The characters in Labyrinth. ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED. You Have Been Warned.
Labyrinth
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Sarah Williams
Played by: Jennifer Connelly
The Kid Heroine, Sarah does not wish to grow up, preferring a fantastical, theatrical life and doing a lot of LARP. She wishes for her brother Toby to be taken away by the Goblin King, and to her horror, it actually happens. Sarah races off into Jareth's labyrinth to find her brother, using her wits and imagination to take on its various puzzles and oddball characters.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Her eyes go from green to brown in the comic.
- Aloof Big Sister: Her general apathetic attitude towards Toby is what kick-started the plot.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She has dark hair and pale skin, and acts generally detached until the day she accidentally gets her half-brother kidnapped by a supernatural entity.
- Bedsheet Ladder: Makes one in the novelization to let the gang escape from the goblin house they're hiding in.
- Big Sister Instinct: She ventures forth into Jareth’s labyrinth to save her baby brother. She becomes much devoted to Toby in the manga sequel. In the first chapter, she's the only one who showed up to Toby's play, and makes him dinner afterwards.
- Broomstick Quarterstaff: Swings one at the goblins when they first enter her house in the novelization and the Marvel comic. Photographs of Jennifer Connelly doing this exist, implying it was in a
Deleted Scene. - Can't Live Without You: If she were to die, then so would Moppet, and vice versa.
- Cool Teacher: Becomes a teacher in Return to Labyrinth.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: Uses a lipstick to draw arrows on the floor of the Labyrinth to show where she's been. Unfortunately, a tiny man keeps turning and flipping these tiles, so she ends up lost anyway.
- Genre Savvy: Zigzagged. Sarah has a large knowledge of tropes, and some of these tropes apply in the labyrinth, but more don't.
- Girls Love Stuffed Animals: It's implied that she changes her mind in the end and starts putting them away.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: She glasses a goblin that tries to come in the window of the house they're hiding in.
- Growing Up Sucks: Sarah starts off with this belief, but changes her views over the film.
- The Heroine: A variant on Campbell's traditional The Hero's Journey. At the start of the film, in her everyday life, she behaves like a pouting brat, but as her adventure progresses, she is revealed to be kind, compassionate, brave, and clever.
- I Am Not My Mother: Downplayed Trope, but Sarah's mother ran away with a man (who looks just like Jareth) abandoning her responsibility to her family and leaving a child (her daughter Sarah) behind. Now, Sarah is presented with the same choice: Will she be seduced by a charming man who literally takes the form of the man her mother left her for, abandoning the child that was in her care?
- I'm Not Afraid of You: How Sarah defeats Jareth.Sarah: You have no power over me.
- I Should Write a Book About This: Writes one at the end of the manga. It seems to have the plot of the movie but the title of the manga.
- Kid Hero: The teenage heroine of the film, whose character arc is about growing up and what this means.
- Large Ham: When she's in full drama queen mode at the beginning, she tends to overact. A lot.
- LARP: At the start of the film, she's dressed like a medieval fantasy maiden and reciting lines from something.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Jareth's poisonous peach makes Sarah forget Toby and her mission to find him, but she later remembers.
- Life Isn't Fair: Sarah says this a lot, but is scolded by both Jareth and Hoggle for thinking that way. She gradually grows out of this habit and accepts life isn't fair and complaining won't help.Hoggle: It's not fair!
Sarah: No, it isn't. But that's the way it is. - Meaningful Name: The name "Sarah" means "princess" in Hebrew.
- Missing Mom: Sarah's mother left the family, which certainly impacted how Sarah views things like family.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She gets an early moment in the movie where she suddenly regrets wishing Toby would be taken away by the Goblin King. When confronted by Jareth, she begs him to return her brother and says she didn't really mean it.
- Named by the Adaptation: Her last name comes from the novelization.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Tries to act tough around Jareth, claiming his labyrinth is a piece of cake. For this, Jareth speeds up Sarah's time to find Toby, and unleashes the Cleaners upon her and Hoggle.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Sarah's dress in the ball scene with the huge skirt and Giant Poofy Sleeves.
- Plucky Girl: Despite everything Jareth throws at her in the bizarre fantasy world that is the Labyrinth and the stress she's under, she perseveres out of determination to save Toby.
- Tempting Fate: Never say the Labyrinth is "a piece of cake." Especially to Jareth's face. You will swiftly regret it.
- Virgin in a White Dress: She wears a lot of white, from the white play gown in the park in the beginning, to her main flowy white blouse, to the puffy white princess dress. This fits with her childishness and refusal to grow up and accept adult things, and creates a contrast with Jareth, who represents adult sexuality.
Toby Williams
Played by: Toby Froud
Sarah's baby half-brother who annoys her with his constant crying. She wishes for Jareth to take him away, and he does just that. Sarah then makes it her mission to save her brother before he is turned into a goblin. In Return to Labyrinth, he is now 15 and is asked by Jareth to become his heir to the throne.
- Abusive Parents: In Return to Labyrinth, Toby doesn't get on well with his mother.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Sarah initially thinks of him as this, due to him being a baby who constantly cries and needs attention. She still sets out to save him from Jareth regardless.
- Blessed with Suck: When he is announced as the new Goblin King, he has the powers of the Goblin King and also its limitations.
- Brother–Sister Team: Toby and Sarah are very close by the time of Return to Labyrinth.
- Distressed Dude: In the movie, he's abducted by Jareth and Sarah undertakes her journey into the Labyrinth to rescue him. In the manga he's lured into the Labyrinth again and regularly placed in peril.
- Equivalent Exchange: When practicing magic with Mizumi, he turns some oolong tea into Earl Grey. Later on Earth, Sarah finds a box of oolong in her cupboard where she had Earl Grey, implying Toby accidentally swapped them.
- Handshake Refusal: Candlewic refuses to shake his hand after Toby beats him in a duel.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Justified, as he is a baby. He won't stop crying despite Sarah's attempts to soothe him, but when Jareth sings a song to cheer him up, he immediately starts giggling.
- Kidnapped by an Ally: Comes into play in Return to Labyrinth, when Toby and Jareth reunite many years after Jareth kidnapped him.
- Magical Girl Queenliness Test: Gender flipped. He has to face an ordeal of locating the Labyrinth's consciousness in order to gain control. The Labyrinth would have been destroyed if he'd failed.
- Making a Splash: Creates a huge waterspout shortly after gaining control of the Labyrinth.
- Must Be Invited: When he gets Jareth's powers, the Goblins tell him he can't return to Earth unless he's invited.
- Ordinary High-School Student: The manga describes him as this before his homework is stolen.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Macaroni and cheese.
- Training the Gift of Magic: Mizumi has to teach him how to use magic before he is any good at it.
- Unwanted Assistance: He isn't amused when he finds out about Jareth granting his wishes.
- You Can't Go Home Again: After he becomes king of the Labyrinth, a goblin informs him that he can't go back to Earth unless he's summoned.
Jareth the Goblin King
Played by: David Bowie
The antagonist of the film, and number one fetish fuel of '80s fantasy films. Jareth is the Goblin King, and is summoned accidentally by Sarah Williams to take away her annoying little brother Toby. Sarah changes her mind, so Jareth challenges her to find him in his labyrinth within thirteen hours or he turns into a goblin. He is often the source for Female Gaze, which is helped when he's waving his glass balls around.
- '80s Hair: Rocks a very big and poofy hair-metal mullet.
