Bean

Princess Tiabeanie Mariabeanie de la Rochambeaux Grunkwitz
Aliases	Bean Princess Tiabeanie Beanie (by King Zøg) Sister Tiabeanie (by Mother Superior) Juanita Demonheimer
Relatives	Zøg (father) Dagmar (mother) Oona (ex-stepmother) Derek (younger half-brother) Bee-Baw (paternal grandmother) Unnamed paternal grandfather Yog (paternal uncle) Cloyd (maternal uncle) Jerry (maternal uncle) Becky (maternal aunt) Unnamed maternal grandparents Mariabeanie (maternal great-grandmother)
Affiliation	Dreamland
Biographical information
Marital status	Single
Date of birth	Alive
Physical description
Race	50% Maruvian 50% Human
Gender	Female ♀
Hair color	White
Production information
Played by	Abbi Jacobson

"I'll never be anything more than a wealthy queen of a fabulous faraway kingdom...it's my destiny."

Princess Tiabeanie Mariabeanie de la Rochambeaux Grunkwitz, better known as Bean, is the main character of Disenchantment. She is the 19-year-old princess of Dreamland and possible heir to the throne of Maru. She is the daughter of King Zog and Dagmar and the older half-sister of the King Derek.

Bean is a hard drinker and constantly accompanied by her elf friend Elfo, and her "personal demon" Luci.

History

Bean is the first and only daughter of King Zog of Dreamland and Princess Dagmar of Maru. Dagmar conceived Bean in order to make her fulfill a prophecy and pay off a debt Maru owes to Hell. When she was born Dagmar gave her a mantel and an enchanted music box that has small figurine of Dagmar holding an infant Bean. When Bean could not fall asleep Dagmar could run her finger in circles through her forehead and right before Bean drifted off Dagmar whispered in her ear "You will be the greatest woman this goddamn kingdom has ever seen" (meaning the kingdom of Maru).

When Bean was only four years old, Dagmar decided that the time had come to get rid of Zog so that she could return with Bean to Maru so she decided to turn Zog into stone by poisoning his wine but Bean accidentaly switched the glasses when she was trying to reach for the grapes that were served along with the wine, which resulted in Dagmar turning into stone instead.

Sometime later, Zog married Oona, a princess from Dankmire in an arranged marriage as part of a deal to have a canal built for Dreamland. Bean stated that she was so jealous of her stepmother that she placed a dead owl in their wedding cake and the guests ate it anyways. Bean's relationship with her stepmoher was a weak one, although Oona claimed that she tried to love Bean and get along with her.

Bean's half-brother, Derek, was born when Bean was five years old and he became the heir to the throne. Bean strongly resented Derek for this since Derek, being a boy and heir to the throne, had more privileges than her and being able to do all the things she wanted to do such as sword fighting or horse riding.

Bean's paternal grandmother, "Bee-Baw", used to sit Bean on her lap and tell her stories until she passed away when Bean was still a child. Bean's handmaiden, Bunty, raised her and did her best to make Bean happy to the point of allowing Bean to mount her like a horse so that she and Derek could do horse races.

Bean's relationship with her father was strained since Bean resented him for getting remarried and starting a new family while Zog was distant and failed to provide his daughter with the attention she needed to the point where Bean had another girl pretend to be her for a year to see if her father would notice but he didn't.

At the age of nineteen, King Zog arranged for Bean to be married off to Prince Guysbert in order to form an alliance between their kingdoms and made her wear her mother's wedding dress for the wedding. Bean originally resigned herself to it and reluctantly followed through with the wedding. Uberknowst to Bean, her uncle Cloyd and aunt Becky sent her a demon named Luci, who had the task of turning Bean evil like the rest of her maternal family.

At the wedding, Bean changed her mind and refused to marry the prince when they were at the altar. Bean slapped the ring off Guysbert hand and he ended up with his head stuck on a throne made of swords while trying to find the ring, although oddly enough the injury didn't kill him. Zog and Guysbert's parents then arranged for Bean to marry Guysbert's younger brother, Merkimer instead.

Appearance

Princess Bean usually wears a cyan tunic with white sleeves, brown leggings and tied dark brown boots. She is equipped with a belt with a silver buckle. Her hair is white (like her mother), and oversized eyes and ears (like her father). She has a round nose (like her paternal grandmother Bee-Baw), and freckles, buck teeth and an overbite.

Abilities

Bean shows decent amount of fighting skills with various weapons and hand-to-hand combat. She learns her fighting skill through self-taught through various brawls at the taverns and throughout her misadventure.

