| Introduction |
| “ | See, that's the difference between you and me, Princess Carolyn. I know where I belong. This is my bed!... No, it's not, where’s my bed? | ” |
—Cutie to a teenage Princess Carolyn, The Amelia Earhart Story | ||
Cutie Cutie Cupcake is a minor character shown through flashbacks and mentions in BoJack Horseman. She was the mother of Princess Carolyn. She was first mentioned in Best Thing That Ever Happened in Season 3, then The Light Bulb Scene in Season 5. Her only physical appearances were through flashbacks in The Amelia Earhart Story.
Physical Appearance[]
Cutie Cutie Cupcake resembled an older version of Princess Carolyn, but shorter and with a much heavier build. She had light green eyes, a tuft of curled bangs, and bags under her eyes.
Her fur was pale pink, with a patch of darker pink fur around her eyes and on her ears, and a white patch on her mouth, nose, and chin.
She wore a dark teal button-down denim shirt, a magenta undershirt, black pants, and white flats with a green checkered print and slight heel.
She also wore a gold necklace with a triangle pendant with a red dot in the middle, which she eventually gave to Princess Carolyn.
Personality[]
Cutie Cutie Cupcake is shown to have been an irresponsible, chronic alcoholic, therefore Princess Carolyn was left responsible for covering her job as a live-in maid to keep them from becoming homeless—as her mother was usually too drunk to do anything. This was a big factor in developing Princess Carolyn's workaholic attitude and her need to compulsively take care of other people as an adult. Princess Carolyn mentioned to Cooper earlier that she didn’t want to leave her mother all alone after her siblings left.
Cutie appeared to be short-tempered, snapping at her children to stop fighting and threatening that she'll "finish it!" after one complained about the other starting it. She also voiced annoyance at Princess Carolyn watching the only VHS tape they have over and over again—but when asked if she could get her another tape, she said, "What am I, made of tapes?!"
She took no responsibility for her lot, as she believed "everyone's fate is predetermined like a game of roulette where the white ball lands on a lucky or unlucky number." She constantly insisted to Princess Carolyn they're just "born with unlucky numbers", a mindset she may have developed due to her bitterness over her own life.
Cutie was also emotionally abusive to Princess Carolyn, making her feel guilty for wanting to go to college in California to "abandon [her]", as well as taunting her for thinking she could even get into college and find a way to pay for it, claiming that unlike her she knows her place—implying she thinks she’s acting like she’s better than she thinks she is. She said this as a means to crush her daughter's aspirations of a better life and career away from poverty. Cutie even blamed her for miscarrying after a pregnancy resulting from an affair with the Wallaces' teenaged son Cooper, and ruining her plan of the family supporting them forever now that their son was "stuck with [her]".
Cutie did try to comfort her daughter (albeit for the wrong reasons) after she was distraught over her pregnancy, later her miscarriage. She assured Princess Carolyn the Wallaces would take good care of her, gave her daughter her necklace, and made up a family legend that it "came from the old country and a long line of women who've taken their licks but always land on their feet."
Cutie momentarily came around, revealing to Princess Carolyn she got into UCLA. She then begrudgingly told her that she’s free to do what she wants now that she doesn't have to marry Cooper. However, still dependent on the only child who hadn’t left her yet, she did not stay true to her word. Just as Princess Carolyn was about to board her plane, Cutie begged her to defer for just a year. She asked, "Can you do this one thing for me?"—which is ironic because all her daughter ever did was for her benefit. This shows how Cutie's selfishness would prevent her from keeping promises she wouldn't directly benefit from.
Background[]
History[]
Cutie Cutie Cupcake was born on August 12, 1947. She was the mother of Princess Carolyn and her eleven siblings, all born June 6, 1974. Princess Carolyn was the runt of the litter.
