Francine Smith
Encyclopedia
Francine Smith is a fictional character
on the animated television series American Dad!
. She is the wife of Stan Smith
and the mother of Steve
and Hayley
. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal
.
She spent her early childhood in a Roman Catholic orphanage
. She is naturally left-handed
but this was literally beaten out of her, with a side of beef (or a mackerel
on Fridays
), by the nuns working there who saw lefties as "the devil's minions." As a result she took to using her right hand and was conditioned to hate left-handed people. This was made evident in later life when she forcibly asked Steve's science partner to leave the house. (The family thought it was because Steve's science partner was black and accused her of being racist). However, as of the most recent episodes, she has adapted to being left-handed once again, using it as her more dominant hand.
She was adopted at age 7 by Bàba and Māma Ling, Chinese Americans, who first saw her at 5 years old, but she was too expensive at that point so they waited for the market to fall. She speaks fluent Chinese, and often speaks in it to her parents to disguise their conversations in front of Stan much to his annoyance. Her parents have their own biological daughter, Gwen, who they are ashamed of for being supposedly very attractive but quite stupid (as Bàba puts it, "imagine a Chinese girl [who] can't do math!")
When Francine was about 14 years old in high school
, she had an obsessive crush on her algebra
teacher, Mr. Feeny. She became so obsessed with him, she was discovered by his wife in his closet, "cutting herself and sniffing his T-shirts." Francine lied to them and said that she and Mr. Feeny were lovers. Mr. Feeny was sent to jail and committed suicide
there. During the rest of high school, she was said to have been "very depressed," until she found the "miracle of marijuana," although she is in denial about Hayley's use of marijuana.
While in college Francine stabbed her roommate to death - a fact that she casually admits to her family over dinner. Even though she was a party girl during her college years and seems to hold generally liberal opinions, she keeps them mostly to herself in order to keep with Stan's conservative views. However, she does not keep her extremely intense hatred of George Clooney
to herself. She hates him because he stole her spotlight in her only television
appearance on an episode Scarecrow and Mrs. King
, which would have guaranteed her a movie career. Since then, Francine's dream has been to, at the very least, make George Clooney cry, which Stan has helped her do.
Francine, then a groupie
, first met Stan when he had just graduated from the CIA academy and offered a post as an operative. She was trying to hitchhike home, and Stan pulled over and gave her a ride. During the trip, Stan veered to avoid hitting a car and accidentally ran over a raccoon, which he then shot to put it out of its misery. This act of compassion attracted Francine so much she started dating Stan and married him soon after they had met. When Stan was still oblivious to the fact that Greg Corbin and Terry Bates, their next door neighbours, were gay, he suggested that he and Francine fix them up with her sister Gwen. While Francine knows they're gay, Stan thinks her reluctance is because Gwen is "too hot" and then reminisces about her appearance at their wedding (though Stan does eventually discover the truth).
during spring cleaning, Francine occasionally yearns for something in her life more fulfilling. Sometimes this is in the form of a job - for a short while she was a successful realtor and even sold local newsreaders, Greg and Terry, the house across the street from the Smiths' own, achieved her dream of owning a muffin kiosk (she has tried sleeping with Adam Ant
, Billy Gibbons
of ZZ Top
, and Dexys Midnight Runners
to get an investment for one when she was younger) at the mall, and even becoming a surgeon
for an organized crime syndicate made up of handicapped people. One time, she joined a group of ultra-chic local ladies by faking an affair with a valet
. Stan often neglects Francine, ignores what she says, and has forgotten their wedding anniversary at least twice. Despite this, Francine loves him and seems to be unable to cheat on him; even when her life was threatened she still would not sleep with another man. However, Francine has offered Stan to cheat on her twice. When Klaus, whose long-time attraction to Francine we are made well aware of, is put into the body of a handsome black man who was once in an Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band, he temporarily manages to win Francine over; however, she does resist him, noticing something familiar about him. It is only until Stan reveals Klaus's identity that she is turned off completely.