Personality

Not a traditional princess, Bean is quite the opposite, actively rebelling against her father, Zøg, who has driven her to drink. She is frustrated by the limited life-choices available to her as a princess who is second in line to the throne. She resents the stereotypical role of a trophy Queen - which is to have heirs and forge alliances in a loveless union - and refuses to marry the eligible princes presented to her (Guysbert and Merkimer) which would force her to inhabit this role. Her three wishes are to be in charge of her own destiny, get her mom back (obviously) and to find a boyfriend who is a great listener. She is may seem irresponsible, rebellious and cynical, but is surprisingly 'normal' for a princess.

Relationships

Prior to being magically paired with Luci. and finding the companionship of Elfo, Bean had no friends - not even bridesmaids for her wedding. Her companions were her drinking buddies from the pubs she frequented. As such, most of her relationships are familial. The trio of Bean, Elfo and Luci are the main focus of the misadventures in the show.

Family

Queen Dagmar

Dagmar is Bean's biological mother. She supposedly died 15 years ago but she was in fact turned to stone by a magic potion. Bean idolized her mother all her life, claiming that Dagmar was everything Bean wanted to be and after Dagmar was revived she quickly bonded with Bean over their mutual interests such as drinking.

However, things took a turn for the worse when Dagmar brought Bean back to Maru and her mother showed her true nature. Dagmar insulted Bean and attempted to force her to fullfil a prophecy by screwing a crown in her head that may leave Bean with permanent brian damage.

When Bean was a toddler, Dagmar took good care of Bean and did things like nursing Bean herself, being gentle with her, telling Bean that she "will be the greatest woman [Maru] has ever seen" and even had a portrait of Bean that depicted her as the new queen of Maru painted before she even told Bean about the prophecy. This would imply that Dagmar strongly believes Bean will success in bearing the crown and becoming a great queen.

After Bean is sentenced to burn to death in a stake with Elfo and Luci, Dagmar saves her daughter and her friends and asks in a teasing manner for a hug, although she may have saved them in order to capture Bean and force her to fulfill the prophecy rather than out of love for her child.

Zøg

Zøg is Bean's father and King of Dreamland. Bean has a difficult relationship with him as he is scared of female emotions and hates how Bean is always getting into trouble and refuses to behave like a proper princess while Bean has no respect for him due to his selfish nature but she still loves him and wants to make him proud. When Zøg sees Bean leave with her mother for Maru Zøg is furious at Bean's supposed betrayal and attempts to kill her when she returns but Bean manages to talk him out of it.

Queen Oona

Oona was Bean's stepmother until she and Zøg divorced. She is apparently not interested in Bean although she did try to give Bean "The Talk" when Bean was going to be married off to Prince Guysbert and smiled when she and Zøg found out Bean was returning to Dreamland after going away on a mission. Bean dislikes her and doesn't care about her either. Their relationship took a turn for the worse once Dagmar was revived and Oona vows to get revenge on both Zøg and Bean. However, once she returns to Dreamland Oona claims she tried to give Bean love and forgives Bean for everything except for stealing her Oona's drugs. When Oona leaves with the pirates she offers Bean to come with her but Bean kindly refuses and the two part on good terms.

Derek

Derek is Bean's half-brother and heir to the throne of Dreamland. Bean finds Derek irritating and dislikes being with him. She generally seems to resent Derek for being born and becoming the heir to the throne and being able to do the things she wanted to do as a child due to him being a boy. Bean knows it isn't his fault but still wishes he would die. However, despite all of this, she still cares for him.

Emperor Cloyd and Becky the Enchantress

Cloyd and Becky are Bean's maternal uncle and aunt. When Bean and Dagmar first arrived to Maru, Cloyd and Becky were civil towards their niece and did things like giving her a blanket when she was cold and assigning someone to shush her to sleep when Bean had to sleep on a couch due to Dagmar's snoring. However, it is later revealed that they were simply trying to gain her trust in order to have her fulfill a prophecy and they, like Dagmar, didn't seem worried about the fact that screwing a crown on Bean's head may leave her with brain damage. When Cloyd, Becky and Dagmar were searching for Bean they brought knives with them to attack her, further implying that they don't care about their niece at all.

Jerry

Jerry was Bean's maternal uncle. Out of all her maternal relatives, Jerry was the only one who truly cared about Bean and showed her genuine kindness, and was the only one insteresting in befriending her and spending time with her. When Bean felt lonely due to having no friends in Maru and family not giving her any attention, Jerry was the only one who kept her company and even taught her about the history of their family as well as the family curse. Jerry was fond of his niece from the start and since he was unaware of the prophecy and didn't show any sympthoms of possessing the family curse, he cared for Bean as family instead of seeing her as a tool. Jerry eventually saved Bean by helping her escape her abusive relatives, although he lost his life in the process. Bean tried to save him and take him with her and horrified when Dagmar killed him.

