Penny

Penny Fitzgerald is a supporting character in The Amazing World of Gumball. She is a shape-shifting fairy who is in Miss Simian's class at Elmore Junior High. Gumball and Penny had always had massive crushes on each other, but the two of them had always struggled to express their feelings, that is, until the events of the episode "The Shell," when Gumball finally confessed his feelings for her and kissed her, and the two have been dating since then. She was part of The Treehouse Girls until it disbanded due to the tree being cut down by Tobias and Banana Joe and is currently on the school's cheerleading team.
== Appearance ==
From Season 1 to "The Shell," Penny was an anthropomorphic peanut. Like the rest of her family, she had a set of tan antlers that grow out of her head. In Season 3, the episode "The Shell" revealed that Penny underneath her shell is a shape-shifting, fairy-like creature. She can transform into any animal, and every time, the animal has a set of antlers. In her early concept, she did not have a visible mouth and her antlers were darker.
In Season 1, Penny had a straight, round shell similar to her father's, with noticeable holes where her arms and antlers came out of. Similar to other characters in their Season 1 appearances, she also had a black shadow on the tops of her legs from her shell.
In Season 2, the design of Penny's shell is curved to resemble her sister's and her mother's. Her antlers also became darker and smaller. Also, the holes in the shell on her arms are missing, and the holes her antlers come out of are smaller. Like other characters in their redesigns, the shadows on her legs are much lighter.
As an antlered peanut Penny did not normally wear much clothing, aside from a pair of orange sneakers with white knee socks and red and white wristbands. However, she is often seen carrying white pom-poms. From "The Shell" onwards, she wears no clothing at all, except wrist and head bands when practicing her cheerleading routine or playing sports.
In Season 3, her design is the same as Season 2 until in "The Shell." After breaking free of her shell, thanks to Gumball, the contents of her shell are revealed. She can shape-shift into any creature, depending on her emotions, but her default form seems to be an yellow-orange gradient fairy-like creature with antlers. Her body somewhat takes on the shape of her shell, having a round head with a slim body, and the upper half of her body gets progressively lighter shades of yellow, orange, and sometimes pink in coloration.
Her real eyes and mouth are now seen, and also has visible white eyelashes connected to her eyes. She has brown pupils and an orange mouth and eyebrows. Her body generates a dim glow, giving her skin a slightly reflective appearance. She also has wings, which she can use to hover above the ground. After the events of "The Shell," Penny remains in her fairy-like form.
== Personality ==
Penny is very nice and friendly. She sticks up for her friends often, implying she has a strong sense of integrity. Such can be seen in "The Gi," in which she was one of the few people to not succumb to peer pressure and stand up for Gumball as opposed to ridiculing him. She also seems to be a pretty selfless and forgiving person, as evidenced in "The Bros," where she was willing to sacrifice her relationship with Gumball in order to make sure Darwin was happy and could cope with his own troubles. She also showed no anger when Darwin made several attempts to sabotage her relationship with Gumball, but rather sympathized with him.
She is one of the few people to understand Gumball, whom she has a massive crush on. The feeling is mutual, but neither of them has ever had a chance to properly express their feelings, despite that it is clearly evident, that is, until "The Shell."
Penny, however, is also a very sensitive person, as she can be easily hurt. Such can be seen on "The Meddler," in which Gumball's accidental slip-up of words cause her to cry, and later, nearly mess up her cheerleading performance. "The Storm" showcases this trait again, as she has nothing but cynicism after she is misled into believing Gumball intentionally kissed Carmen. Penny also tears up when Rob's language change in "The Disaster" causes Gumball to sound like he's shouting at her.
Her sensitive side is further exemplified when her true form is revealed in "The Shell." Without her shell, she is very self-conscious and shy, running away from society, believing everyone thinks she's a monster. Even worse, she transforms into the said monster as she runs away, fulfilling their expectations. After Gumball helps her come to terms with herself, though, she has become more open and enthusiastic than she was previously.
Penny, although not nearly to the same extent as Gumball, can resort to snarking. Her typical sarcasm is directed towards Tobias and his poor attempts to woo her; such can be seen in episodes such as "The Move" and "The Butterfly," in which she cleverly turns down his advancements to get closer. She also seems to constantly belittle the conflict between Gumball and Tobias in "The Knights," having nothing but apathy and snark to share.