Francine enjoys drinking alcohol (she has one bottle of wine for each special occasion, such as "Told Klaus to shut up"), occasionally smokes cigarettes (particularly when under stress), and has a history of using marijuana. Francine has an unhealthy obsession with keeping Steve as 'her baby' which has led her to pursue emotionally and physically abusive behavior towards him in an effort to keep him from becoming an independent man. She seems to go on obsessive jaunts and can resort to violence when the need demands. However, she maintains a warmth for animals and an unstoppable maternal instinct regarding her family, including a nonchalant acceptance of Stan's murderous overreactions. She also has an extreme hatred of George Clooney.
Francine has a curious & perplexing intellect: while frequently displaying extreme ditziness through her social interactions with other characters, such as through failures to reason properly, inappropriate or misguided behavior, and laughing prematurely during jokes, Francine has also shown herself to possess incredible intellectual capacity: she is fluent in French, Spanish and Mandarin, and, in "Stan Time", manages to gain expert-level knowledge of marine biology
through self-study in only a few weeks, to such an extent that she manages to get an article on the habitat of the colossal squid
published in a scientific journal, gaining her instant international recognition.
Previous to her marriage Francine had a history of sexual promiscuity, most notably as a groupie who slept with numerous rock stars and pop singers and planting a rose bush for every person she has slept with, creating "the worlds largest sex garden" which is so big it has a tour group and rumored to have a civilization that have never seen a white man. In the second season episode "Finances With Wolves" it is established that the Dexy's Midnight Runners' hit song "Come On Eileen
" was written about Francine after the band had an orgy with her but couldn't remember her name (the joke being that the band literally "came
" on her.)
There are times when Francine has demonstrated that she might be mentally unstable, including her vendetta against George Clooney and her extreme Empty Nest Syndrome. In "Family Affair" she nonchalantly admits she stabbed her college roommate to death and expresses surprise that no one in the family knew before. In "Live and Let Fry" she tells Hayley that she can't handle much, and when someone rings the doorbell she screams "It's too much!". She also becomes violent and angry at rare, random intervals, at one point sweeping Klaus' bowl onto the floor screaming 'People are talking!' because he interrupted her. Similarly, in the episode Stan of Arabia, Francine resorted to physical violence when she challenged Stan's Arabian wife called Thundercat for Stan's affection; saying "you want to dance bitch; then let's dance" and proceeded to fight her reasonably well. In "Every Which Way But Lose
", Francine also admitted that she doesn't know how to vote as it confuses her too much. She just enters a booth, waits ten seconds, then comes out and yells "Democracy!"
Francine has also apparently spent time in prison before, and has recounted her experiences - with varying degrees of horror - on at least two occasions. She also seems to be very experienced with weapons, though whether or not this is because she is married to Stan is never established. She is shown to carry machetes with her in the pilot and has pulled a gun on Stan on more than one occasion. She was also able to make a weapon out of a shoe Roger was wearing that he claimed was designed by the government to be unable to make into a weapon.
Despite being somewhat an animal lover, Francine has shown a cruelty to small birds, especially when it comes to cooking. In Live and Let Fry, she throws a baby chick at a window after becoming frustrated about not getting trans fat. During In Country...Club she drowns a rare species of bird to cook in a French delicacy for Roger.
, as Stan ran over her (twice) causing her brain to temporarily detach from her central nervous system. Though Roger restored the damage, she was left with severely reduced mental functions. Stan also accidentally erased the last 20 years of her memory (making Francine act like a teenager from 1985), which he managed to restore. Francine has told Steve that she used to stalk her old school teacher and she also willfully cut her own hand off when it was handcuffed to a pole so she could kill George Clooney (the hand was later reattached).
