Mega Mindy

Real Name: Mieke Fonkel

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Police Hulpadjudant (her rank seems not to exist outside her series. “Assistant-Adjutant” could be a good translation, but not very helpful; if we would follow the (partially obsolete) system of the Dutch police ranks the equivalent of her rank would be very close to “sergeant” (both in the US and UK police meaning). That would mean she outranks Agent (= Constable) Toby, though in the series Mieke and Toby act as if they are of equal rank, with Toby slightly senior. That however may have to do more with Mieke being in love with Toby and him being more street cop and she being more desk cop in a very small police force. Outranked by Commissioner Migrain)

Affiliations: Police (a three man local force somewhere in a village in Belgian Flanders), Agent Toby (colleague and love interest), Opa and Oma Fonkel (family)

Enemies: Mega Volta (movie), the Snorrenbende, the Bijenkoning and many other villains.

Known Relatives: Opa Fonkel (grandfather), Oma Fonkel (grandmother)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Opa Fonkel’s secret laboratory, hidden behind Oma Fonkel’s candy shop, Belgium

First Appearance: De Snorrenbende, broadcasted 29 October 2006.

Powers/Abilities: Flight (seldom used), teleportation, superstrength, superspeed and access to Opa Fonkel’s inventions. To transform into Mega Mindy , Mieke has to enter the Capsule in the secret laboratory from which she teleports to the scene of the crime. She has just a limited time as Mega Mindy before she becomes Mieke again (and is usually teleported away before that happens).

History: When Mieke was a little girl her parents disappeared, and she was thus raised by her sweet and loving (probably paternal) grandparents, usually identified as Opa and Oma Fonkel. Opa happens to be an inventor, one of the three greatest of Belgium (and that MEANS something, read your Belgian comics!), but he got an inventing prohibition, so he has to invent in secret, and uses his wife and granddaughter to test them. He has created many inventions, which all tend to work but often have a tiny overlooked problem, with the intention of battling against the damage inflicted by crime running rampant as a result of an incompetent, cowardly police commissioner. His most important inventions (for the story) are “”Bliep”, (pronounce “Bleep”), a supercomputer of high intelligence and the Mega Capsule, which can transform humans and objects in mega versions.

Mieke and Opa are united in their estimation of Commissioner Migrain. Opa made Mieke promise that the secret identity, secret laboratory and all had to stay a secret known to the three Fonkels only. For Mieke that is somewhat of a problem: Mieke is in love with Toby, Toby is just very good buddies with Mieke, but in love with Mega Mindy. Not that Mieke would be bothered with that if her Mega Mindy time wasn’t that limited, or Toby could learn that Mieke and Mega Mindy are one person. Additionally, Mega Mindy is a superhero, Police Officer Fonkel a cop working against a sexist establishment, but Mieke just doesn’t act her age. In part that may be for the intended age group, but if we see her diary we see traces of a very child like way of keeping that, which may suggest that part of the emotional development of Mieke was stunted/skipped, not impossible for an otherwise sane person living with her grandparents.

Comments: Mega Mindy and Mieke Fonkel are played by the actress Free Souffriau.

After the World premiere in Flanders in October 2006, Mega Mindy was broadcast for the first time in the Netherlands in May 2007, in Wallonia in February 2009 and in Italy in November 2009. She is probably the commercially most successful native superheroine in the Dutch speaking part of Europe ever, music CDs, DVDs, costumes, ice cream, comic books, children’s books, oranges, dairy products, dolls, toys, games,… In 2007 a Mega Mindy song was for four weeks the number #1 on the Flemish hit list based on sales, in the summer of 2009 there was even an airplane painted in Mega Mindy colours.

The relation between Toby and Mieke rather resembles a sex reversed Lois & Clark relation: Toby is in love with Mega Mindy, Mieke is both as police woman and as superheroine in love with Toby, but her limited time as superheroine and her secret identity always spoil romantic developments.

Commissioner Emiel Migrain (played by Sjarel Branckaerts) was replaced by his brother Commissioner Kamiel Migrain (played by Anton Cogen) from the third season on as Branckaerts had passed away.

Profile submitted by Theodoor Westerhof.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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