- Affably Evil: Very polite and charismatic to just about everyone, even when he is threatening or blackmailing them. He never raises a finger to Sarah, at first believing she will give up, but is increasingly concerned by her determination. He also has some hints of being Faux Affably Evil when he gives Hoggle the poisoned peach. He has moments where he's just a dick to people, but David Bowie's charisma and magnetism makes him impossible to hate even then.
- Agent Peacock: He's very flamboyant, but good at what he does.
- All Take and No Give: In a twisted way, Jareth claims to be all give while Sarah's all take. It's not clear if he actually sees the situation this way, or if he's just trying to mess with her head…Sarah: Generous!? What have you done that's generous?
Jareth: Everything! Everything that you wanted I have done! You asked that the child be taken, I took him. You cowered before me, and I was frightening. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous? - Ambiguously Human: It is never stated what he is exactly in the film. He looks very human, but he is the only human in a magical realm populated by goblins, fairies and other magical beings. He has magic powers and seems to possess Blue-and-Orange Morality one would associate with The Fair Folk. In the novel adaptation, he is seen turning into a goblin after Sarah rejects him for the last time. In the sequel Return to Labyrinth, he is confirmed to be immortal and have traveled across many realms, while in Coronation he was the bastard son of an English nobleman from late 18th century Venice taken by the Owl King to succeed him. Considering Jareth himself was the one who told his backstory in Coronation, anything he says should be taken with a grain of salt.
- And You Were There: A photograph of David Bowie can be seen on Sarah's bedroom mirror and scrapbook (the novelization says it's her mother's boyfriend), and there's a small statue of Jareth beside it.
- Anti-Villain: Mostly because he doesn't seem actively malicious, just kind of a dick who likes beating people who challenge him.
- Big Bad: King of the goblins, kidnapper of babies, and Sarah's biggest obstacle during the film.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Kidnaps Toby as per Sarah's wishes, attempts to get her to forget her brother, then offers her a challenge to reach the centre of his labyrinth to rescue Toby. He then proceeds to send her on a wild goose chase through the labyrinth, all because he has apparently fallen in love with her.
- Breakout Character: Definitely one of the most iconic fantasy characters, and one of Bowie's most notable roles in his film career.
- Catapult Nightmare: The second volume of the manga starts with him having one about Sarah beating him at the end of the movie.
- Comically Missing the Point: When the goblins rebel in the manga, a servant rushes into tell him that the goblins are revolting. Jareth responds that they are positively vile.
- Crystal Ball: Jareth carries these around with them, waving them about, and can use them for Sinister Surveillance and to throw Sarah into a realistic dream.
- Deadpan Snarker: He gets a lot of quips, mainly at Sarah's expense:Sarah: That's not fair!
Jareth: You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is? - Dimensional Traveller: The manga says that he and Mizumi would travel from world to world before he settled down to build the Labyrinth.
- Dimension Lord: The movie gives us the impression he is one, but the manga shows that there are other kingdoms in the same world.
- Dream Ballet: Jareth draws Sarah into one where they dance together.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Coronation shows that he has great respect for his mother and the lengths she went to to save him from the Owl King, but fails to notice any similarities between her and Sarah.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Evil he may be, there's never so much as a hint that he would hurt Toby, and he even seems to genuinely care for him.
- Everything's Better with Sparkles: Makes his entrance complete with sparkles.
- Evil Brit: Sinister, charming, manipulative, and played by David Bowie.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: In Coronation, he thinks Sarah's only rescuing Toby to avoid getting in trouble with her parents.
- The Fair Folk: This describes Jareth perfectly. Arrogance, rules lawyering, and being as unfair as possible while claiming he's being totally fair. Of course, when Sarah complains about things being unfair, he wonders what Sarah's basis for comparison is.
- Feeling Their Age: The novelization says that his main motivation for kidnapping Toby is to get a younger companion so he doesn't feel so old.
- Fisher King: The manga says that Jareth got depressed after the movie, which affected his powers, and in turn the Labyrinth started falling apart. It's also said that the Labyrinth and everyone in it will be destroyed if Jareth stops ruling it and doesn't find a replacement.
- The Labyrinth: Coronation comic shows that the Labyrinth was drastically different under Jareth's predecessor, implying it changes depending on who's in charge.
- Graceful Loser: When Sarah refuses his love for the final time and chooses to return to the real world with her baby brother, Jareth, while saddened, doesn't lose his gentlemanly composure and lets them go. This is notable because with his godlike powers, he could have easily imprisoned the brother and sister in the Labyrinth for eternity with a literal click of his fingers, but his love for Sarah was genuine enough that he respected her choice to be free of him instead.
- High Collar of Doom: As part of his get-up, he wears a high collar.
- Iconic Outfit: His skin-tight pants are infamous among the female fans.
- Intangible Man: During "Within You", Jareth phases through Sarah.
- It Amused Me: Jareth seems to have abducted Toby simply because his step-sister was careless about announcing her hidden wishes. The film presents this as either dream logic (if you think of the Labyrinth as a fantasy sequence) or the tradition among The Fair Folk of stealing babies. The manga set later in this universe subverts It Amused Me as a motive: the Goblin King owes a long-standing debt, and Jareth intends to pass the title of 'Goblin King' on to Toby so that he can Loophole Abuse his way out of paying.
- The manga says he decided to rule the goblins because they amuse him.
- Jerkass: Toward just about anybody who doesn't adore him. Hoggle seems to be his favorite target.
- Large Ham: Deliberately melodramatic and loving every minute of it.
- Laugh with Me!: Just before "Magic Dance" starts, he motions for his goblin minions to laugh with him. He does it again later. Funnily, both times this is preceded by him telling the goblins to be quiet after they start laughing.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: Sarah finally realizes that beyond his labyrinth and illusions, he has no power to stop her from just taking Toby and going home. He doesn't even seem capable of refusing a direct request from her.
- Manchild: Though he bears the title of king, Jareth acts more like a spoiled prince who'd rather be doing anything but actually ruling the goblins.
- Manipulative Bastard: In Return to Labyrinth, he has a goblin steal Toby's homework in order to lure him to the Labyrinth. The end result was an attempt to make Toby his heir.
- Mobile Maze: His kingdom and the main setting of the film. The labyrinth changes its layout, either through Jareth's power or its own, and has a number of goblins on hand to alter walls or directions to confuse Sarah.
- Mr. Fanservice: Jareth is quite the looker and wears very tight pants.
- Multiple-Choice Past: The movie doesn't give any information about his origins, but the Expanded Universe is contradictory;
- The music video for David Bowie's song Underground implies that Jareth was originally a human from modern day Earth.
- The Return To Labyrinth manga says he's been ruling the Labyrinth for 1,300 years. The Labyrinth's Narnia Time could handwave this coexisting with other origins.
- There's also an implication in the movie that he's a Reality Warper whose default form is that of an owl, and who hijacked Sarah's imagination and created everything based on the play Sarah was reading, including his status as Goblin King.
- David Bowie himself stated he believed Jareth was someone who "inherited" his position, rather than being a born king and played him as such.
- A cancelled prequel graphic novel that was talked about in 2011 would have a teenage Jareth being brought to the Labyrinth by a witch in order to rescue his true love from a goblin queen.
- The Labyrinth: Coronation comic says he was a human baby, kidnapped from 18th century Venice by his predecessor, the Owl King.
