Mary Poppins , London Mary Poppins is a magical nanny who sweeps into the Banks home on Cherry Tree Lane and takes charge of the Banks children. She never acknowledges her strange and magical powers, and feigns insult when one of the children refers to her previous adventures. She first arrives with her open umbrella when she is blown to Cherry Tree Lane by the East Wind. At the end of the first book, she opens up her umbrella to the West Wind and lets it lift her up into the air and away from the children. In the 1964 Disney film of the same name, she is portrayed by
Julie Andrews; in the 2018 sequel
Mary Poppins Returns, she is portrayed by
Emily Blunt; in the 2004
BBC Radio 4 drama, she is played by
Juliet Stevenson; in the
2004 West End musical adaptation, she is portrayed by
Laura Michelle Kelly.
Parrot umbrella He is Mary Poppins's umbrella. He has a parrot head for a handle, and is the colour black. He is always picked up and taken everywhere by Mary Poppins. (The reason she never goes anywhere without him is revealed in the story "The Day Out", being that she likes to look her best, and his beautiful parrot-headed handle makes her look her best.) At the end of the first book, she opens him up on the first day of Spring, and the blowing wind blows into him and lifts him and Mary Poppins into the air and away from the Banks family's house. He loves flying, as stated in the final story of the third book, when after "opening the door", Mary Poppins opens him up and he soars up quickly, as if glad to be free. Since he is magical, he can talk as well as fly. In the 1964 film, he is aware of how Mary Poppins really feels about the children, but she denies it, saying that they should love their father more than her. In the
1964 Disney film, he is voiced by
David Tomlinson, who also played Mr Banks. In
the 2018 sequel, he is voiced by
Edward Hibbert.
Banks children In the books there are five Banks children:
Jane (the eldest),
Michael, fraternal twins
John and Barbara, and
Annabel. Jane and Michael are the eldest and go on most of the magical adventures with Mary Poppins; they are the most prominent and vocal of the Banks children. John and Barbara are toddler twins who only start going on adventures in the second book. Annabel is the youngest and is born midway through the second book. Though the ages of the children are never made explicit (and, like Mary Poppins, they do not appear to age over the course of the series), Jane is estimated to be around seven years old in
Mary Poppins with Michael being a year or two younger, and John and Barbara have their first birthday in the same book and appear to be around two years old when Annabel is born. Only Jane and Michael appear in the film and stage musical. In the film they are portrayed by
Karen Dotrice and
Matthew Garber; in the 2018 sequel, they are portrayed as adults by
Emily Mortimer and
Ben Whishaw; in the 2004
BBC Radio 4 drama, they are played by Sophie Stuckey and Jonathan Bee. John and Annabel appear in the 2018 film
Mary Poppins Returns, but are presented as being Michael's children, rather than his siblings. Michael also has a third child in the film named Georgie (most likely named after Michael's father).
Mr Banks George Banks is Mary Poppins's employer. He works at a bank and lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane with his wife and their children. In the books, he is rarely present, but is gruffly loving of his wife and children. In the film, he has a more prominent role as a cross man, preoccupied with work, who wants order and largely ignores his children and wife; but later on his attitude changes for the better, as Bert convinces him that while he focuses on his life at the bank, his whole life, including his children's childhood, is passing him by. Nothing of this is so much as mentioned in the book. His role in the stage musical is similar to the film, but he has an additional back-story drawn from the original books, in which he was ignored by his parents and tormented by a cruel governess during his childhood. In the 1964 Disney film, he is portrayed by
David Tomlinson; in the 2004
Radio 4 drama, he is played by David Timson. He is often consumed in his work and, throughout the film, was shown to neglect his children. But he was not a static character; his attitude changed throughout the film to finally becoming the type of affectionate father that most children would wish for, shown most prominently with him fixing his children's kite and taking them to go fly it outside. Though this is not the character specifically created in the books, he is represented well. Though he came across as brash and harsh and remained that way in the books,
Disney felt that would be a pessimistic persona to portray. The title of the film
Saving Mr. Banks (as explained in dialogue at the film's climax) arises from the interpretation that Mary Poppins is actually not there to save the children, but to save their father. The film surmises that P.L. Travers wrote the Mary Poppins novels as a form of atonement for her inability as a child to save her own father from his own flaws. This theme of fatherly
salvation notably formed the basis of the major dramatic moments in the 1964 film, including the climax involving Mr Banks's sombre nighttime walk through London.
