Janey Powell (variously called Janey Henderson in 2006,[2]Janey Jackson in 2013,[3]Jacqueline Jones in 2016[4]) is Lisa Simpson's best friend, or at least the classmate closest to her, and is Lisa's second most frequently appearing classmate after Ralph Wiggum.
Janey is noted as "Lisa's fair-weather best friend", and this is an accurate description. Though she is often seen hanging out with Lisa, at other times she teases her along with the other children for her misfortunes or idealistic views. (For example, when Lisa first decides to go vegetarian, Janey is one of the first to mock her for it, asking whether Lisa was planning to marry a carrot.) She is not nearly as intelligent or nerdy as Lisa, once blowing a bubble with chewing gum rather than engage in Lisa's current conversation.
She has spent the night at the Simpsons' house, and Lisa is seen watching cartoons at her house on numerous occasions. She is also seen reading "The Babysitter Twins" with Lisa. Janey is also seen to be concerned for Lisa's well-being, one is evident in Separate Vocations, when a depressed and sulky Lisa attempts to enter the girls', bathroom inhibited by rebellious fifth grade girls. She tries to warn Lisa in vain not to enter it, only for her to ignore Janey and enter the bathroom anyway.[5]
Janey may have had a crush on Milhouse Van Houten, who has a crush on Lisa.[6] In The Simpsons Game, she asks Bart where Milhouse is and calls Lisa cruel for leading Milhouse on. She sells cupcakes in school.[7] She also said that Milhouse doesn't like Lisa when other students were mocking them about it, which made the students mock her for liking Milhouse instead.
According to The Lisa Book, Janey is considered to be one of the most popular girls in second grade, in a poll that she conducted herself. She is very fashion-conscious, being particularly wary of clothes that look Canadian. She also enjoys the company of other girls, especially when they fawn on her. From Janey's perspective, either you're with her or you have "cooties"[8].
Description[]
Janey wears a pink or purple dress with a white collar, pink or purple ankle high socks, and white shoes. She has dark brown hair and brown skin. In The Burns Cage, she had her hair in a ponytail, using a hair tie.
Trivia[]
Because of Janey's fickle and fair-weathered treatment towards Lisa, her downplayed role in more recent episodes, and the fact that Lisa herself stated numerous times that she has no friends, Janey can be best considered as a recurring acquaintance. In addition, her role towards Lisa is much like the role of some of Marge's acquaintances, Luann Van Houten and Helen Lovejoy.
Janey's one talent is the ability to touch her nose with her tongue[9].
Janey is Lisa's best friend while Milhouse is Bart's best friend.
In a Simpsons Tapped Out quest, Janey says, "My dad's not allowed to have a credit card... on account of being wanted for counterfeiting. It's why I've had so many last names." This is a way to explain the several controversies about her last name: in most of the merchandise (for example, her Simpsons Comics "collectible stamp" and at least one set of trading cards), her last name is Powell, in the Simpsons Uncensored Family Album, her last name is Hagstrom, in the TV episode "My Fair Laddy", her last name is Henderson, and in the episode "Yellow Subterfuge", her last name is Jackson.
On the Xbox 360 and PS3 version of The Simpsons Game, if the player talks with Janey, she might say that if all of her dolls were piled up, it would reach the moon.
Janey does not like ice cream as shown in “The D'oh-cial Network”.[11] Although there have being times that have shown that Janey likes Ice Cream, such as in "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken" where she is seen waiting for Ice Cream.
The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.
Future[]
In "Future-Drama", Janey is at the senior prom despite being a junior.
She is shown as the specter of George Washington's reluctant second choice for first female President after Lisa disappoints him, to which Lisa fiercely objected on the grounds Janey would just fill the Supreme Court with boys[12].
In the "Treehouse of Horror IV" segment, Bart Simpson's Dracula she is shown as vampire.
In the "Treehouse of Horror XXVII", segment BFF R.I.P. she is playing hide and seek with Lisa when Ned Flanders's lawn mower suddenly turns on and kills her.
In the "Treehouse of Horror XXXI", segment Be Nine, Rewind she is seen at Lisa's ninth birthday party.
Appearances[]
Note: Many of her appearances are brief background roles. Episodes where she has an actual role are in bold.