Trike Girl Strikes Again!

One of the most striking characters in the musical episode "Daria!" is the one I call Trike Girl, a pigtailed preschooler on a Big Wheel pedaling fearlessly around Lawndale just before and after the hurricane passes by.

Trike Girl manages to insinuate herself in other episodes as well. She stands near Daria and Ms. Li on the sidelines of the parade in "I Loathe a Parade," and sits behind Jake Morgendorffer in a movie theater in "Aunt Nauseam," throwing popcorn at him when he acts up. Her high pigtails make her stand out in any scene. Why would anyone suspect that she is anything other than a sweet little girl?

Because she opens and closes the insane episode "Daria!" with her appearances, for one thing. She never seems to have been afraid one bit, nor did she seem to go home at any time during the hurricane. Coincidence? I think not. Also, Big Wheels were generally out of production in the 1990s. Where'd she get hers? She first appears (so far as I know) in the third season, when things got really out of whack. Remember the Good Time Chinese restaurant? Could she be a supernatural godlike invader from another dimension, prowling Lawndale for her amusement? Is she just "slumming" around town on her trike, playing tricks on mortals? What secret agenda does she really have? Was it she who brought Tom Sloane in to ruin Daria and Jane's friendship?

Post your thoughts and suspicions here. Let the world know.