The Missed Potential of Trixie Tang...

[@bliponthe]

It’s such a shame that not only Trixie but most of the characters here have become more and more misunderstood throughout the show’s run time. They had so much potential to be funny, charismatic, and most importantly have actual depths to them

[@kootunesscrewy]

Tbh, even though Trixie isn't the best character from the show and was just considered a cool one, at least I appreciate her personality more than any other cartoon bully and bratty character has ever tried. (Also, yeah. Since season 3, the show's quailty started to shift more towards characters shouting with alot of wacky H-B/WB sound effects, which the characters started to slowly lack their personalities. Yeah, the series was still doing pretty great until Season 8, but I already noticed this happened before that season.)

[@ingloriousMachina]

Yeah Chester and AJ were just fazed out of existence.

[@kylemorello4787]

Ikr? In fact, MOST of Timmy's possible love interests started out with potential. He already said everything that could be said about Trixie, but let's talk about her polar opposite, Tootie. When she was introduced, yes she was a simp for Timmy, but you still sympathized with her because: 1. Her intro showed that, being Vicky's sister, she's an even bigger victim of her cruelty, and had parents who enabled it out of fear. Also, we didn't usually see her with friends, so you could see her as just as unpopular as him, making her seem as just as miserable as her crush. 2. For all of her creepiness, you can tell that, when she knows Timmy needs someone by his side, she does want to support him. Like when she defended him against Francis in Kung Fu Timmy. Or when she complimented him destroying Vicky's room in Home Breakers. And, of course, in Channel Chasers when she learns about Timmy running away because of a fight he had with his parents about Vicky, and pretends to be a deep cover agent to tell them about Vicky's true nature. 3. She's ten. She's only obsessing over Timmy because she doesn't know any better. You get a sense that if Timmy would just tell Tootie that if she's willing to start off as just friends, they might have a future when they get older. And even Veronica got a few episodes that made her seem more than a one dimensional popular girl. Both Information Super Highway and Mind Over Magic reveal some things about her, like how she's secretly attracted to Timmy, or how she envies Trixie and is insecure about herself. These character traits helped all three of these gain a fanbase who want to see them get with Timmy, and make various fanfics and comics that go all the way with the potential development the show failed to deliver.

[@watchforever1724]

@@kylemorello4787I sadly the girls timmy liked never did anything at the end of in the show sadly because that was rarely for fairlyodd parents focus because we focus too much on timmy

[@GeteMachine]

For a show going on for so long, it sucks that most of the side characters arent really fleshed out at all other than Chester and Mr. Crocker.

[@gray4robot]

One thing to also add in regards to the "dead frog" moment from AJ. When AJ presented it, Timmy, a boy, thought it was gross. While Trixie, a girl, thought it was cool. That moment really stuck with me.

[@nathanseper8738]

A great example of how nuanced people are. You can be a girl and think gross things are cool, and be a boy and hate gross stuff.

[@tarniabook3076]

As a girl who pointed at dead animals on the ground with a smile and saying things like "Cool!" ever since I was a kid, it's pretty relatable.

[@nathanseper8738]

@@tarniabook3076 Thank you for such a pleasant childhood memory.

[@Numbuh900]

Although I can't blame Trixie for going nuts in "just the two of us" if everyone on earth just disappeared and you and a random kid were the only ones left you'd go crazy too

[@nicholassims9837]

I don't know neither Homer or Mandy went crazy when they thought they were alone .

[@bookworm4133]

​@@nicholassims9837i think Trixie's own hang-ups play a part in her spiral into madness. She obviously cares a lot about external validation, so when everyone is gone, she can only receive that validation from Timmy. Which leads to her obsession with him.

[@alicianelson1252]

Yeah but it’s played up like lol women be crazy

[@karentorresalfaro3371]

​@@nicholassims9837but the question is, any of them knew why it happened and that it could be reversed? Because Trixie knew non of that, she just saw people vanish in front of her eyes and was powerless, she could do nothing regarding the situation and the only other person was this kid that obviously liked her because of her image because he didn't really knew her that much.

[@nicholassims9837]

@@karentorresalfaro3371 did that still justify was going crazy and trying to kill him ?

[@yaniyaknow5192]

Its unfortunate that every popular kid in a children's show usually gets roped into the villainous role and if they dont theyre given a sad backstory to explain their behaviour instead of the most common stigma of kids simply wanting to be popular and not be bullied. Growing up everyone wants to be popular. And once they do the pressure to stay popular usually leads to them doing things that they would never think of doing normally. Its a shame that these characters arent ever shown to have normal insecurities and home lives.

[@nicholassims9837]

Butch last and arguable his weakest Show Bunsen is a Beast made a popular girl who was nicer than Trixie Sophie Sanders is based on FOP's Trixie Tang. They're both very popular girls on to which the main protagonist has a crush on, but while Trixie is an Alpha Bitch (particularly in the later seasons, as she was more of a Lovable Alpha Bitch early on) who considers Timmy an Abhorrent Admirer, Sophie is a sweetheart who doesn't have a mean bone in her body and is just Oblivious to Love before becoming Mikey's actual girlfriend

[@Surgemaster2012]

What I find most disappointing how Trixie's missed potential is how they set her up as your token popular girl, but they also played with this trope by dropping breadcrumbs that there might be something she's compensating for. After all, in her first episode she goes back to tell Timmy how sweet it was for defending his friends, indicating that her being "Miss Popular" is just her way of being "in with the crowd" as she seemingly could like Timmy. Even though she mispronounces his name she still acknowledged him. This was further expanded with The Boy Who Would Be Queen, where Trixie's popular persona is just what she hides behind to avoid negative attention. Even in the internet episode when Timmy alters Veronica's letter Trixie just asks "Why do you"? She wasn't really disgusted or anything. Then comes the "Just the Two of Us" episode and it completely ruins her character, she only used attention to hide her real feelings about things, but this episode basically makes it to where she can't function as a human being unless someone is telling her how good she looks. I also remember Wanda being pretty annoying in that episode too. For me, the best example of a popular girl character done right in animated television shows is Courtney Grippling from As Told By Ginger, where instead of hating the unpopular kid, she has a fascination with wanting to understand the other side, in her own completely sheltered and not well-informed way. She completely adverts all the annoying cliches of it, while actually being the trope herself. She was also a WAY better friend to Ginger than her actual "best friend" Grodie Bishop. Easily one of the worst best friends in animation next to Dijonay Jones from Proud Family.

