| “ | Enough is never enough! | „ |
| ~ Cousin Mel scoffing that Grandma is making enough money to support the family. |
| “ | Hey! I deserve to be rich! | „ |
| ~ Cousin Mel boasting herself. |
Melanie Spankenheimer (or Cousin Mel for short) is the main antagonist of the 2000 children's animated Christmas special Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer (which features the song after which it is named). She is the eldest granddaughter of Grandma and Grandpa Spankenheimer, the niece of Frank and Rita Spankenheimer, and the older cousin of Jake and Daphne Spankenheimer.
She was voiced by Michele Lee.
Biography
Mel is a golddigger who wants to sell Grandma's store to Austin Bucks, the wealthiest man in the town of Cityville, but Grandma refuses to sell. After Grandma disappears following Santa's sleigh crashing, Mel discovered a letter revealing Grandma's whereabouts, but decided to hide it for about one year to keep her family and the rest of the town in the dark about it. She also tries a scheme to force the sale of Grandma's store by tricking Grandpa into signing over his power of attorney to her, but Jake tries to stop her.
As it turns out, Mel hated the Christmas spirit as she became the cause of Santa's arrest when she frames him for Grandma's disappearance. To that end, she got an unscrupulous attorney named I.M. Slime to assist her in her scheme to kidnap Grandma after she returns and to frame Santa for the crime and sue him to get all his money. She is eventually found out by Jake when he finds the missing letter in order to prove Santa's innocence, and she is forced to confess her actions during Santa's trial when she is confronted with the evidence against her. With that in mind, Mel is arrested for her crimes while Santa is freed from all charges; even Bucks commented that she would look better wearing stripes. It can be implied that Mel will be permanently put on Santa's naughty list as punishment for her actions.
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Trivia
- Even though the TV special wasn't fairly received by critics, some viewers considered Cousin Mel to be be of the saving graces due to her attractive appearance.
- Due to her red hair and surname, she is of Irish and German descent.
Template:Warner Bros. Animation Villains