Mrs. Grindtooth

Mrs. Grindtooth (also known as Frau Mahlzahn in the German version) is the main antagonist of the 1996 animated TV series, Jim Button, based on the novels with the same name by Michael Ende.

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver
The story begins on a tiny island called Morrowland, which had just enough space for a small palace, a train station and rails all around the island, a grocery store, a small house, a king, two subjects, a train named Emma, and a train conductor named of Luke. One day, the postman – who had to come by ship – drops off a package with a nearly indecipherable address for Mrs. Grindtooth at Sorrowland. After a pointless search for the addressee among Morrowland's few inhabitants, they open the package. To their monumental surprise, there was a black baby inside. After the commotion had died down, the islanders adopted the baby and named him Jim Button.

As Jim grew up, the King began to worry that the island was too small and there wouldn't be enough space for Jim to live on once he was an adult. He announced to Luke that Emma had to be removed. Luke decided to leave the island with Emma, and he decided to come along. They converted Emma into a makeshift ship and sailed off the island in the night, eventually arriving at the coast of China.

When they arrived in Ping, they won the friendship of Ping Pong, who told them that the Emperor was mournful and heartbroken. Li Si was kidnapped and was being held in the Dragon City. Luke and Jim offered their help, and while investigating the circumstances of Li Si's disappearance, they stumbled upon several names which were directly connected to Mrs. Grindtooth, the Wild 13, and Sorrowland. Now Jim and Luke had another reason to go to the Dragon City, located in Sorrowland, and had a confrontational and argumentative situation with Mrs. Grindtooth.

After a long and treacherous journey, they arrived in the Dragon City. Along the way, they make two new friends named Mr. Tur Tur and Nepomuk. Jim and Luke successfully freed Princess Li Si and a largely quantitative number of children, who were kidnapped and sold to Mrs. Grindtooth by a traitorous gang of thuggish pirates called the Wild 13. She chained the children to desks at her school, where she had barked lessons to them like a commandant. Jim and Luke took Mrs. Grindtooth with them as they made their way back on the Yellow River, which began right at the Dragon City. Arriving back in Mandala, they receive a commemorative welcome and were surprised by some startling news. Mrs. Grindtooth was about to turn into the Golden Dragon of Wisdom, and the other inhabitants of Morrowland want them back on the island.

With parting advice given by Mrs. Grindtooth (who was now reformed) and generous assistance from the Emperor, Luke and Jim came into possession of a floating island, which was named New-Morrowland, to served as Jim's future residence. After a benevolent welcome back on Morrowland, Jim and Li Si became engaged, and Jim gets a small train for his own, which he named Molly.