Michelle Tanner is the cute little sister who grew up and disappeared. She spends eight seasons with the Tanners in the 80s and 90s but is never around for the spin-off. Fuller House weirdness aside, Michelle brought a lot of sweetness to Full House. She does not excel at learning lessons or listening to adults, but she gets better as time goes on.
There is no question that the Tanners adore Michelle, and many fans do, too. Even with her spunky personality and desire to (mostly) be kind, Michelle's qualities and actions don't always work. Here are ten things about the little princess that do not make sense.
Alternate Universe
Watching Fuller House produces so many questions about Full House's Michelle. Because Michelle isn't around for the spin-off, fans can envision an alternate universe. If Michelle barely exists (and never is seen) on the more recent show, then what would it be like if she hadn't been a part of the show from the beginning? Or if she had arrived for Fuller House, how would things have changed? It is hard to answer those questions, so a lot of fans have stopped trying.
Hobbies
Michelle does a lot of cute kid things, like collecting funds for her piggy bank and selling lemonade. She also loves to play games and spend quality time with her family. Other hobbies are few and far between.
Because she spends half the show as a toddler and the other half as an elementary schooler, she is still developing skills and seeing what she likes to do for fun.
Relationship with Sisters
Michelle is close to DJ and Stephanie, but she starts to seem like the odd girl out. Even though Stephanie deals with middle child syndrome, Michelle is more left out when Stephanie and DJ's interests start to align more. Michelle looks up to her sisters and brings them joy, but she also seems a bit distanced from them at times.
Favorite Family Member
Most members of the Tanner family seem to view one another equally, but Michelle has an obvious favorite: Uncle Jesse. He writes her songs, feeds her ice cream, picks her up when she is little and lets her sing with his band.
It makes sense for Michelle to favor someone who favors her, but she gets upset when Jesse has to devote more of his time to other people, like Aunt Becky or Nicky and Alex. Michelle gets better at controlling her emotions, but her jealousy over Jesse is a little much.
School Friends
Just like Stephanie, Michelle's friends shift a bit with age. There is a slight overlap between the preschool crowd and the elementary school crowd, and the friend group actually comes over fairly often by the later seasons of the show. It can be confusing that Michelle's friends change and move around some, like Teddy departing, Denise arriving, and then Teddy moving back to San Francisco.
Interests
Michelle shows a variety of interests. She loves animals, enjoys playing with toys, and can't resist a good story. She even shows an interest in theatre with her audition for the school play. However, kind of like her hobbies, Michelle doesn't really stick with any pronounced interests. If the show had gone on for a couple more seasons, she might have had time to experiment more.
Independence
As the Tanners go through life, Michelle sometimes maintains her own orbit. To be the youngest member of the family (until Nicky and Alex), she is quite an independent girl. She runs around the house freely, causing mischief until she gets what she wants. The funny thing is, the rest of the family hardly notices sometimes. There are a lot of other people in that house to keep tabs on.
Future
Even if Fuller House hadn't happened, fans might wonder what Michelle is actually up to. The 90s kid seems a little too unpretentious to start her own fashion empire, but maybe that's what she loves to do. It would be fun to see what Michelle really hopes to achieve as she matures into a teen and college student.
Mary-Kate or Ashley
There are rumors that one of the Olsen twins almost got fired. Some fans thought that the twins were starting to look less alike and that the producers were about to decide on only one of them for the later seasons. However, that rumor has been dispelled by executive producer Dennis Rinsler. Neither of the twins were going to forfeit the role as time went on.
Michelle's Mind
Michelle has a mind of her own. She is wise to do her own thing in such a big family. It makes sense for the little girl to chart her own path and think her own thoughts, but some wonder what is going through her head at times. She is clearly a smart cookie, so it is confusing that she acts out and expects preferential treatment for awhile. Michelle certainly matures by the end of the show, though.