- For information on this character in the books, see Dana.
| “ | Enough with the fun! | ” |
| — Dana's catchphrase | ||
Yodana[1], usually shortened to just Dana, is a main character in Wayside. She is one of the many students in Mrs. Jewls's class. She is a studious and organized student with a love for Wayside School's many rules, and as a result, often acts as a guide for Todd, Myron and Maurecia.
Appearance[]
Dana is a girl with a large, elliptical head with purple, well-trimmed hair. She wears glasses and has a medium nose and buck teeth. She is fairly skinny and wears a green T-shirt with darker green stripes. She wears brown cargo shorts, white socks, and green shoes with white soles. In the Arabic dub, she wears a pair of green leggings.
Personality[]
Dana is an intelligent, obedient student, often focused on getting large amounts of approval from Mrs. Jewls and her classmates. She may find it unfair when kept out of a situation that she'd expect to be placed in, as shown in "Honors Class," where she fights Mrs. Jewls when she learns she didn't score well enough to be placed in Miss Mush's honors class on the twenty-ninth story. However, most of the time, she tries to stick to the rules to a point of obsession, where it physically pains her to break the rules[2] and she actively wishes there were more rules at Wayside School.[3]
Dana appears to be friendly and negotiable, as she has formed positive relationships with many of her classmates, including the dissimilar Myron, though she does know to give proper punishment when deserved, as shown in "Dr. Dana." It is also shown that Dana knows enough about the people around her, that she enjoys taking time to solve their problems. ("Dr. Dana") However, Dana still doesn't like to be pushed around, and sometimes feels as though she's a "box inside a box inside a box," wishing to see more of the world around her. ("Dana Checks Out") While not nearly a daredevil to the degree of Jenny or Maurecia, she still wishes to experience things others haven't seen before and tries to make a leap to the non-existent nineteenth story in "Dana Checks Out."
Similar to the books, Dana often finds herself getting over-excited by the things that happen around her. In "Pull My Pigtail," it is revealed she celebrates holidays to a greater extent than anyone else at Wayside School, and occasionally, this bothers Todd. She often experiences large amounts of amusement at seemingly minor things and often has to correct herself before she gets too carried away.
Relationships[]
Myron[]
Dana and Myron perform their best friend handshake. ("Best Friendzzz")
In the cartoon, Dana is friends with Myron, though due to changes in Myron's personality, they have a much different character dynamic. Dana often has to serve as a guide for Myron, to prevent him from messing things up, and oftentimes they may experience bumps in their friendship because of this. Dana and Myron are best friends, as revealed in "Best Friendzzz," but this doesn't stop Dana from occasionally being annoyed by Myron's behavior, such as in "Dr. Dana," when he bothers her during her Dr. Dana show, or in the aforementioned "Best Friendzzz," when they nearly break up their relationship after Myron states he finds Dana too "predictable." While typically they remain on good terms, Dana won't hold back whenever Myron messes up.
Todd[]
With Todd being the new kid at Wayside School, frequently Dana has the task of showing him the way around. Dana's obsession of the school rules often helps Todd figure out his way around the school, which Todd is grateful for on many instances. That being said, occasionally Todd is bothered by Dana's excitable attitude, as shown in "Pull My Pigtail," when he is annoyed when Dana tries to hook him up with Maurecia, and recalls various times Dana has annoyed him during "special days." However, in spite of this, Todd does consider Dana a friend, and the two are frequently shown hanging out with one another.
Maurecia[]
Of the main characters in Wayside, Dana is shown interacting with Maurecia the least. That being said, the two do appear to be on good terms, as in "Myth of Nick," Dana joins Maurecia in the quest to find Nick. In "Imperfect Attendance," Dana also takes time in helping Maurecia find Fluffy after realizing that it's more important for her to help her friends than get a perfect attendance record. That being said, most of Dana and Maurecia's interactions only occur because both are friends with Todd, and for the most part, it is unknown what the relationship between Dana and Maurecia is.
Jenny[]
Much like in the books, Dana appears to be good friends with Jenny. In "Dana Checks Out," Jenny helps Dana on her journey around Wayside School, and seems to be excited when she tries to reach the nineteenth story. Since Jenny is a minor character, they are rarely seen interacting, but in the few instances where they do, the relationship appears to be positive. Jenny refers to Dana as "Sister D".
John[]
Unlike in the books, in the cartoon, Dana and John are good friends. In "My Partner Gets All the Credit," Dana seems excited to be paired with John, while in "Upside Down John," Dana helps John get back on his feet. Since John is a minor character, they are rarely seen interacting, but in the few instances where they do, the relationship appears to be positive.
Appearances[]
For a list of every episode Yodana is seen in, see here.
Trivia[]
- According to "Oh, Brother," her name is short for "Yodana."
- Dana is the only girl in Mrs. Jewls' class to not wear a skirt or dress, and to not have visible eyelashes on her eyes, meaning that she's a bit different from the feminine stereotype. This could possibly be because "Dana" is a gender-neutral name.
Gallery[]
See a gallery for Yodana here.