[@nicholassims9837]

@@Surgemaster2012 I heard Courtney was planed to be a lesbian but Nick could do that

[@kootunesscrewy]

​​@@Surgemaster2012 Tbh... I never cared about Veronica. I liked her in the early appearances, but after a while, she became more like that annoying bracelet from BFDI.

[@GeteMachine]

There are definitely a lot of aspects of the show that could have been rewritten to be a bit more relatable, even for were it kind of was but dropped the ball on.

[@jazzminrice]

I always had wished as a kid that Trixie could be apart of the main friend group after that gender swap episode at least in secret but I get they had to keep the status quo It annoying how they changed her into just an annoying trope

[@shadywiskerz]

It’s funny because they added all these new characters instead of utilizing the characters they already had

[@gracekim1998]

I honestly agree. I think if they had done that I would have watched longer

[@gracekim1998]

@@shadywiskerz that's partly Nickelodeon's fact and the writers for given into that preassure

[@lethalinjection145]

Hartman created Chloe to try to appeal the show to girls instead of...developing the female characters he had already established.

[@atomic747]

Like many shows in their sequels for long running seasons. it pretty sad.

[@antyep]

and Disney

[@watchforever1724]

@@atomic747yeah

[@GeteMachine]

They ironically made a female character annoying and unlikable while ignoring a female character most people already liked and was balanced and believable from Trixie, who is also absent in the FOP live action movies for a different Mary-Sue they turned Tootie into (who was just Danielle Monet playing herself.)

[@limelantern5637]

It's weird that Trixie lost it because there was no one to pay attention to her and not... suddenly being isolated because everyone on earth except for some kid from school suddenly control alt deleted? I would kind of be interested in a story where Timmy made the same selfish wish and Trixie was like "holy shit, where are my friends and family, what are we going to do? are we going to be alone forever? Did aliens take them? oh fuck!" instead of... you know... "tell me I'm pretty" and Timmy realized that Trixie is a person with human needs and not just a dream girlfriend.

[@noctisastrum7495]

I think the "Tell me im pretty" could also work if they played it a bit more maturely, like maybe the reason why trixie is so dependent and obsessed on getting others' attention is because her parents barely spend with and just do the bare minimum and throw money at her. So it could be a reason why trixie wants to maintain her popularity status cause she's never going to get that level of attention at home.

[@darlingkorexo]

My headcanon is that that is actually the case but she wanted him to tell her she’s pretty and pay attention to only her to try to distract herself from everyone being just gone. She doesn’t wanna face the negative feelings yk? But ends up spiralling anyway- In short she is trying really hard to cope but ends up spiralling

[@antyep]

@@noctisastrum7495they kinda gave that notion to Buaxplenty or how you spell that name. Which in hindsight we kinda didn’t need a character like him if Trixie was like that. Shame

[@uanime1]

Timmy did wish that Trixie didn't find it weird that everyone was gone. A differently worded wish could have explained why she went nuts; such as Timmy wishing Trixie would only pay attention to him, resulting in her constantly wanting him to acknowledge her.

[@bituinl]

Woah she’s like 10 she shouldn’t be swearing 🫢

[@freddy3715]

The stranglehold that genderswap episode has on so many trans people is insane. Great video as always!

[@mybodyisamachine]

The idea that men can be feminine and women can be masculine is not related to being transgender, if not actually contradictory to it

[@darthfastball1150]

⁠@@mybodyisamachineit isn’t just that men can be feminine or vice versa. The conclusion is that people should be able to like anything regardless of their assigned gender at birth. Someone amab should be socially allowed to be exclusively feminine and be what it means to be a woman socially.

[@prageruwu69]

fr

[@mybodyisamachine]

@darthfastball1150 but that doesn't make him a woman. Being feminine does not mean you're a woman, unless you want to be one I guess

[@darthfastball1150]

@@mybodyisamachine Yes, that’s true! In my experience, people in the LGBTQ are very supportive of gender nonconformity of every degree. Almost all I’ve known support individual determination of what you want others to see you as, which includes very feminine men and very masculine women. For me personally, I think gender is a bit restrictive inherently, whether we can choose our gender or not. Instead of having categories that come with social expectations, I think the world would be a better place if we treated everyone’s social identity as individual. Obviously people would still like things that are currently considered masculine or feminine, and no one would have to change what they wear or how they act, there just wouldn’t be categories for these things.

[@nathanseper8738]

Fairly Oddparents was a show whose incredible potential was unfairly wasted. "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" was one example of a great storyline that never went anywhere.

[@watchforever1724]

Yeah I know

[@insectenthusiasts11]

The fact that Trixie is seen as a figure for gender euphoria is amazing and a big F U to Butch Hartman hahaha

[@bunnyconcubus8468]

Accidentally yes, I think to him if he wrote it he did by accident and didn't know how or what to do with a character with great potential and someone that could possibly help Timmy understand a little bit about sexuality better, and wether or not he actually like Trixie as a person or not, but no he let her fade into the background and use objectively worse characters that no one asked for

[@gracekim1998]

just remember: This show had writers and Fartman 100% wasn't behind that episode :)

[@SupportGamin2025]

​@gracekim2436 y'all still clowning on this man,it's been years since he did wtf he did,Move and grow tf up

[@marcdimartino9118]

​@@SupportGamin2025Thank you.

[@joghnythegurue2710]

Yeah, lets just forgive him for (checks notes)@@SupportGamin2025 Tracing art and selling it for hundreds of dollars to fans (much of said art was also made by HIS FANS) Going creatively bankrupt and ruining basically every show he was a part of (partially on the networks as well obv') Being a bigoted evangelical and asking fans to support his evangelical propaganda cartoon/network (which he continues to do to this day) The list goes on. But no it's been years, clearly we should just throw it to the wind. That's somehow the mature thing rather than accepting the idols of your childhood weren't upstanding paragons.

[@ingloriousMachina]

I had a crush on Samurai Jack. There, I said it. And to be fair with Trixie being insanely clingy... she's like ten, and everyone she's ever known just disappeared one day.

[@RadikAlice]

I mean, he's got everything most would want in a man

[@BlueFire-guy]

I had crush on (humanized) Silver spoon, and now I have crush on Fukase

[@playererror4044]

I remember being a dumb unhatched egg and loving the 'Boy who would be queen' and wondering why their weren't more episodes like it. God dammit you can be thick when you're younger.