Mrs Banks Mrs Banks is married to George Banks and is the mother of Jane, Michael, John, Barbara, and Annabel Banks. Her first name is never revealed in the books, but was given as Winifred in the film and the stage musical. In the books, she is the struggling mistress of the Banks household, and is easily intimidated by Mary Poppins, who treats her with thinly veiled contempt. In the film, she is a strident
suffragette (in public; at home, she is the typical Edwardian wife) who is treated somewhat
satirically. She was made into a suffragette in the film to explain why she sometimes did not have time to look after her children. In the stage musical, she is a former actress who is under constant pressure from her husband as she struggles to enter his social circle. In the 1964
Disney film, she is portrayed by
Glynis Johns; in the 2004
Radio 4 drama, she is played by Deborah Berlin.
Park Keeper 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.
Bert the Matchman The Matchman or "Bert" is Mary Poppins's friend. In the books, when the weather is fine, he is a
screever, but when it rains he instead sells matches and is thus known as the Matchman. Mary Poppins sometimes goes on outings with Bert on her Second Thursday off. Bert is also friendly with the Banks children and the other residents of Cherry Tree Lane. As well as match selling and street art, he has an occasional third occupation –
busking with his
hurdy-gurdy. In the 1964
Disney film, Bert (portrayed by
Dick Van Dyke) is a combination of the Matchman and the Sweep and has a more prominent role in the children's adventures, including taking care of Mary's Uncle Albert and giving Mr. Banks sensible parenting advice. In the stage musical he has a similar role, acting as a narrator and faraway friend of Mary and the Banks children. In the 2018 film, Bert's apprentice Jack says that Bert had earned enough money to leave London and is now off travelling the world.
Miss Lark Miss Lucinda Lark lives next door to 17 Cherry Tree Lane. She is very rich and lives in a large mansion. She is the owner of two dogs:
Andrew and
Willoughby. Originally she only had Andrew, who is pure-bred, but the mongrel Willoughby joined the family at Andrew's request (the dog language translated to English by Mary Poppins). Lucinda appears throughout the books and is usually appalled by the magical antics of Mary Poppins. The most iconic thing about her is her obsession with her dogs and has been known to bring them to the hairdresser's and even buy them fur coats and boots. She appears in the film and stage musical as a minor role. In both the film and musical she only has one dog. In the film she only has Andrew, while in the musical she only has Willoughby. Willoughby also appears in the sequel. In the first film, she is portrayed by
Marjorie Bennett, while she is played by
Sudha Bhuchar in the sequel, and Willoughby is played by animal actor "Ash".
Admiral Boom Admiral Boom also lives along Cherry Tree Lane. He is a former Naval Officer, but now lives in a house shaped like a ship with his wife
Mrs Boom and his assistant,
Binnacle, who is a former pirate. He is remarkable for his use of colourful sailor's language, although, as the books are intended for children, he never actually swears; his favourite interjection is "Blast my gizzard!" In the film he is a neighbour of the Banks family who fires his cannon to mark the time; this version of the Admiral is far less salty and more of a proper, "
Shipshape and Bristol fashion" kind of sailor, insistent on order and punctuality. In the original film he is portrayed by
Reginald Owen; in the 2018 sequel, he is portrayed by
David Warner.
Other domestic employees In the books, the Banks have three domestic workers in addition to Mary Poppins:
Ellen,
Mrs. Brill, and
Robertson Ay. Ellen is the
maid and although she loves the children, she hates having to look after them when there is no nanny in the house. She almost always has a cold. Mrs. Brill is the
cook; she particularly dislikes Ellen. She is often grumpy for no reason. Robertson Ay is the
houseboy. He is a young boy (mid-teens) and is very lazy and forgetful, doing such things as putting bootblack on Mr. Banks' hat, thus ruining it.
Mary Poppins Comes Back hints that he is a character in a story that Mary Poppins tells the children about a king who is led astray by The Fool (Jester) and that he is the Fool. The film depicts Mrs. Brill and Ellen (played by
Reta Shaw and
Hermione Baddeley, respectively), but not Robertson Ay; the musical includes Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay, without Ellen. Only Ellen appears in the 2018 film, portrayed by
Julie Walters. No mention is made of what happened to Mrs. Brill.