Francine has two birth scars, a caesarian scar from Hayley's birth (although in "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever" Hayley's birth is show to be natural, albeit delivered by a baboon), and a scar on her perineum
("tore from [her] V
to [her] A
") from Steve's birth. Despite this, she claims in "Surro-Gate
" that both of her own children's births were "a breeze" for her, and therefore becomes the natural choice to carry Greg and Terry's daughter for them. She also seems to have a case of empty nest syndrome
, as she had problems coping with Steve's girlfriend, Debbie, and was more than willing to comfort Steve when Debbie broke up with him. This has recently begun to take obsessive levels, including Francine using a CIA anti-aging formula to turn Steve into a toddler that she could coddle and baby, and sabotaging his surprisingly successful attempts at popularity to keep him home (and also to keep him from possibly going into any potentially violent mood swings).
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the animated television series American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. She is the wife of Stan Smith
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
and the mother of Steve
Steve Smith (American Dad!)
Steven Anita “Steve” Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. He is Stan and Francine Smith's only son and Hayley's younger brother as well as the youngest of the series' 6 main characters. Steve is voiced by Scott Grimes.According to TVTDB.com, Steve's original...
and Hayley
Hayley Smith (American Dad!)
Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith Fischer is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. She is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane, the younger sister of one of the series co-creators, Seth MacFarlane....
. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Francine Smith in the TV series American Dad!.-Personal life:...
.
Fictional character biography
Francine was born on September 26th 1971 to a wealthy couple, Nicholas and Cassandra Dawson. She was abandoned by her birth parents because they were not allowed to bring a baby into first class with them, and so casually left her at the airport.She spent her early childhood in a Roman Catholic orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
. She is naturally left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
but this was literally beaten out of her, with a side of beef (or a mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
on Fridays
Fasting and Abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church
For Roman Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one's intake of food to one full meal a day. This may or may not be accompanied by abstinence from meat when eating....
), by the nuns working there who saw lefties as "the devil's minions." As a result she took to using her right hand and was conditioned to hate left-handed people. This was made evident in later life when she forcibly asked Steve's science partner to leave the house. (The family thought it was because Steve's science partner was black and accused her of being racist). However, as of the most recent episodes, she has adapted to being left-handed once again, using it as her more dominant hand.
She was adopted at age 7 by Bàba and Māma Ling, Chinese Americans, who first saw her at 5 years old, but she was too expensive at that point so they waited for the market to fall. She speaks fluent Chinese, and often speaks in it to her parents to disguise their conversations in front of Stan much to his annoyance. Her parents have their own biological daughter, Gwen, who they are ashamed of for being supposedly very attractive but quite stupid (as Bàba puts it, "imagine a Chinese girl [who] can't do math!")
When Francine was about 14 years old in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, she had an obsessive crush on her algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
teacher, Mr. Feeny. She became so obsessed with him, she was discovered by his wife in his closet, "cutting herself and sniffing his T-shirts." Francine lied to them and said that she and Mr. Feeny were lovers. Mr. Feeny was sent to jail and committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
there. During the rest of high school, she was said to have been "very depressed," until she found the "miracle of marijuana," although she is in denial about Hayley's use of marijuana.
While in college Francine stabbed her roommate to death - a fact that she casually admits to her family over dinner. Even though she was a party girl during her college years and seems to hold generally liberal opinions, she keeps them mostly to herself in order to keep with Stan's conservative views. However, she does not keep her extremely intense hatred of George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
to herself. She hates him because he stole her spotlight in her only television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearance on an episode Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,...
, which would have guaranteed her a movie career. Since then, Francine's dream has been to, at the very least, make George Clooney cry, which Stan has helped her do.
Francine, then a groupie
Groupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
, first met Stan when he had just graduated from the CIA academy and offered a post as an operative. She was trying to hitchhike home, and Stan pulled over and gave her a ride. During the trip, Stan veered to avoid hitting a car and accidentally ran over a raccoon, which he then shot to put it out of its misery. This act of compassion attracted Francine so much she started dating Stan and married him soon after they had met. When Stan was still oblivious to the fact that Greg Corbin and Terry Bates, their next door neighbours, were gay, he suggested that he and Francine fix them up with her sister Gwen. While Francine knows they're gay, Stan thinks her reluctance is because Gwen is "too hot" and then reminisces about her appearance at their wedding (though Stan does eventually discover the truth).
