There's no doubt that Hollywood loves to feature characters with straight hair. And if a character does have textured hair, it usually comes in the form of a few expertly placed waves. But what if you're in the mood for something different?
Whether you're planning a Halloween costume or just felt like checking out what's out there, we've got you covered. In this article, we'll take a look at some of our favorite characters with curly hair. The list mixes movie and TV favorites with a few curly-haired book characters, too, from Hermione Granger to the original comic book Starfire. Ready to get started? Let's jump straight in!
Popular Male and Female Characters with Curly Hair
This list includes several male and female characters with curly hair, including Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus, Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto, Frodo Baggins from The Lord Of The Rings, and much more.
Ms. Frizzle - The Magic School Bus
As you can probably tell by the name, Miss Frizzle has a mess of frizzy curls that she usually wears pulled back into a messy bun. Her trademark hairdo is an electric orange in the back, and it gets gradually lighter as you move toward the front.
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Her curls pair exceptionally well with her equally iconic ensemble.
Miss Frizzle always seems to wear a long, brightly colored dress embellished with whatever the episode's theme is. So if Miss Frizzle and the gang were to take a trip into outer space, her dress would be adorned with planets, stars, and galaxies.
But one thing is for certain. Regardless of what she's wearing, Miss Frizzle is one of the best fictional teachers ever to exist.
Merida of DunBroch - Brave
Although Merida is one of Disney's newer princesses, she's already made a name for herself. Brave centers around the story of a princess named Merida.
When Merida goes against tradition, she unleashes an age-old curse that plunges her beloved kingdom into chaos.
Over the course of the film, she aims to set things right and understand her place among her family of royals.
Merida's Scottish heritage is clearly evident, from her traditional woolen gown to the fiery red curls that cascade down her back. And you can tell she's a royal by the tiara she occasionally sports.
Merida's untamed coils, spirals, and ringlets perfectly match her intense and plucky attitude. She is a breath of fresh air and proves that not all Disney princesses have to sit around waiting to be saved.
Dustin Henderson - Stranger Things
If you aren't already familiar with him, Dustin is one of the main characters on Netflix's mega-hit series, Stranger Things. Stranger Things is about a group of kids who stumble across an interdimensional mystery.
Although they were united by a common goal-to save their friends and eventually the world-tensions quickly arose among the tweens.
Luckily, Dustin was there to be the glue that held everyone together. After all, who could say no to that adorable toothless grin and those hilarious one-liners?
And with such a fun, likable personality, it's only natural that he has an equally radiant hairstyle. Like the actor who plays him, Dustin sports a headful of dark brown curls, which he usually keeps partially hidden underneath a baseball cap.
Mia - The Princess Diaries
Mia is the titular princess in the 2001 coming-of-age comedy, The Princess Diaries. At the start of the series, Mia is something of an ugly duckling. She has wild, frizzy curls, coke bottle glasses, and unruly eyebrows.
But after discovering that she has royal heritage, Mia is given a makeover and transformed into a total knockout. She loses the glasses, adds some much-needed structure to her brows, and gets a face full of expertly applied makeup.
But one of the most significant changes that Mia undergoes is her hair. Mia's distinctive frizzy mane gets trimmed, layered, and blown out. And we've got to admit, we were sad to see her curls go.
Napoleon Dynamite - Napoleon Dynamite
It's hard to think of any character who's as quintessentially 2004 as Napoleon Dynamite. And a major part of what made Napoleon so iconic was his strawberry blonde, curly afro.
Napoleon Dynamite highlights the story of an awkward teen, Napoleon, who has difficulty fitting in with the world around him. After dealing with domestic issues, Napoleon and his new friend Pedro decide to run for class president.
Napoleon Dynamite is essentially a coming-of-age story that celebrates the unique charms of misfits, nerds, and outcasts. And it helps show that eventually, anyone will have their time to shine.
Death - The Sandman
The Sandman is a Netflix original that focuses on Dream, a member of The Endless. The Endless is a group of universal forces that predate everything else in existence.
There are seven members, each with their own unique appearance, personality, and role. Making up The Endless are Dream, Death, Despair, Desire, Delirium, Destiny, and Destruction. The one that we'll be focusing on today is Death.
Death is exceptionally kind and gentle despite being the physical embodiment of death. She leads the fallen humans to the afterlife with the care and affection that only an Endless could muster.
