Coraline Jones.
Coraline Jones is an inquisitive, smart and quick thinking thirteen year old girl and the leader of the Mystery Kids.
Overview
She arrived to Gravity Falls, having been sent there by her parents alongside her family friend Norman Babcock, in order to spend the summer there for vacation.
Initially disliking the idea that she would be spending the summer at a seemingly rundown town, she soon discovered that this town was not all what it seemed, having witnessed a few paranormal events unfold in Gravity Falls.
Appearance
Coraline has dyed dark blue (actually light brown) hair with a little dragonfly hairclip. She has brown eyes and freckles on her cheeks. She is a rather skinny girl with spindly legs. She has a blunt, blue haircut which she parts on the left side of her head. She has a round, wide, childish face with freckles on both sides of her cheeks (three on both sides). She can be seen wearing swampers (rain boots), a pink-stripped long-sleeved shirt, a blue starry sweatshirt followed by skirt and tights or blue jeans.
Personality
Coraline is a thirteen year old girl with a large personality. She is seen as a feisty, rebellious, adventurous, curious, and creative girl for her age. She is also a quick thinker and witty. Coraline can get aggravated by grown-ups, and people not taking her seriously because of her young age and outgoing demeanor. But her biggest pet peeve is people pronouncing her name wrong (they confuse it with Caroline).
Coraline is also not that fond to be around adults due to her past experiences with her parents. However, that changed after her parents began to change for the better although she does exhibit a snarky attitude regardless.
After her encounter with the Other Mother, Coraline has shown a more responsible nature though she still acts childish most of the time. She is also shown to be fearless even when facing beings like Bill Cipher, however, she admitted that deep down she is terrified but chooses not to let her fear be exposed in order to properly lead the group.
As the series progresses, Coraline becomes more mature and focused, though she still retains a snarky attitude, thereby being a more capable and exceptional leader as well as being a role model for people like Mabel, Neil, and Greg. She is also regarded as a motherly figure, especially towards kids who are much younger than her. This mother-like role also extends towards some of the members of the Mystery Kids, not only due to being one of the older ones but also because their mindset is not exactly in tune with their current age. Nevertheless, Coraline will do anything to make sure her friends and family are not harmed, even willing to lay down her own life to ensure that they are safe.
Role in the Story
Mystery Kids: The Beginning
Coraline, along with Wybie, Norman and Neil, were traveling to Gravity Falls for a vacation when Perry Babcock's car broke down. After making a snarky remark about a man with a claw, she turns on the radio and finds out that a clawed man was seen in town and that everyone was advised to stay indoors. Mr. Babcock, upon inadvertently scaring the children, informed them that he'd have to get a mechanic in town and that they would have to stay in the car, orders which Coraline was the first of the four children to disobey. After explaining Gravity Falls' reputation for being creepy, she excitedly left the car and, after doing the puppy dog eyes on Wybie, eventually got her friends to follow her.
Eventually, Coraline and the other children got themselves lost on the road. Much to her horror, when she asked if anyone had GPS, they, including Coraline, had no signal. In response, she threw her phone into the woods. Shortly afterward, the group heard what sounded like a car engine-like noise in the direction the phone was thrown. When asked if the phone made that sound, Coraline worriedly shook her head.
A little bit after that, Dipper and Mabel, in an attempt to escape what they believed was Dr. Loboto, almost ran Coraline and the others over with their golf kart before it crashed into a tree. Her subsequent attempts to get answers from Dipper regarding where she and her friends were would not get answered, as Dr. Loboto had found them and got ready to kill them all. Just before this could happen, Raz and Lili interfered, rescued the group of children and greatly damaged Loboto's weaponized car. However, when Raz was almost about to die, Coraline used Mabel's grappling hook and saved Raz. After she kicked Dr. Loboto several times, the mad dentist fled the scene, leaving Coraline with lots of questions to ask.
Some time later, the group of kids arrived at the Mystery Shack. Coraline pointed out that Dr. Loboto was still out there, and when Norman mentioned his dad, Coraline wondered what happened to him. She then proposed that the group take down Dr. Loboto, with most of the children being in favor of the idea. When Raz and Lili explain who they and Dr. Loboto are and the kind of threat that the kids were dealing with, Coraline found it hard to believe that the government would use psychic children as agents. Coraline's much greater skepticism toward Raz started an argument between her and Lili and escalated into a fight, with Wybie and Raz holding the girls back from fighting each other any further. The fight stopped once Coraline saw Mabel dressed as Dr. Loboto, as the buttons Mabel used to cover her eyes reminded her of The Beldam and made her suffer what looked like PTSD.
When Dipper tried laying out a detailed plan to take down Loboto, Coraline eventually got into an argument with Lili again. However, Norman was able to talk some sense into everyone and get them to cooperate with each other. When Lili asked how the group could build a cannon at night, Coraline told her that Wybie could make just about anything. When Mabel began the 80's montage, Coraline checked on Wybie's progress with the golf cart. Later, she helped Dipper lift up a large medieval weapon. When the montage ended, Coraline commented that the upgraded golf cart would suffice and she and everyone else got ready to defeat Loboto.
When everyone arrived in town, Norman discovered that Loboto was in the junkyard and the group headed there. When they arrived, the group tried to be stealthy, but Raz loudly demanded that Loboto surrender, making Coraline comment that their location was now exposed. After a false alarm involving a beaver, Coraline and the others eventually engaged Dr. Loboto in combat. During the fight, the rest of the team admitted to Coraline that she was the one most qualified to lead them in their fight against Loboto, at which point she came up with a strategy for how she would defeat the deranged dentist. After her plan worked, Coraline and Wybie fired a net at Loboto, trapping him and ending the fight.
After Loboto got arrested, the group began thinking of a team name. When they decided to call themselves the Mystery Kids, the team wanted Coraline to be the leader. When she accepted the position, she gave it to Raz, only to end up getting the position again anyway and sharing it with Raz. After that was over, Mr. Babcock barged into the room they were in and, angered that they ran off, ordered them to go back into the car. When asked by Wybie if they could get back into the Mystery Shack, Coraline said yes.
Later, Coraline began watching someone repair Mr. Babcock's car, Lili read her thoughts, embarrassing Coraline and making her run off.
Trivia
- Coraline and Wybie are the only two characters whose audio is missing at points in episode one.