Personality
Although she enjoys being a housewife (once criticizing Stan for locking her up without shirts to fold, as she "hates down time"), as well as becoming arousedSexual arousal
Sexual arousal, or sexual excitement, is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity. Things that precipitate human sexual arousal are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known as turn-ons. There are many potential stimuli, both physical or mental, which can cause...
during spring cleaning, Francine occasionally yearns for something in her life more fulfilling. Sometimes this is in the form of a job - for a short while she was a successful realtor and even sold local newsreaders, Greg and Terry, the house across the street from the Smiths' own, achieved her dream of owning a muffin kiosk (she has tried sleeping with Adam Ant
Adam Ant
Adam Ant is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of New Wave/post-punk group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1980 and 1983, including three No.1s...
, Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
of ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, and Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners are a British pop group with soul influences, who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. They are best known for their songs "Come On Eileen" and "Geno", both of which went No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart....
to get an investment for one when she was younger) at the mall, and even becoming a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
for an organized crime syndicate made up of handicapped people. One time, she joined a group of ultra-chic local ladies by faking an affair with a valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
. Stan often neglects Francine, ignores what she says, and has forgotten their wedding anniversary at least twice. Despite this, Francine loves him and seems to be unable to cheat on him; even when her life was threatened she still would not sleep with another man. However, Francine has offered Stan to cheat on her twice. When Klaus, whose long-time attraction to Francine we are made well aware of, is put into the body of a handsome black man who was once in an Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band, he temporarily manages to win Francine over; however, she does resist him, noticing something familiar about him. It is only until Stan reveals Klaus's identity that she is turned off completely.
Francine enjoys drinking alcohol (she has one bottle of wine for each special occasion, such as "Told Klaus to shut up"), occasionally smokes cigarettes (particularly when under stress), and has a history of using marijuana. Francine has an unhealthy obsession with keeping Steve as 'her baby' which has led her to pursue emotionally and physically abusive behavior towards him in an effort to keep him from becoming an independent man. She seems to go on obsessive jaunts and can resort to violence when the need demands. However, she maintains a warmth for animals and an unstoppable maternal instinct regarding her family, including a nonchalant acceptance of Stan's murderous overreactions. She also has an extreme hatred of George Clooney.
Francine has a curious & perplexing intellect: while frequently displaying extreme ditziness through her social interactions with other characters, such as through failures to reason properly, inappropriate or misguided behavior, and laughing prematurely during jokes, Francine has also shown herself to possess incredible intellectual capacity: she is fluent in French, Spanish and Mandarin, and, in "Stan Time", manages to gain expert-level knowledge of marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
through self-study in only a few weeks, to such an extent that she manages to get an article on the habitat of the colossal squid
Colossal Squid
The colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
published in a scientific journal, gaining her instant international recognition.
Previous to her marriage Francine had a history of sexual promiscuity, most notably as a groupie who slept with numerous rock stars and pop singers and planting a rose bush for every person she has slept with, creating "the worlds largest sex garden" which is so big it has a tour group and rumored to have a civilization that have never seen a white man. In the second season episode "Finances With Wolves" it is established that the Dexy's Midnight Runners' hit song "Come On Eileen
Come on Eileen
"Come On Eileen" was a single released by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982. The song was written by Kevin Rowland, "Big" Jim Paterson, and Billy Adams; it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It also appeared on the album Too-Rye-Ay...
" was written about Francine after the band had an orgy with her but couldn't remember her name (the joke being that the band literally "came
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
" on her.)