Friends and relatives of Mary Poppins •
Bird Woman: An old woman who sits on the steps of
St Paul's Cathedral and feeds the birds. She sells bags of crumbs to passers-by for tuppence a bag. Her catch-phrase is 'feed the birds, tuppence a bag'. She appears a few times throughout the books and is good friends with Mary. It is later revealed that she is the mother of the Park Keeper and her real name is Mrs. Smith. She appears in the 1964 film played by
Jane Darwell (in her final film appearance) and is the subject of the song "
Feed the Birds" sung by Poppins. She also plays a similar role in the musical, where she sings the song "Feed the Birds" as a duet with Mary. •
Mrs Clara Corry: An extremely elderly woman, who is suggested to be the oldest woman in the world. She is said to have been in her teens when the world was created, and knew
William the Conqueror and
Alfred the Great. She owns a shop where she sells gingerbread. She is able to snap off her own fingers, and they instantly turn to barley sugar or other sweets, while her own fingers grow back. She appears several times across the books along with her daughters. Mrs. Corry has a minor role in the 1964 film, played by Alma Lawnton. In the musical she has a larger role and owns a 'conversation shop', leading the song "
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" alongside Mary and Bert. In the 2004 Radio 4 drama, she is played by
Phyllida Law. •
Annie and
Fannie: Mrs Corry's extremely large daughters, whom she constantly bullies and torments. They usually accompany their mother. They have small roles in both the 1964 film and the musical. •
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. •
Arthur and
Topsy Turvy: Mary's cousin and his wife. Arthur Turvy mends broken objects, and he suffers from a condition by which he becomes forced to do the opposite of what he wants (e.g., standing on his head when he wants to stand normally) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm on the second Monday of every month. Despite this he falls in love with Topsy and marries her. Topsy Turvy was portrayed by
Meryl Streep in the film
Mary Poppins Returns. In the 2004
BBC Radio 4 drama, Arthur is played by
Andrew Sachs. •
Fred Twigley: Mary Poppins's cousin. He gets to have seven wishes granted on the first New Moon, after the second rainy Sunday, after 3 May, as a present from his Godmother. •
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. •
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. •
Neleus: A marble statue of the Greek mythological character
Neleus. He is brought to life by Mary Poppins, and he reveals he longs to be reunited with his father,
Poseidon. He appears in the stage musical during the "
Jolly Holiday" sequence. •
Orion: Based on both the
mythological character and the personification of the
constellation, Orion is a friend of Mary's. He often comes down to Earth from the sky to meet her.
Others •
Miss Naomi Andrew: The large overbearing former nanny of the Banks children's father. She is extremely strict and often cruel, resulting in her nickname 'The Holy Terror'. Almost everyone is afraid of her, including Mr. Banks, though not Mary Poppins. Miss Andrew attempts to impose herself on the Banks children's lives, firstly by coming to stay at their home, and later by moving next door, but is foiled by Poppins. Though she does not appear in every book, she is often mentioned. Mrs. Banks even threatens to hire her if the Banks children do not behave. While she is absent in the film, she does have a prominent role in the stage musical. She is a similar character to the books and sings the song "Brimstone and Treacle" referring to the "medicine" she gives to children as punishment. •
The Sweep: Appearing on a few occasions, the
chimney sweep is a workman frequently present on Cherry Tree Lane. He has worked for Miss Lark, Admiral Boom and the Banks family. He believes it is good luck to shake hands with a sweep, so encourages all who meet him to shake hands with him. The Sweep is particularly friendly with the Banks children and, on one occasion, alongside Bert and the Park Keeper, he takes them along for fireworks. In the film and the musical, the character of the sweep is merged with that of Bert, and becomes a much more prominent character. His superstition about shaking hands with a sweep is referenced in the song "
Chim Chim Cher-ee". The
composite character of Bert and the Sweep is portrayed by
Dick Van Dyke in the 1964 film. •
Constable Cody Egbert: The local policeman. He is good friends of the Park Keeper, and is secretly in love with Ellen, the Banks' maid. He is a triplet, and his two brothers Herbert and Albert are also policemen, although according to him, they are completely different in personality. In the film his last name is Jones and he is played by
Arthur Treacher. He also makes a brief appearance in the stage musical. •
Professor: An elderly gentleman and resident of Cherry Tree Lane. He is very friendly with Miss Lark and it is hinted that she is his love interest. •
Ice Cream Man: A street seller, who cycles around on his
ice cream cart selling ice-creams. He appears at various points throughout the books. •
Lord Mayor: The local Mayor, who is a frequent figure in and around Cherry Tree Lane. He often comes to the park to check on the Park Keeper, whom he does not always trust. The Lord Mayor is often accompanied by two
Aldermen. •
Prime Minister: The
British Prime Minister, who often appears in scenes alongside the Park Keeper and the Mayor.
One-off characters •
The Red Cow: A self-described 'model cow' whom Mary Poppins remembers as a good friend of her mother. A fallen star once became caught on her horn, causing her to dance uncontrollably until in desperation she jumped over the moon. Unexpectedly, she finds she misses the happy feeling that dancing gave her, and on the advice of Mary Poppins's mother, she decides to search for another star. In
Mary Poppins, Michael sees the Red Cow walking down Cherry Tree Lane in search of a star, leading Mary Poppins to tell her story to the children. •
Maia: The second daughter of the seven
Pleiades, who visits the children during their Christmas shopping to buy presents for all of her six sisters. •
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.
Appearances of recurring characters == Explanatory notes ==