notable figure in various culinary circles worldwide, but that information can only help so much.
  • Nurse regularly studies Pepper in hopes that her genetic makeup will help them determine some part of Pepper's history. Pepper first discusses these checkups in "Journey to the Forbidden Water Temple," where she reveals that they haven't found anything conclusive yet; only tiny portions of her DNA have been identified. The most conclusive descriptor for what Pepper's species is comes from Metal Crafty at the end of "Over the Moonsault." After he copies her data, he identifies Pepper as a primordial lifeform.
• Nice Girl:
  • Despite her shy demeanor, Pepper treats everyone around her with kindness and respect. Out of everyone in the Crafty Crew, she's notable for being the most patient with Crafty, even if she doesn't fully agree with his antics. The first time that she's explicitly irritated with him is in "Best Skullgirl"—the penultimate Chara-Cafe segment of Season 2 and quite a while after the two had grown acquainted. Twice, he insensitively chows down on his candy stash after hers gets stolen, and it's only on the second time in which Pepper acts firmly with him.
  • Notably, "Happy Crafty Day" allows Pepper to recount the time she met Crafty. Despite having every reason to do so, she doesn't chew out the Fish'n'Fish's management for its racism towards her. Rather, she just vaguely states that her employers weren't fond of her and quickly changes the subject to the moment she met Crafty, expanding greatly on how much his kind gesture meant to her.
• Non-Standard Character Design: Among the spin-off cohosts, Pepper is the only one who exhibits both Crafty theme colors (green and pink) in her design, just like Crafty and Nurse. Consequentially, her character color—burgundy—is at odds with her color scheme. The other spin-off hosts' represent only one of the two theme colors and deviate from there, and each of their character colors is derived from the most dominant color on their designs. This distinction is discussed plainly in "La Lamia, Do Doo Do Doo Doo," where Crafty explains how Pepper was designed before those color deviations were commonplace.
• The Noseless: Pepper lacks a nose, only having the vague impression of where one should be on her face. Though it is represented differently in each, it’s a quality shared between her Dr. Crafty and Blue-Paint-Sea designs.
• Occidental Otaku: Far be it from her to let it take over her life, but Pepper is still an outspoken fan of anime, which she prefers over Western cartoons.
  • "The Foreshadow Game" first reveals this quality, where she almost launches into a brief, surprisingly hostile rant at Messibelle for labeling anime as cartoons. After calming down, she admits that the hostility is due to the stress of the Crew's Shadow Realm imprisonment.
    Messi: I love the fact that they are already cartoon characters, but they somehow found a way to make it even toonier.
    Pepper: Wait. I thought Yu-Gi-Oh was an anime?
    Messi: Yeah! Cartoons? Anime? What's the difference?
    Pepper: ... I can't look at you right now.
    Crafty: She has committed the ultimate taboo...
    Messi: What? Anime is just... a Japanese cartoon. Why is everyone getting so upset?
    [You can pinpoint the second Pepper's heart rips in half.]
    Nurse: You know, when you put it that way, it does sound silly that people would be upset over such a simple phrasing decision—
    Pepper: You don't understand! Anime is deep! And the stories are far superior to any old-fashioned cartoon you would find here in America! To INFER that—
    Crafty: Pepper! Pepper! WOAH! Where is THIS coming from?!
    Pepper: ... Sorry. We've been in this, um, Shadow Realm too long... Ahem...
  • There is some anime that Pepper just doesn't like, and she doesn't approach them with the same tact that she would with a person. One such series is Naruto, and the show alludes to her distaste for it a couple of times. In "This is Crack(ship)," Gecko, a ninja, drops by looking to get handsy with Pepper. Nurse swoops in and decks Gecko in the face before he gets too close to Pepper, but Gecko swaps places with a log to evade further punishment. Nurse cites Naruto to help explain to Pepper what had just happened, and in response, Pepper unconsciously shames Nurse for her taste in anime. Nurse just takes it in good humor due to how unexpected it is for Pepper to be so opinionated.
    [Gecko poofs into the lab to check on the process of his commissioned piece.]
    Gecko: Excellent! My piece is coming along perfectly. *Sigh*... It would be perfect if I could have just met her for even a moment.
    Pepper: Hello? Um, are you new to the lab...?
    [Gecko's hands tremble once he finally registers that his crush is standing before him.]
    Pepper: Hi! I'm Pepper! Um, it's a pleasure to meet you! What's your name?
