Ranking Ever After High Characters By How Queer-Coded They Are
Written by Daphne Bryant
Ever After High, like many other doll brands turned entertainment, was one of my favorite shows growing up. I loved the fairytale reimaginings, colorful character designs and vibrant voice acting, and the plots weren’t half bad either! Fans believe that many of the EAH characters are fruity, so let’s rank ten of them by how queer-coded they are!
#10: Madeline Hatter
Even though she herself is eager to follow in her father’s footsteps as the next Mad Hatter, Madeline“ Maddie”, introduced in 2013, is on the Rebel side because she believes people should be free to choose their destinies. Maddie is psychic and has the ability to hear the narrators, see into the future, and understand the Riddlish language and Wonderlandian magic. In short, she’s the quirkiest girl in the show.
Maddie is also one of the few main characters to have zero love interests (like genuinely none), but she is very open-minded, cheers for other people’s love stories and sees the best in everyone. I think Maddie is likely a panromantic asexual who doesn’t see a need to jump into any romances when her friends and hobbies complete her so very much. If not that, she’s a veryyyy vocal ally.
#9: POPPY O-HAIR
Ever had a crazy gay haircut? Then you and Poppy O’Hair might get along. Poppy was introduced in 2013 as the twin sister of Holly O’Hair and the daughter of Rapunzel. While Holly is content to keep her long, luscious locks, Poppy has one of the most alternative hairstyles in the show: short, asymmetrical hair that is red but dyed purple. We also can’t ignore the scissor earrings, guys...the jokes write themselves.
Instead of chasing love, Poppy is focused on her craft and independence as a hair stylist, which is so Shane from The L Word of her. Unfortunately Poppy didn’t get nearly enough screentime during the show’s run, so we don’t know much about her other than the aforementioned facts, but I’m just going to say she’s queer off of vibes, okay?!
#8: C.A. Cupid
C.A. Cupid is cool because she appears in both the Monster High and EAH universes. Introduced in 2013 (2011 for Monster High), Cupid is the new girl who spent her first public school years at Monster High. She’s not part of a fairytale like most of her fellow students, but rather part of Ancient Greek mythology. In the destiny conflict, she is on the Rebel side because she believes following your fairytale might prevent you from connecting with someone organically (AKA“ the flow of love”.)
If I can be so-honest, I never got overtly queer vibes from Cupid, mostly because she has this massive crush on Dexter, Prince Charming’s son, that dominates much of her storyline. Apparently though, the voice actress for Cupid confirmed in a fan interview that the character is in fact bisexual. Though we don’t see that reflected in the show (or related media), I’m always happy to learn about a new bisexual character! I guess it makes sense that somebody who really loves love would have the ability to love both genders :)
#7: Briar Beauty
Introduced in 2013, Briar Beauty, daughter of Sleeping Beauty, is a 365 party girl (confirmed), but she also pretty much rejects every guy that makes a move on her. The most notable guy in question is Hopper Croakington II, who is on track to be the next Frog Prince. Briar turns him down, and only folds when he essentially cheats his way into Briar’s heart. Briar never seemed to care much about the guys at EAH, and this is reaffirmed by her scenes with frenemy Fayebelle Thorn, the next Dark Fairy that is fated to curse Briar into her 100-year sleep.
In“ Epic Winter’s” dream sequence, an entranced Briar is about to touch the spindle only to be saved by Faybelle, who destroys the spindle and holds hands with Briar while the two smile warmly at each other. It’s worth mentioning that in this particular episode, all other dreams shared between two people were romantic couples (Daring/Rosabella and Hunter/Ashlynn), who acted out versions of their fairytales in the same way these two do. Sometimes with sapphic stories we have to search for the crumbs, but the crumbs are definitely there.
#6: Melody Piper
Introduced in 2013, Melody Piper is the daughter of the Pied Piper and on the Rebel Side, since she wants to use music to bring people together, not lure them away from one another. She’s an artist/DJ (a classic career path for creative lesbians in LA and NYC), and has some gay voice going on. Melody also, like Raven Queen and Poppy, has one of the more goth/emo/alt looks in the show. This doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to, but queer culture and alt culture obviously intersect.
The big giveaway is that her outfit and her hair are the colors of the nonbinary flag, so while she doesn’t use they/them pronouns in the show, I can totally see her being gender non-conforming, on the trans spectrum and/or using any pronouns.
#5: Raven Queen
The first EAH character to make the Top 5 is Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen #YAY! While a lot of people also queer Raven, I don’t think she’s as high on the spectrum as others. Still, the vibes are definitely there. For starters, Raven is constantly framed as different, misunderstood, and even dangerous for not wanting to be evil. She’s ostracized for not conforming and even has a dark, edgy, and alternative fashion style that certainly aligns with many queer subcultures.
