Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite earlier blaming George Banks and his children for causing a run on the bank, he has a change of heart just before he dies, and instructs his son to offer George a new position at the bank. Named by the Adaptation: She had no first name in the books. P.L. Travers herself insisted to have her named "Winifred" instead of "Cynthia" as the production wanted for the film.

Cruel to Be Kind: She thinks she's this - after all, "spare the rod and spoil the child" - but in reality she's just plain abusive. Hate Sink: He is the Chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank who takes advantage of London's slump to repossess at least 19 homes and now sets his sights on doing so for the Banks home too. Wilkins has no compulsion about doing so despite likely putting multiple families out on the street purely for profit. He's extremely unrepentant about it to the point that his own uncle fires him at the end of the movie. As if to drive down the point, his balloon sinks while everyone else flies up to the sky with their balloons.Morally Bankrupt Banker: Even more so than his uncle and grandfather in the first film. He convinces Jane and Michael that he is willing to help them save their home. On the contrary, he's the one who wants to repossess it personally, destroying George Banks's records of owning shares. As stern as his family members were about making profits in the first film, they never did anything illegal. As his uncle tells him, they made the bank's profits by smartly investing the money with which their customers trusted them, not by taking advantage of the ones struggling financially and seizing their property. Albert Wigg: Mary's uncle, presumably her mother's brother; a large round bald man with a jovial personality. If his birthday falls on a Friday, he comes so full of 'laughing gas' that he floats up in the air. He appears in the 1964 film as Uncle Albert, played by Ed Wynn, and sings the song " I Love to Laugh" with Bert. He is absent from the musical. Still, I expect that her creator was the only person who did find Mary Poppins ordinary: several characters treat her with complete respect, even awe—characters who on their own are entirely magical creatures that most humans would treat with complete respect, even awe—along with nearly every adult character Mary Poppins encounters, with the understandable exception of the frustrated Park Keeper. It mirrors, in a way, the attitude that many young children have towards their parents, but the situation is slightly different for Jane and Michael and John and Barbara, since they have no hopes of becoming the equals of Mary Poppins—or even close. Defrosting Ice King: The last thing this normally ruthless and serious banker does in the first Mary Poppins film? Flying kites with the other bank employees, following the happy death of his father.

Nellie-Rubina and Uncle Dodger: Two human-sized wooden dolls with flat faces. They run a "conversation shop" that is shaped like Noah's Ark. In the stage musical Nellie's conversation shop does appear, but is run instead by Mrs. Corry. Childhood Friend Romance: Of a sort. He used to wave up at Jane and Michael's window when they were kids, and he has a bit of a crush on Jane. Film actors: Rita Shaw ( Mary Poppins) Stage actors: Jenny Galloway (original London cast), Jane Carr (original Broadway cast), Sally Ann Upton (original Australian cast), Claire Machin (2019 West End revival)Mrs. Brill is the cook. She and Ellen run the household, and see the litany of nannies that come and go. Balloon Woman: An old woman and a friend of Mary's who sells balloons in the park. Her balloons seem to have a magical quality as the name of whoever buys them appears on them. She appeared in the 2018 sequel, played by Angela Lansbury. Nice Guy: He can be a bit mischievous at times, but he's overall very kind in the film. Subverted in the musical and the books.Vanity Is Feminine: Very much so in the novels, but even Disney's version of Mary Poppins has a very strong vain streak about her. She obviously admires her own beauty, and gets downright offended if it's ever implied that other women might be prettier than she is. The books centre on the magical English nanny Mary Poppins, who is blown by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Bankses’ household to care for their children. Encounters with pavement-painters and shopkeepers, and various adventures ensue, until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves, i.e., "pops out". Only the first three of the eight books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The later five books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits. As Travers explains in her introduction to Mary Poppins in the Park, "She cannot forever arrive and depart." [2]

Friend to All Children: Jane and Michael like him, and he makes sure to take them home safely. He also defends them when Mr. Banks wants to be stern. Jerkass Has a Point: His points about having money in the bank to invest and grow ends up being proven true in the second movie, something Michael can appreciate with irony; George Banks invested Michael's tuppence, and the interest over twenty years is enough to save the house.Downplayed in the musical. George doesn't see why Winifred has such a tough time "being Mrs. Banks." The Park Keeper is a prominent supporting character in the books. He frequently appears in scenes taking place in the park, one of Mary's favourite places to take the children. He is very particular and obsessive about the Park's bylaws and such. He is very confused and sometimes annoyed by Mary Poppins's magical adventures but has learnt to accept that there are things about her he will never understand. He secretly yearns for his childhood, and finds any opportunity to join the Banks children's games such as kite flying and fireworks. His full name is Fred Smith and his mother is the Bird Woman. He does not appear in the 1964 film, but he does appear in the stage musical. In the musical, he sings the song " Let's Go Fly a Kite" with Bert and the children. He appeared in the 2018 sequel, played by Steve Nicolson. The Comically Serious: In the film and the stage musical, his dour attitude and extreme punctuality were, for the most part, played for laughs. Berserk Button: She already disproves of Mary Poppins's approach to babysitting, but when she learns she's freed her pet lark, Miss Andrew gets pissed. Die Laughing: When he finally gets the punchline of the "Wooden leg named Smith" joke, he laughs, and according to his son, he died laughing.

Bait-and-Switch: The way the adults talk about her and her brother at the start of the film, the audience is led to believe they're spoiled brats and a nightmare to be around, but they turn out to be kind, obediant, mostly well-behaved children who only commit the periodic crime of trying to have fun.Babysitter from Hell: Her Villain Song is little more than her crowing about how she's going to treat the children under her "care" like shit. Small Role, Big Impact: Three minutes of screen time and yet she as a character represents just how wild and mischievous the Banks kids are. Also her quitting the nanny role and leaving the position open for the titular character doesn't hurt either. Foil: Anabel and John are this to their father's characterization in the first film. The two of them are very respective and responsible, but having to take on more responsibility following their mother's death has caused them to forget how to have fun and act like regular kids. Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, William Wilkins comes off as a conventional bank president and is initially friendly to Jane and Michael when they visit the bank. Once they leave, his true colors show as he tears out their late father's records of being a shareholder and burns them in the fireplace. In the Royal Dalton Bowl, he is represented as a wolf who's just as duplicitous, making him a literal "wolf in sheep's clothing". The Hamadryad: An old and wise snake (a king cobra), stated to be 'the King of all beasts', who is Mary Poppins's first cousin once removed on her mother's side. He lives at London Zoo. He is the host of Mary Poppins's birthday party whenever it falls on a full moon.