Pepper Ann is an American animated television series created by Sue Rose and aired on Disney's One Saturday Morning on ABC. It first premiered on September 13, 1997, and ended on November 30, 2001. It was the first Disney animated television series to be created by a woman.
Tom Warburton, who later created Cartoon Network's Codename: Kids Next Door, served as the lead character designer for the series.
Overview Pepper Ann centers on the trials and tribulations that occur during the titular character's adolescence and charts her ups and downs at Hazelnut Middle School. The character originated in a comic strip published in YM magazine.
The opening titles depict Pepper Ann, when she sinks under her desk after getting a detention slip from her teacher Roland Carter for being late to class again after heading through the wrong path to get to school while reading a comic, finding a different item each episode such as a $5 bill, kiwi lipbalm, the letter Q, a bicentennial quarter, a glowing green stick, a driedel, among many other things.
The series was animated on cels for the first season, before switching to digital ink and paint for the second season in 1998, making it one of the first animated series to use digital animation full-time. Despite this, three episodes in the third season were cel animated ("Def Comedy Mom", "The Beans of Wrath" and "Effie Shrugged"), with all other episodes in seasons 2-4 being animated digitally.
Episodes
Characters Main Pepper Ann Pearson (voiced by Kathleen Wilhoite) is the titular protagonist of the series, who is a bespectacled, quirky 12-year-old girl whose emotions come out in fantasies. Her conscience, Alter-Ego, often drives her insecurities through misguided advice. Her mother's side of the family is of Jewish faith, while her father's side is of Christian faith. Nicky Anais Little (voiced by Clea Lewis) is Pepper Ann's female best friend, a very intelligent and sensible, yet soft-spoken overachiever, who often serves as a confidant for Pepper Ann. She can be prone to sudden outbursts and struggles to keep her composure when she feels she is overlooked. Being health conscious, Nicky keeps to a pescetarian diet, which she occasionally breaks. She often struggles with her perfectionism, and has a phobia of swans. Milo Kamalani (voiced by Danny Cooksey) is Pepper Ann's male best friend, a laid-back and mellow artist who prides himself in his artistic "talent". While a bit of a delinquent, Milo is driven by passion, which can sometimes ostracize him from his peers. In early seasons, he is often her partner in crime with her schemes. Lydia Pearson (voiced by April Winchell) is the mother of Pepper Ann and Moose and the ex-wife of Chuck. She is a salesclerk working with the fashion store "It's You!" at Hazelnut Mall. Margaret Rose "Moose" Pearson (voiced by Pamela Adlon) is Pepper Ann's younger 7-year-old sister with an androgynous appearance, whose favorite pastime is skateboarding. Craig Bean (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a "cool" 8th grader whom the 7th graders admire. He serves as Pepper Ann's main love interest, as they both have mutual crushes on each other.
Recurring Dieter Liederhosen (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a German student in Pepper Ann's class with an articulate appreciation for food. Trinket St. Blair (voiced by Jenna von Oÿ) is a spoiled, rich, popular girl who often serves as a foil to Pepper Ann. Cissy Rooney (voiced by Kath Soucie) is Trinket's best friend. She is considered the most popular girl in 7th grade, and bears a clueless demeanor. Tessa and Vanessa James (both voiced by Cree Summer) are black twin sisters who run the school's paper "Hazelnuts N Bolts". Tessa is more outgiong while Vanessa is more reserved; the pair have a tendency of finishing each other's sentences. Janie Lilly Diggity (voiced by Susan Tolsky) is the aunt of Pepper Ann and Moose, being Lydia's younger sister. A former member of the Peace Corps, she spends her time as an activist. Jo Jo Diggity (voiced by Tino Insana) is Pepper Ann and Moose's uncle and Janie's husband, who works as a cop. Nedward "Ned" Diggity (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is the socially inept son of Janie and Jo Jo, Lydia's nephew, and Moose and Pepper Ann's cousin, whom P.A. is embarrassed of. Ned has an affinity for cheese. Lillian Lilly (voiced by April Winchell) is the mother of Lydia and Janie, and Pepper Ann's grandmother. In her youth, she used to be a performer and actress. Leo Lilly (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is Lillian's husband and Pepper Ann's grandfather. Peter "Pink-Eye Pete" Ogilvy (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a nerdy kid who suffers from pink eye. Alice Kane (voiced by Lauren Tom) is Pepper Ann's pompous (sometimes egomaniacal) academic rival. She presents a superficially mature attitude in spite of being just as competitive as Pepper Ann. Gwen Mezzrow (voiced by Kimmy Robertson) is a bubbly girl who constantly alternates between pining for Milo and being entirely uninterested in him in favor of Dieter, who is indifferent to her affection. Stuart Walldinger (voiced by Luke Perry in Season 2 and Cam Clarke from Season 3 onwards) is Nicky's bookish boyfriend, whose main hobby is RC car-racing. He holds a reserved attitude but has a tendency to act out and bottle his emotions. Constance Goldman (voiced by Candi Milo) is a shy, awkward girl who looks up to Pepper Ann. Shelf McClain (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a large, academically stunted Scottish student in Pepper Ann's class who bullies other students and steals their lunch money. Chuck Pearson (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is the estranged ex-husband of Lydia and father of Pepper Ann and Moose. He works as a blimp pilot and speaks with a Mid-Atlantic accent. Sherrie Spleen (voiced by April Winchell) is the TV anchorwoman for Channel 96 in Hazelnut. Supermodel Mindy (voiced by Kath Soucie) is an airheaded celebrity and host of several popular Hazelnut television shows. Mick Snot, real name Harry Schnitzer (voiced by Jess Harnell & Rob Paulsen) is the frontman of the band Flaming Snot. He went to the same Community College as Lydia prior to forming his band; Harry's fame has caused a strain between their friendship. Mitch (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is the owner of "It's You!", the clothing store in which Lydia works at. Mitch has a tendency to be high strung and often takes Lydia for granted. Milicent the Militant (voiced by April Winchell) is an officious army woman who is very no-nonsense and narrow-minded when it comes to Pepper Ann. Emmit Swink (voiced by Max Casella & Jeff Bennett) is the owner of BrainDead arcade and a waiter at Greezy N' Cheezy, a pizzeria often visited by Pepper Ann and her friends. Margot Lesandre (voiced by Kathy Najimy) is a snooty langerie saleswoman who is rivals with Lydia and Janie. "Shouty Kid" Sean Lesandre (voiced by Pamela Adlon) is the son of Margot, and Moose's crush. He is most recognizable for his booming voice. Crash (voiced by Adam Wylie) is Moose's neurotic best friend, whose name Pepper Ann never remembers. Crying Girl (typically voiced by Cree Summer & Kath Soucie) is an unfortunate girl who often breaks down in tears at the slightest mishap, most often Pepper Ann's misadventures. Sketch (voiced by Karen Duffy) is an 8th grader whom Pepper Ann admires for her "coolness". She values loyalty but is shown to be somewhat aloof.