Friends/Allies

Luci

Luci is Bean's personal demon (or daemon). Taking the form of a shadowy being who is mistaken for a talking cat, he is a curse which is cast on Bean by the mysterious Maruvian couple, Emperor Cloyd and the Enchantress. (Bean is as yet unaware of their existence and role in her life). Luci often talks Bean into doing bad things like stealing, drinking or taking drugs but he seems to care about her as he showed concern for Bean when she was mourning Elfo's death.

Elfo

Elfo is one of Beans closest friends (along with Luci) . He is very loyal to Bean and he would do anything for her. Elfo met Bean when he left Elfwood in search of an adventure and they were inseparable until his death. He is half elf half other species (we do not yet know what his mother is). Elfo has a crush on Bean however, it is not reciprocated even though Bean cares for him deeply and was heartbroken when he died.

Bunty

Bunty is Bean's nanny and Lady-In-Waiting. She raised Bean in place of her ostensibly deceased mother and seemingly uninterested stepmother. Bean seems to be fond of her while Bunty is always there for Bean when she needs help. When Bean was growing up Bunty did anything to make Bean happy including letting Bean mount her as if she was a horse. When Bean as falsely accused of trying to murder Zøg, Bunty is convinced Bean is innocent and apparently persuaded her husband to let Bean escape. According to Stan, there is nobody in the world Bunty loves more than him and Bean.

Appearances

Season 1

• 1. "A Princess, an Elf, and a Demon Walk Into a Bar"
• 2. "For Whom the Pig Oinks"
• 3. "The Princess of Darkness"
• 4. "Castle Party Massacre"
• 5. "Faster, Princess! Kill! Kill!"
• 6. "Swamp and Circumstance"
• 7. "Love's Tender Rampage"
• 8. "The Limits of Immortality"
• 9. "To Thine Own Elf Be True"
• 10. "Dreamland Falls"

Season 2

• 1. "The Disenchantress"
• 2. "Stairway to Hell"
• 3. "The Very Thing"
• 4. "The Lonely Heart is a Hunter"
• 5. "Our Bodies, Our Elves"
• 6. "The Dreamland Job"
• 7. "Love's Slimy Embrace"
• 8. "In Her Own Write"
• 9. "The Electric Princess"
• 10. "Tiabeanie Falls"

Development

Bean is the central protagonist of the series. Matt Groening designed her to look "unlike any cartoon princess you've ever seen before." He has further stated "she is unconventionally beautiful, but I think audiences will fall in love with her." The character came about after a decade of Groening researching old classic fairy tales, where it was the women and children who were strong characters while the men were weak willed. Bean is designed to represent the genre's original paradigm.

Abbi Jacobson improvised a number of Bean's lines.

Cultural references

• Game of Thrones (2011-2019): Bean's platinum-blonde hair is likely a reference to the white hair of Daenerys I Targaryen. Furthermore, Dagmar family back in Maru has a curse of madness in which also can be based on the Targaryen Madness in the bloodline of the House Targaryen. 
  • Judging by this article, Matt Groening didn't want more than one reference to G.O.T, so this is probably an exception.
• Cinderella (1950): Bean's wedding dress greatly resembles Cinderella's ballgown in the Walt Disney film of the same name.

Trivia

• Her full name is Princess Tiabeanie Mariabeanie De La Rochambeaux Grunkwitz; however, she mispronounced her last name as "Drunkowitz" while heavily drunk on schnapps in "Swamp and Circumstance".
• According to Luci, Bean has blue eyes.
• Bean learns the art of stabbing from drunkards in the tavern.
• Bean fears she might succumb to the curse of madness and paranoia that is hereditary from her mom's family.
• Like her mother, her favorite "food" is beer and loves the smell of wet grass.
• ìBean likes to party, and consumes the recreational drugs snake root, bread mould and a hallucinogen called "Bliss".
  • Given this reference to hallucinogens, the bread mould reference is likely to be connected with ergotised rye. Albert Hoffman synthesised LSD from this fungus.
• Her name Tiabeanie sounds similarly to narcotic called thebaine.
• Dagmar gave Bean her great-grandmother Mariabeanie's name as her middle name. It's also possible that Bean was named Tiabeanie so that her name would rhyme with the name Mariabeanie as well. This could imply that Dagmar feels some love for both her grandmother and her daughter.
• It is implied that Bean could have a dislike or hatred toward pigs because she called them dumb.

Quotes

Bean: All this wedding hassle for a stupid political alliance! I thought that I'd get married for true love, or because I was wasted..." - S01E01

Bean: Somehow, we've ended in this stupid world together. (...)

See in Hell, boys! - S02E10

Video

Disenchantment Introducing Bean Netflix

The picture of Bean in Maru's palace showing the prophecy she is meant to fulfill.