Pfannee (sometimes spelled ‘Pfanee’) is one of the minor characters in Wicked, but plays an important role as one of the symbolic representatives of the general Shiz student body. They appear alongside Galinda, later known as Glinda, helping to drive home the message about popularity and isolation earlier in the story. Pfannee’s portrayal changes between Gregory Maguire’s novel, the stage musical, and the recent movie adaptation.
Pfannee’s Character Overview
Pfannee is one of Galinda’s close companions at Shiz University, along with Shenshen, and in the novel, Milla. Together, they represent the wealthy, “average” students at the school, and by extension, the semi-elite class in society. The group is overall well-dressed, confident, and aware of their status as well as others’. Pfannee’s reactions help the audience gauge what is considered normal behavior among the students.
Backgrounds and Beginnings
Pfannee’s background is not deeply explored, and they were not written with a complex inner life, unlike the main characters. They essentially function as Glinda’s fan club, along with Shenshen, acting as an external force pressuring Glinda to care about her image, people-pleasing, and general “mean girl” attitude towards Elphaba.
In the novel and musical, Pfannee is portrayed as a girl. In the movie, the character is portrayed as a boy who fits in well with the girls' group.
All that’s known for certain is that Pfannee is a Munchkinlander and that they were friends with Galinda and Shenshen before starting school at Shiz.
Even though Pfannee’s background isn’t known, it’s very obvious where they stand immediately when we see them for the first time.
In the novel, both Glinda and Pfannee’s families appear to be on the cusp between middle class and wealthy; in the musical and film, Glinda’s family appears more established. In both situations, Pfannee is stuck to Galinda’s side whenever possible, both because of their pre-existing friendship and as a way to stay popular.
Pfannee and Shenshen can even be seen as representing milder versions of Madame Morrible and the Wizard, especially in relation to Glinda.
She's so good! Such braverism!
Pfannee (movie)
Personality Traits and Role
Pfannee belongs to the group that understands the unwritten rules of society. They know how to dress, how to speak, and how to respond to authority. This knowledge gives Pfannee social safety, but it also limits their growth. Clothes, appearances, and social signals matter to them; navigating these expectations and fitting in is how Pfannee exists safely in life.
This shallowness and concern for surface-level matters serve a dual purpose:
- To provide contrast for Elphaba to stand out as an “outcast” who doesn’t care about what the society-representing students adhere to
- To act as an external force holding Glinda back from choosing what she knows is right, as opposed to what is easy
Pfannee is not represented as an individual. Instead, they are part of a unit; either as a group with Glinda, Shenshen, and the other popular kids in Shiz, or as part of “society” as a whole. Wicked uses group dynamics as a commentary about power, image, and conformity. Phannee is the main representation of that within Shiz.
They are cautious to avoid being ousted from the group, which means they cannot afford to entertain their inner passions, interests, or opinions.
Pfannee is not cruel, but perpetuates cruelty as part of group dynamics and peer pressure.
They ignore when Elphaba is mocked or ignored, and even participate in coming up with small ideas to bully her at times.
But the main reason why Pfannee does this is that they believe it will make them more solidified in the social circle.
Pfannee's worst offense in the novel is when she secretly invites Elphaba to Glinda's summer home as a cruel prank. The action hurts Elphaba, who clearly sees she is the butt of a joke, but it also pushes Glinda away as she begins to realize she doesn't want to associate with people who would do such a thing.
The biggest part Pfannee plays is as a gauge to measure Glinda’s progress. Early on, Galinda relies on friends like Pfannee to affirm her choices. As the story proceeds, Glinda begins to grow and act more independently; maybe she doesn’t need to fit in with those who make up the social “norms.” At that point, Pfannee fades into the background, showing how Glinda is progressing and beginning to choose more of what is right instead of what is comfortable and expected.
Pfannee’s Portrayal Across Different Media
Pfannee appears in all three major versions of Wicked. However, their visibility changes with the medium. Each version draws attention to different aspects of their character and role in Shiz’s student-body dynamics.
