Baby Blues/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The main family:

Darryl MacPherson

A well-meaning, long-suffering father. Occasionally does something ill-advised but means well. More intelligent than the typical example, but has his foolish moments. Works in a typical office job.

  • Bumbling Dad: Generally averted. This is a man who once changed a diaper in a mall restroom.
  • Gag Nose: Parodied in one Sunday Strip where Darryl and Wanda discuss whether to let one of their children sleep on its stomach or back. Darryl says that he always slept on his back, then the strip cuts to a baby picture of him unable to lay down for his huge nose.

Wanda MacPherson (née Wizowski)

Darryl's wife, the mother of the strip's main family. Down to earth to the point of being a bit cynical, she nevertheless cares about her family and does her best to work with them. A stay at home mom, and heaven help you if you tell her that it's not enough work by itself.

Zoe MacPherson

The eldest daughter of the family, still fairly young but acts like a teenager. Frequently bratty and self-absorbed, but less likely to actually make a mess these days than her brother, preferring whining and mocking to actual destruction.

Hamish "Hammie" MacPherson

Zoe's younger brother, the middle child and only male child of the family. A typical young boy, goes through the world like a hurricane leaving broken glass and dirty fingerprints in his wake. Is fond of gross noises and other assorted actions. Often takes pleasure in annoying Zoe, but they can work together on occasion.

Wren MacPherson

The younger daughter of the family, still an infant. May be the sanest one there.

Other characters include:

Bunny

Something like a cross between Martha Stewart and Barbie, she and her rarely-mentioned husband are the overly-perfect young couple down the street. Their children include one of Zoe's playmates, named Bogart, and infant twins, both named Wendell.

  • Meaningful Name: Invoked by Bunny: she named her son Bogart because he was conceived while she and her husband were watching The African Queen. She nixed that idea for the twins: they were watching Dumb and Dumber.
  • Parody Sue: Everything she does is just perfect, much to Wanda's chagrin. But it's turned up so far to the point of parody.

Grandparents

  • On Darryl's side: The grandfather is a calm but silent type, the grandmother is a neat freak.
  • On Wanda's side: The grandfather is macho-type, dislikes Darryl. The grandmother's character has not been elaborated on.

Yolanda and Mike's family

Yolanda and Mike's family provides a Black Best Friend for every one of the Macphersons, except Hammie. They don't have big personality traits or provide any role bigger than the best friend of one of the characters.