Tom Piper

Tom Piper is the protagonist as well as Mary Contrary's sweetheart in Babes in Toyland.
== Role in the film ==
Mary Contrary and Tom Piper are about to be married. At the same time Barnaby, a miser, is hiring his henchman, Gonzorgo and Roderigo, to drown Tom in the sea and steal Mary's sheep, thus depriving her of her means of support, and forcing her to marry him instead. After smashing Tom on the head with a hammer and tying him in a bag, Gonzorgo and Roderigo pass by a gypsy camp. They decide to sell him to them instead of drowning him in order to collect a double payment.
Gonzorgo and Roderigo return and tell Mary, Barnaby, and the citizens of Mother Goose Village that Tom has accidentally drowned. They show Mary a phony letter in which he tells her that he is abandoning her for her own good and that she would be better off marrying Barnaby. She, believing she is destitute, reluctantly accepts the proposal from Barnaby. He unknowingly arranges for the same gypsies that have Tom to provide entertainment for the marriage. Tom, disguised in drag as the gypsy Floretta, reveals himself and Barnaby pursues the frightened Gonzorgo and Roderigo, furious at their deception. One of the children informs Mary of some sheep tracks leading into The Forest of No Return.
Tom and Mary follow and find the children in the forest telling stories about the trees, which, at the moment, seem like ordinary ones. They camp out for the night, and in the morning the trees once again come to life and inform them that they are now in custody of Mr. Toymaker in Toyland. Excited by this, they happily continue on, escorted part of the way by the trees.
Through the windows of Mr. Toymaker's house they watch his rather incompetent apprentice, Grumio, present a new machine that makes toys without any manual labor. Overjoyed, he speeds it up to such a high rate that it explodes, destroying every toy in the factory. The family comes in and offers to help make more toys in time for Christmas.
Grumio also presents another invention called the Poof Gun which can shrinks things down to toy size, and if it's used on anything more than once, they will disappear completely. Barnaby, who had been spying on everyone, shrinks Mr. Toymaker and Tom. When Gonzorgo and Roderigo see him threatening to give Tom two more doses from the Poof Gun, they abandon Barnaby and run. They, too, are shrunk and locked up with Tom in a birdcage.
Barnaby awakens Mary and starts a marriage ceremony threatening to destroy Tom if she resists, and to destroy Mr. Toymaker if he refuses to marry them. While he delays the marriage Tom sneaks away with the help of Gonzorgo and Roderigo, and returns with an army of toy soldiers to fight Barnaby. He easily demolishes them, and is about to obliterate Tom with another dose from the Poof Gun, but Mary destroys it with a toy cannon. The formula splatters all over Barnaby, and shrinks him. He is challenged to and engages in a sword duel with Tom which he loses.
After the fight is over, Grumio once again presents a new invention, this time returning people to their normal size. It is promptly used on Tom, Mr. Toymaker, Gonzorgo, and Roderigo, but not on Barnaby. Tom and Mary are married and live happily ever after.
== Personality ==
Tom's love for Mary is the most important factor of his personality and his main motive for all of his actions. Through the film, he shows great bravery, caring and willing to help those who are in danger. In that sense, he can be described as an archetype of a hero. Always finding ways to get out of dangerous situations with the help of someone else, but in a plan that he came up with, he is shown as practical and adroit. He easily comes in contact with people who could be helpful for him and Mary, showing charm and cogency. When he is taken hostage by Barnaby (shrunk, tied up, and gagged), he threatens that he will shrink him to the size smaller than an atom, but he isn't showing any sign of panic of fear. He even mumbles, thrashes, and wriggles while being tied up and gagged, protesting that Mary decided to marry Barnaby so he doesn't shrink Tom down. That shows his bravery, love, and loyalty to her. However, it is easy to notice that, just as he never shows fear for what will happen to him, he isn't careful and wary when there is a threat that he is a target. That speaks of his self-sacrifice, but also of his negligence and unwariness in some moments. Because of this, he gets ambushed and kidnapped two times (the first time by Barnaby's henchmen, Gonzorgo and Roderigo, and the next time by Barnaby) both times getting in a very hard situation for escape. Above all, he is very calm, collected, kind and polite. When he has to defend and/or fight for Mary, he is again in the form of a strong and fast hero, with a lot of physical straight.
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Spouses
Category:Determinators
Category:Strong-Willed
Category:The Hero
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Rescuers
Category:Harmonizers
Category:Nurturers