The Little Mermaid: POC Disabled Mermaid

Disney's mermaid character who was a person of color and disabled.

In The Little Mermaid: The Series (1992-1994), Ariel met a Latina deaf and mute mermaid named Gabriella. She appeared in two episodes and had her octopus, Ollie, as an interpreter of her sign language. The animators added her into the series to honor Gabriella Angelina Bommino, a 2-year-old who was a huge Ariel fan that ended up losing a battle with leukemia in 1993. They intended to show what Gabriella would have looked like as a teen.

In the episode "Wish Upon a Starfish," Ariel meets Gabriella and they go on a quest to find a starfish that grants a wish. Gabriella wished to be able to sing. It was released in season 2 as episode 6 on October 16, 1993.


In the episode "Ariel's Treasures," Ariel meets Gabriella again and shows her all of her treasures, including the new eggbeater that she finds. But Ursula had placed a curse on it. It was released in season 3 as episode 7 on October 29, 1994.


Link to the article about Gabriella Angelina Bommino.

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