Mertle Edmonds
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Mildred Pearl Edmonds, commonly known as Mertle Edmonds, is Lilo's enemy in the Disney animated Lilo & Stitch films and television series. She is voiced by Miranda Paige Walls in the original movie and by Liliana Mumy in the following sequels and television series.
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[edit] History
Mertle is established as Lilo's ex-friend at the beginning of Lilo & Stitch, where she is introduced as a popular girl and the leader of a clique comprised of herself and three other girls in the hula halau. Mertle calls Lilo "Weirdlo" and refuses to include her in the girls' activities, in which Lilo responds (quite violently) by hitting her, pulling her hair, and biting her. Mertle and the other girls express fear and disgust of Lilo and her things, such as Scrump the doll and Stitch.
She became a recurring character in Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Throughout the series, it is established that she is from a relatively wealthy family and is a spoiled brat who lives with her mother. In one of the episodes, it is revealed that she keeps Gigi (Experiment 007) as a pet, but doesn't realize she's an experiment. Lilo tries to be friends with Mertle in several episodes, but this usually just results in even more social rejection.
She is associated with Hamsterviel having him as a pet in one episode of Lilo and Stich The Series. He also turns Mertle into an android in another episode taking over Gantu's position and actually doing a good job.
When Victoria moved to Kokaua Town, Mertle tried to befriend her so she wouldn't be Lilo's friend. However, despite her ongoing attempts to steal Victoria away from Lilo, Victoria genuinely likes Lilo, and remains her friend.
Mertle plays a key role in Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, as one of the entrants in the hula contest that is central to the film's plot. She also has a small role in the final film of the franchise, Leroy & Stitch.
[edit] Other Appearances
- Mertle appears in a Disney Adventures comic that was published before the first Lilo & Stitch film was released, where she is named "Jenny". It is possible that she did not have an established name when the comic was published, or that she was re-named during the film's production.
[edit] Mertle's Family
Mertle has a well-off but technically "broken" family. They own several homes, which they run as Bed & Breakfasts, as well as three computers. Mertle's mother, who looks very much like her daughter, is a successful realtor who is a kind woman who is often oblivious to the trouble Lilo and Stitch cause around her and believes that Lilo is one of Mertle's good friends. She also has an Aunt Stacy who is a Hollywood producer and can't remember Mertle's name. In "Yapper", Mertle adopts experiment 007 and names it "Gigi".
The whereabouts of Mertle's father, Karl, is unknown. Mertle dedicates a hula to his souvenir shop in Lilo & Stitch 2. It seems that Karl left his family some time after that because he is missing throughout the entire series. In Leroy & Stitch Mertle tells Lilo that her dad used to say "Once a weirdo, always a weirdo", which may explain why Mertle considers Lilo weird. Yuki comments that she didn't know Mertle had a dad (much to Mertle's annoyance), and then adds "just like Mertle's dad!" after Mertle tells Lilo that Stitch is not coming back.
At the end of Leroy & Stitch, Mertle joins Lilo's ʻohana with Gigi.
[edit] Gigi
Gigi (also known as "Yapper") is experiment number 007 of Dr. Jumba Jookiba's original 626 experiments. She is preceded by Percy (006) and succeeded by Carmine (008). Her experiment pod, like the others, fell to the island of Kauaʻi during the events of Stitch! The Movie.
Experiment 007 is reactivated and found by Mertle prior to the events of the episode "Yapper". Believing her to be a Shih Tzu dog (or a "fur person" as Mertle prefers to call her), Mertle names her "Gigi" and takes her in as a pet. The following is Gigi's description from the experiment gallery on the Stitch! The Movie DVD:
Experiment # 007
One of Jumba's earliest experiments, it's really just a little lap dog... whose never-ending yapping is meant to drive everyone crazy.
Besides barking, Gigi also has many dog-like traits and abilities, such as fetching. She is also capable of clear human speech, but only speaks two lines throughout the series (both at the end of Leroy & Stitch).
Gigi won several awards at the 9th Annual National Junior Dog Show in Honolulu, including "Best Of Show", but Mertle ended up reluctantly giving her trophy to Stitch after he rescued Gigi from Gantu. When Jumba recognized Gigi as one of his experiments (it was difficult for him, since Mertle had groomed her and decorated her with bows), Lilo nicknamed her "Yapper". Lilo decided not to take Gigi away from Mertle, seeing that since she and the experiment had become loving friends, Gigi had already found the one true place that she belongs.
In Leroy & Stitch, Gigi and Mertle are kidnapped by Leroy and taken to Aloha Stadium to be destroyed along with the other 623 experiments remaining on Earth. During the battle with the Leroy clones, Gigi reveals that she's an alien experiment by saying "Nice one, Cousin!" to Clip (experiment 177) after she defeats a Leroy clone by giving it an embarassing trim. She then jumps on top of the shocked Mertle to protect her from a plasma blast. At the end of the movie, Mertle accepts that her pet dog is actually an alien experiment like Stitch, and decides to join Lilo's group photograph, insisting that she is only doing it because "Gigi wants to be part of an ʻohana".
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