[@gizmo123473]

When you brought up the "Boy Who Would be Queen" episode, were you actually referring to the "Just the Two of Us" episode, because that's the one that heavily flanderized Trixie's character.

[@nadadada3938]

@@gizmo123473 No, actually saying that they wanted more gender swap and gender based chapters, because it's fun

[@gizmo123473]

@@nadadada3938 That last sentence of their's, and them calling themselves dumb for liking "Boy Who Would Be Queen" when they were younger, (the gender episode,) kinda throws that assumption off, wouldn't it? (I wouldn't have minded more gender episodes from the series either.)

[@nadadada3938]

​@@gizmo123473 They are calling their past self a dumb egg, just that. When someone refers to anyone as egg in the trans context is slang for: "Oblivious of being trans" Taking into account that, the phrase: "Dumb Egg" is "When I did not know I was a trans and was a dumb kid" which is further reinforced with the last part of the statement which says: "You can be thick when you are younger" The last phrase implies: "How did I not realize I was trans at the time, goddamn" in a way

[@gizmo123473]

@@nadadada3938 Ok, I can see what I was missing now.

[@JesusMartinez-rr2ry]

I just wish that there's an episode when Trixie Tang fully realizes her situation and gives a loud speech to everyone in her school that these societal standards need to cease to exist and because of them, being popular is the most overrated thing that a person can be. Everyone accepts Trixie for who she is while she and Timmy Turner becomes an couple once and for all, while Tad and Chad are rejected and humiliated with it all of that being broadcasted internationally.

[@juregobviooogroverde9107]

I would love this.

[@GeteMachine]

Ronda Lloyd did that in Hey Arnold. I wish Trixie just was able to confront her insecurity about her persona and her actual interests. Though for a show that doesnt really have character development outside of Timmy, it does bare a lot to be desired from where they could have had it. Trixie could have still been popular, but just get closure.

[@archermania9314]

Well Trixie isn't the only character who got wasted, they missed a chance at a Vicky redemption arc or character backstory between season 2 and 4, they didn't even try to explore Veronica's crush on Timmy, Tootie missed her opportunity to be a full fledged character in season 10 and was instead replaced with Chloe and so on.

[@GeteMachine]

Considering how long the show went on for and all the spin offs, its amazing how they didn't just expand on the characters rather than trying to just reinvent it with gimmicks.

[@jasperjazzie]

honestly there were so many side characters in this show with interesting stories that stopped being used later on in the series; remy buxaplenty and juandissimo, cosmo and wanda's parents, basically all of the other fairies besides cosmo and wanda and occasionally jorgen, mark chang, honestly basically all of the interesting recurring side characters were thrown out and yet they still felt the need to introduce more characters towards the end like chloe and sparky (just to remove sparky too lol) it was weird

[@cannibal_redneck7109]

Fr as a woman who still loves being masculine Trixie was great in those early seasons.

[@SuperStar-ss1pn]

I had a realization in your take on the episode, "tell me I'm pretty" would serve less of "I want attention." And more her paranoia about what Timmy thinks of her could be creepy.

[@ArendAlphaEagle]

As a Timmy/Trixie shipper, I'm saddened that the writers did Trixie dirty like that in "Just the Two of Us". Especially when everyone only remembers that episode and not "A Wish Too Far" or "The Boy Who Would Be Queen", which are much better. And even worse, in a Timmy/Trixie-centric livestream with Butch Hartman as a guest, Butch stated that "Just the Two of Us" is his _favorite_ Trixie episode (i mean, this was already after Butch Hartman already showed his true colors after the whole Oaxis thing, but still). It almost makes me wish for a soft reboot in which Trixie would appear as a more prominent love interest with the more positive details from "A Wish Too Far" and "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" in the forefront, and to be explored and developed further. Trixie has the potential to be such an amazing character.

[@sonicfan2403]

Well with that revelation, I now believe that all the beloved episodes of Odd Parents either didn't have Butch involved with the writing or he pitched ideas that were stupid and the other members of his staff told him, let's think of something different.

[@frootsnacc6790]

It would be so great if there were Trixie centric episodes that focus on how she has to hide her true interests, hobbies and feelings because she’s being upheld to ridiculous standards due to both being popular and a girl. For a kids’ show, that could be a very sweet and wholesome message

[@jeepmega629]

It’s insane that Trixie, Timmy’s love interest by the way, just dissapeared.

[@originaluseername]

ITS INSEN THAT NAGH NAGH NAGH NAGH BLAGH BLAGH BLAGH MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE JUST WORD TO EMPHASIZE MUH BEWILDERMENT AT A BAD THING BLAGH BLAGH BLAGH BLAGH BLAGH!!

[@watchforever1724]

I mean it happened to tootie too

[@Maniac4Bricks]

That's an excellent character analysis, and sadly speaks to some of the rest of the secondary characters on the show: disposable. Fairly Odd Parents was a show that I watched a lot as a kid, and in another retrospective I was surprised to realize how far into the show I remembered watching some episodes before falling off completely. "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" had a way of sticking in the back of my mind, and thank you for reopening it to see why. And in hindsight, it's a shame to realize a show I was heavily exposed to as a kid, didn't have the best way of treating its own characters just for the sake of a joke, and undermining why I like seeing these characters on screen at all.

[@Numbuh900]

I wish Trixie was explored more but noooooooo, they just had to focus only on Crocker and Timmy's dad nonstop

[@nicholassims9837]

At least Crocker had the justification being the villain

[@TECH097]

This retrospective just reminds me of how talented Dionne Quan was. It's a shame that it looks like she's retired from Voice Acting.

[@okjeffy6581]

She is blind.

[@italianbaptist]

Did she come back for Kimi in the Rugrats reboot?

[@PercyandDuckfan94]

@@italianbaptist No, she was recasted for the reboot.

[@gracekim1998]

What is the purpose of saying ‘she’s blind’ ?

[@undyne1]

Even as a kid I wondered why Trixie's character wasn't consistent. I truly liked where she was headed when she was shown to be more than a popular girl, and liked masculine things, it was relatable.

