The early 2000s gave viewers Nickelodeon shows such as
Rugrats,
SpongeBob SquarePants and
As Told by Ginger. The latter was written from a teenage girl’s perspective and expressed many of the issues teens faced at the time. Throughout the show’s three seasons, fans got to walk with Ginger Foutley as she battled the awkward junior high school experiences and finding herself.
Although the show wrapped up production more than a decade ago, fans still have speculations about some of the characters, specifically the relationship Courtney Gripling shared with Ginger.
Ginger is the titular character of the show, As Told by Ginger. She is an average girl from the fictional town, Sheltered Shrubs. Ginger has two best friends, Dodie and Macie, who sometimes betray her, and she refuses to trust them.
Ginger’s mother is a nurse who always wants to give her daughter advice regarding her high school situation. However, Ginger hates listening to her advice because she is often embarrassed by it. Her younger brother Carl and his BFF Hoodsey are always trying to use Ginger as a test subject for their schemes.
Not much is known about Ginger’s father, Jonas. However, it was revealed that her father left them when Carl was born, and when she invited him to her school play, he didn’t show up. However, Jonas makes a brief return to the family and occasionally pops in to give Ginger some fatherly advice.
Ginger is a science geek who is very academically minded. She is also a talented writer and is particularly good at poetry and keeping a diary. At the beginning of the show, Ginger wasn’t considered popular until she became friends with the school’s it-girl Courtney.
Courtney is the it-girl at Lucky Jr. High. She is a typical popular girl who is mostly not that bright. She is seen as sophisticated and kind-hearted and always wants to know how the middle-class citizens lived. Courtney’s parents are wealthy, but they end up getting a divorce as the series progresses. She took a liking to Ginger and initially wanted to see how Ginger would handle herself if placed among all the popular kids.
Much to her surprise, Ginger adapts quickly, and Courtney thus became increasingly close to her. Courtney has two friends who are usually portrayed as being her mindless followers, Miranda - who doesn't like Ginger - and Mipsy. She is often jealous of Ginger’s bond with her friends Macie and Dodie. She knows they’ll always stand by her no matter the situation, unlike Miranda and Mipsy.
Miranda hates the budding friendship between Courtney and Ginger and schemes to relegate Ginger back to the nerd she previously was. When Courtney’s mother gets an infection from a facelift injection and has to stay in the hospital, Courtney goes to live with Ginger and her mother.
She instantly forms a connection with Ginger’s mother, Lois, which makes Ginger jealous. Although Courtney is portrayed as a selfish and shallow person, she can be well-spoken and polite. She has also come through for Ginger whenever Miranda and Mipsy conjure up plans to ruin her.
Fans think Courtney was in love with Ginger
Throughout the series, Ginger and Courtney become close and form a bond that can be likened to siblings. Although the two friends had a form of understanding between them, fans on
Reddit think that there was probably more to their relationship than meets the eye.
Many fans said that Courtney was in love with Ginger due to her affection and sometimes infatuation toward the titular character.
Although the theories aren’t canon - in the official series finale, "
The Wedding Frame," Ginger marries and has a baby her friend Darren - it makes sense why fans would think that way. When the show was airing, sexuality wasn’t an openly talked-about thing on tween shows. Therefore, it would make sense if Courtney loved Ginger but kept it a secret, as fans speculate.
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