Norman Babcock

Norman Babcock is a 12-year-old boy, who is revealed to be a Spectral, that has the ability to see and speak to the dead, inherited from his mother's side of the family, the Prenderghasts.

## Overview

Everyone else does not believe him, including his parents, and some people make fun of him. He tries not to let it bug him, but he later reveals it bothers him greatly.

He arrives to Gravity Falls for a summer trip alongside his best friend Neil Downe and his family friend Coraline Jones, but eventually discovers that the town possesses certain supernatural forces and ones that he is all-too familiar with.

## Appearance

Norman is a young boy with pale skin, blue eyes, thick eyebrows and spiky brown hair. Throughout the story, he is seen wearing either a red hoodie with a grey sweater underneath or a grey shirt with long, red sleeves, a pair of black jeans, and red sneakers.

## Personality

Norman is kindhearted, empathetic and friendly. In the beginning, he was socially awkward and preferred to be by himself, only interacting positively with the ghosts in the town.

Due to being labeled as a 'freak' by his peers and being distant from his family, Norman is usually regarded as an antisocial individual. He prefers being under the radar and is not fond of sticking out and being noticed, because that usually means negative attention on him.

He does not let about the way things are, even though he laments at times that he never asked to be born the way he was. He knows that he is not normal and he has no intentions of trying to pretend otherwise. Even if all he wants, is to duck his head and get through it the best he can, he does not try to change himself to suit others. Unfortunately, this attitude has led Norman to becoming a loner. Though after befriending Neil and the other members of the Mystery Kids he becomes a bit more open and friendly even to the point where he has shown a sarcastic streak.

Perhaps due to his ability, Norman also has a fascination with the undead and macabre, enjoying watching zombie films and filling his room with zombie-related items.

## Role in the Story

### Mystery Kids: The Beginning

Norman, Neil, Coraline and Wybie were off to a vacation at Gravity Falls when his father's car broke down. When Norman asked Coraline what the problem was, she told him it was the carburetor. When Mr. Babcock went off to get a mechanic to fix the car, Norman watched as Coraline, and then Wybie, wandered out of the car to explore. Eventually, he and Neil followed Coraline and Wybie down the road.

Eventually, Norman and the others venture too far from the car and get themselves lost on the road. When the group tried to see if there was reception on their phones, Coraline tossed her phone into the forest with the subsequent and very engine-like sound coming from the direction the phone was thrown in spooking the kids, Norman included.

After some time in the woods, Norman got worried about his dad. He and the others were almost hit by Mabel and Dipper's golf cart shortly after he said this. Norman was the first person to say anything about Dr. Loboto finding everyone, and he tried warning Coraline about it while she was arguing with Dipper. Before Loboto would kill the kids, Norman and the others saved by Psychonauts members Lili Zanotto and Razputin Aquato, the latter destroying Loboto's weaponized car. After Loboto retreated, Norman and the rest of his friends traveled with Dipper and Mabel to the Mystery Shack.

At the Mystery Shack, Norman was playing with a zombie-themed pen. When Coraline was talking about problems the group was having, Norman mentioned his dad's anger. When Lili and Coraline started arguing, Norman asked Dipper if he had a way to stop them. When everyone else started to argue with one another, Dipper was the one to break up the fight and get everyone to work together. During the 80's montage, Norman spotted the ghost of Dib Membrane reading a magazine in a closet. When the montage was finished and everyone searched the town, Norman proved to be vital to finding Dr. Loboto's location, as he used his power to communicate with ghosts to ask Billy Joe Cobra where the insane dentist was hiding.

During the battle with Loboto, Norman was tasked with destroying Loboto's weaponized car after he, along with Wybie and other members of the group, pointed out that Coraline had what they thought were leader-like qualities. With Raz's help, Norman Neil and Dipper demolish the car and the team captures Loboto. After Loboto's arrest, Norman commented that Mabel's idea for the team's name was lame. After Coraline's role as leader was officially established, Perry Babcock arrived to pick up Norman and the others, rightfully furious that Norman, Coraline, Wybie and Neil ran off on their own back when the car broke down. After getting scolded, Norman and his friends had to go back to the car. However, it's implied that he snuck out of the car with the other kids back into the Mystery Shack.