Ginger in the pilot episode
Ginger Foutley (voiced by Melissa Disney) is the main character and main protagonist of As Told By Ginger. She desperately wants to be noticed, but doesn't like being looked at. She is both repulsed and obsessed with the social structure that dictates her life at Lucky Junior High. Ginger has always secretly wished for a shot at total and extreme popularity, but when her prayers are answered, she finds herself paralyzed with uncertainty. Still, her excellent writing skills and willingness to fight for what she believes to be right has made Ginger stand out from the crowd, as she successfully tries to balance her schoolwork and loyalty to her friends and family with her growing rise in the ranks of the Lucky Junior High social scene.
History[]
Ginger wasn’t considered "popular" until Courtney Gripling, the stereotypical "school diva", decided to befriend her. Through Ginger, Courtney is able to view how the world works outside of the popular clique. However, Courtney's "right-hand woman", Miranda Killgallen, becomes increasingly jealous of Courtney and Ginger's relationship, and stops at nothing to relegate Ginger to her previous role of geek. Aside from Courtney, Ginger has a group of loyal friends, Dodie Bishop and Macie Lightfoot, who are nearly always ready to back her up.
At home, Ginger's mother Lois, single mom and nurse, attempts to give Ginger advice for the majority of her situations, but, as Ginger is often too embarrassed to listen to her mother's reasoning, she ends up learning from her own mistakes much of the time. Ginger's younger brother, Carl (Jeannie Elias), often attempts to use Ginger as a "guinea pig" for his experiments and twisted schemes. However, he has tried this so much that Ginger can usually tell that he is up to something, and refuses to comply. Early on in the series, Ginger did not know much about her father, who left the family shortly after Carl was born. In “Hello Stranger” she invited him to her poetry reading at school. Although he did not respond to the invitation, Ginger was convinced he would show anyway, and thus, was devastated when he didn't. In “An "Even Steven" Holiday Special”, Jonas returns to the family briefly after seeing Carl when playing Santa Claus on the street. Though never having officially found his way back into the family, Jonas became more of an installation in the show, appearing at various intervals to give Ginger fatherly advice.
Ginger is portrayed as excelling academically. A self-described "science geek", and frequent "kiss-up" to her chemistry teacher, Mr. Cilia, Ginger is also a very talented writer, particularly gifted at writing poetry. In “The "A" Ticket”, her crush, Ian Richton, was paired up with her as a lab partner, but used her to get an A so he could stay on the soccer team, much to Ginger's chagrin. Ginger is a favorite of her English teacher, Ms. Zorski, because of her talent for writing. Ginger once wrote a poem entitled “And She Was Gone” (in the episode “And She Was Gone”), to Ms. Zorski's concern, who subsequently sent Ginger to the school counselor. Her talent for writing is expounded on in the series finale, when we are shown that Ginger has become a successful author later in life. She was also elected to the student council.
Ginger's love life wasn’t terribly successful throughout the course of the show. Initially, she harbored a crush on Ian Richton, which ended when she discovered he was only using her to get an A in chemistry. Her relationship with good friend and neighbor Darren Patterson (Kenny Blank) was incredibly tumultuous and underwent much change during the series. In “Dare I, Darren?” Ginger began to look at Darren in a more romantic light following Miranda's suggestion that they (Ginger and Darren) would make a good couple. Later on, in the episode “Never Can Say Goodbye”, she develops a physical attraction to Darren after he gets his headgear removed. Despite attempts to deny these newfound feelings, Ginger becomes incredibly jealous when Darren and Miranda begin to date. Finally, in “Far From Home” (Part 3), Ginger and Darren become an official couple. However, when they reach high school, Darren cheats on Ginger, leaving her heartbroken. She then finds comfort in a new friend, Orion. She and Orion never have an official relationship, but more of a flirtatious friendship. However, in the series finale, “The Wedding Frame” (Part 3), Ginger "takes the leap" and is shown with Orion at her mother's wedding.
However, at the end of the episode, when Ginger's future is shown, she‘s not only wearing a wedding ring, but is shown with Darren, who’s holding a baby that looks rather like Ginger. Another notable relationship that Ginger has had is with Sasha, a boy she met at camp. She left camp on good terms with Sasha, but when she visited him at his school in “Ginger's Solo”, he tells her he has a girlfriend.
