Pearl is a character from the

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (character), Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who li ...

'', created by

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series for ...

. She is a Gem, a fictional alien being that exists as a magical

gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

projecting a holographic body. She is portrayed as a loving, gentle and delicate motherly figure for

Steven Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, the protagonist of the series, and can be a fierce fighter. However, she also tends to be overprotective, has low self-esteem, and is deeply overwhelmed with grief caused by the loss of Steven's mother

Rose Quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

, whom she loved. She is frequently praised for being a positive depiction of a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

character, though her strong obsession with Rose has been described as "unhealthy".

Development and casting

Pearl's look was redesigned between the pilot episode of ''Steven Universe'' and the first regular episode. Originally having peach hair styled in a quiff and a much more intricate outfit, by " Gem Glow", she had the ballerina-esque design she retained before her regeneration in " Steven the Sword Fighter". Pearl's voice actress,

Deedee Magno Hall Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series '' Steven Universe Future''. Early lif ...

, started voice acting at a young age for ''

The All-New Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised fo ...

''. She moved on to do

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

performances in the 1990s and 2000s, such as ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed rom ...

'' and ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'', but was contacted by Rebecca Sugar to portray a role in ''Steven Universe'' in 2013. Pearl was her first major role in an animated series.

Character

Alongside

Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...

Amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...

and protagonist

, Pearl is one of the Crystal Gems, a group of Gems that protect humanity and the Earth from danger. Pearl has been described as "intense ndwith a laser focus". In Gem culture, Pearls are said to be "made-to-order servants" who serve higher-class Gems. Due to their status as simple servants meant for "standing around and looking nice and holding your stuff", they are seen as status symbols. Pearl displays a strong inferiority complex and self-esteem issues stemming from the fact that she was created to be a servant; she values her independence but sometimes has trouble learning not to feel subordinate to others. Despite her struggles, Pearl learned to fight and became a formidable swordfighter. She can also summon a spear from the gemstone in her forehead. The fifth-season episode "

A Single Pale Rose "A Single Pale Rose" is the eighteenth episode of the List of Steven Universe episodes#Season 5 (2017–present), fifth season of the American animated television series ''Steven Universe''. It first aired on May 7, 2018 on Cartoon Network as the s ...

" reveals that Pearl was originally the servant of Pink Diamond, a Gem leader who eventually gave up her status to become

, the leader of the Crystal Gems. Although Rose encouraged Pearl's independence, Pearl never lost her devotion to Rose, which included romantic attraction, even after Rose "gave up her physical form" to allow Steven to be born. According to Vrai Kaiser of ''

The Mary Sue Daniel Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American media entrepreneur, television host, legal commentator, and author. He is currently the host of the prime-time show ''Dan Abrams Live'' on NewsNation, ''On Patrol: Live'' on Reelz and ''The Dan Abr ...

'', Pearl deals with severe unresolved

grief Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...

, coupled with deep-seated issues with self-worth, resulting in her falling prey to "powerful, impulsive emotions" whenever Rose is mentioned. Naith Payton of ''

PinkNews ''PinkNews'' is a UK-based online newspaper marketed to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community ( LGBT) in the UK and worldwide. It was founded by Benjamin Cohen in 2005. It closely follows political progress on LGBT rights a ...

'' described Pearl's devotion to Rose as "unhealthy and obsessive". Pearl works to correct these issues, and the show is written in a way that allows watchers to sympathize with her.

Reception

Ben Bertoli of ''

Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

'' stated that Pearl is a character that a viewer may dislike at the start of the series, but that she becomes more relatable as the story continues and the viewer learns more about her. Sara Goodwin of ''The Mary Sue'' even described her as "the most human" of the Gems because of how she struggles with "bitterness, thoughts of inadequacy, and jealousy". Though she stated that Pearl can often be "insufferable", Goodwin likes the character for her humanity and hard work. In 2014, Deedee Magno won a Behind the Voice Actor Award, in the category "Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series - Comedy/Musical", for her portrayal of Pearl. Pearl was very positively received for being a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

character in an animated series, following a pattern of

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

themes in children's animated series such as ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' and ''

The Legend of Korra ''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as TLOK), also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or simply ''Korra'', is an American anime-influenced animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for Nickelode ...

''. ''The Mary Sue'' praised the show for not falling into the "psycho lesbian" trope, which "often casts queer women as ..predators of would-be heterosexuals", even in its depiction of Pearl's jealousy when Rose shows interest in a male character in flashbacks.

Censorship

A short flashback scene in which Pearl intimately dances with Rose in order to

fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

with her, from the episode "We Need to Talk", was controversially censored by

Cartoon Network UK Cartoon Network (commonly abbreviated as CN) is a British pay television channel aimed at children which airs animated programming targeting children and young aged 6 to 12.

for British audiences, as they felt that "the slightly edited version is more comfortable for local kids and their parents".

References

External links

Pearl
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Steven Universe Steven Universe characters Television characters introduced in 2013 Fictional extraterrestrial characters Fictional gemstones and jewelry Fictional slaves Fictional shapeshifters Fictional fencers Fictional polearm and spearfighters Fictional non-binary people Fictional women soldiers and warriors Female characters in animated series LGBT characters in animated television series Extraterrestrial superheroes Fictional LGBT characters in television Fictional lesbians Fictional LGBT characters in film Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder