Who here hasn’t grown up alongside The Little Mermaid? Ariel’s story is an iconic one, though admittedly, Disney did change the story quite a bit from the tale that Hans Christian Anderson wrote. All in the hopes of making it more approachable for a younger audience.
Now, once again, that story is being changed, this time to carry an important message. Artist Stephanie Hermes took the adorable features that we have come to know and love – and warped her world once again.
This little nonverbal mermaid doesn’t have a pristine life full of wonder and joy. Her biggest concern isn’t finding a prince charming to save and then fall in love with. No, this little mermaid lives in a world of trash.
Thus the name of the story – My Little Trashmaid. This comic takes a serious and oft-overlooked problem (pollution) and then uses a comedic lens to open a conversation about it. Over the course of sixty-six episodes (and counting), readers can see the Little Trashmaid’s escapades in a world that is overrun by refuse.
Living in a World of Trash
Despite the trashy environment – literally – the Little Trashmaid comes off as an overall positive character. Even when facing horrible facts of life, she (we assume) is overwhelmingly excited about her latest treasure.
Here’s where the comedy comes into play. The Trashmaid, much like Ariel, has an obsession with dinglehoppers and snarfblatts. Only her versions aren’t exactly shiny and are very much literal trash. Even her wardrobe is different – she wears a cut-up grocery bag instead of pretty shells.
She happily swims through this world, interacting with two human boys and overall creating loads of havoc and stress for them. While their friendship grows, occasionally so does their concern.
It’s hard to ignore the struggles she comes across, even if she would never put it that way. Her overall color palette reads as slightly sickly, though her surprisingly cheerful personality keeps her shining. While there’s no doubting that humans have caused many problems (however indirectly) to the Little Trashmaid, there are times where her life was made a little brighter thanks to her human friends. Such as the time they used scissors to cut some suffocating trash off of her. These little moments of joy show how humans can do good for their environment too. They’re not just villains.
What’s worse is that our Trashmaid’s life has many darker elements that her human friends don’t get the opportunity to see. Her father is wasting away at the bottom of the ocean – trapped by nets and other garbage.
And yet, the Little Trashmaid somehow manages to make us smile, despite all of these haunting moments. The lighthearted tone of the series works so hard to make the subject of pollution more approachable.
The Dire Message Behind Those Smiles
My Little Trashmaid is the tale of a modern mermaid. Let that sink in. Here, Hermes is picturing a world with oceans so full of trash that it has become a daily part of the Trashmaid’s life.
Hermes isn’t wrong to imagine this world, either. This is the reality our oceans are facing right now, with countless organizations fighting with everything they have to counter the pollution problem.
Many of the elements within this tale are ones that will feel familiar to readers. Even the Trashmaid’s iconic shirt (read: bag) bears an eerie resemblance to a popular convenience chain.
Throughout her antics, she comes across cigarette butts (and yes, she does show signs of addiction later in that arc), six-pack rings, plastic silverware, and more. All of her ‘treasures’ are things that are thrown away without a second thought – much of the single-use plastics.
The commentary is clear. The world that the Trashmaid lives in is one of our own making. While the Trashmaid may not be real, there are thousands of species in our oceans that we should be taking care of. It’s up to humanity to clean up their act (no pun intended) and the oceans while they are at it.
An Approachable Lesson
Sometimes it’s the hardest lessons that hurt the most. It’s one of the many reasons why the lighter tones portrayed in My Little Trashmaid resonate so strongly. Yes, the message is a dire one – but there’s no judgment found in the Trashmaid’s antics.
Instead, Hermes has used humor as a way to carry that message into our hearts. While we’re busy smiling at her getting into another silly situation, we’re also internalizing the damage around her.
The message is hitting home, and it is doing so in many subtle, or rather, palatable ways. That’s the true success of My Little Trashmaid. Okay, it’s one of the successes from this series; there’s arguably a lot to appreciate from this endearing comic.
Taking the Message to Heart
My Little Trashmaid takes a comedic lens to talk about pollution. It’s a message that resonates deeply with many readers, who have stepped up to meet the challenge. There are hundreds of little ways to help battle pollution, and each step makes a difference.
Readers that have been touched by the lighthearted struggles the Little Trashmaid faces may feel compelled to take this lesson to heart. This doesn’t require a grand change on all our parts, not really. Switching away from single-use plastics would be a huge start. Additionally, proper trash disposal (IE: don’t litter!) is another important step in this process. Reuse, recycle and just be conscious of the waste produced.
Reducing our plastic waste is an intimidating concept. Trust me, I struggle with the idea as much as anyone else. Recently, I discovered a site called Grove. They sell household items and cleaning products. More importantly, they maintain a plastic neutral stance. This means that for every item they sell that uses plastic, they will collect the same amount from the ocean. Their ultimate goal is to get away from plastic entirely, but it’s all about baby steps.
Obviously, none of those steps will undo the damage that has already been done. That is why so many people choose to support ocean cleanup programs, such as Oceana, the Ocean Conservatory, and The Ocean Cleanup.
Both the message and the efforts of the creator, Hermes, are in line. While My Little Trashmaid is a free comic (and Hermes promises that it always will be), the comic is also available on Patreon, where twenty percent of the funding will go towards helping ocean conservation efforts. So if you’ve been looking for a new Patreon to support, My Little Trashmaid fits the bill in that it is both entertaining – and sending money to a good cause.
Liz Wyatt 
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