93 Fun Facts About Mean Girls

Before attending a public high school in Illinois, where did Cady Heron grow up?

Cady spent twelve years in Africa, taught at home by her research-zoologist parents, before starting at North Shore High at sixteen.

What is the name of the high school clique that Regina George leads?

Regina George rules The Plastics, the most envied clique at North Shore High, whose members live by rules about what may be worn on which day of the week.

Who wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film Mean Girls?

Tina Fey wrote the screenplay, her feature debut as a writer, and also appears on screen as one of the school's teachers.

What day of the week do The Plastics wear pink?

On Wednesdays we wear pink is one of the most iconic rules of The Plastics and became one of the most quoted lines from the film.

Which actress plays Regina George in the 2004 film?

Rachel McAdams portrayed the iconic queen bee Regina George. The role helped launch McAdams into stardom and is considered one of the greatest teen movie villain performances.

What do The Plastics call the scrapbook of gossip and insults they keep about classmates and teachers?

The Burn Book is a scrapbook filled with rumors, secrets, and insults about students and teachers at North Shore High. Its exposure is a major plot catalyst in the film.

What non-fiction book served as the source material for the Mean Girls screenplay?

Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 book about teenage girl social dynamics is non-fiction, so the plot had to be written from scratch, borrowing from the screenwriter's own high-school memories.

Which Plastic keeps trying to make her own invented slang word catch on?

Lacey Chabert's Gretchen keeps insisting things are 'so fetch' until Regina snaps: 'Stop trying to make fetch happen! It's not going to happen!'

What role does Tina Fey play in the 2004 Mean Girls film?

Tina Fey plays Ms. Sharon Norbury, a math teacher at North Shore High who becomes a target in the Burn Book and plays a key role in resolving the film's conflicts.

What is Gretchen Wieners' father credited with inventing?

In the film, Gretchen's father is said to have invented Toaster Strudel, making her family extremely wealthy. This becomes a recurring joke throughout the movie.

Which actor plays Damian in the 2004 film?

Daniel Franzese plays Damian Leigh, Janis Ian's best friend who is described as 'almost too gay to function.' The role became one of his most beloved performances.

What academic competition does Cady join at North Shore High?

Cady joins the Mathletes (math competition team), and the state championship competition at the end of the film plays a pivotal role in her character arc.

Who directed the 2004 Mean Girls film?

Mark Waters directed the 2004 film. He was also known for directing Freaky Friday (2003) with Lindsay Lohan. Tina Fey wrote the screenplay but did not direct.

Cady says the shopping mall reminds her of home in Africa, specifically of what?

Cady keeps mapping high school onto the animal behaviour she grew up watching, imagining the Old Orchard Mall fountain as a watering hole with the animals in heat.

Which actress plays Karen Smith, the least intelligent member of The Plastics?

Amanda Seyfried plays Karen Smith, whose naive and dim-witted comments provide much of the film's comedy. It was one of Seyfried's earliest film roles before her breakout in Mamma Mia!

What does Regina George's mother famously call herself?

'I'm not like a regular mom, I'm a cool mom,' Mrs. George insists while telling the girls there are no rules in her house.

What is the name of the boy Cady has a crush on, who is also Regina's ex-boyfriend?

Aaron Samuels, played by Jonathan Bennett, is the love interest that both Cady and Regina compete for throughout the film.

Which song do The Plastics dance to at the winter talent show?

Billed as 'Santa's Helpers', the Plastics' suggestive routine derails when the music cuts out; Lindsay Lohan later covered the song for her 2022 Netflix film Falling for Christmas.

What happens to Regina George at the end of the film?

Regina survives with a fractured spine, and rumours quickly circulate that Cady pushed her in front of the bus on purpose.

What is Karen Smith's self-described 'fifth sense'?

Her breasts can tell when it will rain, Karen says, 'like I have ESPN or something', a play on ESP that sums up her lovably clueless character.

What costume does Cady wear to the Halloween party, not understanding the unwritten dress code?

Cady shows up in fake blood and a wedding dress, not realising that in Girl World Halloween is the one night a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.

Which teacher at North Shore High is having an inappropriate relationship with students?

The Burn Book reveals that Coach Carr made out with two students, Trang Pak and Sun Jin Dinh, and by the time of the gym assembly he has fled school property.

