Peridot

About

Peridot is a character from the Cartoon Network animated television series Steven Universe. Originally introduced as an antagonist in early 2015, she later joined forces with the main characters and became a member of the Crystal Gems. Online, Peridot gained immense popularity for her nerdy behaviour. Her original appearance inspired many Doritos & Mountain Dew-related jokes, while her current design is often associated with the usage of the term "smol".

History

Peridot, specifically Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG^[1] (voiced by Shelby Rabara), debuted as a technician sent by the Gem Homeworld to Earth in the Season 1 episode "Warp Tour" (aired January 8, 2015). After appearing again in "Marble Madness" and "The Return / Jail Break", Peridot found herself stranded on Earth and became a recurring antagonist.

She was eventually defeated and captured by the main characters, the Crystal Gems, in "Catch and Release" (aired September 24, 2015). In this episode, it was revealed that Peridot had been wearing Limb Enhancers, which gave her a fearsome robot-like appearance (shown above). Losing them after being captured revealed Peridot's true, child-like appearance (shown below).

In the following several episodes, Peridot established a truce with the Crystal Gems and began working together with them to save the Earth from the Cluster. She officially became a member of the Crystal Gems in "Message Received" (aired January 7, 2016), where she defied her Homeworld superior, Yellow Diamond. After helping save the Earth from the Cluster in "Gem Drill", she remained living on Earth in a barn with another former Homeworld Gem, Lapis Lazuli. In "Too Short To Ride", Peridot discovered the ability to telekinetically control metal.

Online Relevance

Since her debut, Peridot has became very popular among Steven Universe fans, inspiring many artworks, fan animations, and cosplay. As of September 2016, search on DeviantArt yields over 15,900 results for "Peridot Steven Universe" and over 8,900 results for "Peridot SU".^[2][3]

In January, 2015, when the character first appeared in the series, the official Twitter account @PERIDOT5XG was launched by Steven Universe writer and storyboarder Lauren Zuke.^[4] The first tweet was made on July 20, 2016,^[5] coinciding with the broadcast of the episode "Too Short To Ride", in which Peridot gained a tablet and an account on a fictional microblogging site. During the next several weeks, Zuke used the real-world Twitter account to roleplay as Peridot, providing commentary on the events of concurrent episodes. As of September 2016, @PERIDOT5XG has gained over 118,000 followers.

Related Memes

Green Space Dorito

Green Space Dorito, or simply Space Dorito, is a nickname given to Peridot due to her hair having a triangular shape and her Limb Enhancers giving her a futuristic, robot-like look. Originating from a vandalism attempt on the Steven Universe Wiki, which saw the title of the Peridot article replaced with the nickname, the term stuck and became heavily associated with the character.

In addition to the Doritos reference, Peridot's green colour scheme lead to her being associated with Mountain Dew, which resulted in Peridot being often portrayed as a stereotypical gamer, similarly to Gremlin D.Va.

Clod

"Clod" is a word that has became closely associated with Peridot due to her frequently using it as an insult towards other Gems.

Is That a Weapon?

"Is that a weapon?" is a question that was repeatedly asked by a confused Peridot in reference to various harmless bathroom objects in the episode "Catch and Release". Following the episode's broadcast, various jokes and edits with the phrase has been made, in a similar vein to "Is mayonnaise an instrument?".

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References