    ["Lady In Red" begins to play as a lovestruck Gecko continues to stare at Pepper. Hoping to recreate the pervy hug that he is depicted doing in his developing commission, he jumps for Pepper in slow motion. Pepper's reaction is also slowed down.]
    Pepper: Uuuummmmm....
    [The song abruptly ends when Nurse rockets in with a mean right hook on Gecko's face.]
    Nurse: Crafty Concoctions are NOT consent!
    [Gecko poofs away, and as Nurse moves towards where he once stood, the sound of wood clattering on the floor plays.]
    Nurse: Damn ninja...
    Pepper: What... What just happened?
    Nurse: Well... Gecko was one of our OCs for the day that was going to be paired with you in one of our concoctions.
    Pepper: Ohh, how lovely!
    Nurse: ... But, as you can see, he got a bit out of hand, and that will not be tolerated.
    Pepper: Well, I'm following you so far, but... what happened just now with the log?
    Nurse: Oh, that's just a substitution Jutsu.
    Pepper: Uhh, w-what?
    Nurse: Did... Did you not watch Naruto? That's one of the oldest tricks in the ninja book.
    Pepper: [nonmaliciously] Oh, gosh, no! Ehehe... I only watch good anime!
    Nurse: ... Oh. My. GOD! Ahaha! Sick burn, Pepper!
    Pepper: Burn? What? Oh, gosh, no, I just meant that Naruto is trash—Wait! No! I, um—
    [Nurse just bursts out laughing, taking the remarks in stride.]
    Nurse: Let's just get to the next concoction? 'Cause you are cracking me up!
    [Nurse exits. Taking only a second to process what just happened, Pepper runs after Nurse, shedding tears.]
    Pepper: Nurse, wait!!
  • Pepper begins "Duck and Cover" eager to cover some anime content, even humming one of the Naruto themes (admitting to Crafty that they're some of the few things that she likes from that anime). She's plainly disappointed when Crafty reminds her that they're making content based on a Western cartoon: the 2017 reimagining of Ducktales, and she dejectedly throws a ninja headband that she brought for the occasion into the trash. However, her eagerness for anime content is stunningly prescient, as she discusses the original Ducktales comics' important influence on anime later in the commentary.
• Older Than They Look: Occasionally, subtle hints imply that Pepper is far older than her late-twenties-to-early-thirties appearance suggests.
  • The first explicit hint comes from "Over the Moonsault," at the end of which Metal Crafty identifies her as a primordial life form, putting her true age somewhere just below Sasha's and Crystelle's.
  • Tellingly, for the hypothetical High School Alternate Universe that the Crew makes in "Late for Crafty School," Pepper and Crystelle are the only Crewmates who become adult staff members, with Pepper becoming a lunch lady. Pepper also admits that she only has memories of traveling, with no recollection of her childhood or educational background, if any.
• Punny Name: Alongside their respective meanings, Pepper and Pickles' names were also chosen to loosely reference the term "Pickled Peppers" when paired together.
• Pursue the Dream Job: "Happy Crafty Day" allows Pepper to expand on her backstory from her perspective. She was actually an accomplished traveling chef well before meeting Crafty, having worked in various places around the world to hone her skills to near-perfection. She never stayed in one place for too long, always moving to different places in hopes of experiencing their cultures, particularly for their food and cooking techniques. Unfortunately, this nomadic approach tended to yield undesirable results. At one point, she ended up working at a seafood restaurant. Seafood is the one category of food that Pepper refuses to cook, but with no other opportunities available to her at the time, she resigned herself to being a waitress in that restaurant. Pepper couldn't play towards her strengths, and she was also mistreated for being the only monster girl on the staff. Thanks to the discomfort all of this caused, she instantly took the chance to leave once Crafty offered to hire her.
• Reluctant Fanservice Girl:
  • In "The Beachles," Pepper tacitly refuses to wear her swimsuit—a laughably undersized bikini top—thinking it would draw too much attention to herself. In the next episode, "Dumb Dingies," she's back in the comfort of the castle. There, interestingly enough, she feels free to express her love over a developing chibi drawing of her, where she's wearing the same outfit.
  • The opening tune for "Crafty Horror Picture Show" implies (given the source material) that Pepper won't participate much in the episode's sexy shenanigans, instead opting to help herself to some whipped cream in private. This turns out to not be the case; she proudly accompanies her fellow Crewmates in Craftette's "Sweet Transvestite" parody, having donned a fairly revealing Eddie costume for the occasion.