[@watchforever1724]

To me I was like the writing staff didn’t do too much when it comes to timmy having to deal with girls who he likes or like him it doesn’t feel canon

[@amberwingtundrawing776]

In hindsight it would've been so smart to have her become friends with Timmy after the first two episodes. They kinda ended up erasing all of Timmy's human friends after a while anyway I feel like she would've been a better addition than Elmer and Sanjay

[@montanajackson3713]

If the show didn’t rely on stupid status quos, Trixie could’ve ditched her spoiled rich girl persona, open up and tell everyone of her tomboy side, leave the popular group and become part of timmy’s friend group instead. She could’ve been like a sister figure to Timmy instead of a crush.

[@Cazra-VaporwaveWitch]

I had no childhood fictional crushes, just gender envy.

[@okjeffy6581]

I had a crush on Spinelli from Recess as a kid.

[@notfriendlystudios1643]

Damn, that hits a little too real.

[@steampunk-llama]

SAME!!! My acearo ass still has never actually experienced a crush, closest I got was being insane over Rainbow Dash as a kid bc ‘she’s just like me fr 🥹’

[@jellyowl2644]

​@steampunk-llama same but with fluttershy, i liked her because she loves animals

[@steampunk-llama]

@@jellyowl2644 I love Fluttershy so much, she’s such a sweet character 🥹

[@kalublah]

Trixie (and Cosmo) got done hella dirty as the seasons went on. Will never not be mad about how there was never a followup episode about Timantha and Trixie. Not even a little callback. Trixie’s only friend literally disappears off the face of the earth to her, but because she can’t have a healthy relationship with Timmy, it just is never elaborated on?

[@annasawicka4096]

The creators could have done "just the two of us" do differently while keeping the two main plot points: Timmy making this wish and then un-wishing it. Trixie might be completely normal in this episode, but miss her friends and they both would realize they actually need other people in their lives. This would be a healthy message, far better than making Trixie the crazy girlfriend stereotype

[@GeteMachine]

That would have been more interesting, if she was actually depressed because of the lack of attention and that forcing them to be together was actually a bad idea, and the message could have also shown Timmy realizing that he didn't earn her affection, but just forced it on her.

[@DrTotoHex]

Can confirm. I want to hold Shego's hand.

[@okjeffy6581]

Same. I like girls with black and green.

[@JoOnamix]

Well, imo when it comes to the episode “Just the two of us” I feel trixie sorta did react in a logical way, of course it was exaggerated for the sake of the shows status. Her life before hand was always tailored towards the fact that she was popular, she always had attention, people beside her, and she knew this, even if she felt she had to hide from the world. To be put in a situation where EVERYONE is gone in a unknown and fairly short noticed fashion I don’t think her first reaction would to try and be herself, her first instinct would most likely be to cling to the only other person that’s left on earth. I feel anyone would react that way as well. It’s a character establishment that I wish they would’ve explored more to further push her character. I feel it’s what they did after the episode, more of what they didn’t do with her that really left such a sour taste on her character, and as you said, made the characters more 1 dimensional and loud

[@cyanity1017]

10:13 honestly the "Trixie needs attention" thing in that episode could have been better if it was just the fact nobody else was around that made her go crazy instead of it being that she's obsessed with people calling her pretty. Cause realistically anyone would go crazy without anyone else around but one person. It could have been like a lesson of to not separate someone from their family and friends, since the wish most likely also involved making her family and friends vanish, but nope, we got "girl wants attention and basically becomes a pg rated yandere."

[@777Rowen]

The KZbin Alpha Jay Show did a great analysis of “Just the Two of Us”, and also explores how Trixie’s character was ruined. I really like LF Trixie. As the series went on, all the side characters were pushed aside for Chloe.

[@Ariaelyne]

Important to note that 'Just the Two of Us' was in Season 4 while Chloe was introduced in Season 10 a full twelve years later. Meanwhile it was only two years between 'Boy who would be Queen' and 'Just the Two of Us', The Fairly Odd Parents just did not care about consistent characterization for most of its run.

[@watchforever1724]

Yeah I know

[@watchforever1724]

@@Ariaelyneyeah which is sad

[@mathieuleader8601]

I would make Trixie the half-sister to Tootie and Vicky to add depth as we never saw her mum in the show

[@red6941]

really great look into trixie's character! love your content, as always

[@alexipanda9505]

I remember my childhood fictional crush being Sandy Cheeks from SpongeBob. Also, I feel like I kinda see "Just the Two of Us" being on the same boat as "The Cover-Up" from the Powerpuff Girls where someone wrote a fanfic of an epilogue to that episode which was a better ending than how it ended originally. In the case of "Just the Two of Us", I think the episode beyond the point of Timmy wishing he and Trixie were the last two people on Earth should go through a full rewrite, incorporating Trixie's character development from "A Wish Too Far" and "The Boy Who Would Be Queen". Perhaps, have her embrace the freedom from being held up on the pedestal of being the popular girl and develop the relationship between her and Timmy, and NOT have Timmy learn that he can't keep Trixie all to himself by having her go psycho. Maybe have him undo his wish when she mentions how she misses her friends and Timmy would mention that he misses his friends. Something to show that they're beginning to feel lonely in each others company. Timmy wishes everything back to normal but he and Trixie will still remember what happened when all they had was each other. Trixie won't say a word about her relationship with Timmy because of her reputation and Timmy would promise not to say anything about it either, but the two of them would still see each other and hang out in secret.

[@nathanbentley1939]

I don't know if you've ever seen Gravity Falls or not, but that show's Pacifica Northwest is basically what Trixie could've been.

[@Seahorste]

Trixie was the first cartoon character I can remember being attracted to tbh lol. Keep up the banger content Dawn, you my GOAT frfr.

[@Surgemaster2012]

What I find most disappointing how Trixie's missed potential is how they set her up as your token popular girl, but they also played with this trope by dropping breadcrumbs that there might be something she's compensating for. After all, in her first episode she goes back to tell Timmy how sweet it was for defending his friends, indicating that her being "Miss Popular" is just her way of being "in with the crowd" as she seemingly could like Timmy. Even though she mispronounces his name she still acknowledged him. This was further expanded with The Boy Who Would Be Queen, where Trixie's popular persona is just what she hides behind to avoid negative attention. Even in the internet episode when Timmy alters Veronica's letter Trixie just asks "Why do you"? She wasn't really disgusted or anything. Then comes the "Just the Two of Us" episode and it completely ruins her character, she only used attention to hide her real feelings about things, but this episode basically makes it to where she can't function as a human being unless someone is telling her how good she looks. I also remember Wanda being pretty annoying in that episode too. For me, the best example of a popular girl character done right in animated television shows is Courtney Grippling from As Told By Ginger, where instead of hating the unpopular kid, she has a fascination with wanting to understand the other side, in her own completely sheltered and not well-informed way. She completely adverts all the annoying cliches of it, while actually being the trope herself. She was also a WAY better friend to Ginger than her actual "best friend" Grodie Bishop. Easily one of the worst best friends in animation next to Dijonay Jones from Proud Family.