She was a live-in maid for the Wallaces, a wealthy family of foxes in the answering machine tape business, and her children lived with her in a small apartment above their garage. Her family was very poor, with Cutie's job being their only means of housing, and Princess Carolyn only having one VHS tape to watch, "The Amelia Earhart Story", which she watched so much it started to wear out.
As Princess Carolyn got older, and especially after all her other siblings had moved out, she would often have to do most of the work herself, as Cutie was usually too drunk to do any work. Her father left Cutie to live in Raleigh.
One night, after having a romantic fling with the Wallaces' son, Cooper, an eighteen-year-old Princess Carolyn snuck back into her house where her mom was passed out drunk on the couch. She woke up and drunkenly told her to not get her hopes up with life, because "life is like a roulette game, and it all depends if the little white ball lands on your number and the problem is most people don’t realize they have unlucky numbers."
She chastised Princess Carolyn for receiving college pamphlets in the mail for schools in California and for wanting to leave her, then questioned how she’d even pay for college. Princess Carolyn argued back that she’d get a job or paid internship, her mother only continuing to mock her. She told Princess Carolyn that "the difference between the two of [them] is that [she] knows her place."
Shortly afterward, Princess Carolyn—to her utter dismay—found out she was pregnant. While she lamented that her life was over, Cutie was ecstatic because, to her, this meant Cooper was stuck with her and could financially support them forever. Princess Carolyn started crying, but her mother calmed her down, assuring her the family was good people and would take good care of her, and she'll still be around for her too.
She then gave Princess Carolyn her necklace, saying it came from the old country and she got it from her own mom when she first got pregnant. She told her daughter that whenever she looks at the necklace, she should remember she comes from a "strong line of women who can take a licking and keep on ticking." Princess Carolyn smiles at this, and her mother told her to not blow their chance.
However, when Princess Carolyn miscarried, she became angry and blamed her for ruining their plan, claiming "miscarriages don’t just happen!". Princess Carolyn started sobbing and apologizing profusely, and her mother comforted her, saying it’s not her fault and repeating the "unlucky numbers" belief she has.
Princess Carolyn thought Cooper might still want to marry her, but her mother assured her he’ll want to marry some heiress. Cutie told her she’s free now, to live her life as she wants. Princess Carolyn was still distressed, so her mom shows her the acceptance letter to UCLA that she received in the mail.
Cutie begging her daughter to stay home another year
However, just as Princess Carolyn was about to board her flight to Los Angeles, Cutie begged her daughter to stay home for another year, "Can you do this one thing for me?"
Princess Carolyn refused this and left to attend UCLA, devastating Cutie.
Cutie eventually passed away, presumably between 1992-2014, as her death is never brought up in the series proper, which was the last time Princess Carolyn went back to her hometown, until 2018. Her husband passed away between 2007-2014, as his death never came up within the show either, and BoJack and Princess Carolyn were dating at the time.
Season 5[]
Princess Carolyn is shown to be indifferent towards her mother in the present, casually saying she was an alcoholic and not seeming too sad when talking to Sadie about her death. The only thing she seems to admire about her mother was that she was able to get pregnant and have so many children, as Princess Carolyn is infertile.
Episode Appearances[]
Season 3[]
- Best Thing That Ever Happened (mentioned)
Season 5[]
- The Light Bulb Scene (mentioned)
- The Amelia Earhart Story (flashbacks)
Trivia[]
- She would sleep with her hands covered in lotion-filled socks.
- She is voiced by David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris's brother.
- She had a friend named Evelyn who she would steal jewelry from, including a ring that apparently got stuck on her finger. It could be inferred that she got Princess Carolyn's necklace from Evelyn too:
- The necklace turned out to be cheap costume jewelry from JC Penny instead of a priceless heirloom passed down in Princess Carolyn's family like her mother fabricated.
- Her birthday is mentioned by Mikhaela in The Light Bulb Scene:
- She also seems to know other facts about Cutie, such as her sleeping with lotion filled socks and reassures Princess Carolyn she is nothing like her.