- Multiversal Conqueror: Before he built the Labyrinth, he and Mizumi travelled from world to world, sometimes conquering.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Subverted. The most he does to Hoggle is threaten to banish him to the Bog of Eternal Stench if Sarah kisses him.
- Must Be Invited: The manga says he can't come to Earth unless somebody invites him.
- No Infantile Amnesia: Claims that he never cried as a baby, but Beetleglum calls him out on it, saying no one can remember that far back.
- Ominous Owl: Jareth can shapeshift into a barn owl, which is useful for spying.
- Our Goblins Are Different: In folklore, one of the main attributes of goblins is that they steal babies. Unlike the rest of his goblin subjects, Jareth looks mostly human. This leads some fans to think he's fae, or that he's human and was stolen as a baby himself.
- Painted-On Pants: Those skin-tight pants are infamous among fans, particularly female fans.
- Pet the Dog: Despite being an insufferable jerk, Jareth is nice to the children he kidnaps and seems to enjoy playing with them. When Toby starts crying, Jareth launches into a song to make him stop—and it works. Toby even keeps laughing after Jareth throws him several feet into the air and lets another goblin catch him.
- He's not that much of a jerk to his goblin subjects either. Although he does throw them around or kick them on occasions, they're seen participating with his dancing and singing, and they're scattered around his throne, not cowering or bowing before him. He even seems to let them drink his booze. Part of this could be indicative of him not truly being a Goblin King, so he'd have no strong opinion of the goblin subjects he has and lets them do whatever.
- Portrait Painting Peephole: An early script
has him spying on Sarah through a portrait of himself which goes blank after he leaves. - The Pretty Guys Are Stronger: As absolute ruler of the goblins and a powerful sorcerer, Jareth is by far the mightiest and most-dangerous being in his entire kingdom. And while all of his subjects are twisted, bizarre, usually small and ugly creatures, he's... David Bowie (although possibly justified with various suggestions that he was born a human).
- Reality Warper: The further into the Labyrinth you are, the fewer restraints there are on Jareth's power.
- Reluctant Ruler: Bowie always felt that Jareth inherited his role reluctantly.
- Rock Me, Asmodeus!: The character was explicitly designed to essentially be Satan as an irresistibly alluring rock star.
- Slouch of Villainy: Jareth's preferred way of sitting on his throne.
- Soul Jar: In the manga, he gives part of his heart to a dwarf exiled on Earth, which he uses to reclaim the powers he loses when Toby become king of the Labyrinth.
- Spoiled Brat: In an interview with Movieline, David Bowie said Jareth was a spoilt child:"I think Jareth is, at best, a romantic; but at worst, he's a spoilt child, vain and temperamental — kind of like a rock 'n' roll star!"
- Stalker with a Crush: His attraction towards Sarah is heavily implied throughout the film. Displayed more in Return to Labyrinth, where even after Sarah besting him, he still can't get over her rejection and has been spying on her to find a way to make her love him.
- Stalker without a Crush: In Return to Labyrinth, he's this for Toby, whom he only spies on because he desires to make him his heir.
- Surrounded by Idiots: He isn't thrilled with the capabilities of his subjects.Jareth: Well, laugh!
Goblins: Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha! - This Was His True Form:
- The early script has him shrink into a generic goblin after Sarah rejects him.
- Depending on how you interpret it, the owl at the end may be Jareth's true form.
- Token Human: He's the only human who lives in the Labyrinth, which is otherwise full of goblins and fantasy creatures played by puppets, in addition to being its ruler.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: Maybe not unlimited, but he wears eight completely different costumes over the course of the film, often combining black boots, long, ragged cloaks, a black sparkly jacket, eye makeup, baggy shirts and contoured trousers in various ways. In most of his scenes, he wears a sickle-shaped pendant around his neck. He carries a riding crop in some scenes. (His hair style, however, remains consistent.) For the record, the film takes place in less than one night.
- Unreliable Narrator: When telling his origin in the Coronation comic, Beetleglum accuses him of being this, and Jareth replies that nothing is reliable in the Labyrinth.
- Villainous Crush: The degree to which he actually has a crush on Sarah isn't clear in the film itself. On the one hand, he shows shades of jealousy, the dream sequence has romantic overtones, and he proposes to her at the end… but on the other, his motivation seems to be to trick Sarah into failing. In an interview, however, David Bowie claimed that Jareth is genuinely smitten with Sarah because of her virtue and strong will.
- Villain Love Song: "As the World Falls Down" is about his feelings for Sarah.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: He can turn into an owl.
- Was Once a Man: The music video to Underground implies he was originally human.
- The Labyrinth: Coronation comic confirms he was kidnapped from Earth as a baby.
- We Can Rule Together: Wants Sarah to be his Queen and rule the Labyrinth with him.
- White Shirt of Death: Played With. Jareth is wearing white attire when Sarah defeats him. While Jareth doesn't explicitly die, he magically vanishes.
- Wizards Live Longer: The Expanded Universe says that King Jareth is older than he looks; the Return To Labyrinth manga says he's been ruling the Labyrinth for 1,300 years, and the Labyrinth: Coronation comic says he was a human child kidnapped by the previous king in the 18th century.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: He's gentle and playful with Toby while the baby is in his captivity, and there's no indication that he intends to hurt the kid. While he does tell Sarah that he'll turn Toby into a goblin if she fails her quest, his surprisingly chummy relationship with his goblin subjects (combined with Expanded Universe material indicating that he wanted Toby to become his heir) keeps even that from coming across as a sinister threat.
Hoggle
Played by: Shari Weiser (body), Brian Henson (face and voice)
A grouchy dwarf who Sarah meets at the entrance of the labyrinth. She later steals his treasures and forces him to guide her on-and-off through the labyrinth. Being a self-aware Dirty Coward, he fears Jareth's wrath and follows the king's instructions, giving Sarah a peach which sends her into a dream trap. He later comes to her aid in the Goblin City battle, and is forgiven by Sarah.
- Accidental Misnaming: A Running Gag where Sarah and Jareth repeatedly get Hoggle's name wrong, although Sarah gets it right eventually.
- Adaptation Species Change: Called a dwarf in the movie but a gnome in the novelization.
- And You Were There: There's a Hoggle book-end in Sarah's bedroom.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Bushy ginger ones as opposed to his white hair.
- Blessed with Suck: The manga shows that he did get crowned prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench, and hates it.
- Cartoon Bug-Sprayer: Is using one to kill fairies when Sarah first meets him.
- Changed My Mind, Kid: The minute he realizes Jareth wants to hurt him for helping Sarah, he bails.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Jareth threatens to make Hoggle the Prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench should Sarah ever kiss him. She does. Return to Labyrinth shows Jareth kept his word and made Hoggle the bog's ruler.
- Cowardly Lion: A self-proclaimed coward, but when the chips are down, willing to (literally) tackle the Humongous to save Sarah.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Gets drunk in a tavern in an early script to forget betraying Sarah.
- Easily Forgiven: Sarah forgives him for betraying her. Justifiable, as she probably realizes he's powerless against Jareth.
- Frame Break: In the Marvel comic, his nose pokes over the bottom of the panel.
- Friendless Background: When Sarah calls him the F word, he says he's never been anyone's friend before.
- Heel–Face Turn: He starts out evil but then turns good.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Acts like a little cheat, coward, and trickster, and also kills fairies for fun, but is quite kind and friendly beneath his brusque outer demeanour.