[@paperdawn]

Ya know I was really hoping to bring up Courtney but wasn't able to squeeze it in the script. She is SO well done. It's a shame her and Ginger weren't able to date in the end...

[@Surgemaster2012]

@@paperdawn Do you plan to make a video about Courtney?

[@paperdawn]

@@Surgemaster2012 I'd have to rewatch Ginger, but that show def deserves more attention so who knows maybe!

[@7Write4This9Heart7]

THANK YOU for saying Grodie and Dijonay were awful people and 'BFFs'! I've ALWAYS thought they were awful, but I thought I was alone! lol.

[@GeteMachine]

Maybe Trixie could have been more interesting if she was a bit a deconstruction on the fact that she is popular for her looks but her interests are not shared by her popular friends and it doesn't have to just be around gender anymore but in general. She could have stayed a popular girl but one that eventually started hanging out with Timmy and his friends in secret, or eventually defended her own independence from the clique, to have both sides of her character exist. Maybe she could have decided she wanted integrity and respect instead of just popularity if she can be herself but also wants to be rich, and that could have been a duality.

[@mk-aka-morgan8386]

Butch Hatman’s Butchering characters and storylines is both ironically funny and devastating at the same time 🥲

[@RomaroBrandon]

Even though i remember the episode when Timmy became a girl and hung out with Trixie, I still forgot a tomboy is who she is on the inside. With that being said however, enough people were around in that episode for her to be embarrassed if she ws caught, but being stuck with only Timmy after a full day of boys surrounding her and telling her she's pretty, it would make sense for her to go crazy due to lack of attention from anyone else.

[@KatelynJewel]

As a kid, I never cared for Trixie outside The Boy Who Would Be Queen. I do wish we got to see more of that personality trait of her liking comics, video games and other "boy" stuff. One episode I felt had missed potential for bringing this back was The Big Superhero Wish. Don't get me wrong, I do love that episode and it had a great message, but my one criticism towards is that I feel Trixie should have had a bigger role. In the first half when Timmy wished for a superhero world, Trixie was part of the main team as Wonder Gal (Veronica was there too as Hawk Gal but only as a joke character who couldn't do anything), but then in the second half after Timmy wishes the world back only to get interrupted before he can unwish the supervillains out and all the good guys go back to normal, Trixie (along with Veronica) just disappears for the rest of the episode. She wasn't even there to help the main characters and the normal heroes take down the supervillains which is a shame after seeing how she was previously established as a comic book fan.

[@marcdimartino9118]

Good point.

[@finnthebeefyhuman2174]

Plenty of characters ended up simply vanishing or never been seeing anymore and rather then make an episode on why they just brought more and expected us to move on

[@Zach-ww2je]

Not gonna lie, when I first saw Just The Two Of Us, I figured the reason Trixie was freaking out like she did was because well, all around her EVERYONE vanished into thin air. How she acted felt like a real panic when thinking the world was ending and who you’re left with is someone who you gave no real attention toward. So her regressing to her “tell me I’m pretty” mentality is her freaking out as her rational mind escaped her and left until she saw everyone soon return, presumably thinking it was a bad dream. Course I may be out a line, but that’s just how I figured the message was.

[@tefnutofhoney2832]

When i was a young egg, my "i dont know if i wanna be with her or be her" was akiza from yugioh 5ds... i was edgy but also. Her design was pretty. And i too was ostracised. Idk why this video brought up this memory for me, but i used to play pretend i was her on the playground and bus in school with the like, 2 friends i did have.

[@KeyleeTamirian]

My only exposure on Trixie Tang was some ship fanart where she's shipped with... PPG Buttercup. And artist drew Trixie in such relatable way i found her adorable. Even made me want to watch the show, but then after browsing through a wiki i found it she appears in a bunch of episodes, so watching a whole show for one character was too crazy for me...

[@enter_eagle]

your avatar is really cute!

[@HestiaVesta]

I actually first think of her in the comic store and that episode first and not really think about the crazy psycho version of her until it's brought up. I think my mind is just repeatedly buries the memories

[@nmoney6655]

Fun fact: I had a super massive crush on Diego from Go Diego Go when I was a kid

[@williamstaub4415]

I feel like we all still have some fictional crushes as adults too

[@zacharyyamashita8554]

Definitely

[@marcdimartino9118]

It never really goes away.

[@BlueFire-guy]

True, I am sure I will love Fukase even if I turn 18

[@raven3067]

Ironic how Veronica likes Timmy more than Trixie does. And Veronica is more crazy than Trixie is.

[@Project_Soup]

I think the trauma of watching everyone around you cease to exist in one "blip" may have changed her character into the insanity we see, going forward.

[@billcipher68]

You can all me insane, but mine was Vicky. Because believe it or not, she did have her moments that honestly made me want her to change and morph into this sort of big sister role for Timmy. But instead we got "HAHAHA! BiG ScArY JoKeR RiPoFf!"

[@marcdimartino9118]

I can see it, but she served the show so well as a villain, I can see why they didn't pull the trigger on that. It's been years, but I recall she worked alongside Timmy to help save the world in Wishology so at least there's that.

[@Ocsttiac]

In the words of RebelTaxi: "Shego... I come."

[@carlbrown1000]

Everybody liked trixie, but i kinda liked her crazy friend a little more specially how funny she was, her voice actor needed a raise. Specially when she started calling herself Trixie behind trixies back

[@alakazamlover4908]

she also had a minor role in the wishology special where she was one of the people to learn Timmy had fairy god parents (For some reason) And they did kiss, but honestly i dont think it....meant much

[@marcdimartino9118]

I've been waiting for someone to mention this. By Wishology, the show was already off the rails and would only go off further after, so I interpreted that kiss specifically as a nod to those that cared about Trixie & Timmy's relationship especially since it had zero implications before or after it happened. Like the people behind the show were saying, "We didn't get to do this properly and we won't get the chance later, so please accept this as a compromise." While it did happen at a pretty dramatic moment in the storyline, it didn't mean much at all; but as a viewer and fan, it is nice to know that Timmy & Trixie growing closer to the point of a kiss was always on the table. Fan works are pretty great, so maybe we will get to see it done properly one day.

