Fictional characters I wanted to be when I was a child (aged 5 - 12ish):
1. Red Fraggle
She had pigtails. I had pigtails. It was totally meant to be.
2. Punky Brewster
See above, re: pigtails.
3. Rainbow Brite
I actually had a rainbow belt when I was little. I'd wear it with my red suspenders and my red, heart-shaped sunglasses. The belt had a heart clasp and, when I wore it, I'd pretend I was Rainbow Brite and wish that my belt could shoot a rainbow out of it, but I must have run out of Star Sprinkles because it never did.
4. Princess Leia
Except I was always jealous that she never got a light saber.
5. Vada Sultenfuss (My Girl)
OK, so I didn't really want to live above a funeral parlor and I DEFINITELY didn't want my BFF to die of bee stings OH MY GOD, MOVIE, BE SADDER, NO I DARE YOU. Ahem. But Vada was sassy and quirky and also had an awesome mood ring that I coveted. I don't know why, maybe I wanted to wear it with my Rainbow Brite belt.
6. Belle from Beauty & the Beast
Have you SEEN that library? SWOON.
7. Mary Poppins
Um, she could fly. And she had a magic bag that she could hide tons of shit in, very much like the bag Hermione enchants in Deathly Hallows. When you think about it, Mary Poppins is kind of like a witch without a magic wand.
8. Meg Murry (A Wrinkle in Time)
She seemed so unsure of herself, like, all the time and DUH, of course I identified with that, but then she goes on a wicked awesome adventure to save her father, which is totally brave and awesome. Plus, we both wore really awkward glasses and yet a boy still liked her, so it gave me hope that maybe someday a boy would like me, too. OMG, I just made myself totally sad, oops. Poor, awkward, little Jennie.
9. Dorothy Gale
I think I wanted to be her most of all. The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was a kid ('cept for maybe E.T.) and I thought Oz was probably the most magical place in the world. Maybe I hadn't seen Willy Wonka yet, I don't know, but still. My dad even made me my own pair of ruby slippers. They were my most prized possession, until my feet grew too big for them, but I hung onto them for a long time even though they didn't fit. Even as an adult, I've often wished for some ruby slippers. I have some red shoes, but I've tried, and they never send me home when I click my heels three times.
10. Marion Ravenwood (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
SHE IS SO BADASS, YOU GUYS.
I totally agree on all ten accounts.
ReplyDeleteMary Poppins is totally full of herself. She's like, "Oh, let me tell you all the ways in which you are flawed, whereas I am practically perfect in every way. Then I'll pretend you're lying when you talk about our adventures on ceilings and in chalk drawings."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic
You were correct to choose Oz over Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! That boat ride -- "there's not earthly way of knowing / which direction we are going" -- is still the scariest thing I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI need to reread A Wrinkle in Time. As a fellow former wearer of really awkward glasses, I'm glad you reminded me of this.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be in the BabySitters Club. Not as one of the characters but as myself in the stories.
ReplyDeleteAnd Kids Incorporated. Same thing.
I know.
I love the inclusion of Meg Murry. I think the fact that the series extends into her adulthood is significant too. It's not just, "Hey, the mousy girl can get the high school basketball player" but also, "Then they can both go on to be famous, successful scientists and parents."
ReplyDeleteI never understood why Dorothy wanted to go back to boring Kansas (I know that was the whole point of the thing, but ... it was so gray and meh).
ReplyDeleteAnd the fact that Punky had both a dog and a tree house made her even more awesome in my eyes.