- Lovable Traitor: Hoggle is caught between Sarah (who uses first Greed and then The Power of Friendship to influence him) and Jareth (who prefers the simple, straightforward method of scaring him.) So he's prone to switching sides.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He immediately regrets giving Sarah the peach.Sarah: Hoggle, what have you done?
Hoggle: Oh, damn you, Jareth! And damn me, too! - Nature Tinkling: When we first see him, he's peeing into a pond.
- When Toby first enters the Labyrinth in the manga, he finds a statue of Hoggle doing it.
- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Standard enough, as he's gruff but lovable, but has no beard.
- Our Gnomes Are Weirder: In the novelization, the goblin that tells Jareth that heroes are approaching the castle refers to Hoggle as a gnome. He says "dwarf" in the movie.
- People in Rubber Suits: He was played by a dwarf who could only see if Hoggle's mouth was open.
- Regretful Traitor: Only betrays Sarah because Jareth makes him.
- Reluctant Ruler: The manga shows that he actually became Prince of the Bog of Eternal Stench, and hates it.
- The Rival: Although he doesn't display any romantic interest in Sarah, Jareth still sees him as a threat. He even threatens to banish Hoggle to the Bog of Eternal Stench if Sarah gives him so much as one kiss.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Admits he's a coward and runs off when he hears Ludo's roars.
- The Smart Guy: Knows his way around the labyrinth.
- The So-Called Coward: Brands himself a coward, is easily terrified of things, fears Jareth, and often puts himself first, but discovers he is more of a Cowardly Lion during his time with Sarah.
- Super Drowning Skills: In the early script, Hoggle gets stuck in a pool of water but is unable to swim.
- Was Once a Man: At the end of Coronation when Jareth's joking about being an Unreliable Narrator, he says that the human baby in the story (heavily implied to be Jareth) might have grown up to become Hoggle.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: He's fine with ditching Sarah at a moment's notice, but when Jareth gives him the peach to drug Sarah with, Hoggle immediately asks what it does, asserting, "I won't do nothing to harm her!"
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In the novelization when he's top afraid to climb down the Bedsheet Ladder to escape the goblin house, he says he's a coward. Sarah tells him he isn't, and he agrees.
Ludo
Played by: Ron Mueck (puppetry and voice), Rob Mills (puppetry)
A Gentle Giant of a goblin, Ludo is saved by Sarah from some of Jareth's minions, and he becomes her companion. He is smarter than he looks, and can summon living rocks by shouting loudly.
- All Trolls Are Different: Septimus, the Night Troll that the Owl King sends after Maria in Coronation, looks similar to Ludo, implying he's a troll.
- Androcles' Lion: Sarah saves Ludo from some goblins, and he returns the favor by becoming her companion. He later saves her twice over with his ability to call upon rocks: first when the bridge over the Bog of Eternal Stench collapses, and second when their party proves outnumbered in the goblin city.
- And You Were There: There's a plush Ludo in Sarah's bedroom in the beginning.
- Bash Brothers: Becomes honourary brothers with Sir Didymus after defeating him in battle.
- The Big Guy: A Sasquatch-looking goblin and the muscle of Sarah's band.
- Caught in a Snare: Sarah finds him like this, being taunted by several goblins who attack him with little snapping naked molerat-like creatures attached to sticks.
- Dishing Out Dirt: With a loud roar, Ludo can summon an army of intelligent rocks, which he uses to hilariously take out the goblin army.
- Finger in a Barrel: Blocks a goblin cannon as it's about to fire with one of his boulders.
- Gentle Giant: He's the largest member in the group, but he's very kind and lovable.
- Hidden Depths: Comes off as just a big dumb guy, but reveals an elemental ability to summon rocks.
- Hulk Speak: Ludo refers to himself in the third person and, in general, only uses nouns and verbs.
- Make Some Noise: Can summon rocks as weapons by shouting loudly.
- Out of the Frying Pan: The Rock Solid Friendship prequel comic shows that he was chased into the Labyrinth by a group of Goblins trying to skin him for his fur.
- People in Rubber Suits: His two puppeteers took turns wearing him.
- Third-Person Person: Always refers to himself as Ludo.
- Undying Loyalty: To Sarah after she rescues him.
Sir Didymus and Ambrosius
Didymus played by: Dave Goelz/David Barclay (puppetry), David Shaughnessy (voice)
Ambrosius played by: Steve Whitmire/Kevin Clash (puppetry), Percy Edwards (voice)
Ambrosius played by: Steve Whitmire/Kevin Clash (puppetry), Percy Edwards (voice)
Sir Didymus is a small, furry, beast-like goblin who guards a Troll Bridge across the Bog of Eternal Stench. A chivalrous and honourable creature, Sir Didymus loves battle and is the most courageous goblin in the labyrinth. His "horse" is actually a sheepdog named Ambrosius who does not share his master's bravery.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Sir Didymus' fur goes from ginger to yellow in the Marvel Comics adaptation.
- And You Were There: There's a plush Sir Didymus in Sarah's room, and Ambrosius is the same breed as Sarah's dog Merlin at the start of the movie.
- Badass Adorable: Looks like a cross between a fox and a squirrel, is brave, chivalrous, and daring, and surrender is never an option.
- Berserk Button: Hearing two goblins talk about eating Sarah's brain in the novelization causes him to charge out of the house and attack them.
- Blood Knight: Loves fighting.
- Bring It: Sir Didymus' reaction to the goblin army when they have him surrounded.
- Cowardly Lion: His "steed" Ambrosius is a big chicken, and more prone to running away than following his master's commands.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Has a duel with Ludo when they meet and they fight to a draw. Afterwards, he calls Ludo a Worthy Opponent.
- Expy: His status as a diminutive furry chevalier makes him clearly similar to Reepicheep. In turn, Reepicheep's character design in 2008's Prince Caspian seems to take a lot from Didymus himself.
- Eyepatch of Power: Wears an eyepatch over his left eye.
- Furry Confusion: Sir Didymus, who looks like a fox or a dog, rides the normal dog Ambrosius.
- The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: Didymus yells "Hi ho Silver!" at one point.
- Heroic BSoD: When Sara asks permission for Ludo and herself to go over the bridge, this incredibly obvious loophole to his vow requires a few seconds' thought.
- Knight In Shining Armour: Acts chivalrous, and refers to Sarah as "Lady Sarah".
- The Lancer: Support to The Hero Sarah, though this is shared with Hoggle. He's like the knight to her LARP princess.
- Large Ham: He's a boisterous little fox-squirrel-thing with enough energy to take on an entire army of goblins, and the confidence in himself to match. He's prone to grand declarations of his bravery, and never admits defeat.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Willing to wake up the whole Goblin City to take on the army by himself. Sarah has to calm him down to stop him from getting them in trouble.
- Lord Error-Prone: Sir Didymus is always under the belief a fight is going his way, even if he is outnumbered or cornered.
- Man Bites Man: Bites Ludo's finger during their fight.
- Meaningful Name: Ambrosius is played by the same dog as Merlin, and gets his name from Merlin being called "Merlin Ambrosius" in Geoffrey of Monmouth and many subsequent Arthurian tales.
- Pint-Size Powerhouse: The smallest member of Sarah's party but certainly the most skillful combatant.