Due to the revolutionary rejection of her destiny, Raven is technically the founder of the Rebel movement (you could say she threw the first stone at Stonewall). This makes her a sort of foil for Apple White, Raven’s roommate and the future Snow White who loves her destiny and thinks everyone should follow tradition. Their rivalry, which is a huge part of the show’s plot, has often been interpreted as romantic tension. Apple is overly fixated on Raven’s choices, and their interactions with each other are emotionally intense, sometimes even more so than the outright romantic pairings in the show. Major Wicked vibes, IYKYK.
Finally, since colors are never to be overlooked, Raven’s outfit represents the colors of the asexual flag. I think that headcanon makes sense, especially because she seems pretty resistant/oblivious of anyone who shows interest in her.
#4: Cerise Hood
Cerise Hood was one of my favorite EAH girls! I just thought she was so pretty and cool. She wears a hood to cover her half-wolf ears, and is prone to wolf-like tendencies and outbreaks, which is a huge inconvenience and frustrates her, especially since she’s supposed to keep her true identity a secret. Many think her hiding these core parts of herself is a metaphor for being queer, and I like the idea of Cerise being a closeted character. While her fashion is not as masculine as her sister’s, Ramona Badwolf, Cerise doesn’t follow the ultra-feminine trends that many princesses at EAH do either.
She also loves sports and is a great athlete, so much so that in“ Thronecoming” she joins the Book Ball team as the only female player. Not to play into stereotypes (I’m well aware that not all gay girls love to get down and dirty on the field), but she’s definitely queer-coded.
#3: Ramona Badwolf
The most gay thing about Ramona Badwolf is probably her voice, but gay voice is a very real thing (and hers is like the most gay; listen for yourself)! Introduced in 2015, Rebel Ramona is the daughter of the Big Bad Wolf and (secretly) Cerise’s older sister. Before enrolling at EAH, Ramona was a student at a reform school for bad behavior, so she’s every bit the lesbian troublemaker.
Ramona, like Cerise, is very athletic and good at sports. She has a tomboyish look compared to the other girls at Ever After High and wears tougher, more utilitarian clothing. On top of that, her body language reads as very androgynous: futch final boss! Some fans ship Ramona with her roommate Justine Dancer, who also happens to be her polar opposite. Nana parallels anyone?
#2: Darling Charming
Presenting EAH’s Princess Charming: Darling. Darling was introduced in 2013 as part of a long line of Charmings, her brothers being Dexter and Daring. Her fairytale, which was previously thought to be a mystery, is so sapphic that denying it just makes you look silly. In the“ Dragon Games” episode, Darling gives CPR to Apple, who was poisoned and fell into a cursed sleep (just like her mom). Even though it’s not an official“ kiss”, Darling’s CPR does wake Apple, whereas her boyfriend Daring Charming’s kiss fails. According to the legends, Prince Charming is supposed to be Apple’s true love kiss. Turns out Apple, and Darling, prefer women!
Apart from her iconic and magical CPR kiss with Apple, Darling herself is very queer. She’s considered a Rebel, despite her royal status, because she wants to go on adventures, not be rescued. In order to fill this urge, she goes on quests to save people and animals, disguising herself as a knight in shining armor. When she’s around her family she acts like a damsel in distress to keep them satisfied, but when she drops that facade her true self emerges: a dashing hero who can literally woo any girl. For example, in one of the webisodes, Darling saves her class and most of the female students — thinking she’s a guy — swoon over her heroics. And don’t even get me started on Darling’s little romance with Ginger Breadhouse in“ Spring Unsprung” (a dynamic that is lowkey cuter than hers and Apple’s, as they’ve spent more time together); Darling had that girl blushing and acting all kinds of flustered.
Plus, her color scheme resembles that of the trans flag: pink, blue and white. Indisputably, Darling is queer-coded.
#1: Apple White
This feels like the most obvious answer, the one character that even in adulthood queer EAH fans still obsess over. Apple White, daughter of Snow White, is the textbook definition of a high femme lesbian that is really deep in the closet (or, conversely, doesn’t even know she’s gay yet). Out of all of the EAH characters, Apple falls most victim to heteronormativity, expecting life to play out just like the fairytales she’s been fed her whole life.
Apple is desperate for control, desperate to please and desperate to stay popular. She has this strange fixation on Raven (as I explained earlier), and barely spends any time with her supposed soulmate Daring Charming (who has way more chemistry with Rosabella). What really drove Apple’s sexuality home though, is the aforementioned CPR kiss with Darling. When Daring kissed Apple he couldn’t wake her up, but Darling came to the rescue and saved Apple, pressing the princess’ lips to hers. This scene drove fans crazy, and it put a lot of things into perspective. Romantically, what Apple actually wants is someone strong and courageous, someone noble who can make her fantasy come true, and Darling, as the White Knight, fits the bill.