[@alakazamlover4908]

the darkness sort've dream-desire Timmy had DID involve Trixie obsessing over him, specially, and then marrying him, so clearly at the time he still had feelings for her....to bad a later episode had to retcon that by saying he had a crush on a random one-episode check (i think the episode was "going emo"?) @@marcdimartino9118

[@marcdimartino9118]

@alakazamlover4908 Interesting. Wishology wasn't perfect, and it doesn't hold a candle to Channel Chasers, but I do appreciate the effort they did put in to make it somewhat a finale for the show; being true to the characters... even using the original characters. I should watch Wishology again. I absolutely remember that episode; it may have been "Finding Emo," but I'm not sure. There's this girl we've NEVER seen before who Timmy supposedly likes and actually gets with by the end of the episode. But, surprise, we never see her again either. The episode is ridiculous though because the whole time I'm just sitting there like, "Umm, hello? Does the name TRIXIE ring a bell?!?!?!" and "Tootie wouldn't allow this!!" It was also a discouraging moment because I was like, damn, the show is purposefully trying to remove all the things from the past that made it good. I wish I wasn't being so negative, but it is a shame what the show became.

[@tiablue9106]

don't rlly care abt trixie tbh, it just always bugged me that the moral--if any--of "just the two of us" was "trixie's crazy and clingy timmy should be glad he's not with her" and not "timmy's a creep for wishing trixie into an isolation scenario where she has no choice but to be with him". like ignoring the uhh questionable implications of what he did to everyone when he wished them away, I always found it weird all the negativity of that situation was portrayed as coming from trixie, instead of timmy tryna force the relationship. like yeah he technically learned a lesson, but it felt like the wrong one for that premise lol. I feel like most ppl would get attachment issues if there was suddenly just 1 other person around but timmy was like "wow she's needy" instead of "y'know maybe these weren't the best circumstances under which to start a relationship"

[@skalbagge3131]

I related to Trixie with how she wanted to do boyish things as a girl despite social norms, along with even being able to dress more masculine like she did in one scene. Now I'm a transmasc guy, thank you early Trixie.

[@misscheif]

I thought the episode where Trixie went crazy was about how wanting someone all to yourself is harmful to the the person you care about Trixie just showed timmy just how crazy he was by getting rid of ECERYONE to be alone with her, super unhealthy

[@ohmysemi_]

After re-watching "A wish too far," and "A boy who would be queen," to understand the message better, if they could just keep Trixie's personality in those episodes, it would've been a perfect start of the slowburn romance between Timmy and Trixie, rather than Timmy having to force Trixie to be his only through wishing in most episodes, and how Trixie would have slowly have an interest in him for who he is, and how she would always tease him in a cute and funny way and not making fun of him later on. It would also have a possibility of them gaining a proper development of their relationship if the writers could've done better to keep up Trixie's personality when they aired the episode "Just the two of us" and the rest of the episodes after season 4 and up that she's featured now.

[@joghnythegurue2710]

"Don't play it cool, I know you had one too!" Ace/aro people: 😎

[@XenoTeeth3]

It really sucks that they went with the popular stereotype trope on her cause she indeed had so much potential. I really wished they kept her popular but is also actually nice instead of the prick she was in the later seasons . Heck , She could have been a chill cool girl type that shows others that it’s oké to like both girl and boy things .

[@watchforever1724]

Yeah

[@justsomeokami8867]

My guess would be Trixie walked so Pacifica could run…and have better writers

[@Kneevirus]

Interesting her character stopped being used at all for the final 3 seasons of the show

[@Maniac4Bricks]

Sadly, many were cut off too, like Chester, AJ, and Sanjay, Francis, and Tootie IIRC. All characters around Timmy's age.

[@Kneevirus]

@@Maniac4Bricks yep

[@Kneevirus]

@@Maniac4Bricks also elmer, veronica, tad & chad for kids his age

[@absoluteterror4045]

Wasn't Trixie named after and modeled after (not sure personality wise but looks) butch Hartmanns daughter

[@BugsyFoga]

Truly what could’ve been.

[@PIB2000]

I think Just the Two of Us could have worked if instead of becoming a complete psycho, Trixie felt some joy no longer having to conform to her popular girl image. It's not like they couldn't have other reasons for Timmy to unwish the wish(I doubt Fairy World would be so fond of him wishing every other godkid from existence).

[@wizardfoxangel5300]

I really wish Trixie was BFF with Timmy.... As a kid i always wanted to see that friendship Blossoms 🌸 But Nope it never happened, only Fanfiction and Fan made Comics exist. 5:42 ..... Oof not everyone can have that 😢 im not allowed to say *Bro* or *Hey Man* since its considered *RUDE* 😅 & Unlady Like... Which honestly sucks a lot since 😕 i always says those type of Slangs with my *Homies* 😢

[@valivali8104]

"Just the Two of Us" could have worked if Trixie was shown as extrovert who started to fear losing Timmy and being completely alone; getting emotionally tired and having only one other person would drive anyone into madness, extroverts faster than introverts. After all, she clearly wants to be and enjoys to be popular, so she is likely extrovert and would suffer if not having anyone else.

[@pinkfoxboi1331]

Also several female characters from cartoons I had that admire/crush/I want to be then respect crush thing, like sailor moon,tuxedo mask,sailor venus,sailor jupiter,sailor pluto,sailor uranus,the mc girl from marmalade boy her love interst yuu,sailor mini moon,the mc girl from fancy lala and her alternative magical pop star form lala ect...

[@rudevoices9204]

Everyone talks about their amazing experiences with "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" and I'm just sitting here like I literally grew up watching this show yet i swear I've never seen this episode. Honestly that sucks because BOY did i need this kind of episode growing up

[@amesstarline5482]

There's something I'l always love about The Boy Who Would Be Queen, because I related to Trixie's whole "girl who enjoys boy-aimed comics but also some girl-stuff" thing. Yet not only did the FOP crew backpedal on that, but backpedal on anything gender-related to the point that all boys are one trait, all girls are another, and if you're Poof, you are a plot object. And even as a kid, Love Struck never was a good episode in how it was the anti-Boy Who Would Be Queen. While Trixie may be just a few lines in that episode, that episode embodies what they did to Trixie- removing her from the brief hints of depth that prior episodes built up on.