• Required Secondary Powers: Pepper's initial concept art reveals the reason why she can survive on land at all: she has a water tank in her mantle. Presumably, she refuels it just by staying hydrated with drinks, as a human would.
• Shrinking Violet: Pepper is the most low-key member of the Crafty Crew, being gentle, quiet, and easygoing. Because of her personality, she frequently grows overstimulated, whether it be due to the show’s zaniness or just typical triggers for her social anxiety.
  • Her shyness manifests itself prominently in her pose set, which is the least exuberant of them all. She generally keeps her arms inward, with the tentacles along her thighs and head expressing themselves only a bit more.
  • Even after she grows more outwardly confident with herself, she remains introverted, which sometimes causes her to make questionable decisions.
    • In both "New Season, New Friends" and "Salt and Pepper," the in-universe audience flatters Pepper with their mad praise for her. In the former episode, she blushes profusely before calmly exiting. In the latter episode, where she’s co-starring with Crafty for the first time and a lot more attention is invariably drawn to her, she becomes so flustered that she hurries away, plowing through Crafty on her way out.
      Pepper: So, uh... Doctor. Did I do okay on my first day on the job?
      Crafty: Only one way to find out! Audience?
      [The audience showers Pepper with applause and cheers.]
      Pepper: [flattered but embarrassed] Uh, ah... S-sorry! Gotta go!
      [Pepper sprints away, knocking Crafty over to the sound of bowling pins falling over. The audience’s cheering dies down right before Crafty sits up from the floor.]
      Crafty: [very dazed] Eurgh... Cleanup, aisle two!!
      [Crafty falls back down.]
    • "Best Skullgirl" ends with Ryu and Ken dropping by to attack Crafty over losing the poll for this Chara-Cafe episode. While the two fighters rush Crafty, Pepper sits back and struggles to process what is happening until after they leave. When it becomes apparent that Ryu and Ken stole her candy stash, Pepper makes no attempt to try and take it back, even asking an unhelpful Jedah if he could retrieve the stash. When he declines, Pepper just accepts the loss. Later, according to Messi in "The Foreshadow Game," rather than seek out a new candy collection, Pepper instead opted to sneak some candy from Crafty’s stash for herself.
    • Pepper loses her oven in "La-Lamia" and mourns the loss in the subsequent "Dog Days." She tries implicitly explaining to Crafty that she has to rely on store-bought foods instead of her cooking thanks to her lack of equipment. When she hands a pack of Chips Ahoy to Crafty, he obliviously believes that she made the cookies herself and their packaging, even praising her heavily for it. Rather than correct Crafty and risk disappointing him with the truth, Pepper just decides to roll with it. She continues weaving an elaborate lie to avoid telling Crafty about the oven directly until the episode’s detective character design comes alive and exposes her. Only then does Pepper finally put her foot down and spell out the issue for Crafty, which he thankfully addresses.

• Shout-Out: Throughout their writings about her, Blue-Paint-Sea is very upfront about Pepper and Pickles' inspirations, of which there are primarily three:
  • According to her initial concept art's biography, Pepper's core design was very much inspired by Marina of Splatoon 2: Both of them are sweet-natured and reserved octopus creatures with long, draping tentacle hair, eyebrows that are downturned by default, and are very tall among their respective casts. They're both dressed in outfits that expose their midsections, and their bodies have colour schemes that are associated with different hues of green.
  • Thanks to Author Appeal on Blue-Paint-Sea's part, Pepper and Pickles function as a pastiche of mascot platformer duos, primarily Banjo and Kazooie. Both are inseparable pairs of animal friends who experience many zany misadventures, with the smaller member taking refuge somewhere on their larger companion (be it Pepper's tentacle hair or Banjo's backpack), and both duos have a member who's personality contrasts with their partner (Pepper and Banjo are kindhearted, easy-going and level-headed, while Pickles and Kazooie tend to be snarky, quick-witted, and combative).
  • The duo has some inspiration rooted in Wallace & Gromit's dynamic. Like Wallace, Pepper is an extremely pleasant and mild individual who uses her skills to try and better the world. Meanwhile, like Gromit, Pickles is a nonverbal, surprisingly smart, and snarky animal companion that is more of a loyal best friend to his owner than a pet.
