Hester Hen is a character in 101 Dalmatians: The Series, who appears in the episode "DeVil-Age Elder". She is the town witch, who enchants DeVil-Ville.
Background[]
Hester Hen appears in a flashback told by Judge Dimsdale De Vil to Cruella, about how the town of DeVil-Ville came to be cursed.
Judge Dimsdale De Vil was ruthless and ran things with an iron fist, beginning as the town's tax collector, before strong-arming his way into becoming Lord Mayor. Hester Hen saw into his black heart, however, and realized that Dimsdale De Vil wouldn't rest until he owned the whole world. Since no one in the town had the backbone to stand up to him, Hester Hen decided that task fell onto her.
In order to protect the world from "The Evil Devil", Hester Hen cursed the town to vanish from the face of the Earth, only to return for one day, every 100 years. Additionally, on risk of death, the Evil Devil would also be bound within the town's borders, to spend eternity within a prison of his own making. She also enchanted everyone who steps foot in to the town to be mindlessly happy, just to make the Devil all the more miserable in comparison. True to Hester's curse, when the town awoke the next day, it was 100 years later.
Hester Hen did have a particular fondness for chickens, however, and at the urging of her own pet chicken, Katrina, added a condition which made chickens immune from the curse. This allowed Spot to break others out of the enchantment to be mindlessly happy by kissing them, as well as allowing Spot to not disappear with the rest of the town when the sun sets.
When Judge Dimsdale De Vil met Cruella, he began forming a plan, noting that when Hester said "The Evil Devil" was bound within the town, she never specified which Evil Devil, so planned for Cruella to take his place in the town. Whether this would have worked is unknown.
Trivia[]
- Hester Hen is voiced by Alice Ghostley and is likely an homage to her role as Esmeralda in "Bewitched".
- Her attire resembles that of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three good fairies from Sleeping Beauty.
- She bears a strong resemblance to Nanny, indicating that she could be her ancestor.