[@ol.2488]

Thinking about the "Only people on earth episode", couldn't this wish have had the OPPOSITE effect on Trixie? Yes, she can depend on her popular friend's approval, but without them, couldn't she have felt more free? Free to enjoy her "boyish" interests, free to be kind to Timmy because nobody was watching. It could really add more depth and prove that without her status, she's actually free to be herself and be happy. I would imagine the episode ending like Trixie saying this was nice, but she misses her (toxic) friends and her popular life, so Timmy reverses the wish. But definitely not how the writers made her, AKA instantly batshit.

[@SpaceLionGold]

I think the reason why early Trixie is so much better than late Trixie is the shift in themes and messaging as explained in the video. "Just the Two of Us" doesn't really have a message. Trixie has to play the "funny one" so Timmy can play the "normal one." Trixie initially worked best as being a reactive character so in order for her to be proactive they have to play into "crazy gf" stereotypes? That episode could have been an way to showcase her vulnerabilities but i guess crazy gf is funnier.

[@Julian-bw8tq]

I think a wish to far would make a great finale because it has a excellent lession for kids and it introduces the idea Timmy will have to loose his fairy's

[@KimikoHanegawa]

Its horrible because that episode could have been such a meaningful episode if it wasn't for the fact they put Trixie in that spot. That could have been such a good episode to overdramatize how popularity does warp someone. If the blonde girl (I forgot her name) could have been the one left it probably would have been a much more tolerable episode because from what I remember she was absolutely crazy and explore it through her lens.

[@LucaGlitchy]

I feel really bad for Trixie in just the two of us. Everyone on the planet dissappears, including her friends and family, and she doesn't know what happened. Timmy knows what happened he made the wish but Trixie doesn't know that, he's the only person around and she's freaking out because who wouldn't freak out if everyone suddenly vanished? Also, shes 10. She's a child. She probably doesn't know how to process her feelings or understand them and i always saw the "adore me" stuff as her being afraid of being alone or abandoned because if Timmy stops paying attention or liking her she has no one. Like seriously that episode did her so dirty. Why did they have to make her Ax-Crazy?? She's in 5th grade she's not capable of murder.

[@gracekim1998]

My memory of the episode where Timmy turns into a girl was him wishing to be one to try to understand Trixie, finding out that’s NOT what lead to that moment confused me😅 apparently I changed how that moment happened in my head 🤷‍♀️ I never had a issue with comics or video games growing up but the message that 'boy who would be queen' shares is a good one (just wish the annoying sexist stereotype jokes with Cosmo and wanda wasn't present)

[@DokiDarling.123]

Say it with me kids *GOD DAMMIT BUTCH HARTMAN*

[@timdakis2107]

I first loved Trixie when she was new but I felt bad for Timmy that she didn't spend more time with him because I thought she had a better heart than Vicky but since she didn't I didn't love her that much anymore and I started to love Tootie more instead because she had a good heart wanted to spend more time with Timmy trying to help him feel better.

[@StylusShade]

To be fair, humans are social animals, and we tend to go nuts without that interaction. Combining that with her insecurities AND the fact that Timmy put her in that situation so abruptly (and didn't even bother to alter her memories so she wouldn't realize it was happening), it does make sense that Trixie started to lose it after suddenly realizing there's nobody else on Earth. I don't particularly care for the episode, but I think the premise had potential... that it could've used on a different story. Side note: where the hell did everybody else go? Did they just blip out of existence? Because murder is against Da Rules.

[@stages_of_mania]

Get this woman on TIME’s person of the year fr

[@Ganondorfdude11]

It's so bizarre Fairly Oddparents had the moral of the gender-swap episode be "boy stuff and girl stuff is dumb, just like what you like" when Butch Hartman is a fundamentalist Christian.

[@elijahulrich2023]

I think Trixie is supposed to represent the kind of person who is to addicted to her popularity that she won't give it up, even if she had considered it. In other words, it's a lesson that people don't always change for the better.

[@icecreamhero2375]

4:12 Actually the Powerpuff Girls are the popular girls in school and in town because they save Townsville all the time. Princess is just rich and isn't particularly popular. She is infamous for being a villain and doesn't seem to have friends. She wants to be a Powerpuff Girl because everyone loves the Powerpuff Girls.

[@watchforever1724]

Lol

[@karentorresalfaro3371]

10:56 I think the only way people can justify the change in attitude that Trixie goes through is because she is traumatized, for Timmy this is a wish that he can reverse and a good oportunity to have alone time with Trixie, for her on the other hand... This girl just experienced an uneplicable event, everyone vanished without any explanation, even an alien apeared and disapeared out of nowhere, for all she knows the whole world has been abducted or it is the end of erth and everyone left leaveing only her and Timmy behind. Just think about it, it is not fun because she does not know what the heck is happening, she tried to have fun with this boy and everything is ok as long as she does not end as the last human in the world but suddenly this other person wats to be away from her, she does not know if he will disapear too so she needs reasurance that he has a reason to stay with her and since they don’t really know that much about each other at this point and she knows he liked her from the start because of her apparence she is asking abut it constantly, not really because she needs to be reminded that she is pretty but because she needs to know that he will not leave her alone in the world even if it is just because she is pretty. Sure thing she seems pretty crazy out of nowhere from Timmy's perspective but if you look at the situation with her eyes it was hella scary. And also, it is a Butch Harman show, he is not exactly good at writhing women, just remember how Sam from Danny Phantom ended, she could have been so much more, there was a lot of room for development and she actually had enought screentime for them to make it work, but even with all that it ended in disapointment.

[@MissSirenita]

I’m so glad Butch Hartman didn’t ruin Danny Phantom. I had a crush on Sam. Her and Starfire from the Teen Titans (****not Teen Titans Go****) were the biggest crushes of my childhood.

[@RedDragonForce2]

Very well done. You really spoke on a level I can definitely relate with. To be fair about the gender stereotypes… the LGBTQ+ community hadn’t really evolved into its current state. Its growth and understanding were woefully night and day, just like Trixie’s character between her first two focused episodes and the season 4 focused episode. But even after that, it does show Trixie in a good light from time to time. Heck, Wishology had Trixie fully acknowledge her feelings for Timmy and they take that away. Even after fully establishing more than once that you can’t mess with true love. If Vicky’s fangirl crush on Chip Skylark is “true love” but Timmy and Trixie’s relationship in that movie isn’t… it’s a sad thing indeed.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Imagine Trixie got a whole Spinoff.