- Screeching Stop: Ambrosius does one when Sir Didymus threatens to never feed him again if he runs from the goblins.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Subverted. Sir Didymus says he can't let the gang across the bridge without his permission. Sarah comes up with a way to allow them to pass without breaking his rule.
- Troll Bridge: And none may cross it without Sir Didymus' permission!
- Undying Loyalty: Becomes this to Sarah, like a proper knight to their princess.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Uses Moulin as a sparring partner when giving Toby fencing lessons, but says he'd never raise his weapon against a lady under normal circumstances.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: He speaketh in ye olde English like thy medieval knights.
The Worm
Played by: Karen Prell (puppetry), Timothy Bateson (voice)
A cute tiny blue caterpillar who Sarah meets in the outskirts of the Labyrinth. He invites her into his tiny hole to meet his wife and have a cup of tea, but then directs her to a path through the labyrinth.
- Advice Backfire: He advises a lonely Hoggle to insult Humongous, incorrectly believing that he'll be cut in half and grow into two dwarves.
- Civilized Animal: Very kind and polite, wears a red scarf, is married, and invites Sarah in for tea, despite that she is presumably much bigger than his entire house.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A worm named The Worm.
- Dungeon Shop: He sells Sarah items in the Japan-only Famicom game.
- Happily Married: Implied to be, since he invites Sarah into his home to meet "the missus".
- Hydra Problem: The Archaia comics say that his wife grew from his tail after Humongous cut it off.
- Nice Guy: Is nothing but welcoming and generous to Sarah, offering her a spot of tea and a chat inside his home (which is admittedly a tiny hole in a stone wall, not that it stops him). He even gives her advice and warns her about which route to take (unfortunately warning her against taking a route straight to the Castle).
- Screw Yourself: The Hoggle and The Worm comic says that his wife grew from his tail that was cut off.
- Technicolor Eyes: His eyes are red instead of white, and he has pupils but no irises.
- You Can Talk?: Sarah reacts this way when the worm greets her.Worm: 'Ello.
Sarah: Did you say hello?
Worm: No, I says "'ello", but that's close enough.
The Wise Man
The Wise Man played by: Frank Oz (puppetry), Michael Hodern (voice)
The Hat played by: Dave Goelz (puppetry), David Shaughnessy (voice)
The Hat played by: Dave Goelz (puppetry), David Shaughnessy (voice)
An elderly goblin who is said to be the wisest person in the labyrinth. Unfortunately, it takes him a while to give his cryptic advice, and the Deadpan Snarker bird hat he wears isn't inclined to help. He then expects some sort of donation afterwards.
- Cool Old Guy: The wisest goblin in the labyrinth.
- Deadpan Snarker: The Bird Hat.Bird Hat: It's so stimulating, being your hat.
- Demoted to Extra: In the early script, he had more appearances throughout the movie.
- Eccentric Mentor: Falls between being a wise guide and a rambling, dithering old coot.
- Involuntary Charity Donation: The Wiseman's Bird Hat pulls this on visitors when he is done giving them advice.
The Four Guards
Played by: Steve Whitmire, Kevin Clash, Anthony Asbury, Dave Goelz (puppetry), Anthony Jackson, Douglas Blackwell, David Shaughnessy, Timothy Bateson (voices)
Two sets of identical twins who guard two doorways with large shields. They play a Knights and Knaves game with Sarah to pass through one of the doors.
- All There in the Manual: The guards' individual names are Alph, Ralph, Jim, and Tim.
- Can Not Tell A Lie: Two of the brothers always tell the truth, and the others always lie.
- Gate Guardian: Guard the doors to an inner section of the labyrinth.
- Genre Blind: Confused by their own riddle.
- Knights and Knaves: They play a Knights and Knaves game with Sarah to pass through one of the doors, though they find the game confusing themselves.
- Tag Team Twins: There are four of them, working together to challenge Sarah.
The Door Knockers
Right Knocker played by: Anthony Asbury (puppeteer), David Healy (voice)
Left Knocker played by: Dave Goelz (puppeteer), Robert Beatty (voice)
Left Knocker played by: Dave Goelz (puppeteer), Robert Beatty (voice)
A pair of animated door knockers who offer Sarah and Ludo a door to go through. The left door's knocker is deaf due to his knocker ring being in his ears, and the other one is unable to talk since his ring is in his mouth.
- Animate Inanimate Object: They're a pair of animated door knockers.
- Blessed with Suck: A non-power example. The two serve as door knockers to different parts of the labyrinth, and as such one is deaf, the other can't speak, and neither can properly communicate with each other.
- Disabled Snarker: They have their moments, though the right door's knocker is the main one.
- I Can't Hear You: One of the knockers can't hear the other one because his knocker covers his ears, and is quite grouchy as a result.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: One is deaf and the other can't speak properly, making their time together very irritating.
The Firey Gang
Firey #1 played by: Kevin Clash
Firey #2 played by: Karen Prell (puppetry), Charles Augins (voice)
Firey #3 played by: Dave Goelz (puppetry), Danny John-Jules (voice)
Firey #4 played by: Steve Whitmire (puppetry), Danny John-Jules (voice)
Firey #5 played by: Anthony Asbury (puppetry), Richard Bodkin (voice)
Firey #2 played by: Karen Prell (puppetry), Charles Augins (voice)
Firey #3 played by: Dave Goelz (puppetry), Danny John-Jules (voice)
Firey #4 played by: Steve Whitmire (puppetry), Danny John-Jules (voice)
Firey #5 played by: Anthony Asbury (puppetry), Richard Bodkin (voice)
A gang of strange fire-red monkey-like goblins who approach Sarah and break into a random musical number. They can use Abnormal Limb Rotation Range and removes their body parts, even their heads, without dying. Things turn a bit wrong when they try to rip off Sarah's head.
- Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: Able to remove their limbs, heads, and eyes and do just about anything with them without being harmed.
- And You Were There: There's a plush Firey in Sarah's bedroom in the beginning.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Just want to have fun and play games, but also want to rip off Sarah's head, believing she'll be like them.
- Detachment Combat: Not that they do any fighting.
- Failed Execution, No Sentence: In the manga, one leaves Jareth's dungeon and tells another that he got off lightly with a beheading, cue them both laughing.
- Finger-Snap Lighter: Can light their fingers by striking them like matches.
- Fire-Breathing Diner: When the goblins rebel near the end of the manga, the Fireys drink Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce in order to breathe fire.
- Fun Personified: The Firey Gang just want to have fun, though their freaky antics and wish to rip off Sarah's head chase her off.
- Head Turned Backwards: As per their bizarre physiology.
- Losing Your Head: They can take off their heads without dying.
- Obliviously Evil: They don’t seem to recognize that human limbs are not easily re-attachable like theirs, or that humans will die if their heads are removed from their bodies.
- Playing with Fire: They get their name from their ability to produce fire from their hands. They also ignite a campfire with their feet at the start of their song.
- Severed Head Sports: Play something like volleyball with theirs. It only becomes a problem when they try to remove Sarah's.
The Junk Lady
Played by: Karen Prell (puppetry), Denise Bryer (voice)
A strange elderly woman who visits Sarah in a replica of her bedroom, carrying a mountain of junk on her back. She attempts to fool Sarah into giving up on rescuing Toby, and seems to attempt to turn her into another Junk Lady by piling her toys on her. But Sarah realizes that It's All Junk and escapes the illusion.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, she acts like a nice, fuddy-duddy old lady, but she's really trying to brainwash Sarah and turn her into someone like her, lugging her possessions with her forever. She represents a rather clear attempt to keep Sarah from growing up and understanding what really matters.
- Department of Redundancy Department: In the manga, goblin tax collectors claim their junk solely to fund a waste disposal program run by Junk Ladies.
- Down in the Dumps: Lives in a vast junkyard on the outskirts of the Goblin City.
- Evil Matriarch: Tries to fool Sarah, and in Return to Labyrinth uses Moppet as a slave.
- It's All Junk: Inspires Sarah (unwittingly) to realize that Toby is more important than her toys.
- King Incognito: The early script revealed she was actually Jareth in disguise.
- Named by the Adaptation: The reference book The Goblins of Labyrinth calls her Agnes, but the manga calls her Magwitch.
- Rummage Sale Reject: In the literal sense.
- Super-Strength: According to The Goblins of Labyrinth, she can carry 70 times her own weight.
- Was Once a Man: Given that she's trying to turn Sarah into another Bag Lady, it's likely that she herself was originally human, or at least a normal goblin.
The Goblin Corps
Performed by: Jim Henson, Brian Henson, and a veritable corps of Muppet Performers
Voiced by: Michael Atwell, Sean Barrett, Timothy Bateson, Douglas Batewell, John Bluthal, Brian Henson, Anthony Jackson, Peter Marinker, Ron Mueck, Kerry Shale and David Shaughnessy
Voiced by: Michael Atwell, Sean Barrett, Timothy Bateson, Douglas Batewell, John Bluthal, Brian Henson, Anthony Jackson, Peter Marinker, Ron Mueck, Kerry Shale and David Shaughnessy
Jareth's army of goblins. Needless to say they're not very competent, but are vast in numbers. One uses a Humongous Mecha to guard the entrance to the Goblin City, fittingly named Humongous.
- Adorable Evil Minions: While they are more of the ugly-cute kind, they're still rather adorable little hellspawns.
- All There in the Manual: Brian Froud's The Goblins Of Labyrinth gives them all backstories.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: The aptly named Humongous wields a massive axe.
- Citadel City: Goblin City at the center of the Labyrinth.
- Disaster Dominoes: Three armored goblins jump out in front of Sarah and Hoggle, but a boulder hits one and he falls and knocks over the other two.
- Et Tu, Brute?: In the novelization, they confront Hoggle for leaving them and joining Sarah.
- Fastball Special: Their cannons launch cannonballs with goblins inside them.
- Forgetful Jones: The novelization says that Jareth has been in power as far back as they can remember, which is about four seconds.
- Frame Break: The Marvel comic has them standing looking at Sarah's panel when spying on her at the start, with one goblin having climbed it and biting the top corner.
- Coronation has them standing between the panels when spying on Albert.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: They're not very smart or competent, and one of them is seen sleeping on the job at one point.
- Humongous Mecha: The giant mecha is called Humongous.
- I Am a Humanitarian: In the novelization, two of them discuss eating Sarah's brain.
- Indy Escape: Ludo fills their city with rolling boulders that chase them all over the place.
- Laugh with Me!: Jareth has to use this several times with his minions.
- Mirror Monster: One of the goblins appears in a mirror briefly as Toby's being snatched.
- One-Word Vocabulary: All Humongous can say is, "Who goes?"
- Onrushing Army: On dinosaur things.
- Pie in the Face: Sarah splats a plate of food into the face of a goblin who puts his head through the window of the house they're hiding in.
- Race Lift: Are grey/green in the movie, but the Marvel comic gives them a more Caucasian look.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Ludo summons rocks to attack Goblin City, one goblin complains that he's had enough and is going to bed. He then goes into his house, followed by several of Ludo's rocks.
- Surrounded by Idiots: Poor Jareth.
- Surveillance Station Slacker: The guard meant to be protecting the entrance to the Goblin City is sleeping on the job. However, as soon as Sarah, Ludo and Sir Didymus sneak in, he wakes up and summons Humongous.
- Was Once a Man: The novelization gives the impression they were all originally human babies that Jareth kidnapped.
- Where's the Kaboom?: The living cannonballs and the cannon users are pretty rubbish. One cannonball even asks "I hit something, yes?" after getting harmlessly lodged into a wall.
- Zerg Rush: Mizumi says she doesn't try to conquer the Labyrinth by force because goblins far outnumber her forces.
Return to Labyrinth
Moppet
A mysterious girl, polite and passive, Moppet wears a mask to disguise herself as a goblin. She becomes Toby's best friend and adviser during the story. She was a slave for the Junk Lady, but was hired by Mayor Spittledrum as his servant. Over the course of the manga, she slowly recalls her Dark and Troubled Past.
- Ambiguously Human: She looks human, but she unconvincingly claims to be "90% goblin". It's later revealed that she is an ablation of Sarah made by Mizumi for Jareth.
- Can't Live Without You: If she or Sarah dies, then the other dies too.
- Cool Mask: She wears a mask with a pointy nose to pass off as a goblin.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It is revealed that she resembles Sarah, and is revealed to be an ablation made from Sarah's dreams. She was created by Mizumi to love Jareth, but she rejected him and was cast out into the junkyard with no memory.
- Dream Within a Dream: She gets trapped in Jareth's dream-trap.
- I Owe You My Life: Why Moppet works for Mayor Spittledrum.
- Identical Stranger: Identical to Sarah (except younger and blonde), which makes sense since she represents Sarah's dreams.
- The Lancer: She is Toby's main companion in the adventure.
- Literal Split Personality: She's made from Sarah's dreams.
- The Not-Love Interest: She is one of the main female characters Toby regularly interacts with. However, neither are interested in each other romantically. The fact that she’s an ablation of Toby’s sister helps keep matters platonic between them.
- The Reveal: She's an ablation of Sarah and was created to be Sarah's substitute.
- Stalker with a Crush: She has a crush on Candelwic and asks him to dance at the ball, although he lets her down gently.
Hana and Stank
Hana is a stroppy fairy whose wings have been plucked after stealing money from the Flegworts. Toby promises her that he will get her new wings. Hana is accompanied by Stank, a miniaturised Ludo who acts as her horse, but has disgusting hygiene.
- Bittersweet Ending: For Hana. When Toby is about to give her a present containing new wings, Stank eats it and sprouts wings. Hana just responds with a remark of "Close enough."
- Broken Bird: Subverted, as she becomes even more grumpy than she was when she had wings.
- House Fey: Similar to "The Elves and the Cobbler", Hana lived in the attic of a goblin shoe shop and made shoes for them at night. When the shop started making a profit, she wanted payment for her work. Not satisfied with the tiny shoes they made her, she raided the safe and had her wings torn off as punishment. As punishment for helping Toby, she was forced to be a servant at Jareth's ball.
- Meaningful Name: Hana is Japanese for "flower".
- Our Fairies Are Different: The fairies in the film were described as just being a little rude, but Hana is in a whole different league.
- Team Pet: Stank.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Hana lives unknown in the Flegworts' clothes shop, and helped fix their clothes (in a Shout-Out to the Elves and the Shoemaker). The Flegworts leave her some makeshift clothes as a thank you, but Hana is so angry at this that she steals their money and has her wings clipped in retribution.
Skub
A little goblin who steals Toby's homework, luring him into the labyrinth. By the powers of Deus ex Machina, he becomes the official chef for King Toby.
