- “Bingo-Bango.”
- ―Cricket's catchphrase
Cricket Ernest Green is the main protagonist of the Disney Channel original animated series Big City Greens. Cricket is the youngest child and only son of Bill and Nancy Green, the younger brother of Tilly Green, and the grandson of Alice Green.
Background[]
Personality[]
Fun-loving as well as mischievous, Cricket's curiosity leads his family on all sorts of adventures in the Big City. Cricket puts his family first and foremost and loves being a Green. His shenanigans tend to get himself and his family into trouble, but he always manages to pull through. Cricket considers himself an adaptable person in Big City though it is very apparent that he is no more knowledgeable about his surroundings than his family. While not completely oblivious to city life, he is shown to be slow witted when it comes to understanding certain cultural differences which are mostly brought upon by his lack of social skills. Cricket can also be stubborn and hates responsibility though he does show signs of slowly accepting it in "Critterball Crisis".
Cricket is an easily excitable person who is always looking to do something that is new and different for him. Some of his ventures are typically influenced by greed, such as in "Homeshare Hoedown", where he was willing to have strangers stay at his house simply so he can earn money. This also blinds him from common sense as seen in "Supermarket Scandal", where he reasoned that to fill an order they would simply make fake fruit and vegetables. After doing so, his father Bill frustratingly reprimands him and tells him the consequences which baffles Cricket as he did not think through his plan "10 steps ahead". He is however also simply interested in trying things to impress other people and his family.
Physical appearance[]
Cricket Green is a 10-year-old country boy of rather small height. He has yellow skin, similar to the rest of his family. He wears a gray shirt and denim overalls. He is usually barefoot as he refuses to wear shoes though he does not seem to have any problem walking on any terrain. Cricket has noticeable buck teeth rounded in the front though occasionally when he talks the rest of his teeth come up from the side implying that it is actually an overbite. He has a light brown bowl cut hair that is neatly split down the middle.
When he starts working at Big Coffee with Gloria, he dons a plain brown cap and apron similar to his coworker.
He bares a resemblance to his ancestor Bixby Green.
Abilities[]
- Dancing: He is very good at doing country and bluegrass dances.
- Singing: He is a good singer and can sing karaoke.
Weaknesses[]
- Selfishness: Cricket is known to only care about himself time to time, which causes trouble for others.
- Gullibility: He is often blinded by riches and easily led to believe things.
- Lack of technology: Due to living off the grid his whole life, Cricket has none or very little experience with electronic devices such as smartphones.
Appearances[]
Big City Greens[]
Cricket embodies the stereotypical rambunctious, free-spirited youth who refuses to listen to authority. Throughout the series, he acts as the counter cultural focal point to his father's more conservative ruling. At the start of the series, Cricket does everything he can to try and break the mold. While it comes off as reckless endangerment, it is really just Cricket trying to express independence. Cricket displays a surprising amount of this throughout the series as much of his adventuring is the result of him using his own wits.
Cricket's biggest goal is trying to avoid responsibility as he feels that it is a detriment to his goals. Ironically, Cricket usually learns his lesson by practicing this sort of thing in order to get out of his predicaments. Gloria pointed this out to him at one time, causing Cricket to feel awkward about it. Nevertheless, he continues to claim that responsibility will be his enemy, even though he fails to realize that it will always somehow be a part of him.
As the series progresses, Cricket noticeably starts to show some maturity. This usually happens whenever Cricket is actually not trying to do anything dangerous or mischievous and instead is trying to do something normal for a change.
Cricket's most ultimate goal is to protect the Greens' house in Big City from suffering any type of fate, such as being sold, demolished, etc., which is something the Greens have faced every generation. Cricket also has to defeat the scheming Chip Whistler, the power-hungry ex-CEO of Wholesome Foods who wants the Greens out of Big City for good.
Other appearances[]
Cricket makes a cameo in the Amphibia episode "A Night at the Inn", as a plush toy on Polly's room.
Relationships[]
Tilly Green[]
- “I gotta say, ya ain't a great babysitter... But you're a great sister.”
- ―Cricket complimenting Tilly[src]
Cricket deeply cares for his sister Tilly. The last thing he wants to do is make her feel terrible. In "Tilly's Goat", he feared that people would make fun of her for bringing a goat to a dog show, admitting that he does find her behavior odd. However, when she reveals that she is well aware of how people perceive her, he changes his attitude and starts to trust her judgement such as in "Cricketsitter". Despite her being older than him, there are times when his domineering personality makes him feel older. Because of this, Cricket treats her as a second in command of sorts, and she in turn will "give her life" for him in situations. Contrarily, Cricket does so, but is more reluctant at it. Nevertheless, his bond with Tilly is strong.
Bill Green[]
Cricket's respect for his father, Bill, wanes. While he loves his dad considerably, he tends to challenge his authority. Cricket does not want to follow the ideals of responsibility and thinks that his dad is a square because of it. However, when he makes mistakes, he looks to his father for advice or help in fixing his problems, ironically showing that he does share his responsibility trait with his father. In "Cricket's Place", he believed that life without his father, and for that matter his family, would be perfect, but later realizes that having him around is what he loves most due to their shared interest in being a member of the Green family. Despite his differences from his father, he cares about him enough to maintain a familial relationship.
