Kristen Schaal was born on January 24, 1978, in Longmont, Colorado, to a Lutheran family of Dutch ancestry. She grew up on her family's cattle ranch near Boulder, where her father worked as a construction worker and her mother as a secretary.13 Schaal attended Skyline High School, graduating in 1996. She then enrolled at the University of Colorado in Boulder for a year before transferring to Northwestern University.3 At Northwestern, Schaal was initially told that the theater program was full, but she persisted and was eventually allowed to take acting classes.1 Determined to hone her skills, she would also ride the train into Chicago every night to attend improv classes at the Second City conservatory.1 After graduating from Northwestern University, Schaal moved to New York City in 2000 to pursue a career in comedy.13

After moving to New York in 2000 to pursue a comedy career, Kristen Schaal had her first big break in 2005 when she was included in New York magazine's article "The Ten Funniest New Yorkers You've Never Heard Of".12 This recognition helped launch her career, leading to more opportunities in the New York comedy scene. Schaal began performing regularly at the Peoples Improv Theater on the improv team "Big Black Car" and co-hosted the popular weekly variety show Hot Tub.2 Her unique comedic voice and talent quickly gained attention, earning her awards like "Best Alternative Comedian" at the 2006 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen and the Andy Kaufman Award at the 2005 New York Comedy Festival.2

Kristen Schaal's distinctive voice and comedic talent have led to breakthrough roles in television and film. She gained widespread recognition as the obsessive fan Mel on HBO's Flight of the Conchords, a role which earned her an EWwy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009.12

Schaal's voice acting career took off with her role as Louise Belcher on the animated FOX series Bob's Burgers and as Mabel Pines on Disney Channel's Gravity Falls.13 For her voice performance as Sarah Lynn on BoJack Horseman, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.1

Other notable roles include Carol Pilbasian on The Last Man on Earth opposite Will Forte, Hazel Wassername on 30 Rock, and the Guide on What We Do in the Shadows.134 Schaal has also lent her voice to characters in the Toy Story franchise as Trixie and to various other animated series such as Shrek Forever After, Despicable Me 2, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.13