Madame LaCroque

"You will do as you are told. Making lace for as long as I choose. And if you're not quick, I will cut off your hair, and use it to make lace!	„

~ LaCroque issues orders to Madeline.

“	The rarest lace comes from the reddest of red hair. „

~ LaCroque threatens to Cut Madeline's hair.

Madame LaCroque is a character in the Madeline franchise making her only appearance as the main antagonist of the 1999 telefilm, Madeline: Lost in Paris, along with her henchman, Henri. She is a cruel and evil woman who kidnaps little girls and force them to make laces.

LaCroque spent her youth as a carabet star, but she committed an embarrassing mistake which turned her into the slaving monster she is today.

She was voiced by the late Lauren Bacall.

Biography

LaCroque was once a cabaret star until she lost her fame when she made an embarrassing mistake by accidentally ripping her dress while dancing on the stage. Since then, she no longer performed because of her humiliation. She sold her hair to make lace since she had no money and started to own the lace factory. She, along with Henri, even lied to the courts promising that they would take good care of the kidnapped girls. Any inconvenience from one girl in the factory, and she'll cut that girl's hair off and use it into lace. Instead of feeling sympathy for any who are sick, she scolds anyone who coughs because it ruins the lace, and sentences them to working on black lace in the dark (she did this to one named Fifi, who was ill). She even despises sunlight entering the factory because it "ruins the lace." She abuses orphaned girls and forces them to (manually) make lace in the dark for as long as she wants them to... and she cuts off their hair (and uses it for making lace) if they are slow or rebellious. It is unknown what her first name is. She is assisted by the former Shakespearan actor Henri.

Madeline at the mercy of LaCroque

"Red hair for red lace!" LaCroque grabs Madeline.

At one point, while owning the factory, LaCroque feeds plain, stale bread to the girls. Later, when she lines up the girls to give her the lace, she blames Fifi for her piece of lace being yellowed (due to her coughing, which was not her fault) and sentences her to making black lace in the dark. She then locks Madeline in the detention room for defending Fifi from her.

Later, on the next day, LaCroque gets upset when she sees that a mouse was ruining the lace (because Madeline had decided on sewing cheese onto it as a surprise for the shop) and finds that the girls have sewn calls for help on their pieces of lace. Another time, when a customer claims she wants red lace, she looks for Madeline who, with the other girls' help, tries to escape through a high window. She keeps chasing after her and cuts some of her hair off, but suddenly, Pepito's shrunken head from the Ambassador of Brazil knocks off her wig, causing the girls to laugh at her.

Later, LaCroque and Henri are defeated, the slaves tie LaCroque up with thread and lace, she kicks Henri, and the villains both get arrested.