Lydia Deetz

Character
Name:	Lydia Deetz
Occupation:	Student (movie) Babysitter (Toon) Spooky Boutique Fashion Designer/Owner (Toon) Frankenburgers Owner (Toon)
Relationships:	Beetlejuice (Best Friend/ Husband) Family: Charles Deetz (Father) Delia Deetz (Step-Mother / Toon Mother) Evelyn Deetz(Mother - Film) Emily Deetz(Mother - Musical)
Fandom:	Beetlejuice
Other:	Played by: Winona Ryder (Film) Alyson Court (Toon) Sophia Anne Caruso (OBC Musical) Presley Ryan (Understudy Musical) Dana Steingold (Understudy Musical) Elizabeth Teeter (Remount Musical) Isabella Esler (US Tour Musical) Hong Na-Hyun (Korean Musical) Jang Min-Je (Korean Musical)
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Lydia Deetz is the daughter of Charles Deetz who purchases the house belonging to Adam and Barbara Maitland.

Canon

Character Biography

Film

The daughter of Charles Deetz from his first marriage. She is ignored by her family who won't listen to her when she says the house is haunted or that she prefers the Maitland house without any alterations.

According to Delia, Lydia was miserable in New York City and will continue to be so out in the country. This attributes to Lydia wanting to be part of the dead since she feels the dead pay more attention to her than her living family.

By the end of the film, she chooses to remain alive and live with her parents and the Maitlands.

Toon

In the cartoon, Lydia is a pre-teen/teenager who is best friends with the title character Beetlejuice. She is, thanks to her adventures with Beetlejuice, a confident and happy kid. She embraces her taste for gross, wicked, and scary things. She is an artist, photographer, seamstress but she can't sing.

Lydia enjoys spending her time with the residents of the Neitherworld. She also has two living best friends thanks to her ability to accept herself and her unique tastes.

Musical

At the beginning of the Musical, the audience knows Lydia has lost her mother Emily to death. This upsets and angers her, exasperated by her father's inability to discuss the loss.

She already enjoyed her dark and creepy tastes due to her mother's influence so the lack of confidence doesn't seem to disturb her as much as being ignored and invisible. This is the cause of her interest in the Maitlands, deeming it to be a sign from her mother. It also shows that she has very little fear of Beetlejuice who is a self-proclaimed demon.

In this universe, Lydia deals with grief and loss that the other two versions of her do not.

Name

• ’’’Origins’’’
  • ’’Lydia and Cathy Deetz’’
    • Originally the character was split into two characters.
      • Cathy Deetz was supposed to be the one who befriended the Maitlands. (Original Script)
      • Lydia Deetz was a death metal teenager intent on being a cheerleader, and losing her virginity. (Original script)

• Nicknames
  • Lyds
  • Babes
  • Lydsy / Lydy - Comic book nicknames mentioned by Beetlejuice

• Alter Ego's
  • New U Lydia - Accidentally hit with BJ’s New U cologne and turned into a bad girl biker with a rebel attitude
  • Hypnotized Lydia - She was brainwashed by a therapist hired by Delia to be a “normal” teen with an interest in boys and magazines.

Lydia’s Powers

• Movie - She has the ability to see the dead
• Toon - Can teleport herself to Beej as well as summon him. She travels between worlds
• Musical - She can see ghosts

Fandom

Popularized Fanon

• Medium - This may explain why she can see ghosts

Shipping

Lydia Deetz is young in canon but she is often paired in relationships both platonically and romantically. She is headcanoned as straight, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, and homosexual. On occasion, others have labeled her to be Ace.

Pairings

Common Pairings

• Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz
  • Includes Lydia/Beetleman & Lydia/Betty
• Lydia Deetz/Prince Vince

Rare Pairings

• Lydia Deetz/Claire Brewster (Toon)
• Lydia Deetz/Sky (Musical)

Crossover Pairings

• Wednesday Addams/Lydia Deetz

OC Pairs

• Lydia Deetz/Allen Dichter - (Original Character Created by GhostlyHauntings)
  • Use in multiple fanfics by both GhostlyHauntings and BD-Z

Self-Insert/Reader-Insert

• Self-insertion - Headcanons and Fanfiction can be found on Tumblr and Ao3 (Usually with OC characters)
• Reader-Insert - Fiction can be found both on Tumblr and A03

Shipping Wars & Controversy

There is a big controversy due to Age Difference with Lydia and her relationship with Beetlejuice. This often leads shippers of this pairing to become involved in Discourse with anti-groups against Problematic ships.

Lydia is also shipped alongside female characters both in canon and in other fandoms.

Common Tropes & Storylines

• Soulmates - Many fans believe that tie between Lydia and BJ is due to them being soulmates.
• Medium/Psychic - Another common fanon is that she has the skills of a medium

Fanworks

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

Fanart

• Portrait of Lydia Deetz by Zellykat

Meta

The Power of Lydia Deetz - Deep Dive Video Essay on Youtube by Magical Molly