The show originally revolved around four children (three boys and one girl). The fearless brave leader Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California), the cautious toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster who reluctantly agreed to venture out into the open, unsafe areas of the house, and the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille who were ready for a new challenge. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. A running gag in the show is that they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator" in "The Trial" episode. The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles.