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Teenaged characters by year of introduction
Prior to late 1960s
Cora
A brown-haired girl who appeared only in single-page comic strips
in the 1960s. She had Josie's classic hairdo (complete with a tiny bow), and was
a girlfriend of Reggie.
Debbie and Dilly Dalton
In the early years, identical blonde twins Debbie and Dilly
Dalton appeared. Both pursued Jughead, but enjoyed sharing him.
Eye-da
One of the stranger characters to appear at Riverdale High,
Eye-da was a student with the distinction of having one enormous eye where a
head should be. Her appearance is all the more jarring considering she was
depicted with the same trim, shapely figure as most of the teenage girls in
Archie comics. She appeared at least twice in Archie comics of the late 1950s.
The incongruity of her appearance to the more typical teenagers of Riverdale may
have precluded her from appearing more often, as she usually appeared as nothing
more than a sort of unexpected visual punch line at the end of a typical story
featuring Betty and Veronica.
However, she became a significant character many years later in one of the many
incarnations of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. When Sabrina and her aunts moved to
Gravestone Heights, a city inhabited by witches, ghosts and monsters, Eye-da
became Sabrina’s best friends.
Cleara
Is
one of Sabrina's best friends in the Gravestone Heights series. Cleara is an
invisible girl.
Ophelia Gluetenschnable
This tall stringy girl evolved into Ethel Muggs, but was even
less attractive than Ethel. Her boy-chasing tendencies, particularly toward
Jughead, made her seem a bit crazy. In one story, she had unattractive friends
Minnie Muenster and Sophie Schlitz who were interested in Archie and Reggie.
Lottie Little
This petite blonde girl was actually an early concept of Midge
because she dated Moose, and he beat up anyone who talked to her. She showed
some romantic interest in Jughead.
Jinx Malloy
A gloomy, scrawny fellow who causes horrible calamity wherever he
goes, and thus has earned the scorn of Riverdale's citizens, who often take
great lengths to avoid him. Archie and his friends are often victims of the
misfortune he spreads. Stories featuring him tend to be about the characters
trying to protect themselves from the bad luck he causes. Sometimes, Archie and
the gang use his bad luck to influence their enemies. He usually appears
slightly shorter than most of the gang, and has sandy hair and a prominent,
angular nose.
When he causes trouble, he doesn’t seem to know it’s happening, so he doesn’t
know why people avoid him or call him "Jinx". This implies that Jinx is not his
real first name. Although he appeared at least as early as the 1960s (possibly
longer) and has continued to make appearances since, he still only appears
occasionally and randomly. This makes him and Cricket O'Dell the longest-lasting
minor teenaged characters in Archie Comics. Briefly, Jinx had a girlfriend know
as Lucky Penny because of her constant good luck. She was the only one who could
be around him without becoming victim to his because extremely good luck came to
her whatever she did. Her good luck did not work on anyone else, so Jinx would
cause as much bad luck as ever. However, Penny did not prove to be an
interesting character, and appeared only in a couple of stories.
The 2007 story "Civil Chore", featured in Tales of Riverdale #22-24 was perhaps
the largest milestone ever for minor Archie characters. Besides Jinx and
Cricket, it featured cameos of Frankie Valdez, Maria Rodriguez, Wendy
Weatherbee, the Blossom twins, all four of the Bingoes (plus Uncle
Herman), Josie and the Pussycats (plus the Cabot twins and Pepper),Sabrina the
Teenage Witch, Adam Chisholm, Brigitte Reilly, Ambrose Pipps, Spotty the
dog, Li'l Jinx and her friend Charley Hawse, Marcy, Raj Patel, Trula Twyst,
Leroy, Nick St. Clair, Alison Adams, Debbie and Joani, and January McAndrews
(artist Fernando Ruiz and his then-fiancée Carrie also appeared).
Streaky Shore
In the 1940s, he was a jock at Riverdale High. His nickname came from his
ability to run fast. He was apparently conceived as a friend of Reggie, but
didn’t last beyond the first few years.
Theodosius Tadpole
Theodosius (Theo for short) was an early concept of Dilton Doiley in the 1940s.
After a few appearances, he was later renamed Dilbert, and finally Dilton.
Interestingly, as Theodosius, he had a sister named May (a shy, bespectacled
brunette, also a Riverdale High Student), but Dilton appears to be an only
child.
U.G.A.J.