Pfannee in Gregory Maguire’s Novel
In Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Pfannee is present but understated.
She is not developed at the same level as the primary or secondary characters.
The novel’s tone is dense and political. It focuses on systems of power, ideology, and identity.
Pfannee functions as part of the social environment rather than a focal point.
Maguire uses characters like Pfannee to show how ordinary people respond to the events portrayed in the story. Her actions, or inactions, are a way to understand how different the main characters are from an average person. It helps drive home several points:
- We might believe we would be heroic, like the main characters, but if we examine ourselves closely, do we actually act like ordinary people instead?
- The main characters have to use a lot of conviction to break out of the “normal” mold. If we want to do the same, we need to recognize the hard work.
The “normal” reactions we see in Ozian society, as represented by Pfannee, include being uncomfortable and even hostile toward Elphaba because of her green skin and choosing fitting in with the crowd over individual thought and morality. It’s important to note that Pfannee’s actions aren’t motivated by malice, but by the desire to remain “safe” in the life they’ve always known.
This demonstrates how many ordinary people do not actively oppose injustice, which allows unjust things to continue. Pfannee represents how passive complicity is harmful, just as being a direct perpetrator is.
‘Wicked’ Musical and Movie Adaptation
In the stage musical version of Wicked, Pfannee becomes a little more visible. While neither she nor Shenshen is mentioned by name in the show, they deliver some crucial lines of dialogue and appear in many scenes. Their presence as part of Glinda’s posse helps convey the Good Witch’s popularity, and acts as observers who pressure Glinda to stay in line.
Bowen Yang plays Pfannee in the film adaptation of 'Wicked.'
On stage, Pfannee often appears in coordinated outfits with Shenshen. Their synchronized behavior delivers the message that they’re a unit, not individuals.
Pfannee is occasionally used as a source of light comedy in the musical, delivering a few comedic lines in the show. This characterization makes the social world of Shiz feel familiar; audiences recognize these types of characters in media, and probably in real life, too.
In the film, Pfannee’s comedic presence is enhanced with more focus on him in certain scenes and more lines with the main characters. While the character of Pfannee wasn’t expanded very much in the film, he became a fan favorite for his style, attitude, and comedic relief.
Find out what messages we can learn from Fiyero's journey in Wicked!
Pfannee’s Impact on Wicked
In a story with a handful of well-developed, complex characters with complicated inner stories revealed to us, the audience, Pfannee serves as a simpler portrayal of a specific idea.
They are a sign of social alignment. Their behavior shows how norms are enforced through expectation and pressure rather than by explicit force.
Part of Elphaba’s journey is her experience with rejection, not just by her family and society, but also by her peers. Pfannee is one of those peers. None of the Shiz students in the general group tries to help Elphaba with her experience of isolation. This dynamic explains why Elphaba decides to abandon society and go off on her own rather than try to create change from within it.
Pfannee also perfectly demonstrates how systems persist, especially oppressive ones. They rely on ordinary people choosing comfort or the ‘known’ over ethics, change, and the ‘unknown.’ This is a reflective commentary on real-world politics, education systems, and other harmful establishments.
Fans theorize that since Boq became the Tin Man, the lion cub became the Cowardly Lion, and Fiyero became the Scarecrow, that Pfannee and Shenshen are turned into the arguing apples that appear in the original 'Wizard of Oz' film.
Pfannee is a contrast to the change seen in the main characters, especially Elphaba, Fiyero, and Glinda. Pfannee doesn’t rise to the occasion and change. They stay in their comfort and privilege, and therefore, they fall into the background as the story goes beyond them.
At first glance, Pfannee's role might seem trivial, but their role in Wicked is carefully constructed, just like all the other characters Maguire wrote about. Pfannee is not a hero or a villain, neither good nor wicked. They are ordinary, bringing attention to how people live within systems because they feel like they are comfortable and beneficial, even when they are actively harmful.
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