Gramma Alice[]
Cricket's relationship with his grandmother, Alice Green, is that of love and care that borderlines intense and psychotic rivalry. Contrasting with his father, Cricket seems to have high respect for Alice, mostly because he enjoys listening to her stories. He was willing to listen to her such as in "Blue Tater" and "Hurty Tooth". It is only through the intervention of Tilly and Bill that Cricket eventually comes to accept that Alice has problems. Furthermore, he wants to be like her by essentially topping her such as in "Cricket Versus". Cricket has shown to challenge her authority on occasion as well whenever he feels that she is suppressing him and not giving in to what he wants. Like the rest of his family, he loves her unconditionally.
Nancy Green[]
Cricket loves his mother Nancy and, besides Alice, has shown to wanting to be like her. He feels that because she was away for a long time that she would be worried about not being anything like her and wanted to impress her. However, he eventually learns that Nancy loves him regardless. Cricket does not seem to mind her living in a mobile home as opposed to the Green house and considers himself close to her anyway. Additionally, he is more accepting of Nancy's authority, possibly because he considers her more fun compared to Bill or Alice who are more restrictive.
Remy Remington[]
Cricket was quick to befriend Remy despite almost having nothing in common with him. It is quickly apparent that he greatly influences him to be rebellious and more assertive. They clearly value their friendship and were devastated when they thought they would never see each other again as seen in "Remy Rescue". However, in making him more assertive, Remy has shown to stand up to Cricket as well whenever he feels that he is being pushed upon or misdirected. Despite this, they consider themselves best friends.
Gloria Sato[]
Cricket and Gloria have a very unusual relationship. Cricket really wants to be Gloria's friend and impress her with his antics. Ironically, Gloria despises this and in turn is infuriated by his constant blundering and messes. She would rather have nothing to do with him, but in "Critterball Crisis", the two slowly begin to form a loose friendship when events force them together. Cricket will stick his neck out for Gloria and while reluctant at first, she has started to take an older sister mentality with him. The two have also started to share personal details with one another, bringing them closer. In "Elevator Action", Cricket, as well as the rest of his family, tell her that they will always be there for her, implying that he views her as an honorary Green of sorts. In "Flimflammed", he began to put her needs above his own.
Gabriella Espinosa[]
Cricket immediately became smitten with Gabriella at first sight. He attempted to avoid her when she asked to dance with her, but through Nancy and Alice's intervention, he learns to embrace his feelings for her, though she turns him down due to how weird he was acting. By the time of "Gabriella's Fella", he was still crushing on her and had a hard time speaking to her. Over a matter of minutes, he eventually bonds with her and, with Remy and Community Sue's help, earns the gumption to admit how he feels to her. While they do not identify as a "romantic" couple, they are close and like each other enough to say that they are "going out", due to their youth. This is exampled in "Date Night" as Cricket reveals even though they're a couple, they do not care about the "gushy-mushy" stuff just then and would rather just have fun.
Chip Whistler[]
Cricket seemed to slightly admire, or at least see potential with Chip Whistler as a potential customer for his father's business. However, through Cricket's actions and some of Chip's own, the two of them have since become sworn enemies. In "Feud Fight", the two were easily antagonistic towards one another, but Cricket quickly learned to be more mature and since then has looked down and Chip and poked fun at his miserable failures. He has since started to see Chip as a true threat to the family in "Chipwrecked" when he finally managed to outsmart him by seizing control of Big Coffee and firing him and Gloria, and plots to build a new Wholesome Foods where the Green house currently stands.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Cricket's appearance is loosely based on a childhood photo of his voice actor and series co-creator Chris Houghton as seen here.
- Cricket was originally going to be named "Bucket."[1] The name was changed days before a major pitch meeting because the crew found out that Disney had already picked up the show Kirby Buckets.[2]
- Cricket's voice is said to be a mix between singer-songwriters Daniel Johnston and Arlo Guthrie.[3]
- For some reason, Cricket initially had a strong prejudice against bears. This eventually changed in the episode "Bear Trapped".
- In "Cricketsitter", it is revealed that Cricket has a metal plate in his head. When asked about it, Chris Houghton stated that it "just makes sense".[4] When asked how long he's had it, Houghton stated since "the accident".[5]
- Despite his young age, Cricket was employed at Big Coffee. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be the only person in his family with a general paying job as his father, Bill, is an independent seller who does not run an established business. This changed with the arrival of Nancy who runs an auto body shop.
- While not stated within the show, Cricket seems to suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder as several episodes depict him as being impulsive and hyperactive, and he sometimes strays from important tasks for his own amusement. Chris Houghton apparently confirmed this by mentioning the then upcoming episode "Quiet Please".[6] However, he later stated that he did not want to label Cricket or Tilly with any diagnosis as while he was happy to hear children identify with the characters in such a way, he did not want children to self-diagnose for fear of mislabeling them.[7]
- According to his father Bill, in "Tilly Tour", Cricket once had soda when he was just a baby.