• So Unfunny, It's Funny: Pepper's sense of humor is more conventional than what the show's eccentricity entails. Instead of (voluntarily) doing something wacky and weird, she opts for incredibly cheesy puns that only she seems to find funny. Crafty always grows exasperated whenever Pepper cracks such puns, even more so if she tries making up for a joke that didn't land with another. One notable example of this habit is in "Over the Moonsault," especially since Pepper exudes remarkable confidence in every pun she dishes out.
  Crafty: Wait, did you say 'Wrestler?'
  Pepper: Yes! She will full nelson into all of our hearts, I'm sure!
  [A rimshot plays.]
  Crafty: Not your best wrestling joke; I'm sure you can do better than that.
  Pepper: Sorry, um... To come up with another one, you'll have to toss me into the ring!
  [Another rimshot plays.]
  Crafty: Was that an attempt at a Sonic joke and a wrestling joke?
  Pepper: Yes. Yes it was.
  Crafty: Let's... move on.
  Pepper: Wait! I thought that one was a real ringer!!
  [One last rimshot plays.]
  Crafty: I can't even with you right now.
• Statuesque Stunner: At over seven feet, Pepper is the tallest of the hosts, and one of the tallest Dr. Crafty characters overall. She’s also portrayed as one of the most desirable women on the cast, with her acquiring a mountain of admirers in "Ad-Orc-Able."
• Stock Animal Behavior: Being an octopus, Pepper can produce ink, use her many tentacles for problem-solving, and squeeze her bulky frame into tight crevices. Mindstein accounts for the latter quality in the Spin-Off Special. Having imprisoned Pepper, Messi, and Crystelle, she electrifies the bars of their dungeon cell to prevent Messi and Pepper from squeezing through.
• The Straight Man: Because of her low-key personality, Pepper frequently, genuinely doesn’t know how to react to some of the castle’s daily happenings, effectively playing the straight woman for the entire show.
  • "Journey to the Forbidden Water Temple" ends with Crafty breaking the fourth wall to address the flooded kitchen. He asks the episode’s editor to simply remove the layer that contains the water effect from the video... and it somehow works. Pepper is left with a loss for words.
    Pepper: ... I have so many questions...
  • Nurse decides to go over her latest physical on Pepper with her in "Dumb Dingies," midway through Pepper’s chibi drawing’s production. Pepper is visibly, silently uncomfortable about having Nurse read this report out loud; these feelings intensify as Messi also listens in and loudly responds with arousal. Capping it off, Nurse tries ending their interaction with a pun, to which Pepper politely asks her not to and prepares for Crafty to do the same when the art is completed.
    Nurse: Anyway, besides all that, everything still looks good. Just sleep a little more, worry a little less, keep eating healthy, and keep on trucking! General Pepper!
    Pepper: ... Please don't start that again...
    [Later, the art is complete, and Pepper arrives onscreen first to commentate on the piece one last time, talking to herself.]
    Pepper: [to herself] Don't make fun of my name, don't make fun of my name...
    [Crafty arrives.]
    Crafty: This is shaping up to be one of the episode's spiciest chibies! Next to mine of course. What are your thoughts, Sam Pepper?
    Pepper: [resigned] Um... I think it's... good...
    Crafty: Perfectamente! Onto the last one, then!
  • Crafty kicks off his commentary in "Black Magic Woman" by discussing a movie about Yu-Gi-Oh’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It turns out that he’s mistaken; he had seen various discussions about the then-upcoming How to Train Your Dragon 3 and attributed that movie’s blue-eyed, white dragon to the Yu-Gi-Oh monster. Pepper is left stumbling over herself trying to correct him, but she just accepts his ignorance for what it is.
    Crafty: Good ol' Blue-Eyes would've been fun to expand upon, especially with the new movie coming out. But I'm a sucker for a good magician story.
    Pepper: Wait... there's a movie coming out about the Blue-Eyes White Dragon?
    Crafty: Yeah, I've been reading about it all over Twitter! Apparently, it's making an appearance as a love interest in the new How to Train Your Dragon movie. I... thought it was a tad strange, but if it's what the people want to see, who am I to judge?
    Pepper: ... D-Doctor... No. That's not the same—oh, good gravy...
    Crafty: Pepper, I know a Blue-Eyes White Dragon when I see one.
    Pepper: I... *sigh*... I guess you aren't technically wrong...
    Crafty: Obviously! Because I'm never wrong.
    [Offscreen, the Bakura-possessed Nurse chortles at the remark.]
    Crafty: Nurse, I heard that! Get back to work! And take some cough medicine; you sound like you have a sore throat...
