Lisa Raccoon

Lisa Raccoon, voiced by Canadian singer Lisa Lougheed, was a somewhat prominent character in the animated series The Raccoons, and in contrast to Bert, Ralph, and Melissa is tall, like Troy Malone. She is Ralph's niece, and is athletic, with a particular passion for basketball and despises slimy things such as worms. Compared to her relatives, she is tall and thin with more human like proportion with a ponytail to give her a semblance of head hair.

Lisa's first appearance in the series was in the episode Spring Fever, where she visits the Evergreen Forest with her younger brother Bentley Raccoon. Bert, in this episode, is instantaneously smitten by her beauty and develops a crush on her. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT6L9VY_GGY] . In the process, Bert later eschews fishing, because it's something Lisa doesn't like, while he tries to be a suave gentleman which befuddles Cedric and Bentley. After Bert manifests his feelings to her, Lisa, caught off guard by Bert's unexpectedly serious infatuation, responds she's flattered, but diplomatically tries to cool his romantic aspirations for someone he just met. Much to her regret, Bert is heartbroken at this perceived snub, but his depression is instantly relieved when he receives an affectionate letter from Lisa, who promises a regular correspondence.

Even better to Bert, the episode Moving In [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYGZkBjblEs] , has her father, George Raccoon, moving his family to the Evergreen Forest after obtaining a job as a television chef for Mr. Knox's TV station. Lisa is saddened, because no one in the Forest seems to care about basketball, and she misses her old friends. After a brave effort to take her losses in stride, her resentment boils over and she lashes out at this imposition. Considering she just doesn't feel like she belongs, Bert convinces her that her family will support through this time and he installs a basketball half court at her home so she can at least practice.

Acceptance is something Lisa always seems to be striving for, as in the episode Join the Club [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90ZpUINnKw&feature=related] , she tries to fit in with cool kids from her old school who smoke. After she lies to Bert and her dad, she finally musters up the courage to quit. This wins her the admiration of Cyril Sneer who tells her not to worry about what her peers think as he has become a success by using some unconventional if not maverick methods. The Raccoons is also revolutionary as a cartoon in the sense that many animated series of the 1980s explored smoking, but there were only a few that depicted a character quitting the addictive habit. Lisa's last appearance, incidentally was in the last episode of the series Going For Gold. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sw9u7Hfq9s&feature=related] , wherein her competitive fire is exhibited as she seeks to vanquish Bert and thus win the Evergreen triathlon. While Bert and Lisa's relationship is strained amid the competitive fire Lisa possesses, they are reconciled at the end of the episode.

Supposedly, a Raccoons movie is in the works and fans of the series often wonder if a marriage between Lisa and Bert is imminent.