Penny is Inspector Gadget's brilliant niece who often helped him in his cases, sometimes against his will. She was portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg in the first film and Caitlin Wachs in the sequel. She served as the secondary heroine in the two films, behind Brenda Bradford (first) and G2 (second).
Background[]
Developmental origins[]
Penny was created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin, and Bruno Bianchi for DIC Entertainment. While the show was always intended to focus on Inspector Gadget, Penny was added because Heyward was told that if they didn't include a girl character, the show would risk being appealing only to boys. The fact that she was a pre-teen was most likely meant to catch the attention of children.
Penny was initially voiced by Cree Summer, who is often tied to the role, but in the second season, she was voiced by Holly Berger. She was later voiced by Erica Horn, Tegan Moss, and Tara Strong in later adaptations.
Inspector Gadget[]
Penny is first seen waking up her uncle (who at the time is called John Brown) with Brain who licks him in his sleep from a police hero dream and reminds him that tomorrow is Career Day at school.
She asks about the letter concerning his application to become a full rank police officer, she looks at it and he tells her that two-year experience is not enough to be a cop.
Brown is concerned that being a security guard is not the best job due to all the brilliant jobs her classmates' parents have and thinks he can do more as a real police officer. Penny assures him that she is proud of him no matter what job he has.
After Brown has an accident involving an encounter with Sanford Scolex, she watched as he is rebuilt by Dr. Brenda Bradford as the first Cyborg Police Inspector for the Riverton Police Department: Inspector Gadget. She then helps him get ready for a celebration party of his acceptance. Penny knows that he has an obsession for Brenda and tells him to loosen up a bit and be cool when he sees her.
Presumably, after being picked up from school the next day, Penny helps Gadget with his case on the murder of Artemus Bradford (Brenda's father) by noticing a Scolex Industries truck similar to initials "SI" that Gadget found on a tiny circular piece of metal which makes him realize that Scolex (now Dr. Claw) was behind the murder.
They drive to Scolex Industries. Gadget goes inside to warn Brenda leaving Penny and Brain in the Gadgetmobile to take them home. When they arrive there, they meet Brenda who has found out that Claw killed her father and find out that something has happened to Gadget and go after him using the Gadgetmobile's tracking system.
They find him at a rubbish dump where he had been placed after he was deactivated by Claw. Even though his Neuron Synapse Amplifier chip, which was the main source of his functioning body, is gone, a tearful Penny explains that he has the heart to still function by himself. Suddenly, after a kiss from Brenda, he begins to move again much to their joy.
Gadget and Brenda go after Claw and drop Penny and Brain off at home. Penny takes the bus and arrives at Scolex Industries for evidence involving Claw.
Inside she tells Brain to split up and go in another direction. She finds Sykes, one of Claw's henchmen, trying to flush a cybernetic foot that is evidence in his boss's crime. He aims his gun at her, but she ends up persuading him that a life of crime is not right for him and adds evidence that Claw made an evil version of Gadget to terrorize Riverton.
Later after Chief Quimby arrives after Gadget defeats Claw for his crimes against the city, Penny arrives with a tearful Sykes who admits everything, much to the astonishment of the now caged Claw. She is given a thumbs-up sign by Gadget and she returns it.
She leaves with Gadget (who is now called a hero), Brenda, and Brain and heads back home. During the closing credits, she is seen testing the latest invention of her communicator watch with Brain who responds in a human voice.
Trivia[]
- Lindsay Lohan turned down the role of Penny, due to working on her first movie, Disney's The Parent Trap (1998). Emmy Rossum auditioned for the part.
- In the original cartoon, Penny, as well as Brain, were the true heroes that usually thwarted Dr. Claw. Penny's paraphernalia not only included her communicator watch (which she had from the very first episode) to contact Brain, but she also had a special high tech computer disguised as a book that gave her information as well as having a digital map, a jamming system, a hacking system, a remote control system, a laser and a slot for inserting a digital camera. The movies make a compromise by having Gadget be the hero with Penny using her own abilities to aid him any way she can.
- Penny's hair was always blonde, but in the first film her hair was brown, however, in the sequel they made her appearance more like her cartoon counterpart.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Penny (CW).jpg (50 KB)")
External links[]
- Penny at the Inspector Gadget Wiki
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