- Deus ex Machina: Spittledrum addresses the goblins looking for a new servant for Toby, Skub offers to be a cook. Spittledrum rejects him, only for a goblin to run up and say the royal cook exploded, and the remains of her apron's name have left the name "Skub." Skub gets the job.
- Lethal Chef: His attempt at making macaroni and cheese doesn't go over well, mainly because he lets Stank bathe in the cheese. Spittledrum also loathes the taste of the soup he makes for him while tending to his injuries.
- Missing Mom: She was a chef who got eaten at a feast after being mistaken for a dessert.
- The Un-Favourite: Part of his backstory is his father being disappointed in him for not living up to the standards met by his three older brothers.
Mayor Spittledrum
The mayor of Goblin City, Pangan Spittledrum has Moppet as a servant having bought her from the Junk Lady. Whilst seemingly incompetent, he wants what is best for his fellow goblins. He is flabbergasted when Toby is announced as the next Goblin King, but agrees to work with him mainly due to Toby correctly naming him, which Jareth failed to do.
- Accidental Misnaming: Jareth calls him the wrong names, like he did with Hoggle.
- Beleaguered Bureaucrat: It's pretty clear that Jareth spends most of his time lounging around and brooding, while Mayor What's-his-name has to deal with all the administrative and judicial details involved in running a kingdom full of crazy people. This thankless role has made Spittledrum a thoroughly sour goblin.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He treats Moppet like dirt, but he took her in from the beginning.
- "Kick Me" Prank: After ranting about how he won't let Toby tell him what to do and how he'll be respected, we then see he has a "Kick Me" sign on his back.
- Malaproper: While he's acting as judge at the goblin court, one of the officials present introduces himself as "the proctor". Confusing this with "proctologist", Spittledrum insists on an immediate medical opinion (complete with Censor Box.)
- Monster Town: He's a goblin mayor of a town where everyone is an Eccentric Townsfolk.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Rules are rules! Especially long, complicated ones that inconvenience everybody!
- Permanent Elected Official: He's never seen out of office.
- Ultimate Authority Mayor: The main source of authority in the labyrinth after Jareth.
Queen Mizumi
The Big Bad of the manga, Mizumi is the Queen of Cups, ruler of the Kingdom of Moraine bordering the Labyrinth, and had a thing with Jareth years ago that left her as a Woman Scorned. She wishes to conquer the labyrinth by manipulating Toby's actions. She has two daughters, Moulin and Drumlin, and has water-based powers. Mizumi's most unique talent is creating Literal Split Personality creatures called "ablations", which are simulacrums made from aspects of a person. note Whatever quality was used to make the ablation, the original loses that quality, and if one dies so does the other.
- Abusive Parents: Mizumi absorbs Drumlin for messing up her plans, locks Moulin away, and later kills her for betraying her.
- Can't Live Without You: She'd die if either of her daughters died because they're ablations, and vice versa.
- Dimensional Traveller: She and Jareth drifted from world to world before he built the Labyrinth.
- Expy: According to Jake T. Forbes, Mizumi was partly inspired by the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland and Xayide from The Neverending Story.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: She's a queen and is very evil.
- Home Field Advantage: When Moppet sees Toby's waterspout, Moulin says that Mizumi could probably create one in her own kingdom, implying she's stronger there.
- Lady of Black Magic: A powerful sorceress queen with water magic.
- Literal Split Personality: Mizumi's daughters are physical manifestations of Mizumi's emotions that she removed in an effort to get over Jareth; Moulin symbolizes Mizumi's regret and Drumlin symbolizes her hope.
- Magic Kiss: Kisses Toby to transfer power into him so he can rule the Labyrinth.
- Making a Splash: Most of her magic is water-themed.
- Meaningful Name: "Mizu" is Japanese for "water".
- Multiversal Conqueror: She and Jareth would sometimes conquer the worlds they travelled to.
- Offing the Offspring: She absorbs Drumlin, and kills Moulin (after Moulin has broken the link between them).
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Says that Moulin's life is only hers to take.
- Tarot Motifs: Queen of Cups. Which is equivalent to the Queen of Hearts in solitaire.
- Thinking Up Portals: Pours some water on the ground, making a Portal Pool that she steps into to find Jareth.
- Truly Single Parent: Her daughters are ablations she created from aspects of her personality.
- Water Is Womanly: The Queen of Cups and a water sorceress. She has an elegant demeanor and wears a regal, flowing dress befitting her royal station.
- We Can Rule Together: Persuades Toby to do this in order to save the Labyrinth.
- Woman Scorned: Mizumi loved Jareth, but was rejected by him. She later created an ablation named Moppet to replace Sarah, but she rejected Jareth's forceful love.
Moulin
One of Mizumi's daughters. Moulin is a gloomy Book Worm who says little. She is accompanied by a Personal Raincloud named Nimbus, which can manipulate water. When it is revealed that she is an ablation, representing Mizumi's regret, Moulin turns against her mother to aid Moppet.
- Can't Live Without You: If she dies, her mother will die. Until she causes Mizumi to feel regret on her own again, that is, which severs the link between them.
- Girlish Pigtails: She has pigtails.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: Has this kind of aesthetic. She's also quite the gothy downer most of the time; she has a Personal Raincloud, and her favorite read is a magic book that shows all the happy endings people will never have.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Her mother has set up spells to stop her killing herself. When she tries to stab herself, a watery barrier blocks the knife.
- Literal Split Personality: She's an ablation of her mother's regret.
- Making a Splash: She can manipulate water.
- Offing the Offspring: Mizumi absorbs Drumlin, and then kills Moulin for betraying her.
- Personal Raincloud: A living cloud named Nimbus, who is constantly producing rain. Moulin carries an umbrella to avoid getting soaked. Lampshaded by Hana.
Drumlin
Mizumi's other daughter. Drumlin is a fat girl with a more upbeat attitude than her gloomy sister Moulin. She can absorb the water her sister creates via Elemental Absorption, but gets larger everytime she does so, making her Blessed with Suck. She is really an ablation, symbolising Mizumi's hope. She is absorbed by her mother.
- Blessed with Suck: She can absorb the water her sister creates via Elemental Absorption, but gets larger everytime she does so.
- Elemental Absorption: She can absorb water.
- Girlish Pigtails: She has pigtails.
- Literal Split Personality: She's made from her mother's hope.
- Offing the Offspring: Drumlin is absorbed by Mizumi.
- Villainous Glutton: Obese and obssessed with food.
Labyrinth: Coronation
The Owl King
Jareth's predecessor as ruler of the Labyrinth.
- Animal Motifs: Owls, obviously.
- Arch Nemesis Dad: To Skubbin.
- The Bad Guy Wins: On a technicality. The Owl King gives Maria until the 13th hour to rescue her son. She fails to rescue him until after the clocks strike 13, but still prevents the Owl King from using her son to extend his life, leading to the Owl King's death.
- Crystal Ball: Uses one to spy on people, similar to Jareth. He traps the baby Jareth in a crystal ball before using Jareth to power his life-extending machine. Maria wills the crystal ball before its intended use, rendering it inert. It is implied this is the same crystal ball Jareth uses later on.
- Dark Lord on Life Support: Is dying, but still pretty powerful.
- Dimension Lord: Rules the Labyrinth.
- Fisher King: His Labyrinth looks drastically different to Jareth's, implying it changes to suit its ruler.
