- “My sweet, little Chuckie, though I must leave you behind me
This poem will tell you where you always can find me
When a gentle wind blows, that's my hand on your face.
And when the tree gives you shade, that's my sheltering embrace.
When the sun gives you freckles, that's me tickling my boy.
When the rain wets your hair, those are my tears of joy.
When the long grass enfolds you, that's me holding you tight.
When the Whippoorwill sings, that's me whispering, "Night, night."” - ―Melinda's last poem for Chuckie
Chuckie's Mom Rugrats NickRewind
Melinda Finster was Chas Finster's first wife and Chuckie Finster's late mom on Rugrats. She was voiced by actress Kim Cattrall in the episode "Mother's Day".
Backstory[]
In the show's initial three-season run, Chuckie's mom was occasionally mentioned, but was never seen, and later implied to no longer be around. After the series' revival, Chuckie's mom, named Melinda, was finally given more detail as she was shown onscreen in flashbacks in the episode "Mother's Day". In that episode, it was explained that she passed away of a sudden, terminal illness shortly after her son was born.
She was an expert gardener, planting most of what grew in the Finster's yard. She was also very creative with squash. Little was known about her personality but it is assumed that she was a loving, supportive, and patient woman and that she loved both Chas and Chuckie dearly. When Chuckie shows Chas her pictures, everyone suddenly goes quiet.
The love Chuckie had for her was to the point that she gave him courage when he needed it, such as when he saw a butterfly. She assured him it was alright and he smiled, welcoming the butterfly. When she soon fell ill and was sent to the hospital, she began keeping a journal that she wrote in often. The last thing she wrote, most likely just before she died, was a poem for Chuckie.
Throughout "Mother's Day", Chuckie is searching for a mother, but is unsuccessful. Finally, Chas talks with Didi, who tells Chas that he should talk with Chuckie about Melinda, and Chas finally tells Chuckie and suggests he tell Chuckie the truth. This would later pave a way for Klasky and Csupo to create a plot device in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, where Chuckie finally finds a new mother in the form of his stepmother, Kira (Chuckie also gains a new step-sister in the form of Kira's daughter, Kimi).
Mother's Day[]
Chuckie holding up a photo of Melinda.
Melinda made her first appearance, though only through mentioning between Chas and Didi and photos, in the Rugrats episode Mother's Day. Chas had been going through a box of Melinda's belongings and decided to give them to Didi, so that he could hide them from Chuckie, who apparently had been getting into things lately. Didi hides the box in a closet.
Later on, Chuckie mentions his mother to the other babies; however, he only knows her as a dream. After some attempts to find a mom for Chuckie on Mother's Day (Spike, Lil, and Angelica), Angelica puts the babies in time-out in the closet. They unwittingly go through the box and Chuckie finds his mother's photo. Not knowing it's his real mother, he decides to give it to Chas for Mother's Day (believing Chas to be the closest thing he has to a mother). The group, including Angelica goes quiet when Chas realizes it's Melinda's photo.
At first Chaz tries to put Melinda's things away, until Didi confronts him about needing to share the things with Chuckie. Chas finally admits he's afraid Chuckie will miss his mother. Didi sympathetically tells him that they can miss her together. Chas listens to Didi and tells Chuckie that the woman in the photo is actually his mother. He spends the rest of the day explaining that she was an expert gardener and planted the flowers in their yard. He then reads the last poem Melinda wrote in her diary, which she kept when she was in the hospital.
After reading the poem, Chas puts the poem and Melinda's photo in a two-picture frame. At the end, when Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil and Lil, it's shown that Chuckie actually understands the poem his mom wrote for him (somewhat, at least), and says that his mom's in the flowers, clouds, grass, sun, and in the wind.
Looks[]
Melinda was a pale peach color. She had a pair of white eyes with black pupils and blonde hair (in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, it is brown). She also has freckles, which have been passed down to her son.
Appearances[]
Melinda was first mentioned and was seen in memories (which Chuckie thought was a dream) in "Mother's Day". She also makes a cameo in "Finsterella".
Chuckie and Chas go and visit her grave during autumn because it was her favorite time of year; she loved decorating gourds (seen in "Acorn Nuts and Diapey Butts").
Trivia[]
- When Chuckie presents her photo to Chas, all the adults go quiet, implying that in life Melinda knew Stu, Didi, Howard, Betty, Drew, Charlotte, and even Minka, Tommy and Dil's maternal grandmother.
- It is also possible Melinda could have been around for Angelica to get a glimpse of her. However, this has never been stated.
- In the episode "Real or Robots?", Stu says "your mom and dad will come pick you up in the morning" to Chuckie, and in its partner episode, "Special Delivery", Chuckie mentions that his mom told him he came from the hospital, implying that she was still alive, at least in the first season. At this point, the writers had not yet decided the fate of Chuckie's mom.
- It is possible Melinda had no living or close relatives, as Chas has never mentioned his wife's relatives to visit or contact.
- Even though Dil didn't talk throughout the series of Rugrats, he knows that Chuckie lost his mom because in "Super Hero Worship", as he says to Tommy that Chuckie knows what it's like to lose someone.
External links[]
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