The story of Spider-Mable available soon as the masked hero gets ready to step beyond the costume
Steven Dyer CTVNewsEdmonton.ca Digital Journalist
Published Sunday, April 25, 2021 9:50PM MDT
EDMONTON -- Edmontonians are getting the chance to see the story of a pint-sized Edmonton superhero in costume, as she contemplates stepping away from the mask.
Spider-Mable first started web-slinging in Edmonton six years ago when she saved then-Oilers Captain Andrew Ferrance, with the help of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.
At the time, Mable Tooke, the girl behind the Spider-Mable mask, was battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.
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Mable spent a lot of time in the hospital reading old Spider-Man comics and watching the cartoons. Her crime-fighting adventure was her wish, granted by the Children’s Wish Foundation.
“We never expected her wish day to be even remotely as big as it turned out to be,” said Lisa Tooke, Spider-Mable’s mother. “We definitely never expected anything to come beyond it.”
That summer day in 2015 was just the beginning of a long journey for the young hero.
According to Mable, it was weird at first, being such a well-known person at that young of an age.
“But then I kind of just got used to it and then it became pretty common,” said Mable.
Spider-Mable became somewhat of a celebrity in Edmonton. There was a Spider-Mable comic book, a song and public appearances as she recovered from cancer and gave hope to others battling the disease.
“Anybody can be a hero,” said Lisa Tooke. “If a six-year-old kid can be a hero to Edmonton for a day anybody can be that.”
Then, in 2020, a documentary on the adventures of Spider-Mable was released. It had been in the works since her debut in 2015.
“A charming Canadian-style film that looks at a little girl who was diagnosed with cancer and how she changed other people’s lives through her philanthropy,” said Kelly Wolfert, writer and director of the Spider-Mable movie. “Not only was she adorable in the costume but what she was saying was actually worth listening to.
“Dedicating six years to doing this film has been my pleasure.”
The movie wasn’t originally supposed to take six years to do, there were issues with funding, but Wolfert said that turned out to be a good thing.
“We got a chance to see more of what Mable’s struggle was and how she has blossomed into the awesome teenager that she is today,” added Wolfert.
“Mable’s very funny and she liked to poke fun at the crew and she likes to poke fun at me so it’s those little moments and getting to know the family that’s the big take away for me.”
Mable’s mother hopes the film can serve as an inspiration for other parents going through a difficult time with their children.
“If you’re going through rough times, just know it will get better and you should always have hope because a positive mindset is one of the best things to have if you’re going through something rough,” said Mable.
Even after living through the events of the movie, Mable’s parents say it’s an interesting experience to see them on the big screen.
“It reminded me of… all the wonderful things that Mable did and all the activities we were able to do,” said Neil Tooke, the father of the masked hero.
“It showcased so many good charities and groups around that do so many things for other people and it’s nice to see that Mable was able to do something to help them,” added Lisa Tooke.
All good things must come to an end though, and Mable is ready to be known as Mable, not Spider-Mable.
“Spider-Mable’s always going to hold a special place in my heart because it was such a big part of my childhood,” said Mable. “But I think it needs to be known more… that I’m Mable, not Spider-Mable.”
She does plan to continue doing charity work, something she has been doing a lot of during the past six years.
Spider-Mable: a real life superhero story is set to be released on digital platforms on April 27 and is just under two hours long.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson