No offense to D.J. or Stephanie, but when it came to the Tanner girls' BFFs, Michelle Tanner's Full House squad was the best. For starters, Michelle had a whole group of friends instead of one bestie, and having so many different buddies gave her storylines a little extra flavor. Teddy, Denise, Derek, and even Aaron, made for a killer posse of elementary school cool kids, so much so that Michelle was basically the Taylor Swift of her day. She had a no kid left behind policy when it came to picking friends, and her closest allies also happened to be the funniest, sassiest group of kids in school.
I still get major squad envy when I think about Michelle's friends. It must have been amazing to have a friend like Teddy who would risk his neck sneaking out to follow your dad and his girlfriend on a date with you; one like Derek, a kid who was destined for Broadway; one like former class bully Aaron, whom Michelle was smart enough to draft into her group to neutralize his power to tease her and her buddies; or, finally, one like brave, brilliant Denise, who was the best partner in crime a girl could ask for.
Who wouldn't want a squad like Michelle's? If you need more reasons to be envious of Michelle and her BFFs, well, then you got it, dude.
1. They Gave Each Other Major Confidence Boosts
Best friends are supposed to build each other up, and while Michelle and her crew had a few hiccups along the way (Michelle making Denise and Teddy compete for her love was not her finest moment), they always pulled through for each other in the end. Nowhere was this more apparent than when Michelle overcame her jealousy about not being Yankee Doodle, and talked Derek through his stage fright jitters. Michelle and her gang squabbled occasionally — but they were there for each other when it counted.
2. They Were Actual Partners In (Elementary School) Crime
Have you and your friends ever done anything as baller as breaking a dinosaur and getting away with it? Michelle and Denise (OK, mostly Michelle) not only flagrantly disregarded the museum's no touching the exhibits rules, they also took down a T-Rex. If that didn't earn them major respect on the playground, I don't know what would.
3. They Challenged Each Other When It Came To Gender Norms
When Teddy and Aaron wanted to do "boy stuff," Michelle challenged them — and she later helped both boys realize that excluding someone based on their gender was not cool. A squad that schools each other about being inclusive and respectful is the best kind.
4. They Were Up For Anything
Officiate a wedding, host a dog show, sneak out of the house, harbor each other when they ran away from home — the list goes on. There was nothing Michelle and her friends wouldn't do for one another. They had the most amazing adventures — and they were seven years old. While the rest of us are busy Netflix-ing it up, Michelle and her buddies were pretty much conquering the world (or, at least, their corner of San Francisco).
5. They Partied Hard
Michelle's gang was up for an impromptu dance party any time, and they never seemed to tire themselves out. You wish your squad had that kind of endurance.
6. They Had Each Other's Backs, Sometimes Literally
Michelle's friends were basically a more adorable version of The Goonies — they always had each other's backs. Whether that meant helping each other realize two best friends is better than one, locating a lost bicycle, or actually scratching each other's backs because mosquitoes are a real problem, they were there for each other.
7. They Didn't Let Anything Separate Them
I will concede that kidnappng Teddy was a little extreme, but Michelle was devoted to keeping her friendships alive. She and Aaron's rocky friendship started in pre-school and she never gave up on him, while she and Teddy picked right up where they left off when he moved back to CA from Texas. It can be hard to maintain friendships through life changes, moves, and fights, but nothing tore Michelle and her squad apart.
See, you are super envious of a bunch of elementary school kids now, aren't you? Michelle had squad goals before squad goals were a thing.
Images: Warner Bros. Television; La Rissa/YouTube