Personality[]
Ginger is a very nice girl and will always be there for her friends. However, she never puts up with anyone's nonsense for too long, if at all. Whenever Dodie becomes over emotional or insensitive, Ginger will call her out on it. When Coach Candace tried to leave Dodie off the cheerleading squad, Ginger confronted her and said she was wrong to do that. In “Driven to Extremes”, she stood up to Mrs. Grimley and didn't back down. So, while Ginger is a kind hearted person, she’ll stand her ground when the situation calls for it.
One key personality trait of Ginger's is that she is shown having difficulties "accepting and/or letting go" of certain situations that she feels she either has no control over or feels doesn't need to change; such as when she was graduating from middle school to high school since she, Dodie, and Macie wouldn't have the exact same class schedule and therefore not be together as much as usual. Another time this was seen was with the changes that came with her mother getting re-married and the family moving into a new house; something she voiced to Carl as she feared Lois and Dave may break up and they would not have their house to return to. These feelings are implied to stem from the divorce between her parents and possibly setting into her mind that nothing is permanent unless she somehow makes it that way in a possible attempt to not experience the pain of separation like when her parents divorced.
Her desire to have things stay the same can often clash with others wanting to try new things. Best seen when they move into high school and she and Darren begin dating which cut into her regular time with her friends but she was rather oblivious to this until Courtney revealed their devious plan. Other instances this was seen was in Fair to Cloudy when the girls were planning their yearly tradition of going to a fair but Ginger wanted to invite Daren without the girls permission. While she saw nothing wrong with this, she immediately became upset when Dodie invited Courtney to the fair with them as revenge. The second instance was in A Lesson in Tightropes where she was very well aware that she and Daren were drifting apart but refused to accept their relationship was ending to the point of denial and willingness to force herself to become more interested in his activities until Daren forced her to see the truth of their relationship. The pain she suffered from Daren wanting to date someone else greatly affected her forming a relationship with Orion until her mother was able to help her understand that she can't hang onto the past forever as it could delay anything wonderful from taking place in the future.
Academic wise, Ginger is a very bright girl with her two best subjects being English and Chemistry. Her love of writing allows her to easily excel in English class and she even got a poem published during a contest in And She Was Gone. In The 'A' Ticket, Ginger is labeled as a science whiz by many of her classmates despite her own denial of this. During the episode, she walks Ian through the lessons successfully and easily until learning his real motives and makes him see how lost he is without her.
At home, Ginger is the typical responsible oldest child her mother can count on while also having to keep an eye on her younger brother. Like many older siblings, Ginger can be worried about Carl's wild antics embarrassing her or making a mess she will have to fix. Despite this, she does care about him and will sometimes defend him against others, such as Joann Bishop in Lunatic Lake.
Appearance[]
Ginger's most notable feature is her curly red hair that compliments her name. Otherwise, she’s a fair-skinned girl of average height. Her face resembles her father, except for her pink lips. Clothing wise Ginger seems to prefer a t-shirt and pants approach although she has been shown to wear skirts and dresses for special occasions. One of her trademark accessories is a matching pair of hair barrettes she often wears during middle school but stopped wearing them in high school.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Lois Foutley: Ginger's mother. Ginger greatly loves and respects her mother but, as a typical young girl, Ginger occasionally tries to get around some of her mother's rules or will hide certain things for as long as possible. Because of their close relationship, Ginger will go to her mother when she is facing a difficult situation.
Carl Foutley: Ginger's younger brother. Despite the fact that Carl often grosses her out, she genuinely cares about him and will defend Carl against anyone who treats him unfairly.
Jonas Foutley: Ginger's mostly absent father. In the early episodes Ginger keenly feels her father's absence and nourished some hope that her parents could be reconciled. Later when Jonas appears more often, Ginger will seek him out for talks and advice.
Dr. David Dave: Ginger's stepfather. Ginger welcomes Dave in the Foutley family without any problem and is glad her mom found love again.
Friends[]
Dodie Bishop: One of Ginger's two best friends since second grade. They have a strong bond that, though sometimes strained due to changes and bouts of jealousy, and Dodie often trying to have things done her way. Despite this, Ginger does care for Dodie immensely and will usually help her however she can but will not hesitate to voice when she feels Dodie is getting out of control for her own selfish reasons.