[@MatsuyoRific]

As a cis girl with typically masculine interests, I relate so much to the "if boys did more girl stuff, girls could do more boy stuff" line. I was bullied in my early years for being more interested in Transformers and Power Rangers than Barbie and My Little Pony. And while I did have Barbies growing up, they were more for expressing my interest in creative writing and story telling. I had no interest in the actual media put out, but watched the "boys shows" so religiously. Even the "girl's shows" I DID watch were more all inclusive, like Kim Possible. I didn't want to be pandered to because of my gender, I wanted full stories with characters I related to. Even with my Autism slowing my mental development by 5 years, I still grew out of those pandering "girl's shows" by the time I was 7. I was mentally 2 years old when I called MLP boring. It wasn't until I got into middle school that I was finally accepted for liking typically masculine things. I was even somewhat popular in high school because I gave no flips about gender norms, and only ever strived to be myself. Sure, there was the initial shock of "you like Pokemon? But you're a girl?", but that quickly turned into delight that they just made a new Pokenerd friend. Also, the first part about encouraging boys to do more typically feminine things is something I stand by to this day. The line goes hand in hand with the lesson from the Feme Fatal episode of PPG. The lesson there was that while misogyny does exist and definitely sucks, punishing men for it is not the answer. These two lessons are the true meaning of feminism. It's not about tearing men down. It's about raising women and everything associated with femininity back up to the same level. It's about not demasculating men for having emotions. It's about allowing people to be who they are, regardless of gender identity. It's about making the world see that we are all equal in mind, body, and spirit.

[@starlydonati2008]

It’s not about tearing men down, it’s about tearing down gender roles that restrict everyone.

[@watchforever1724]

I see

[@FroggBoy1]

My childhood was mainly MAD and Spore so i missed out on having childhood crushes :/

[@seanchukwuezi3079]

The wish too far and the boy who would be queen showed early on in the show that timmy and trixie could work as a couple get together later on in the show but when then the show got popular and more comedy focused and absurd with its writing it was just played for laughs like similar to spongebob never getting his driver license

[@RadikAlice]

I've said this on Lily Simpson's video on the show, but God. The Boy Who Would Be Queen has to be an awakening for an entire generation of trans girls like myself. But yeah, the jokes on it still detract from it. The message of Just The Two of Us feels like a horribly botched "careful what you wish for" probably the worst use of that premise in the show. But yeah, you're right. Sucks even more because her limited screentime makes the bad moments carry much more weight, tipping the balance off if you will As for me, yeah. Several, but more in topic. Spinelli from Recess, thought she was cool and I wanted to hang out with girls like her, little did kid me know. We'd become basically the kind of girl we'd hang out with

[@vectinator7605]

Similarly to how Trixie could have been a better character if the writers tried a little better. Tootie could have worked if they didn’t make her just a creepy crazy girl stalking Timmy. If they had Timmy try to reason with her and they could come to some sort of compromise then there could have been potential. Yes I know the live action movie exists but that’s basically a different timeline.

[@GeteMachine]

I didn't like the live action, simply because Tootie in the movie wasn't her at all. It was just Danelle Monet both in looks and character. They didn't even try, compared to the other characters.

[@ELRIFL]

Tootie did have more than just "crazy girl stalking Timmy". That's really just Trixie shipper talk. Tootie's character for most of the first five seasons was a character that was in a similar place to Timmy, but not having fairies, having to deal with real abuse from a sibling etc, it's what made her very shippable and a rival to Trixie despite having less overall appearances.

[@kittygardenva2741]

This is a very well done essay! Very relatable too.

[@GeteMachine]

I think the theme of 'Just The Two of Us' could have been tweaked but still exist the same if it was tonally different. Maybe she just needs people to constantly compliment her due to her insecurity and doesn't know how to make friends outside of her automatically having admirers from her popular status, and only had her friends who followed her because she was rich but like the other episode, doesn't have any friends for her interests outside of school. Timmy could have been her first, non rich-kid friend or the episode could have had them work together despite their social differences. Like London Tipton getting redemption in The Suit Life of Zack & Cody.

[@dogryme6]

For "Just the Two of Us", They could have also gone in a different direction with Trixie being the only person left with Timmy still around, at least in why she goes crazy. She doesn't need to be crazy For him, she could just go crazy Because of him and that no one else exists. If she managed to isolate herself from him she'd be completely alone, contemplating that existence should be it's own brand of maddening. In essence, making her go Yandere was probably the worst direction that episode could've gone.

[@michigosinister1508]

I really wish they had kept the secret Tomboy from Trixie. That would have been so cool to keep seeing Trixie like that. Heck they could have had an episode where Trixie almost gets exposed but because of Timmy's crush, he covers for her. Then she would say how sweet it was that Timmy did that for her and that would let us continue to see why Timmy is crashing on this girl. I liked Trixie until the episode where Timmy and her were the last two on the planet. It stinks that they did that to Trixie.

[@Slayer9568]

I stopped watching this series sometime after Poof was born i had watched a handful of episodes after Poof birth but i don't remember where also watching this video almost made want to re-watch the 2 positive episodes you brought up but i am most likely not going to still this was a interesting video

[@Roon18]

shame really it didnt really take the idea of her being a closet tomboy and kept it instead of it just tossing it. i mean they could have used that in future eps,hell you could have one where A. She almost gets caught liking something that goes against her "popular girl" thing or B. Actually gets caught,but Timmy takes the bullet for her thus keeping her secret safe since he is the only one that still knows this.

[@edfreak9001]

This show started so incredibly strong and then just fell, and fell and fell, but the momentum and probably the lovely art style carried it so far that it got heaaaavy in the flanderization. Arguably worse than The Simpsons despite that show coining the term. But yeah, this video and LSMark going back to it made me realize just how brimming with potential the Timantha episode really was, I love that version of Trixie and I supposed bare minimum it opens the door to a lot of very introspective fan works.

[@Hanmacx]

Would have been interesting to have seen her in Chloe Era And Chloe talk about how crazy Trixie is 🤪