United Girls Against Jughead. This group of girls is a union dedicated to making
Jughead start liking girls, lest other boys follow his lead. Although Archie
Comics abandoned the concept in the 1960s, Trula Twyst’s introduction brought
J.U.S.T. (Jughead Under Surveillance Team), a similar group that also targets
Jughead’s eating and sleeping habits as well as his dislike of girls. J.U.S.T.
disappeared after Trula Twyst became a permanent character, but the saga’s
popularity spawned a reintroduction of U.G.A.J. (though, unlike J.U.S.T., they
still only target Jughead’s dislike of girls).
Late 1960s-1970s
Angel Angelino
First appearance: Life with Archie #80
Even stronger than Moose and a bigger ladies man than Reggie, this character
first appeared in the more serious "adventure" stories in Life With Archie. In
stories about him, he often seemed infallible when compared another boy…until
the end when it is revealed that he’s not perfect. However, Reggie and Moose
would have worked as well in his role, so he had no reason to stay in the
comics.
Aquarius
A hippie student with a laid-back outlook on life. A strict vegetarian ("I don't
dig zappin' animals for food and rags, man"), he polarized the Archie gang with
his views (so far as was allowed within Archie Comics, of course), but hasn't
been seen since the 1970s.
Berdie
A student from England, Berdie was a carefree character whose main humorous
function was misunderstandings arising from his thick Cockney accent. (For
example, Miss Grundy once thought that Berdie was transferring to a private high
school, when in reality he was going to a private eye school.) Presumably Berdie
eventually did change schools, as he hasn't been seen since the 1970s.
Central High Students
Riverdale's biggest scholastic and athletic rival, Central High seems to consist
of nothing but villainous types. The males are generally thuggish, conniving
brutes, and the females are usually lecherous, scheming vamps. In most of their
encounters, Central students seldom compete without using unsportsmanlike
conduct, if not out-and-out cheating. Often the coaches and teachers are not
only aware of this skullduggery, but encourage it. In most cases, Central's team
colors are bright red, contrasting Riverdale's blue.
Cheryl and Lori
Two girls who were apparently the forerunners of Debbie and Joani. After Jughead
got a strange new hatpin, he began dating girls. Supposedly, the hatpin was like
a love magnet: It made girls, particularly Cheryl and Lori, find him attractive.
However, fans preferred the old Jughead, so his ladies-man tendencies
disappeared quickly. Any later attempts to give Jughead girlfriends did not last
long either. Cheryl, who was blonde, is not the same character as
red-haired Cheryl Blossom, who first appeared years later.
Esmeralda
Sabrina's younger cousin, also a witch. Esmeralda has an obnoxious, bratty
attitude.
Frankie
A black-haired boy with who was very briefly in the comics in the early 1970s.
In the adventures he shared with Archie, he filled the role of "athletic friend
of Archie who can appear in sports stories" that was later taken by Chuck
Clayton. Not to be confused with Frankie Valdez, who first appeared a few years
later.
Geri
A girl who appeared a few times in single-page gags in the 1960s. She can be
recognized by her long golden hair worn in a flip.
1980s-early 1990s
Adam the Alien
First appearance: Archie #280
While he appeared to be a white-haired human teenager with angular eyes, Adam is
in reality an extraterrestrial being. Raised from infancy on a prison-like
orphanage asteroid, Adam escaped and now makes his way through the universe
trying to discover his home planet. Among Adam's talents are shape
shifting, teleportation and levitation. Adam spent some time at Riverdale
looking for clues about his past, but ultimately moved on to other planets. Not
to be confused with Adam Chisholm.
Aerobic Liz
Aerobics Liz, or "Liz" for short, is the local Riverdale aerobics instructor who
appeared in a few stories in the early 1990s. She appears occasionally
in Jughead and is fascinated by Jughead's metabolism but encourages him to be
healthy. She has also taught Veronica an aerobics class when Veronica panicked
over gaining some weight. She threw Veronica out of her place, but later
Veronica said she admired Liz for standing up to her. She had red hair and
freckles, but there was nothing to suggest a connection between her and Archie.
Amy Reinhardt
an arrogant mortal rival for Harvey's affections who was added
for the 1990s revival, and also appears in the manga version.
Bunny and Cedric
Two students at Pembrooke Academy and sometime friends and co-conspirators of
Cheryl and Jason Blossom. Cedric, who sports blonde curly hair, is Jason’s best
friend and occasionally accompanies him in his schemes as his sidekick, while
black-haired Bunny is closer to Cheryl. As members of the Snob Hill Society,
Bunny and Cedric disdain Cheryl and Jason's pursuit of Archie, Betty and
Veronica (the "townies") and take steps towards sabotaging the relationships.
Both Bunny and Cedric are perpetually suave and emotionally distant, and speak
in very clipped and haughty tones.