- Cricket hates wearing shoes. This character trait is somewhat similar to Rapunzel in the Tangled series.
- In "Cheap Show", it is revealed that he does own a pair of shoes, but that he does not wear them because he does not want to get them dirty.
- As revealed in "No Service", Cricket has a principle in his life to never wear shoes unless the situation mandatorily calls for them, like in the snow or to play ball.
- Cricket apparently keeps a frog in his front pocket. It is only seen in the intro, the episode "Remy Rescue" and at the beginning of Gramma's Theme Song Takeover. Chris stated that the frog is "always just kinda chillin'" inside his pocket with Shane commenting that he was "the kind of kid" who would do that.[8]
- In "Hiya Henry", Cricket is revealed to suffer from severe automatonophobia, the fear of ventriloquist dummies.
- In the same episode, it is revealed Cricket's eyes are medium blue.
- Cricket's buckteeth are very similar to that of Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents.
- Cricket is seen as a plush on a shelf in Polly's bed & breakfast room in Amphibia episode "A Night at the Inn".
- In a Tumblr Q&A, Cricket claimed that his spirit animal was "one of those frogs that can shoot blood out of their eyes".[9] He is most likely referring to the Texas Horned Lizard, sometimes referred to as Horned Frogs.
- For some reason, Cricket initially despised romance. This eventually changed in the episode "Valentine's Dance", and becomes fully in tune with it in "Gabriella's Fella" when he starts dating Gabriella.
- In "Wild Side", it is revealed that Cricket must go camping once a year in order to quell his animalistic tendencies.
- In "Garage Tales", Cricket is revealed to be a Flat Earther as he thinks that the ocean is held in by giant ice walls.
- Cricket may actually be smarter than he lets on. This is hinted at in various episodes such as in "Cheap Show", where he mentally admits to himself that his antics are not as endearing as he thinks they are.
- As of "Big Deal", Cricket underwent multiple changes in his design:
- His pupils are smaller, like everyone else's.
- His head is slightly shorter and less angled, and more rounded at the top edge.
- His body is taller and a bit fatter, but remains the same height.
- His chest pocket and overall buttons have more volume.
- According to source releases and confirmed in the Random Rings short "Cricket Pranks Raven", Cricket is 10 years old.
- His personality and traits are similar to Star Butterfly from Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
- Both characters are reckless and irresponsible.
- Both characters are mischievous and optimistic.
- Both have best friends as boys. (Remy for Cricket and Marco for Star)
- Both have crushes. (Gabriella for Cricket and Marco for Star)
- Both characters are afraid of toys. (Clowns for Star, and Dummies for Cricket)
- According to Chris Houghton, the total cost of property damage caused by Cricket racks up to $72,471.82 in U.S. currency.[10]
- In the early episodes, Cricket's voice sounded low-pitched. Starting with "Blood Moon", his voice got higher-pitched. Chris Houghton stated that he realized that Cricket needed to sound more youthful and over time performed vocal exercises to increase his range adding, "Try not to think of the 33 year old man working up a sweat in a small padded booth in Burbank!"[11]
- Chris Houghton revealed that if Cricket attended Hexside, he would become "the world’s most powerful wizard" and wear a white beard.[12]
- According to Chris Houghton, Cricket's favorite song by The Beatles is "Octopus's Garden".[13]
- Cricket is so far the latest main protagonist from a Disney Channel animated series to be a male.
- Later Disney Channel animated shows would have female main protagonists like Anne Boonchuy from Amphibia, Luz Noceda from The Owl House, Molly McGee from The Ghost and Molly McGee, Gretel Grant-Gomez from Hamster & Gretel, Lunella Lafayette/Moon Girl from Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, and the the titular character from Kiff, though it could be argued that the latter also prominently features male characters Kevin Grant-Gomez and Hamster as co-leads.
References[]
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DisneyTVA/status/1198655185683468290
- ↑ "Tumblr Name Post". Tumblr (March 25, 2020).
- ↑ "Tumblr Voice Post". Tumblr (September 6, 2020).
- ↑ "Tumblr Metal Plate Post". Tumblr (October 16, 2020).
- ↑ "Tumblr Metal Plate Accident". Tumblr (February 19, 2023).
- ↑ "Tumblr ADHD Post". Tumblr (July 21, 2020).
- ↑ "Tumblr Second ADHD Post". Tumblr (July 24, 2022).
- ↑ "Tumblr Frog Post". Chris Houghton (November 17, 2019).
- ↑ "Tumblr Spirit Animal Post". Tumblr (May 21, 2019).
- ↑ "Tumblr Property Damage Post". Tumblr (March 12, 2021).
- ↑ "Tumblr Vocal Exercises Post". Tumblr (May 27, 2021).
- ↑ "Tumblr Hexside Post". Tumblr (September 13, 2020).
- ↑ "Tumbler Beatles Post". Tumblr (March 22, 2022).
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