• Supreme Chef: Crafty absolutely struck gold when he hired Pepper as the Crafty Crew's chef. Thanks to her globe-spanning travels, she has some expansive cooking knowledge. As this poster demonstrates, she knows how to prepare very specific meals for the likes of Nurse Worse and Messibelle, who feed on electricity and cleaning products, respectively—and they're evidently enjoying them. In addition, Pepper's many tentacles allow her to cook several great-quality meals at once. Sometimes, this renders her a bit accident-prone, but overall, her skills are simply too good to pass up. The only thing she can't cook is seafood, and that's only due to her moral principles.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Nurse initially suspects that Crafty hired Pepper to replace her in "New Season, New Friends." The superficial similarities that they share do not help—they're both green, fat monster women. However, Crafty stresses that Pepper is merely an addition to the cast, being the first of the show’s spin-off hosts to be introduced. Even with this reassurance, Nurse still isn’t very thrilled by the episode’s end, but she quietly drops her grudge against Pepper by "The Beachles," and subsequent episodes show them getting along just fine.
• Sweet Tooth: Pepper has an expansive palate, and sweets are no exception. At some point during "Best Skullgirl," she amasses a hefty stash of candy that gets stolen through no fault of her own. She tries downplaying the matter when it becomes unlikely that her candy will be retrieved. But it was apparently a big enough deal for her to sneak candy out of Crafty’s own stash later on, which Messi exposes her for in "The Foreshadow Game." In fact, Messi and Nurse have been doing so themselves.
  Pepper: Well, ever since my candy was stolen by those tournament fighters a few episodes back, my sweet tooth has gone a bit off the rails...
  Messi: Tell me about it! I saw you searching through Crafty's personal stash a few days ago. I didn't stop you though, because, well... I do it all the time. But still... Not cool.
  Crafty: Wait, what?
  Messi: Anyway! My favorite deck type is the Duston archetype, which are creatures based on the different-colored dust monsters.
  Crafty: No, wait wait wait. Was it you who stole all my Reece's Pieces?!
  Messi: All of them have effects that are used to disrupt your opponent's strategies. There are a lot of them to function as support, and I love the way that their versatility in a duel really brings a new edge to the game.
  Crafty: I... Dah, fine! See if I care! Next Halloween, I'll get you back...
  Nurse: [regretfully] Actually, Doctor, it was me that stole the Reece's Pieces!
  Crafty: IS THERE ANYONE NOT EATING MY CANDY?!
  Messi: Look on the bright side! None of us can steal your candy as long as we are trapped down here.
  Crafty: That's... ugh. I suppose you have a point.
• Team Chef: Among the Crafty Crewmates, food preparation is generally left to Pepper, being the only person in the castle with formal cooking training. What's more, her cooking is exceptional. When Pepper deals with some self-doubt about her worth in "The Art of the Con(vention)," Nurse makes her feel better by emphasizing how valued she and her culinary skills are. She even admits to Pepper that she's rather hopeless in the kitchen.
• Team Mom: To the Crafty Crew, Pepper has the sweet, mediating, and nurturing approach of many good mothers, all despite not actually being one.
  • Messibelle, the youngest of her coworkers, tends to consult her when something's on her mind for this reason. Some notable instances are the Season 3 premiere, where they discuss Nurse's complicated, possibly unreciprocated feelings for Crafty, and the Hero Month Spin-Off Special. In the latter, when Messi breaks down sobbing due to missing Crafty, Pepper immediately rushes to her side and holds her. Messi doesn't object, even laying down in Pepper's lap as she cries. Pepper also tends to Crystelle in the same way, after Crystelle nearly goes catatonic from her visions of Disgustilda.
  • Pepper's motherliness tends to keep the rambunctious and often rude Pickles in check. Just before they end their commentary for the art segment in "Player Select," the two share an exchange not unlike a naughty child being disciplined by his mother.
    Pepper: I need to get back to the kitchen; toodles, everyone~!
    Pickles: [right as Pepper turns to leave] *Pfft!*
    Pepper: [walking away] No, Pickles. I'm not giving back your nunchucks until you learn a little more responsibility...
• Tempting Fate: Poor Pepper tends to invoke the show's wackiness without even trying. If she audibly questions or doubts something, it's common for shenanigans to ensue—often with her as the butt of the joke. For example, in "A MERMAID MELODY FANDUB," she and Crafty muse about whether her genes contain Pufferfish DNA. She says she doubts it, but a loud noise startles her into bloating up. In the very next Chara-Cafe episode, she notices that everything has gone on without incident. Soon after, she's immediately accosted by Ryu and Ken, who then steal her Halloween candy (accidentally—they were targetting Crafty's stash).