- This is confirmed, though the Labyrinth is not only affected by its ruler's will, but also by others who have a strong effect on it, like Maria.
- Funny Animal: Usually appears as an anthropomorphic owl.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Skubbin calls him out on making a show of hating goblins but actually fearing for their safety.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Though his later actions, such as trying to kill the heroes, show his true colors.
- Killed Off for Real: Fails to take Jareth's life force, and dissipates into nothing.
- Kneel Before Zod: When Maria asks for her baby back, he tells her to beg him again. She refuses to, but he tells her that all travellers bow to him before the end.
- Long-Lived: Is said to be ancient.
- Ominous Owl: He's pretty scary.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: The end of issue six implies that he's going to kill baby Jareth to prolong his own life.
- Predecessor Villain: Was the Goblin King before Jareth.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can appear as a human or an owl person.
Septimus
A night troll who works as the Owl King's assassin.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Though he was not a villain, Septimus is one to Ludo. Both are trolls who can easily tear through goblin forces. While Ludo was the Gentle Giant with a Dishing Out Dirt power, Septimus is more of the Professional Killer variety with Shadow Walker abilities.
- Disney Villain Death: A bizarre example. He is pushed by Skubbin, the Tangle, and Cible into a portal into the real world. The portal opens up very high in the middle of the ocean, directly over the ship Lord Tyton was escaping on. His fall not only destroys the ship and seemingly kills him, but also causes Tyton's death.
- Large and in Charge: Seems to be the largest of the Owl King's minions.
- Would Harm a Child: He is very much alright with harming or killing baby Jareth to make him stop crying.
Beetleglum
A goblin that Jareth assigned to watch baby Toby.
- Ambiguous Ending: Despite telling the majority of the story, he is actually unsure what ultimately happened to Maria and how Jareth became the Goblin King. His version of events ends with Maria and baby Jareth seemingly returning to the real world, with an adult Jareth returning later on. Jareth gives him several optional endings in a Mind Screw, without revealing Maria is still in the Labyrinth and happy.
- Accidental Misnaming: In true Hoggle fashion, Jareth calls him everything under the sun except his actual name.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Though battered by Jareth rather than the baby.
- Long-Lived: Was working in both the 18th century and the 1980s. and keep in mind that time passes faster in the Labyrinth.
- Noodle Incident: When Jareth says he knows what he's thinking, Beetleglum explains that the toilets were overflowing and the kitchen was running out of wine, but Jareth cuts him off, saying he was talking to Toby.
- Remember the New Guy?: Was apparently looking after Toby during the events of the movie.
- Servile Snarker: Seems scared of Jareth, but calls him out when he's being an Unreliable Narrator.
Maria
Jareth's mother.
- Action Mom: Braves the Labyrinth to rescue her baby.
- Bedsheet Ladder: Makes one to escape her cell on the trawler, but then finds out Skubbin has a Skeleton Key.
- Determinator: After she loses her baby, a narrating Jareth says she'd never give up.
- Enter Stage Window: Has to climb through the window after Albert puts a guard at the door of their house.
- Foil: To Sarah. While Sarah decides to not completely live in a fantasy world and to return to the real world with the people who love her, Maria does not have that option. With her husband dead, she would become destitute, and is shown a vision of them living on the streets, with Jareth being taken away to become just like his father. She decides to live in the Labyrinth, happy with the fantasy life provided by Jareth, getting to live with a clockwork version of her husband.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Beetleglum says she's otherwise very intelligent but must be this trope for liking Albert.
- I Choose to Stay: The final issue reveals that after defeating the Owl King and saving her son, she stays in the Labyrinth for the next 300 years with her son and clockwork husband, preferring the fantasy life over her real one.
- Read the Freaking Manual: The Owl King explains that before she starts her quest, she should use her high vantage point to try to memorize the Labyrinth, but realizes she's already run ahead into the maze.
- Remember the New Guy?: Maria is implied to have been present during the fancy dress & masks ball when Sarah was there. Later, she asks Jareth if Sarah decided to stay or return home.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When the Owl King explains the rules of the Labyrinth, Maria tells him he talks a lot and asks where her son is.
- Woman Scorned: Vows revenge to Jareth's father when he leaves them.
- Wowing Cthulhu: Jareth isn't sure why the Owl King gave her a chance to get her son back, but suspects he was impressed by her stoic dignity.
- Your Mind Makes It Real: Uses a piece of chalk as a Magic Tool, such as drawing doors and using it as a weapon. After the chalk breaks, she realizes the magic was coming from her, not the chalk itself. She uses other items to fight, such as her tears to make swords to combat the Owl King.
Lord Albert Tyton
Jareth's father.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Excuses himself to fetch some wine during an argument with Maria.
- Lantern Jaw of Justice: Having the "jaw of an emperor" is one of the reasons the goblins want him.
- Parental Abandonment: Wants to stick baby Jareth in an orphanage.
- Killed Off for Real: Killed when Septimus, after being pushed into a portal, falls onto the ship he was escaping on, causing it to sink and killing them both.
- Refused the Call: The goblins intended him as a replacement king, but he told them to take his son instead.
- That Was Not a Dream: He mistakes his visions of goblins for fever dreams.
- Unusual Eyebrows: The Fiery variant is one of the reasons the goblins like him.
Skubbin
Sir Skubbin, knight of the Order of Garderobe.
- Conveniently Cellmates: Is thrown into the same cell on the same trawler that Maria is in.
- Cursed with Awesome: Says his noble heart is the foulest and most shameful curse a goblin can carry.
- Fail O Suckyname: Maria points out that Garderobe means bathroom.
- Gentleman Thief: A well-spoken knight who rescues Maria from being eaten so he can steal her chalk.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Is too nice to be a proper thief.
- Monster Knight: A goblin knight.
- Reluctant Ruler: Is revealed to be the Owl King's son who ran away because he didn't want to be king.
- Skeleton Key: Has one in his outlaw beginner's kit.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: At some point after defeating his father, Skubbin becomes a legendary bandit in the Howling Wastes outside the Labyrinth.
The Tangle
A sentient rose bush infested with goblin flies. He/she/it likes to give hugs.
- Ambiguous Gender: Since the Tangle is a sentient rose bush, its gender is impossible to determine. Maria calls it a "she", Skubbin calls it a "he". Everyone else calls the Tangle he, she, or it, depending on the circumstance.
- Desperately Craves Affection: In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, a royal decree commands the goblin flies to hug the Tangle once per hour, finally giving the Tangle the hugs it craves.
- Cuddle Bug: Constantly gives out hugs to everyone it likes. Unfortunately, roses have thorns.
- The Hedgeof Thorns: A literal sentient version of this.
- Mind Virus: Suffers from a variation of this due to goblin flies, resulting in Memory Loss. It can't remember where it came from or where it is going.
Cible, aka Bunderghast the Invincible
A worm that wants to stop the Owl King.
- Basement-Dweller: Still lives with her parents.
- Distaff Counterpart: Is basically a female version of the Worm.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: He wants her to give up on overthrowing the Owl King and focus on getting a job.
- Friendless Background: Maria is apparently her first friend.
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: "Cible" is short for her full name of Bunderghast the Invincible.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: After saving the Labyrinth and becoming a legend, Cible receives a large statue in her honor and retires to a life of anonymity, deciding it might be best to live a quiet life.
- You Can Talk?: Recycles the joke from the movie, but replaces "Hello" and "'Ello" with "Good day" and "g'day".