What does Cady give Regina that she claims is a weight-loss bar but actually causes weight gain?

Cady tells Regina the Swedish nutrition bars burn carbs, when in fact her mother used them to help underweight kids gain weight.

Who plays the school principal, Mr. Duvall?

Tim Meadows plays Mr. Duvall, the beleaguered school principal who struggles to maintain order during the Burn Book crisis. Meadows was a longtime SNL cast member alongside Tina Fey.

What date became an unofficial holiday inspired by the film, from a line Aaron Samuels says to Cady?

October 3rd became 'Mean Girls Day' because of the scene where Cady narrates, 'On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was,' referring to Aaron Samuels asking for the date.

How much did the 2004 Mean Girls earn worldwide against its $17 million budget?

Mean Girls was a significant box office success, earning approximately $130 million worldwide against its $17 million production budget, making it one of the most profitable teen comedies of the decade.

What does Mr. Duvall threaten to cancel if students don't calm down after the Burn Book riot?

During the chaos caused by the Burn Book pages being scattered through the hallways, Principal Duvall threatens to cancel Spring Fling if students don't settle down.

What sport does Regina George take up after her accident?

A fully recovered Regina channels her aggression into lacrosse, where her ferocity finally has a legitimate outlet.

What does Janis Ian's last name reference?

Janis Ian is named after the real folk singer-songwriter Janis Ian, who is known for her 1975 hit 'At Seventeen' about the cruelty of teenage social hierarchies.

Which SNL-connected actress plays Mrs. George in the film?

Amy Poehler plays Regina's mother even though she is only seven years older than Rachel McAdams; the studio initially worried she was too young for the part.

Which student, president of the school's math team, performs a rap at the winter talent show?

Kevin G, played by Rajiv Surendra, opens his talent-show rap with 'I'm Kevin Gnapoor, the G is silent' and later recruits Cady to the math team.

In which country was the 2004 Mean Girls primarily filmed?

Though set in Evanston, Illinois, Mean Girls was primarily filmed in Toronto, Canada. Several Toronto-area high schools were used as locations for the fictional North Shore High School.

Fretting about her diet in the cafeteria, Regina asks whether which food is a carb?

'Is butter a carb?' Regina asks, and Cady, by now fully Plastic, tells her yes, adding that peanut butter is too, but only if you're eating crackers.

What does Cady do with the Spring Fling crown after winning it?

She snaps the plastic tiara and hands the pieces out to the crowd, then makes peace with Janis, Damian and the Plastics.

Which character famously receives four candy cane grams during the holiday delivery scene?

Damian's delivery of 'Four for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!' made a star of a character named after a real Los Angeles film editor who was a friend of Tina Fey's older brother.

According to the gym teacher's health-class speech, what happens to you if you have sex?

The gym teacher's health-class speech, 'Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die,' became a frequently quoted jab at abstinence-only sex education.

How does Cady try to get closer to Aaron Samuels in class?

Despite being naturally gifted at math, Cady plays dumb so Aaron will tutor her, a plan that ends with her genuinely failing the class.

In Mean Girls, the Burn Book entry that Cady writes about Ms. Norbury falsely accuses the math teacher of what?

The Burn Book's charge, selling drugs (a drug pusher), brings the police in to interrogate her math class; Cady then takes full responsibility for the whole book.

In Mean Girls, after the Burn Book riot, Ms. Norbury makes each junior girl do what before a trust fall?

Each girl must apologize to each other for something hurtful, then fall backward into the crowd; one tearful participant turns out not to even go to the school.

What year did the Mean Girls Broadway musical officially open?

The musical opened at the August Wilson Theatre on April 8, 2018 after pre-Broadway tryouts in Washington, D.C., and went on to earn twelve Tony nominations.

Who composed the music for the Mean Girls Broadway musical?

Richmond is Tina Fey's husband and scored 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Nell Benjamin wrote the lyrics.

In what year was the Mean Girls musical film adaptation released?

The musical film reached theatres in January 2024 after originally being planned as a Paramount+ streaming release.

Who plays Regina George in the 2024 Mean Girls musical film?

Rapp carried the part into the 2024 film from the Broadway stage, where she had already played Regina.

Which actress plays Cady Heron in the 2024 Mean Girls musical film?