Macie Lightfoot: Ginger's other best friend since second grade. Often the voice of reason, she looks out for her two friends and questions some of Ginger and Dodie's ideas. At the same time, Ginger looks out for Macie since she can be weak-willed at times and try to help her overcome some of her many fears.
Courtney Gripling: The popular rich girl with whom Ginger becomes friends with in Jr. High. Just as Ginger (and her friends) are in awe of Courtney's popularity and riches, Courtney is intrigued by Ginger's lifestyle, or Gingerisms as she called it once. However, unlike most others, Ginger does not fawn over Courtney and is not afraid to stand up to her when needed.
Teachers[]
Ms. Zorski: Easily Ginger's favorite teacher in Jr. High school. Ms. Zorski recognizes Ginger's talents and urges her to develop those skills. Even after graduating Jr. High, Ms. Zorski visits Ginger in the hospital and Ginger continued to see her as a source of inspiration to grow.
Mrs. Gordon: Ginger's teacher in elementary school. Gordon was very fond of Ginger and tells Carl so when he‘s in trouble again.
Mr. Cilia: She’s one of his favorite students. He loves having her as a student and is proud of her when she does well. Ginger in turn is often excited to have him as a teacher and take his class as she appears to it on an equal level with English class.
Mr. Gardner: She developed a crush on him in “Next Question”. She interrupted in Quiz Bowl to ask him and ends up humiliating herself. She saw him in the hallway the next day and all was well.
Romance[]
Ian Richton: Ginger's first crush since third grade that lasts till jr. high. In the pilot episode, Ian kisses Ginger's cheek, but in the series they never made any real romantic moves, except maybe Ian giving Ginger his jacket, or Ginger grabbing his hand during a movie. Many times he would pass by or speak to Ginger, she would usually turn into a stuttering mess and watch him fondly. Sometime before entering high school, Ginger appears to be over her crush on him.
Sasha: Ginger's summer love during Camp Caprice. Seeing a summer romance with him, it did not take long for Ginger to fall for Sasha. They got along extremely well until he overheard Courtney telling others that Ginger was already dating and he felt Ginger was leading him on. While Ginger tried to explain the truth to Sasha, he was too stubborn to listen but they appeared to clear things up at the end of camp. Unfortunately, the trouble would not end here as Sasha was later revealed to have gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend but was too scared to tell Ginger until she visited his school during a band competition. When they returned to summer camp, Ginger appeared interested in re-sparking their previous summer romance only for Sasha to point out that he wasn't interested since he was still with clover.
Jake: A cool high school student Ginger meets in the episode "Fast Reputation". A rumor spreads that she and Jake made out during a high school party Ginger and her friends 'crashed'. Although she at first was interested in people thinking they were together, she quickly saw how it was damaging to her reputation and later learned he was dating another girl.
Joaquin Cortez: A handsome transfer student that many girls quickly fell for. Knowing that Dodie had a crush on Joaquin, Ginger did her best to push down her own emotions for him but was unable to when they were paired as the leads in a school play and shared a kiss on stage. The two would later admit they did like each other and would be interested in dating but Ginger chose to step back in order to save her friendship with Dodie.
Fred: A seemingly older student at Avalanche Arts Academy who is interested in Ginger. They appeared to grow rather close during her time at the academy and there did appear to be romantic interest on both sides. While nothing happened when Ginger was still at the school, a fake call to Fred from Dodie gave the impression that Fred may not be completely over his feelings for her.
Darren Patterson: Ginger's best friend and first true boyfriend. They start dating after Ginger was accepted at Avalanche Arts Academy for a semester until somewhere in their freshman year in high school. They withstood an attempt to break them apart by Miranda, Mipsy, Dodie, and Macie, and start high school with the resolve to stay together. However, they drift apart and when Darren develops feelings for head cheerleader Simone, he breaks up with Ginger, causing her great distress. Some time in the future, Ginger and Darren got back together, eventually married, and had a child.
Orion: Ginger's second relationship. They meet during a Saturday detention where Orion helps her escape. Orion is impressed with Ginger's lyrics writing and asks her to join his band. They grow closer after Ginger's break up with Darren but she was shown to have trouble fully committing to the relationship due to the heartache of breaking-up with Darren. It wasn't until the night before the wedding that she realized she can't live in fear and finally began a relationship with Orion. Sometime after this, they broke up.
