Bianca Banana

"Two Shopkins are better than one, Cheeky!"

Voiced by: Sarah Anne Williams

Number: 18

Basis: Banana

Built: 1926-1930

## Description

Bianca Banana is a Pawvilian Shopkin introduced in the special Big World! Big Adventures! as Cheeky Chocolate meets her during her world trip as she travels to Kenya during her journey through Africa from Dakar to Dar es Salaam while trying to follow Cupcake Cruiser. She later joins the main cast at Small Mart Sheds in Season 22.

## Trope List

* **The Ace:** She is good at almost everything, as shown in "Counting on Bianca".
* **Aesop Enforcer:** Is there to enforce the moral of "everybody needs a little help from their friends" in her debut movie.
* **Affirmative Action Girl:** Along with Tara Tiara, she was created in order to add more women to the main cast.
* **Ascended Extra:** Originally the Deuteragonist in Big World! Big Adventures!. In Season 22, she is promoted to the main cast.
* **Beauty, Brains and Brawn:** The Brains to Spilt Milk's Beauty and Tara Tiara's Brawn. She is the Brains due to her tendency to not be afraid to speak her mind, and often coming up with fresh ideas.
* **Black Best Friend:** To Cheeky Chocolate.
* **But Not Too Black:** Has the same greyish face as the other Shopkins, but her nationality still points that she is black in terms of race.
* **Canon Foreigner:** Like Spilt Milk, she was not originally created by Awdry.
* **Expy:** Serves as one to Lippy Lips. Both are friends to Cheeky Chocolate, have exotic liveries, come from a non-white country, and Cheeky Chocolate acts rude towards them when they first met. Also serves as one to Peppa-Mint, due to not only taking her place in the main cast, but also for having a high-spirited wise and kindhearted personality in a similar matter to her.
* **Fatal Flaw:** As shown in "Counting on Bianca", she doesn't know how to read numbers.
* **Fire-Forged Friends:** With Putrid Pizza. He initially hated her for replacing Peppa-Mint.
* **Foreshadowing:** At the end of “A Shed For Peppa-Mint”, after Peppa-Mint leaves the group, the others were wondering who would take Peppa-Mint’s place. This was likely hinting towards Bianca Banana joining the main group.
* **Friend to All Living Things:** Coming from Pawville, a country plentiful with wild animals, she is clearly this when it comes to wildlife.
* **Genki Girl:** She is very cheerful.
* **The Heart**
* **Little Miss Badass:** She is surprisingly very strong for a Shopkin. Even more when you consider her real life counterpart is narrow gauge and even smaller.
* **Meaningful Name:** Her name means “purpose” in the Swahili language, and was introduced to the series to add representation for women and people of colour.
* **Nice Girl:** Very kind.
* **Not Drawn to Scale:** Her basis is a banana, but Bianca Banana herself is larger than the real thing due being retooled to standard gauge.
* **Off-Model:** Bianca Banana’s real-life basis is narrow gauge, while Bianca Banana herself is scaled as standard gauge. This was likely done in order to have her included in the main cast, since they are all standard gauge.
* **One Of These Is Not Like The Others:** She is the only Shop Team member to not be British, the only one to not be based on a standard gauge food (her basis is narrow gauge), and the only member voiced by a person of colour.
* **Replacement Scrappy:** In-Universe example. Putrid Pizza initially hated her for taking Peppa-Mint’s place.
* **Sassy Black Woman:** Fits this trope since her personality shows signs of sassiness, along with her Pawvilian nationality fitting the "black" part.
* **Shout-Out:** Her number, 18, is a reference to 2018, the year her series debut Big World! Big Adventures! was released.
* **Sixth Ranger:** Joins the main cast in Season 22 alongside Tara Tiara, in order to fix a gender gap. She takes Peppa-Mint’s place.
* **Tertiary Sexual Characteristics:** Has thick wing-shaped eyelashes, and visible lips.
* **Token Minority:** The only member of the Shop Team to be of a nationality other than British, coming from Pawville. Also applies to the voice actors, since her voice actress Sarah Anne Williams is black, while the other members are voiced by Caucasian-skinned actors.
* **Tomboy and Girly Girl:** The tomboy to Spilt Milk and Tara Tiara’s girly girl.
* **Vitriolic Best Buds:** Cheeky Chocolate acted mean towards her when they first met, though they grow to become friends by the end of Big World! Big Adventures!.
* **Walking Spoiler:** Due to her being announced as Peppa-Mint’s replacement in the main cast before Big World! Big Adventures! was released, it was clear from the start that she would move to Shopville and join the North Western Railway. In-universe, it is because she revealed to Cheeky Chocolate that she is homeless due to her shed being destroyed, leading Cheeky Chocolate to invite her to live in Shopville, and moves into Small Mart Sheds, taking over the spot vacated by Peppa-Mint.
* **Wise Beyond Their Years:** She's only a young Shopkin, but she's notably wise and high-spirited for her age.
* **Women Are Wiser:** She's a female Shopkin who is just as wise as Peppa-Mint, but unlike her predecessor, she is more optimistic, open-minded and tries to deliver a positive influence on the others.