Australian actress Angourie Rice plays Cady Heron in the 2024 musical film adaptation, taking over the role originated by Lindsay Lohan in 2004.

Who plays Janis in the 2024 Mean Girls musical film?

Auli'i Cravalho, known for voicing Moana in the Disney animated film, plays Janis in the 2024 Mean Girls musical adaptation.

Which accessory has Gretchen been forbidden to wear because Regina declared it 'her thing'?

Gretchen even had to pretend not to like the white-gold hoops her parents gave her for Hanukkah, one of the grievances Cady coaxes out of her.

What happens when someone wears sweatpants on a day other than Friday, according to Plastics rules?

Sweatpants are only allowed on Fridays, and Karen and Gretchen invoke the rule on Regina herself when she turns up in them on a Monday.

Lindsay Lohan was originally slated to play which character before being moved to the lead role?

Executives feared the queen-bee role would alienate Lohan's audience, so she took the lead instead and another actress became the villain.

What song does Damian perform during the Winter Talent Show?

Damian performs 'Beautiful' by Christina Aguilera at the Winter Talent Show, delivering an enthusiastic and heartfelt rendition that becomes one of the film's most charming moments.

Which SNL boss produced the 2004 film through his company Broadway Video?

Michaels took the idea to Paramount, which bought the rights to Rosalind Wiseman's nonfiction book. The film ended up with four SNL veterans in the cast.

Which Pennsylvania school did Tina Fey attend as a teen and draw on for the script?

Because the source book was nonfiction, Fey invented the plot from scratch and borrowed from her own teenage years outside Philadelphia.

The 2004 film is set in which Chicago suburb?

Fey based the fictional school partly on her impressions of Evanston Township and New Trier high schools from her time living in the Chicago area.

What was the 2004 film's original working title?

The title nodded to Cady's upbringing before she ever set foot in a public school. Fey reused real friends' names for many characters because it was easier.

Which Janis Ian hit plays in the background when the girls fight at Regina's house?

The real Janis Ian sang that song as a musical guest on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, which is why Fey borrowed her name.

Fey hired the actor playing Aaron partly because he resembled which of her SNL co-stars?

He was a last-minute replacement after the actor originally cast as Aaron was fired. James Franco had earlier been considered for the part.

Additional filming for the 2004 movie took place at a high school in which US state?

Montclair High School hosted the extra shooting. Principal photography ran from September 27 to November 25, 2003.

Roughly how much did the film gross in its opening weekend in the United States?

It opened at number one from 2,839 theaters, averaging about $8,600 per venue, and finished at $86.1 million domestically.

Whose 2009 single 'Obsessed' opens with a spoken Regina quote about obsession?

Her then-husband Nick Cannon said the song was inspired by the film. Fey later quizzed her on Billboard to test her superfan credentials.

Which Irish leader quoted 'the limit does not exist' during a 2020 COVID-19 briefing?

Actor Sean Astin had bet the Taoiseach '50 quid' that he would not quote the film in his next speech.

Which pop star parodied the film in the music video for 'Thank U, Next'?

Two original cast members, including Stefanie Drummond, appeared in the 2018 video, which also spoofed other 2000s teen films.

What was the title of the 2018 recipe book released by the actor who played Aaron?

He followed it the next year with a limited rose wine made with Nocking Point Wines.

Which doll brand released Cady and the Plastics as 20th-anniversary limited editions?

The dolls dropped on separate October 2024 dates, with Cady arriving on the 3rd and Karen and Gretchen on Halloween.

Which retailer's 2023 holiday campaign reunited much of the original cast as adults?

Lohan, Seyfried and Franzese recreated scenes with modern twists. Rachel McAdams did not take part.

The 2011 sequel Mean Girls 2 premiered on which cable channel?

It aired as a double feature with the 2004 film and became the season's most-watched TV movie among viewers aged 12 to 34.

Which thirtysomething actress directed the TV sequel Mean Girls 2?

She was hired in June 2010, and the film was shot that July in just 20 days at a middle school in Atlanta.

In Mean Girls 2, what is the surname of Plastics leader Mandi?

Her clique includes a hypochondriac and a ditz, and the sequel ends with her arrested for stealing charity money.

In Mean Girls 2, which university does Jo Mitchell hope to attend, like her late mother?

