i see NOTHING circus-themed in bee's design 😭 she just looks like a cluttered genero mess k can't believe we got her after asmodeus
Personally, I adore Bee's design, but I must admit it took me an embarrassing long amount of time to realise she was indeed the show's version of Beelzebub and not another character altogether. Seriously, until I first came to Tumblr after the episode's release and saw people saying she was the Lord of Gluttony herself (which I get she literally introduced herself as, it's just that Cotton Candy had way too much going on for me to lock onto that particular detail), I was convinced she was supposed to be like a "higher class" breed of Hellhound.
Like, I thought she was Beelzebub's pet and that somehow made her more powerful and different from other Hellhounds; I legit thought that was why her name was practically the same but with a hyphen. I was legitemately convinced she was some sort of "tailor-made" Hellhound made to resemble her master Beelzebub more closely to make her stand out from the regular Hellhounds. Though the reason behind this misundertanding is due to her mention of Belphegor not letting her use her party drugs. I misheard her, thinking she said Beelzebub, and immediately assumed she was subservient to her instead of, well, being her.
Having said that, I do think Bee's design is appropriate. It just represents and reflects so much behind-the-scenes stuff!
Firstly, we have, of course, the inlusion of Kesha. I'd say Vivziepop owes a huge chunk of her fame to her Die Young animatic featuring her werewolf character, Jay Jay, singing the song in what was essentially a tribute to the artist. So with that in mind, it's obvious Bee's more canine design is clearly the crew's way of saying they've finally come full circle now that they got Kesha herself to voice a character for them. Further proof of it is that obvious reference when Bee even ended looking like Jay Jay during Cotton Candy by getting Jay's blue fur and pink hair.
(Well, to be fair, Jay Jay began appearing more often with light blue fur and bright pink hair after she debuted in Die Young, but I remember a sneak peek of another animatic where she would have her later colour palette and be singing Kesha's C'mon. So the point still stands).
Secondly, I personally think she does embody the circus troop theme, deep down, just maybe not in the way you'd expect her to.
Just like Lucifer and Ozzie's are ringmasters and Mammon is a jester, Bee is supposed to represent confectionary stands (hence, her constantly conjuring up fast food and sweets) and animal acts. Now, if you ask me, I'd say the animal act side of her is both very subtle and incredibly on the nose, as much of an oxymoron as that is.
On the one hand, the only thing really reminiscent of animal acts are the hoops and loops she has around her house, which are very easy to overlook.
But on the other hand, there's also the fact that her subjects are Hellhounds, or at the very least they seem to feel the most at home with her. In fact, Loona's adoption papers have her signature, meaning she oversees the process to some degree.
In a way, the Deadly Sins resembling their subjects is another recurrent trait, though Asmodeus looking nothing like a succubus is a clear exception (and Mammon seems to be a literal money tree).
We have Lucifer, whose Ring is mostly inhabited by Sinners and his standard form is the most human-looking one...
There's Bee being essentially an alpha Hellhound (Fox)-Bee Hybrid...
And if his app is anything to go by, Satan might just as well end up being a more powerful kind of Imp.
For all we know, Belphegor might be a Baphomet too! Especially seeing as the Sloth Ring seems to be mostly populated by them.
(I know this one in particular works in the Lust Ring, but you know what I mean).
And there's also the fact that it seems to be a reference to the Divine Comedy, if my memory doesn't fail me, where the Gluttony Ring was inhabited by Cerberus. So in that respect, Bee being a Hellhound is very consistent, especially because going back to the act she's supposed to represent, her ruling over Hellhounds essentially turns her into a beast master!
And of course, we can't forget she's supposed to represent Gluttony, over-consumption, over-indulgence, excess... All things that can easily be found in wild, out-of-control parties. And what is Bee's character deep down? A literal party animal!
So yeah, in my humble opinion, Queen Bee-lzebub is both a very imaginative and faithful take on her character, as well as the character that best reflects how far Vivziepop and Spindlehorse have come. Though that might just me being biased by how much I love her design LOL.