Minor Steve the Cat is the Pearson family's cat, brought in by Lydia to help Pepper Ann deal with the birth of Moose. Following the departure of Supermodel Mindy, he was made the temporary mascot of the Channel 96 Lotto show, succeeded by Dieter after he returned to the Pearson family. Mrs. and Mr. Little (voiced by Kath Soucie & Jim Cummings respectively) are the parents of Becky and Nicky. While supportive, they are often ignorant of their daughters' best interests. Mrs. Little often picks Nicky up from school and is a defense attorney, while Mr. Little is a stockbroker. Kona Kamalani (voiced by Nicole Sullivan) is the mother of Milo Kamalani. She runs a catering business, having moved to Hazelnut with Milo following her divorce. Dirk (voiced by Jim Cummings) is Milo's stepfather and Kona's husband. Dirk is overeager to connect with his stepson. Lamar Abu-Dabe (voiced by Kenny Blank) is a 7th grader and a classmate of Pepper Ann's whom Constance has a crush on. Brenda (voiced by Tara Strong) is Pepper Ann's former best friend. She is bubbly and overbearing to the point that Pepper Ann finds her insufferable. Mama Tried Guy (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a temperamental student nicknames after his large heart tattoo on his arm. Hush (voiced by Pamela Adlon) is a mute 8th grader who is friends with Sketch. She has a begrudging respect for Pepper Ann. Tank & Poison (voiced by Brittany Murphy & Meredith Scott Lynn) are carefree, nonchalant 8th graders who are friends with Sketch. Noah (voiced by Jeff Bennett), nicknamed "Hacky Sack Boy" is a dim 7th grader who comes around to Milo after dismissing his sensitivity. Amber O'Malley (voiced by Jodi Benson) is a temporary transfer student from HMS, known as the Locker Bandit for stealing items from student's lockers. Wayne Macabre (voiced by Wallace Langham) is an 8th grade critic whose opinionated and misogynistic comments put him at odds with Pepper Ann. Joaquim Sanchez (voiced by Jason Marsden in Season 2 and Mario Lopez in Season 4) is a student who attends the private school "Our Lady of Walnut". He once mistook Pepper Ann for Didi O'Shaughnessy, who was an exact match of Pepper Ann; he would later invite Pepper Ann to a spring dance, alongside Bud and Craig. Mean Girl (voiced by Kath Soucie) is a social climbing punk who often brings trouble to Pepper Ann. Effie Shrugg (voiced by Hedy Burress) is an intellectual 8-year-old girl who uses her brawn and large size to intimidate others. Bud (voiced by Jason Marsden) is a member of the HMS football team who once had a crush on Pepper Ann, after her stint as the only girl on the team. Becky Little (voiced by Glenne Headly) is the older sister of Nicky Little. Like her sister, Becky is academically strong and shares a fear of swans. Alf (voiced by Will Ferrell) is the leader of the HMS chess club. Mrs. Liederhosen (voiced by April Winchell) is the mother of Dieter. She moved to Hazelnut in an exchange program as a surgeon and helped deliver Moose during her birth. Larry (voiced by Alex Rocco) is an out of touch executive responsible for running Channel 96. He is aided by his assistant Davis (voiced by Rob Paulsen). Avery Blake (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is the host of Lafftown USA, a Hazelnut television program which showcases humorous incidents which occur throughout the town. Cameron Landisburg (voiced by John O'Hurley) is a film director who challenged Pepper Ann to create her own film after she gave his a poor review in the school paper. Estelle Sommers (voiced by Edie McClurg) is a representative of several Women-led charity groups and organizations, and is a friend of Janie's. Bernie Guberstein (voiced by Travis Tritt and Jeff Bennett) is a country dancer whom Lydia briefly dated. He went by the stage name "Tex Yokel" and led dance classes, despite coming from Brooklyn. Mama Destructo (voiced by Kathy Kinney) is a popular wrestler. She once subbed for Ms. Stark but proved to be a poor math teacher, opening a wrestling camp instead. She later becomes a security guard for the President. The Cutie Magootie Boys (voiced by Jeff Bennett, Rob Paulsen & Danny Cooksey) are a five-person boy band group which Pepper Ann once bought standees of. To her chagrin, the standees kept lecturing her through song. Fuzzy (voiced by Sue Rose) is a fictional cartoon hairball popular within Hazelnut who stars in a series of comics, television shows, stage plays and theme parks. Klaus (voiced by Russi Taylor) is a German cartoon monkey which Dieter is a fan of.