What As Told By Ginger Taught Me

Picture a world when cell phones still had antennas, cable was alive and well, and Nicktoons were not just cartoons, they were Nicktoons. Yes, it’s the 90s and there’s a middle school girl who writes, sings, and has a heart of gold blowing up the TV. Yes, it’s time to talk about everyone’s forgotten Nickelodeon classic: As Told by Ginger.

Who is Ginger?

As Told by Ginger follows the life of middle schooler Ginger Foutley. Not only do we get to watch Ginger go through the trials of adolescence, but we also get to follow the wacky elementary school adventures of her younger brother, Carl, and his own friends. The show starts with Ginger in the 7th grade and works its way into her high school years until the finale. This, to me, is the best part of the show because, unlike the rest of the Nicktoon lineup, Ginger and her friends eventually do grow up and live a full life.

For those that don’t know the show, Ginger is one of the most wholesome Nicktoons you will find right next to Doug. Compared to her “cousins” SpongeBob or Timmy, Ginger is the voice of a generation. The show is deeply rooted in teaching the lessons of growing up both at school and at home. My friends thought it was the most boring show at the time, but I didn’t (and still don’t) care what anyone has to say about this red-headed girl and her life. What makes this show shine the most is that it caters to the awkward pre-teen girls rather than the typical, fun-loving kid. Another rare thing that most cartoons don’t seem to focus on. A trailblazer or a simple suburban girl in jeans? It’s hard to tell.

Macy, Ginger, and Dodie walking down the hall.

Lesson #1: “Nothing worth having ever comes easy”

Okay, normally I refrain from the good ol’ fashioned spoiler alert, but in this case, I can’t resist. The line of this lesson is the last line of the show and it pretty much sums up the heart of the show itself. Yes, some of the things that we deal with when we grow up are not that earth-shattering. A heartbreak. Getting embarrassed in front of cool girl, Courtney Grippling. A mean girl named Miranda. But they still mattered when they happened. To an elementary school kid, inviting someone to your birthday party is a big deal. To a middle schooler, kissing the hot guy in the school play, even though your friend really likes him, is an even bigger freaking deal. Those are the kind of things that Ginger talks about, but there’s a darker level that most people don’t really catch. Ginger and her brother are children of divorce, an unfortunately common story for kids in America. She has to deal with her dad not showing up to shows and the anxiety of falling in love after seeing how her parents ended. It’s real. And where does all the realness go? In that journal that holds all her thoughts that inspire her to be the writer she has always been destined to be. She pours everything she feels into her music and shares it throughout the entire show.

Lesson #2 “The bruises and scrapes along the way, that just means you're living life”

Lois Foutley is hands down (and I’d love someone to challenge this) the BEST Nicktoon mom. For those that don’t know, she is a divorced, single mother of two that works as a nurse at a local hospital. She gives her kids the space to grow but instills discipline and respect. There is even a whole arch of her wanting to lose weight and better her health. She has a beautiful moment in the last episode where she shares with Ginger the BEST piece of advice I have heard and still follow. It goes like this:

Ginger: Mom? How did you know Dave was the genuine article?

Lois: You can't know those kinds of things. You can only trust how you feel in your heart and take a blind leap of faith. You have to. That’s what life is all about. You know we’re not put on this earth to live perfect lives where we never get hurt and we never make mistakes. We’re put here to hurl ourselves headfirst into this crazy world. And the bruises and scrapes you get along the way, they just mean your living life.

Lesson #3 “All at once heartbreaking and cathartic. For as we well know, if one holds on too tightly to the past, there can truly be no embracing the future”

Carl Foutley had to be the most ingenious little boy in this show. He was the kind of character that always seemed to be smarter than the adults and is mostly seen as weird. We watched him emotionally battle between the anger he feels towards his dad and the admiration he has for his soon-to-be stepdad. We’ve seen him fall in and out of love. Carl may have been geared toward entertaining the younger siblings, but I think he is one of the best characters and has taught me to never give up on being yourself. He was trying to be an entrepreneur in the fourth grade and was learning real estate in the fifth. His ability to never give up and never throw in the towel, to me, is still inspiring.

The last episode of Ginger is only appreciated if you’ve seen most of the episodes

I still get chills when I watch the final episode because we get a conclusion to a wild journey with some amazing characters. There are so many lessons I have learned in this show, and it would be impossible to name them all. I only stayed in the Foutley family, but the entire cast of the As Told by Ginger series has a lesson or two up their sleeve. You just have to watch it to find out what’s on the other side.

As Told by Ginger can be found on Paramount+ as well as all over the interwebs. This is 100% a show to watch if you’re trying to do some soul-searching or just want that sweet 90s nostalgia. Check out a poem from Ginger herself to get the true essence of what this show is truly all about.

I hope to see you soon in whatever form I appear. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.