Lydia Pearson (née Lilly) is a supporting character of the animated series Pepper Ann. She is the doting mother of Pepper Ann and Moose Pearson who works at a clothing store within the Hazelnut mall and takes part in her daughter's misadventures.
Background[]
Lydia Pearson, born Lydia Lilly, is the older daughter of Leo and Lillian and older sister to Janie. Her family were travelling entertainers who missed many numerous chances to make it big, but were happy with where their career was. While traveling, Lydia met and eventually married English blimp pilot Chuck Pearson and had two daughters, Pepper Ann and Moose. Before the latter's birth, Lydia opted to quit traveling and settle in her hometown of Hazelnut. Sometime afterward, she divorced Chuck due to his constant traveling, but kept his name; still remaining good friends.
Throughout the series, Lydia displays a supportive, yet stern attitude towards Pepper Ann, whom she lovingly calls "Peppie". However, she finds herself at odds with her more often than with Moose. She works at a clothing store called It's You where her biggest strong suit is selling sarongs. She has garnered a reputation to the point that recurring customers ask for her. Her boss Mitch initially treated her poorly, but after quitting and getting complaints from her absence, was rehired and made co-manager of the store.
Despite her status as being single, Lydia occasionally shows hints of still being in love with Chuck and one point seemed embarrassed at revealing such a thing. She begins to date a man named Bernie Guberston, but breaks up with him sometime afterward when he starts dating Chuck's girlfriend. Later she meets Jeopardy show host Alex Trebek and it is heavily implied that she begins to date him. Despite this, Lydia's primary job has been to raise her daughters and support their endeavors. Over time, she tries to imbue her feminist ideals on them, but quickly learns that they have a much more progressive view on it than her.
In "The Finale", it is established that in the series' version of 2013, Lydia has happily retired and has remarried to Trebek. She beckons Pepper Ann to return so that she can see her friends again.
Personality[]
Lydia is a stereotypical mid-western mother who keeps a very upbeat personality and unknowingly embarrasses her daughter with her "mom-isms". She is shown to be a very independent woman who always pushes those to take charge of their situations. While she can be out of touch with modern fads and ideals, she makes an effort to try and understand them so that she can bond with Pepper Ann and Moose more. Lydia does get pushed to her limits and will express her frustration and need to break out from, what she views as, oppression or monotony and will actively pursue a solution to her issues. She loves her daughters unconditionally and will do anything to help them, whether they want it or not.
Physical appearance[]
Lydia is a Caucasian woman of average height who has amber colored hair, pink pearl earrings and rectangular glasses. She usually wears a pale yellow and light blue striped sweater and a violet neckerchief. Additionally, she wears dark blue leggings and pink slippers.
Trivia[]
- In "P.A.'s Life in a Nutshell", Lydia is revealed to have been roughly Pepper Ann's age on March 28, 1968 (12-13). Seeing as how the series is supposed to take place in 1997-98, that would mean that Lydia is roughly 41-42 years old.
- According to production notes for "The Finale", Lydia was intended to be around 35 years old during the events of the series, turning 50 by the events of the episode.[1] This, however, creates continuity discrepancies with the timeline established proper in the show.
- Despite having an established name, Lydia is always listed as simply "Mom" in the credits, episode descriptions, profiles on official Disney webpages and merchandise.
- Lydia is the first fictional character in Disney history to be married to a real person, in this case Alex Trebek. In real life, Trebek was married twice; first to Elaine Howard (1974-1981) and then to Jean Currivan (1990-his death 2020). In other words, it would have been impossible for the two of them to have a relationship in 1997-98, the setting of the series.
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