You'll go with the pride you join.
The Pink Haired Girl (abbreviated PHG) is a frequently recurring character throughout the series, appearing in just over a quarter of all published comics. Her stories frequently involve interactions with Ethel and the Sphynx.
Plot Outline[]
Her early appearances place her in the role of a consumer, until she begins looking for work in comic 82. The search appears to take much longer than she expected, and in comic 99 she dyes her hair brown in response to a hiring manager's request to "redress [her] cranial hair covering in a manner parallel to the current societal trends."
One comic later she has her first encounter with the Sphynx, who approaches her to ask a mundane question about public transportation. PHG engages the Sphynx casually, and the two find that conversation flows freely.
During their second conversation in comic 150, they continue to have a friendly and philosophical back-and-forth. PHG wonders "Am I a bad person for talking to you? I mean you, like, eat people," which is framed as evil in the eyes of the victims. The Sphynx asserts that the she is merely impassively following the laws of nature. As PHG is about to leave, the Sphynx pulls her from the path of a speeding bus. PHG, shaken, states that the Sphynx's intervention on her behalf was a sign of their mutual humanity.
Her next comics follow her in relation to her job as a waitress, highlighting the soul-crushing nature of the service industry. Her dissatisfaction comes to a head in comic 155, when she declares "I need this job, I need the money, I totally do, but I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm kind of aware of my mortality lately, and yeah I don't know what I wanna do with my life, I don't know what my calling is or whatever but I know I can at least find a job that sucks less than this one. I know I can find a job where I can at least relate to my co-workers." Her re-commitment to Self thusly declared, her pink hair makes its triumphant return.
She has a third conversation with the Sphynx in comics 168 & 169. The Sphynx opens by stating "I don't know how comfortable I am being friends with you," to which PHG replies that "...if you're gonna save someone from being hit by a bus then you'd better be ready to have a new friend." They assuage each other's fears by confirming that they're both afraid of the same thing, talking through the sunset and ignoring the bus that again speeds past their stop.
In comic 177 she realizes that waitressing again will just put her in the same kind of situation she left in 155, so she takes a chance on an adjacent company called "Wardair™ International". By a stroke of luck, the associate on duty treats her with understanding and helps her to prepare for this new career path. She deliberates until comic 193, when she reveals to the Sphynx that she has completed flight attendant training. She laments that "the dream is over" and she has to live her life according to her employer's whims. But the Sphynx gets her a very thoughtful gift (despite her attempts to underplay its thoughtfulness) and helps her to find some light in the middle of her dark season.
Statistics[]
PHG has appeared in 26.6% of comics (26.8% since her debut).
She has appeared, on average, every four comics since her debut.
She has appeared in 62 comics: #2 , #13 , #19 , #26 , #31 , #36 , #51 , #52 , #53, #66 , #70 , #76 , #82 , #89 , #98 , #99 , #100 , #114 , #119 , #125 , #128 , #129 , #133 , #135 , #141 , #145 , #150 , #153 , #155 , #156 , #160 , #166 , #167 , #168 , #169 , #171 , #172 , #176 , #177 , #184 , #185 , #186 , #187 , #190 , #191 , #193 , #194 , #196 , #199 , #203 , #204 , #205 , #206 , #210 , #212 , #214, #217, #219, #223, #224, #225.
15 of those were Subtle Background Appearances (SBAs): #31 , #60 , #66 , #76 , #153 , #156 , #166 , #172 , #185 , #191 , #194 , #203 , #204 , #205, #223.
Notes[]
PHG's first appearance was in Subnormality #2 .
PHG is never named explicitly in the comics, although in #224, Ethel reveals that she considers PHG's name a "ridiculous Old Woman Name" like her own.
Winston Rowntree once posted in the comments section that he will never reveal the character's name. However the original version of #26, available in the Wayback Machine, has a page title that suggests that her name is "Edith".
She obtained work as a flight attendant and dyed her hair brown (again), yet she is easily recognizable thanks to her pink earrings and the pink "super fancy cooler bag" that she obtained from her good friend Sphynx. Lately, she dyed her pink again, though. Some strips (#155 and #177) suggest that her hair can spontaneously change colour, although she has no control over it and no knowledge of how this happens.