Others[]
Hoodsey Bishop: Carl's best friend. He and Ginger don't converse that much, but she defended him against Courtney after his bed wetting accident. They are quite civil with each other and appear to have a sibling like relationship.
Will Patterson: Darren's older brother. Ginger and Will are on good terms but she occasionally is at the end of his jests alongside Darren. However, she is able to depend on Will when truly needed.
Laetitia Bowers: A goth transfer student who has trouble fitting in. After hearing some disturbing and ungrounded rumors, Ginger is determined to help her fitting in by throwing a party at Laetitia's (funeral) home.
Miranda Killgallen: Courtney's best friend who hates Ginger as she sees her as threat to her friendship with Courtney and her crush on Ian Richton. Ginger is often Miranda's primary target for random pranks but Ginger usually doesn't take Miranda too seriously which only makes Miranda angrier. Knowing how vicious Miranda can be, Ginger is still cautious around her and tries not to give Miranda any reason to target her. If Ginger is targeted, she usually finds a way to turn the tables and expose Miranda.
Melissa "Mipsy" Mipson: A sidekick of Courtney and Miranda. While they don't have much direct interaction, Ginger knows to be wary of Mipsy as she knows the popular girl can be troublesome.
Buzz Harris: Ginger potentially saw Buzz as a love interest for her mother and had tried to get them together. However, Buzz and his three sons would quickly get on her nerves with how they would always outvote the girls and take charge of things in chaotic fashion. To Ginger's relief, Buzz and his kids would not stick around.
Trivia[]
- In the promo, Ginger was supposed to look like her mother.
- As been revealed in “Kiss and Make-up”, Ginger keeps having her eyes closed in every school picture.
- Ginger discovered she’s one-quarter Jewish.
- Ginger is a symbol of how girls should be acting today; just enjoy life, be yourself and be happy for what you have been given, since the day you were born.
- In the promo Ginger's room color is supposed to be the same color as Dodie.
- Ginger, along with Dodie, Lois, Carl, and Hoodsey are the only five characters, whom appeared in all sixty episodes of the series.
- Ginger and Dodie are the only two in the three friend group who have a brother and a jealousy streak.
- Before “The Wedding Frame”, Ginger was the only one in her group of friends who wasn’t rich.
- Ginger has attracted more boys than the other girls in the series.
- In the high school episodes, Ginger is seen wearing some of her outfits from her time at Lucky Junior High.
- Ginger along with Dodie and Macie are fans of Pony Girl, which is a parody of My Little Pony.
- Ginger sang two songs that involved with her breakup with Darren.
- Ginger is so far the only one in her group of friends to develop breasts.
- However, Dodie and Macie are seen with them in the final episode “The Wedding Frame.”
- Good karma had finally come to Ginger and her family. They’re now rich and now living in the same gated community where Courtney and her family used to live.
- Ginger has about 63 or 64 outfits in the series, making Ginger having the most amount of outfits that a Nicktoon character can possibly have.
- The reason Ginger was supposed to look like her mother was of her hair being closely resembles of her own mother's hair.
- Ginger is featured as a master model in the console version of Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots.
- In “Hello Stranger” it’s revealed that Ginger’s favorite flowers are sunflowers.
Cultural References[]
- Ginger was the inspiration for Gwen from the Total Drama series as both characters share many similarities.
- Many fans believed Ginger's break up with Darren is one of the saddest break ups in animation, along with Usagi's break up from Sailor Moon and Sharon's break up from Braceface.
- Ginger also shares a similar family life with: Sharon Spitz from Braceface and Pepper Ann from Disney's Pepper Ann.
- Ginger is the first Nickelodeon animated lead female to have her boyfriend breaking up with her. The second lead female is Korra.
- Ginger is one of the five Nickelodeon lead character to have fallen in love, married and having children with their spouse that they knew from childhood or if they’re new to the neighborhood, the other three are: Arnold, Aang and Manny.
- Arnold marries Helga.
- Aang marries Katara.
- Manny marries Frida.
- Ginger is the third Nickelodeon lead character to have gotten appendicitis; the first being Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life and the second being Eliza from The Wild Thornberrys.
Gallery[]
