Penny is the show's 14 (later 16) year-old female protagonist who is usually embarrassed by the way her father, Oscar Proud, acts. She is a normal teenager who is trying to have the life that she dreams for, despite her parents forbidding her to go on dates with boys. She is a straight-A student. While Penny is good-natured, she's prone to making very selfish decisions, and can be a jerk at times. At times, she can be downright devious when she puts her mind to it and has a vindictive streak.
While not without her own quirks, Penny is mature for her age and is more levelheaded than most middle schoolers. Despite this, however, she normally refuses to admit her mistakes, but comes to apologize and feel remorse for her actions.
Penny harbours deep affection for everyone in her family. Despite her occasional annoyance with babysitting her younger twin siblings, if they should be in danger she'll drop everything to go and protect them. Penny seems to have inherited a love of animals from her mother, as shown in "Tiger Whisperer" towards AJ and Chester the "Psycho Duck", and again towards Shuggie the Panda in "New Kids On The Block". She also combines her father's ambition with her mother's common sense.
Penny is a sporty girl. She has specific episodes dedicated to her talents in sports in both the original and revival series. She's especially good at basketball, baseball, and football.
Penny dreams of being famous, but it never ends up working out. Two of the three times she becomes famous, she gives it up willingly; in "A Star Is Scorned", she gives it up because it's not worth losing her friends, and in "It All Started With An Orange Basketball", she does briefly become a basketball superstar, but forsakes it because it's not her dream and was pressured into it by her father.
Throughout the show, she keeps an upbeat disposition of helping and inspiring other people with little or some want of personal gain.
Talents and abilities[]
She is a very talented singer, as shown when she becomes a solo singer for Wizard Kelly Productions, but quits after missing her old life. Penny's also a straight-A student. She's on the football team and the newspaper staff. Penny tried out for cheerleading, but due to having an accident, LaCienega got the final spot on the cheerleading squad. Penny is also good at reciting poetry and becomes jealous when Dijonay becomes just as good as her.
Physical appearance[]
Penny has dark brown hair that matches her eye color. She also has a beauty mark under her left eye. She wears a white shirt with a red cardigan, a burgundy skirt, and also has white socks and burgundy shoes. Her skin color is a tannish-pale brown color.
In the reboot series, Penny was given a slight redesign, she is taller, her skirt is denim with visible marks and pockets, and wears a tank top, she was also given a more feminine body structure.
History[]
Penny enjoys hanging out with her friends, even though they have gotten her into trouble and left her to face danger by herself many times. She sometimes listens to and always respects her parents, but often caves into peer pressure. She is also somewhat of a feminist at times and is very logical. Penny hangs out with Dijonay, Zoey, and Sticky. However, their friendship with her is questionable at times as they all have a habit of ditching Penny when she is in a difficult situation. Penny's arch-nemesis is LaCienega Boulevardez, her cousin and rich next-door neighbor. While they don't get along, their parents are best friends and force them to hang out. However they later become friends and outgrow their rivarly.
In The Proud Family Movie, Penny turns 16 and she begins to want independence, but her father has issues letting her go. She saves the world, makes up with him, gains some independence, and learns to appreciate her family more.
Penny makes a cameo appearance in the show and is seen after the events of the episode "Graduation", where Kim and Ron's friends and classmates wave goodbye as they travel away in a flying car. At the very end of the background, Penny also waves at them as a result of Kim being her hero.
In American Dragon: Jake Long, Penny Proud was mentioned by Jake Long as one of his close childhood friends.
Relationships[]
Friendships[]
Penny hangs out with Dijonay Jones, Zoey Howzer, LaCienega Boulevardez, and Sticky Webb. However, their so-called "friendship" with Penny is questionable at times as they all have a habit of ditching Penny whenever she is in a difficult situation, taking advantage of her, and even backstabbing her many times. Penny seems to share a more genuine friendship with Michael Collins, who is much more supportive and helpful, as well as a relatively decent friend towards Penny compared to the rest of the group.
Family[]
Oscar Proud - Penny's father. They do seem to have a loving relationship as she does seem to look up to him (most of the time anyway) and Oscar is very protective of his "baby girl". Their relationship does get more complicated in the movie, but it does go back to its old ways by the end.
Trudy Proud - Penny's mother. The two do have a loving and respectful relationship. She is the parent Penny will often go to for advice and understanding. Penny is often polite to her mother and Trudy is often very understanding of her feelings and is willing to give her good advice that will often help her.
Suga Mama - Penny's paternal grandmother. The two have a very loving relationship. Suga is very sweet and loving towards her "Grand Baby" and Penny is always there for Suga at any time.
BeBe & CeCe Proud - Penny's brother and sister. Penny is often irritated by their behavior or the fact that she often has to babysit for them. Despite that, there is no doubt that she loves them and still looks out for their well-being.
Bobby Proud - Penny's paternal uncle. The two have a kind and loving relationship. Penny is always happy to see him. Bobby has also helped her greatly with her musical career, serving as both her manager and back up. During this time, Bobby was the one person Penny never stabbed in the back. When Penny had to give a speech after she won an award, she gave the biggest shout out to Bobby saying he was like a father to her.
Over the course of the series, Penny's skin color has darkened since Season 2 (though it's still clearly an African-American skin color).
In "Pulp Boot Camp", Oscar reveals that he wanted to name Penny after Pam Grier's character Coffy.
Penny, and her family for that matter, all identify as Christians.
She is the most mature of the group.
She was a solo artist who had her own smash single until she gave it up for her friends.
She was shown kissing only two boys.
Penny, Oscar, Trudy, Suga Mama, and Dijonay are the only characters to be in all the episodes of the original series.
However, since Dijonay was absent in the first part of "Old Towne Road" and Oscar, Trudy, and Sugar Mama are absent in "Curved". Penny is the only character to appear in every episode of the franchise so far.
Throughout the series, LaCienega and Nubia constantly make fun of Penny's large forehead, even though their foreheads are larger.
Penny calls her social media fans "Pride."
In the opening sequence and some episodes, although her hair looks poofy, Penny's hair is somehow straight when she gets wet, indicating that her hair is relaxed. Additionally, in some episodes, excluding the opening sequence, her hair however wears down instead of staying tied up in pigtails as a result of getting wet. This could be a error.
In "When You Wish Upon a Roker", it is revealed Penny suffers from coulrophobia and has a birthmark on her left buttock.
