“Pepper Ann, Pepper Ann; she’s too cool for 7th grade.” That’s a bold statement right out of the gate Pepper. It could be argued that since 7th grade is usually an awkward transitioning period that most people are too cool for it. The thing that makes it uncool though is the fact that everyone is uncool. So we are left with a conundrum. Is she really TOO COOL for school? It’s an age old question. All I really know is that Pepper Ann is a whiny little twit who lives her life through fits of fantasy and defeatism. What I’m saying is this is like “Doug” but worse because we’re dealing with trying bras for the first time. So get ready everyone because we’re entering the cartoon world of entering womanhood. The finale especially is a fitting end to a show about a growing woman. You’ll see.
And she's going to look like this. Sorry girl.
Pepper Ann Pearson as a quirky, independent and unpredictable. She’s the inspiration for Zooey Deschanel’s entire acting career it seems. What I’m getting at is that P. Ann (thanks Trinkett) is annoying. I watched the show as a kid, but watching clips on Youtube really makes me wish I’d left this show in my memory. I kind of ruined it. The other characters are still fine, but the title character just isn’t doing it for me. Calling her the female “Doug” was deliberate because I don’t really love that show either when I watch it now. I still like “Doug” a little and “Pepper Ann” just doesn’t cut the mustard Jack!
Someone on Fanpop agrees. I wasn't even looking for this and found it.
Youtube is one resource I use a lot. The other is of course every internet journalist’s best friend Wikipedia. “Pepper Ann” has possibly the worst page I’ve ever seen. Actually the show description is really smart, but the episode breakdown is awful. It’s like Wikipedia existed in 1998 and a 9 year old wrote it. That has to be it. The show doesn’t run anymore so no little kid is doing it now. The fans of this show are at least 16 by now, and I’d hope they could write better than this:
“ It’s 15 years after the events of the series. Pepper Ann is a full member of professional life, earning her living with the development of video games. Of Nicky and Milo, Pepper Ann has heard nothing more for a long time nothing more. One day, an invitation to her 15-year class reunion flutters into the suite. At first, Pepper Ann would not like to go at all. But then, curiosity kills her like a cat.”
What? If I hadn’t watched that whole episode on Youtube that description would have me all:
That ridiculous paragraph is talking about the finale. The bit in my intro about the last show fitting with the theme of becoming a woman is there because Pepper Ann apparently soon after the show’s events stops hanging out with Milo and Nicky. They are artsy and smart and she always was consumed with being popular and having Craig Bean like her. Hope would be that she would grow out of this and appreciate the people around her. Unfortunately her life turns in to a Katherine Heigl movie. “She’s a busy executive lady that is pushed through a metamorphosis when a chance middle school reunion flyer comes her way. Coming this fall” I’m making the point I’ve been making to my girlfriend for year : girls don’t hang on to friends so you won’t understand the need for male bonding. That also correlates to Katherine Heigl’s portrayal of a terrible shrew in “Knocked Up”
Milo is Pepper’s best guy pal. He’s dumb but makes up for it by being an artsy type. Since the characters are about my age, I imagine his college years were spent wearing a scarf in August. Their other best pal is Nicky. She’s meek, smart and plays the violin. Based on my experience at the University of Cincinnati, I would bet money they Nicky is sitting next to Milo in the coffee shop wearing thick rimmed glasses and bright red lipstick. They both likely have some kind of weird hat on.
They actually already kind of fit.
Maybe I was wrong. Pepper Ann was right to move on into business. She likely is a single woman go-getter because of two things: Her love interest Craig rejected her since he’s so cool:
And her mother, aunt and little sister have been teaching her that you don’t need boys. Her mom is a divorcee that takes pride in her raising the kids without the help of a man. She really should, but saying she’s better off this way? I’ve seen people raise kids; the more people the better. Her Aunt Janet Diggety furthers that thought by being an ex-Green Beret and probably liking women.
Being gay or a single mother are both fine, but clearly in this universe it causes gender confusion and angst. Pepper Ann can’t stop worrying about being the coolest girl ever and dating the alpha male. Her little sister Moose went the opposite way:
"Not cool"
Moose, real name Margaret, is a little boy. I don’t care what her DNA says. Her voice sounds like a manlier version of Barry White. She is just a little tomboy I know, but this is the internet so I have to overreact. I just think this show misinformed a lot of people. The shows wiki is hilarious. Every single female character has the descriptor “pretty” in it. THEY ARE CARTOONS! QUIT PUSHING YOUR ANTI-FEMINISM ON US WALT! YES I KNOW THAT STATEMENT IS FAIRLY CONTRADICTARY BUT THIS SHOW ISN’T ENOUGH TO QUELL THE MESSAGE FROM “THE LITTLE MERMAID”! SHE CHANGED HER SPECIES TO GET THE GUY! FOR WHAT!?
And poor Pete had pink eye for like 3 years!
Right. I’ve been on the other side of that. I’d give up being a mermaid too. I’d likely give up being a pejorative little dope. “Pepper Ann” ran for 5 seasons ending with 65 episodes. Some cartoons should have been forced to stop in 1999 because they didn’t fit the new millennium.
"Oh...okay"