• Tentacle Hair: Pepper, being a cephalopod mutant, has a set of uneven tentacles attached to her head that droop like large bangs of hair, and they function as additional arms when active. They tend to express themselves throughout her pose set, pointing and curling in all sorts of directions as she moves around.
• Trademark Favorite Food: While she doesn't discriminate when it comes to meals, she has a particular taste for pasta, something revealed in her initial concept artwork.
• Victoria's Secret Compartment: The Chara-Cafe intro shows Pepper pulling a cooking ingredient out of her bosom.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: According to Word of God, the main reason why Pepper doesn't wear pants is not due to her size or weight, but rather her thigh tentacles prevent her from pulling any kind of clothing up to her waist. Because of this, leggings tend to be Pepper's substitute for pants.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Pepper spends much of Season 3 operating without an oven before finally receiving one in "I'MA VAMPIRE!" From then on, she barely has time to use it; a handful of episodes later, the Season 3 finale sees her locked up and unable to cook for a long few days. And after the Season 3 finale, a troupe of animals wrecks the oven as they rampage about the kitchen in "La Lamia, Do Doo Do Doo Doo." Thankfully, by the next episode, "Dog Days," Pepper finally gets a functioning oven—or rather, the damage done to her replacement oven is completely undone by Crafty’s one-time-use retcon button.

Tropes Specific to Pickles

• The Artifact: Pickles and Pepper were conceived back when Crafty's Bonnie and Nurse's Goozie still had some presence on the show. Pickles was made with the understanding that each Crafty Crewmate would have a pet of their own. However, by the time Pickles was introduced in "New Season, New Friends," Bonnie and Goozie had quickly fallen out of relevance. Pickles would later transcend the reasons for his conception further, as he continues to accompany Pepper in Blue-Paint-Sea's artwork long after Dr. Crafty was canceled.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Pickles' lengthy tongue evokes a regular sea cucumber's expelled Cuvierian tubules... which come out of their anuses. Fittingly enough, Pickles only ever speaks by making pooting noises.
• Blood Knight: When confronted with a combat situation, Pickles is quick to urge Pepper to engage alongside him. This trait shows up during the Spinoff Special when the co-hosts discuss how they can escape their prison. Pickles immediately, aggressively suggests that Pepper perform something so violently powerful that she refuses to perform it again.
• Depending on the Artist: Like Pepper, Pickles is subject to some considerable differences between Blue-Paint-Sea's and Crafty's artwork.
  • In Crafty's renders, Pickles is drawn very simply, with his entire body being a solid green and having a smaller tongue, whereas in Blue-Paint-Sea's art, Pickles has darker green spots covering his body, and his spines/pegs are colored a lighter hue similar to Pepper's neck warmer & ribbon from her default casual outfit.
  • While both artists use oval dots to represent Pickles' eyes, Blue-Paint-Sea also gives him a variation of comma eyes deliberately (reminiscent of characters like Homestar Runner, and the cast from Peanuts), as a means of providing Pickles expressions that allow him to glance to his sides, or even at the fourth wall.
• Empathy Pet: Whatever Pepper is feeling at the moment, Pickles will mirror her emotions as much as he realistically can. Sometimes, his expressions can contrast with Pepper’s for humorous effect.
• Hidden Depths: It's strongly implied that Pickles is quite a bit smarter than he seems. A single raspberry he makes during "Salt and Pepper" leaves Pepper awestruck:
  Pepper: Wow... that's deep, Pickles.
• Intelligible Unintelligible: Despite speaking strictly through raspberries, the other characters can understand Pickles just fine. According to Pepper, Pickles can be surprisingly profound.
• Meaningful Name: Pickles looks exactly like his namesake. In fact, considering what a pickle is—a fermented cucumber—Pickles is also indirectly named after his species.
• Parrot Pet Position: Pickles typically rides Pepper's shoulders or head, poking out from beneath her tentacles.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: As if Pepper wasn't adorable enough, Pickles contributes to the adorableness with his small, friendly face and tendency to mimic Pepper's facial expressions.
• The Unintelligible: Pickles is only able to communicate by blowing raspberries, although everyone seems to understand what he's saying.

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