Her father, a mechanic who rebuilds NASCAR engines, moves the family constantly; a wealthy classmate's dad offers to pay her tuition.

Who wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical?

Nell Benjamin had co-written Legally Blonde the musical; Fey wrote the book, and the show is billed as a rock musical.

Who directed and choreographed the original Broadway production?

He is also known for The Book of Mormon and Aladdin. The production had recouped its capitalization by January 2020.

Where on Broadway did the musical run from 2018 to 2020?

Previews began March 12, 2018. The house was later home to Funny Girl, which moved in after the musical closed.

How many Tony Award nominations did the musical receive in 2018?

Twelve nominations, Best Musical among them, and not a single win; The Band's Visit swept the night.

Which pop singer took over the role of Cady as a Broadway replacement?

Internet star Cameron Dallas likewise joined as a replacement Aaron during the Broadway run.

Who originated the role of Regina in the Broadway musical?

Her Broadway replacement went on to play the part in the 2024 movie. The original Cady was Erika Henningsen.

How many Broadway performances had the musical played when the pandemic closed it?

The final show on March 11, 2020 was also the first and only performance for a mostly new cast.

At which London venue did the musical open in the West End in 2024?

A planned 2021 run had been cancelled by COVID-19. The production won Best New Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards.

What is Janis's surname in the stage musical?

Sarkisian is the stage name; the 2004 film's 'Ian' nods to folk singer Janis Ian, and the 2024 film's Hawaiian surname matches its star, Auliʻi Cravalho.

Who directed the 2024 musical film?

It was the duo's feature directorial debut. The film shot at a defunct Catholic high school in Middletown Township.

Which Mad Men star plays gym teacher Coach Carr in the 2024 film?

He joined in March 2023 along with Connor Ratliff as literature teacher Mr. Rapp.

What surprise role does Lindsay Lohan play in the 2024 film?

Fey said the original movie is 'really Lindsay's movie' and wanted a late cameo that let her be smart. Variety reported she was paid $500,000.

Which Office alum plays Cady's mother in the 2024 film?

In this version Cady has only a mother, who relocates the family from East Africa. Regina's mom is played by Busy Philipps.

Which Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion single, released ahead of the 2024 Mean Girls film, plays over its end credits?

'Not My Fault' is the only soundtrack song not staged as a musical number; Megan Thee Stallion also cameos as herself in the social-media montages.

The 2024 film was originally planned to debut on which streaming service?

Strong test screenings prompted a switch to theaters, where it stayed number one at the US box office until its fourth weekend.

What is Karen's surname in the 2024 film?

Avantika Vandanapu plays the role. The character is a Smith in both the 2004 film and the stage musical.

In the 2024 film, from which country does Cady move back to the United States?

The stage musical also names the country, whereas the 2004 film only ever says Africa.

Which singer's music did Rachel McAdams listen to while preparing to play Regina?

McAdams described the character as 'a really angry kid who had no boundaries or guidance'.

What is the name of Regina's younger sister in the 2004 film?

Her mother is named June, and her father appears only once in the entire film.

Which 2019 book retold the film in the style of William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls came out in April 2019; a 2020 graphic novel, Senior Year, continued the story with a new student.

A cancelled Mean Girls video game, later leaked in 2021, was built for which handheld?

Nearly complete when 505 Games shelved it, the game resurfaced when YouTuber Ray Mona received a file from an anonymous email.

Who plays Gretchen Wieners in the 2004 film?

Lacey Chabert won the part over Ashley Tisdale and Vanessa Hudgens, who both auditioned; Mary Elizabeth Winstead's mother turned down an audition because she disliked the script.

Which actress plays Janis Ian in the 2004 film?

Lizzy Caplan was first considered too beautiful for the part; director Mark Waters wanted a 'Kelly Osbourne type', but she won it by conveying raw emotion.

Who plays Aaron Samuels in the 2004 film?

Jonathan Bennett stepped in after the originally cast actor was fired; Penn Badgley, Jared Padalecki and Chad Michael Murray had all auditioned for the part.

Which clique does Gretchen join once the Plastics disband in the 2004 film?

Karen becomes the school weather girl, and Janis starts dating the head of the Mathletes.

Who played the French teacher, in the 2024 film?

She originated Gretchen on Broadway, making her cameo a wink to stage fans. Original stage cast members otherwise did not reprise their roles.