Prune Hilda was the daughter of Prunella and the great-granddaughter of Pruneface and Mrs. Pruneface. She inherited her family's trait of wrinkled skin, though she was often able to conceal the problem by using adhesive tape. When she did the, she was able to maintain a youthful and attractive appearance.
Pruneface's Great Granddaughter
Prune Hilda commissioned the known art forger Dab Stract to paint a portrait of her, which she then sent to her mother Prunella. The portrait concealed a stolen painting which Prunella planned to use as a bargaining chip to free Pruneface from a European Gulag. Pruneface fell to his death during the exchange, Prunella killed herself and Prune Hilda was taken into custody. She was released when the evidence against her was found to be insufficient (August 19th, 1999).
Alliance with Dr. Tox
Prune Hilda reappeared years later, working with Dr. Beau Tox who helped her maintain a youthful appearance. Sh
e posed as a nurse along with a relative of another famous villain, Heartless Mahoney. They were "on call" when Tess Tracy (and later Dick Tracy himself) consulted with Dr. Tox for a cosmetic procedure. Prune Hilda was later sent by Dr. Tox to recruit No Face into an art theft scheme, which also involved Dab Stract.
Prune Hilda and Heartless cooperated with Tox until they realized that his treatments were only temporary. The two women believed that they were being double-crossed and attacked Dr. Tox by throwing acid in his face. Tox shot both women (December 15th, 2003), and Prune Hilda did not survive.
Notes
Prunehilda shot dead
In her initial appearance, Prune Hilda's hair was colored pale yellow in Sunday strips. During the Dr. Tox storyline, it appeared to be a light pink or purple, perhaps in reference to her prune-ish family line.
Prune Hilda's name has been spelt as both one word and two separate words.
The last name "LaBoche" has been used by some members of the Pruneface family, but it has not been established if this is their actual name or a recurring alias.
Prune Hilda was alternately described at Pruneface's granddaughter and his great-grandaughter. This is a continuity error, presumably the result of the creative team's unfamiliarity with the previously established relationships.
The procedures that Dr. Tox performed on Prune Hilda and Heartless must have been primarily chemical and therapeutic in nature, as an actual surgical procedure would not have "worn off" like theirs did.
In 2003, Dr. Tox described one of his nurses as being "only 72 years old". Ambiguity in the artwork makes it unclear if her was referring to Prune Hilda or Heartless. There are arguments that can be made in favor of both women, though it both cases it contradicts the sliding time-line of the strip.