Death has taken many forms over the years, but her current iteration has tight, dark brown shoulder-length ringlets that she wears straight down without any accessories. Her outfit is equally simple and features only a black tank top and jeans.
Frodo Baggins - The Lord Of The Rings
There's a good reason why The Lord of the Rings is considered one of the most influential fantasy series of all time. The Lord of The Rings is an epic, high-fantasy series about a group of reluctant heroes attempting to save their world from the forces of evil.
It takes place in a magical land in which bizarre creatures like elves, dwarves, orcs, hobbits, and wizards are the norm. At the core of the reluctant heroes is the hobbit, Frodo Baggins.
Like most other hobbits, Frodo is kind and highly empathetic, with thick, dark brown curls. He eventually comes into possession of a dangerous ring that he, and his friends, must destroy.
At first, Frodo's pure heart allows him to resist the ring's seductive powers. But as the story wears on, even his resolve is put to the test.
Afro - Afro Samurai
Afro Samurai follows the life and exploits of a Black Samurai, Afro. And with a name like Afro, you know this character has to have one amazing hairdo. Unsurprisingly, Afro has a gravity-defying, highly stylized afro that's nearly as wide as he is.
When Afro was a child, he witnessed the murder of his father.
Afro's father was the holder of the Number 1 headband, which can only be worn by the greatest warrior in the world. As an adult, Afro sought revenge against the man who murdered his father.
He also seeks to regain the Number 1 headband and bring peace to Japan. Speaking of Japan, the Japan that Afro Samurai takes place in is anachronistic and combines traditional feudalism with futuristic elements.
Nadia Vulvokov - Russian Doll
Nadia, as well as the actress who plays her, has gorgeous coppery curls with straight-across bangs, which highlight her stunning features. In the Netflix original show, Russian Doll, Nadia is trapped in an increasingly frustrating time loop.
She repeatedly dies and reincarnates on the same day, although no one around her seems aware of her plight. The show's premise revolves around her attempts to understand what's causing the time loop and drag herself out of it.
And in her efforts, she stumbles across another time-loop victim. While the premise sounds incredibly dark, Nadia's sarcastic wit brings a bit of brevity to each episode and makes this series definitely worth the watch.
Starfire from DC Comics
Although the newer versions of Teen Titans feature a Starfire with sleeker locks, her classic iteration has a much bolder hairstyle. The original Starfire's hair is big, curly, and so long that it trails behind her as she flies.
Starfire is an alien from the planet Tamaran in the Vega system. She fled her native planet after an intense rivalry with her sister, Blackfire, nearly ended her life.
Like her fellow alien superhero, Superman, Starfire gets her power from the UV rays emanating from the sun. And when she isn't saving the Earth from terrestrial and extraterrestrial threats, Starfire is trying to spread her message of peace and love to her less emotionally inclined teammates.
Ginger Foutley - As Told By Ginger
Someone once told us that the grass was much greener on the other side. That's probably why so many straight-haired ladies add gorgeous curls to their locks, while curly girls love their straighteners.
One character who was proud to sport her curls is Ginger Foutley. As Told By Ginger is a show about a twelve to thirteen-year-old navigating junior high and everything that comes along with it.
As her name suggests, Ginger's hair is a bright shade of reddish orange.
She usually wears her hair straight down, parted in the middle, with two hair clips on either side. Ginger's main love interest, Darren Patterson, also rocks a head full of curls. However, he prefers to wear his kinky/curly locks in short dreads.
Marge Simpson - The Simpsons
Marjorie Jacqueline Bouvier, better known as Marge Simpson, is a classic curly-haired cartoon character. Marge's sapphire blue hair is piled onto her head in a lush bee hive hairdo. And she isn't the only one in the family with curly locks.
Marge's sisters, Patty and Selma, also have curly hair.
However, Patty rocks an afro, while Selma wears her hair in a shoulder-length bob with a middle part.
The Simpsons is an animated comedy that follows the titular family, the Simpsons, as they go through their day-to-day lives in Springfield, Oregon. Initially, there was some confusion over where exactly the series took place, although the creator eventually came out and revealed its location.
Susie Carmichael - Rugrats
Fans of the classic 90s cartoon, The Rugrats, will be happy to see our next entry. The Rugrats was an animated comedy that highlighted the exploits of a group of toddlers.
Susie Carmichael made her first appearance in the latter half of the second season. When we were first introduced to Susie, she was three-and a half-years old.
Although she was older than the main cast of babies, she was around the same age as the show's antagonist, Angelica Pickles.
Kind, level-headed, and always responsible, Susie balanced out Angelica's brashness. Susie wears her curly hair in three plaits, each with a small red flower at the end.
When she gets older, Susie swaps out her braids for long dreads, which she usually pulls back into a loose ponytail or bun. No matter how she chooses to wear her striking curls, we think she looks absolutely fantastic.
Princess Tiana - The Princess and the Frog
Tiana from The Princess and the Frog has the honor of being the first Disney princess with undeniably curly hair. And unlike most other Disney princesses, Tiana is no damsel in distress.
Tiana is a hard-working 19-year-old Louisiana waitress.
She has medium-length black hair that she usually wears pulled back into a low ponytail. She also has one well-defined curl that falls over her right eye.
When she's dressed up in her princess garb, she trades in her low ponytail for a high bun with a few loose curls cascading down her face and neck to soften the look.
Pulling the look together is a stunning, lily pad-inspired tiara. Unfortunately, we don't see too much of human Tiana in the movie. For the vast majority of the film, she's a slender, light-green frog.
Hermione Granger - Harry Potter
If you're a millennial, you had to know that Hermione was going to make an appearance on this list. The Harry Potter series takes place in an alternative universe where humans and witches coexist.
The main cast is enrolled in Hogwarts, a school dedicated to teaching the various aspects of witchcraft and wizardry. Unlike many of her classmates, Hermione was raised by non-magic humans, or muggles, if you're in the know.
And she has long, bushy hair with tons of natural volume.
Keep in mind that compared to the books, the movie version of Hermione has wavier locks as opposed to curls. Fans of book characters with curly hair will find the curlier Hermione in the novels. Later in the series, she tames her wild locks and sports either straightened hair or more manicured curls.
Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride
His name is Inigo Montoya, and he is here to show off his remarkable curls. The Princess Bride is a classic story of love, adventure, and a boy trying to save a girl. The story starts with Westley, a farmhand in the fictional land of Florin.
When Westley is separated from his childhood crush, he returns to find her betrothed to another man. As it turns out, the marriage isn't exactly consensual, so Westley sets out to save the would-be bride.
Along the way, he meets an eclectic cast of characters, including a giant, a Sicilian man, and of course, the fencing prodigy, Inigo Montoya. While The Princess Bride is a love story, Inigo's primary motivation is revenge.
He's seeking vengeance against the six-fingered man who murdered his father. Does he get his revenge? Well, you'll have to watch to find out. Just try not to get distracted by his charming, dark brown waves and curls.
Jon Snow - Game of Thrones
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're well aware that Game of Thrones is one of the most influential shows to come out in the past decade.
It's hard, to sum up Game of Thrones in just a few words, so we'll just say: dragons, messy politics, and tons of action.
At the heart of all the turmoil is Jon Snow, the only bastard son of the show's initial protagonist, Ned Stark. Thanks to the Starks' high ranking, Jon Snow grew up with some of the privileges of a noble family.
However, his status as a bastard meant he was never fully embraced.
As the show progressed, Jon Snow came into his own and learned to embrace his true heritage as he fought to save humanity from the threat of the White Walkers.
And as it so happens, Jon is one of the few Game of Thrones characters with naturally curly hair. His black, chin-length curls stand out amongst his companions and help give him a more serious air.
Mirabel Madrigal - Encanto
Encanto is a 2021 animated musical that recently took the world by storm. And at the center of the movie is our curly-haired heroine, Mirabel. Mirabel has adorable, chin-length curls that perfectly frame her rounder features.
The film takes place in a small Columbian town called Encanto at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Encanto is a magical place that has blessed all of the children in the family with a unique gift. That is, everyone but Mirabel.
But, when the magic surrounding Encanto comes under attack, Mirabel is the only thing standing between her family and certain danger. And along the way, Mirabel finds out that magical gifts come in many forms.
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Although straight and wavy hair is more common, there are plenty of characters that have curly hair. But if you ever feel like there's not enough curly-haired representation, get out there and create your own! Regardless, we hope you've enjoyed reading our article today!
