Emerging from Marjorie Henderson Buell's 1935 comic strip, Lulu Moppet, nicknamed Little Lulu, debuted as a mischievous flower girl scattering banana peels at a wedding. Her full name, Louise Moppet, reflects the slang term "Moppet" for a child. Clever, resourceful, and occasionally stubborn, Lulu frequently challenges boys to prove girls' capabilities, outmaneuvering bullies and adults through strategic thinking. Her adventures unfold in neighborhood escapades, school incidents, and imaginative problem-solving.
Lulu possesses long, curly black hair with brown highlights. Her signature daytime outfit is a red dress, red hat, white socks, and brown shoes, switching to red footie pajamas at night.
Her closest bonds include best friend Annie Inch, a steadfast supporter of her schemes, and chief rival Tubby Tompkins, leader of the boys' club "The Fellers." Lulu navigates a dynamic with Tubby, oscillating between collaboration and competition, especially in disputes between their groups. She manages her troublesome young neighbor, Alvin Jones, by appeasing him with original stories featuring allegorical figures like the "Poor Little Girl" or antagonists Witch Hazel and Little Itch, imparting moral lessons.
Lulu's family consists of parents Martha and George Moppet. Martha is a skilled cook, while George often becomes the inadvertent focus of Tubby's detective investigations. Lulu sometimes faces undeserved punishment for her father's accidental misdeeds, though Tubby's inquiries often clear her name.
In extended narratives, Lulu leads an informal girls' group. She contends with adversaries like the West Side Boys, a rival gang of bullies, and Wilbur Van Snobbe, a wealthy, arrogant classmate. Conflicts with Wilbur can escalate into physical fights, though uneasy truces sometimes occur.
Later adaptations reimagined Lulu as a teenager in the 2009 Brazilian comic series *Luluzinha Teen e sua Turma*, shifting her setting to high school. This version introduced new dynamics within the "Little Lulu Team," comprising friends Annie, Georgie, Tubby, Alvin, Wilbur, and Margie. This iteration emphasized mystery-solving themes tied to social issues like water conservation and volunteerism, concluding in 2015.
Across all media, Lulu retains her core identity as a quick-witted, adventurous figure whose stories blend everyday childhood challenges with imaginative solutions and moral undertones.