There are times when Francine has demonstrated that she might be mentally unstable, including her vendetta against George Clooney and her extreme Empty Nest Syndrome. In "Family Affair" she nonchalantly admits she stabbed her college roommate to death and expresses surprise that no one in the family knew before. In "Live and Let Fry" she tells Hayley that she can't handle much, and when someone rings the doorbell she screams "It's too much!". She also becomes violent and angry at rare, random intervals, at one point sweeping Klaus' bowl onto the floor screaming 'People are talking!' because he interrupted her. Similarly, in the episode Stan of Arabia, Francine resorted to physical violence when she challenged Stan's Arabian wife called Thundercat for Stan's affection; saying "you want to dance bitch; then let's dance" and proceeded to fight her reasonably well. In "Every Which Way But Lose
Every Which Way But Lose
"Every Which Way But Lose" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad!.-Plot:When Steve loses his dad's respect by not coming in first in a chemistry competition at school, he joins a junior football team, the Wolverines. However, Stan becomes the team's...
", Francine also admitted that she doesn't know how to vote as it confuses her too much. She just enters a booth, waits ten seconds, then comes out and yells "Democracy!"
Francine has also apparently spent time in prison before, and has recounted her experiences - with varying degrees of horror - on at least two occasions. She also seems to be very experienced with weapons, though whether or not this is because she is married to Stan is never established. She is shown to carry machetes with her in the pilot and has pulled a gun on Stan on more than one occasion. She was also able to make a weapon out of a shoe Roger was wearing that he claimed was designed by the government to be unable to make into a weapon.
Despite being somewhat an animal lover, Francine has shown a cruelty to small birds, especially when it comes to cooking. In Live and Let Fry, she throws a baby chick at a window after becoming frustrated about not getting trans fat. During In Country...Club she drowns a rare species of bird to cook in a French delicacy for Roger.
Health
Francine has suffered great brain damageBrain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
, as Stan ran over her (twice) causing her brain to temporarily detach from her central nervous system. Though Roger restored the damage, she was left with severely reduced mental functions. Stan also accidentally erased the last 20 years of her memory (making Francine act like a teenager from 1985), which he managed to restore. Francine has told Steve that she used to stalk her old school teacher and she also willfully cut her own hand off when it was handcuffed to a pole so she could kill George Clooney (the hand was later reattached).
Francine has two birth scars, a caesarian scar from Hayley's birth (although in "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever" Hayley's birth is show to be natural, albeit delivered by a baboon), and a scar on her perineum
Perineum
In human anatomy, the perineum is a region of the body including the perineal body and surrounding structures...
("tore from [her] V
Vagina
The vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
to [her] A
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
") from Steve's birth. Despite this, she claims in "Surro-Gate
Surro-Gate
"Surro-Gate" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of American Dad!. It originally aired on December 2, 2007. This episode mainly centers around Stan, who hears the news that Greg and Terry are having plans of starting a family through in vitro fertilization. Stan is at first takes this as...
" that both of her own children's births were "a breeze" for her, and therefore becomes the natural choice to carry Greg and Terry's daughter for them. She also seems to have a case of empty nest syndrome
Empty nest syndrome
Empty nest syndrome is a general feeling of loneliness that parents or guardians may feel when one or more of their children leave home; it is more common in women...
, as she had problems coping with Steve's girlfriend, Debbie, and was more than willing to comfort Steve when Debbie broke up with him. This has recently begun to take obsessive levels, including Francine using a CIA anti-aging formula to turn Steve into a toddler that she could coddle and baby, and sabotaging his surprisingly successful attempts at popularity to keep him home (and also to keep him from possibly going into any potentially violent mood swings).
Age
Francine was originally 38, but she became 40 years old in the episode "Tears of a Clooney". The episode starts with her 39th birthday, she attempts to get revenge on George Clooney for a year, and the episode ends with her 40th birthday. It's unknown whether or not the other characters aged as well, except for presumably Stan. He says in one episode that she is ten months younger than he is. However, in May the Best Stan Win, Francine's year of birth is listed as being in 1971, and Stan's is shown to be 1967.External links
- Francine Smith at Fox.com