Anita Chavita
A character that briefly appeared in the 1990s, who was
both African-American and paraplegic. Rather than handling her disabilities
naturally, Anita kept bringing them to the surface with comments like "my legs
may not work, but at least my brain does". She is worthy of note because she was
a love interest for both Jughead Jones and Dilton Doiley, making her the first
instance, in an Archie comic, of interracial or interethnic romance.
Debbie & Joanie
The two characters were introduced when the writers experimented with giving
Jughead not one, but two romantic interests. This gave Jughead his own
Betty-Archie-Veronica-style love triangle. Debbie was a new girl at Riverdale
High whom Jughead developed a crush on, and Joanie Jumpp was an old flame from
Jughead's past who had moved to Riverdale and hoped to resume their
relationship. While both Debbie and Joanie dated Jughead for a time (Joanie even
got on at least one Digest cover), neither of them proved to be very
long-lasting characters. After Jughead ceased dating the both of them, the two
became friends and both girls faded from view. They made a cameo appearance
in Tales from Riverdale # 24 in the story Civil Chores Part 3.
Claude and Raoul Hopper
Two acquaintances of Archie and the gang who were skilled in break dancing. They
had a rather bizarre role, often showing up out of the blue to provide sage
advice to Archie, based on their inner-city background. Despite their mutual
last name, Claude is tall and black and Raoul (sometimes spelled Raul) is short
and white. As a dancing duo, they dubbed themselves the Hip Hoppers, and have
been known to work with the Archies. The Hoppers have not been seen since the
1990s. Though they have made some appearances in recent comics to help Archie
and his friends whenever there was a problem.
Crystal the New Age Girl
A character briefly brought in to capitalize on the New Age movement, who
endorsed transcendental meditation and the like. She ran a store of New Age
products in the mall in the early 1990s. During this time, she made friends with
Aerobic Liz, who ran the fitness centre next door. In her first appearance, she,
Liz, and Veronica did a lively rap-style dance in her shop. Although she appears
to be a hippie, she is not from the hippie era; mainstream popularity of the New
Age came in the 1980s and 1990s. As the fad died out, Crystal made a quiet exit.
Jeffrey
This blind boy, constantly seen with his guide dog Spike, was a love interest
for Ethel Muggs. The idea for his character was based on the fact that th
cannot judge people by appearance, so Jeff would find Ethel attractive in ways
that most boys fail to notice.
Lucky Penny
Penny was Jinx Malloy’s short-lived girlfriend. Nicknamed "Lucky Penny", she had
the ability to ward off Jinx's bad luck with her good luck. In her first
appearance, everyone warned her about Jinx, but she still managed to find gold
coins hidden under a tree and then got a job as a model for an advertising
company, proving her immunity to Jinx’s bad luck. She appeared at least twice.
The Potholes
A heavy metal band and friends of Jughead when he was infatuated with
the skateboarding culture. While the four band members - Scum, Slime, Scud and
Slug - differed visually, they had no real personalities to speak of.
Ultimately, Jughead quit hanging out with them, and they vanished.
Glenn Scarpelli
It is rare for Archie Comics to feature actual celebrities in their comics
rather than parodies of celebrities. However, in the 1980s, actor-singer Glenn
Scarpelli, the son of Archie Comics artist Henry Scarpelli, made a few
appearances, when his career was at its height.
Sundance
A transfer student from California, Sundance is similar to Aquarius in that he
is a "hippie" as well as a vegetarian. His Californian way of speaking (using
terms like "bummed out") captured Betty and Veronica, but they began racing back
when Sundance introduced his sister Moondance, who Archie and Reggie found
extremely attractive.
Sassy Thrasher
During the late-1980s and early 1990s, Jughead got a "skater punk" makeover. At
this time, Sassy, like Anita, Jeff, and the Potholes, was added as a member of
the Jughead cast. She was very rebellious and fond of skateboarding, but proved
no more interesting than the others. She, like the other characters in the
makeover, didn’t last very long, nor did the makeover itself.
Late 1990s
Googie Gilmore
In the late 1990s, Jughead and his family moved to a different house in
Riverdale. The next-door neighbors were the Gilmores. Their daughter Googie was
obsessed with health food, and always tried to get Jughead to change his eating
habits and give up junk food. However, before she stopped appearing, she and
Jughead ended with a truce and a compromise.
Early 2000s
Alison Adams
A spectacled brown-haired girl who appeared a few times in the 2000s. She
belonged to the same science club as Dilton. The two were very friendly, but did
not seem to become more than "just friends".
Alistair Andrews
Archie’s rich cousin who appeared in a couple of multipart stories. He looks
exactly like Archie.
Adam Chisholm
First appearance: Betty #87
A young guy who recently moved to Riverdale. He is lanky, with brown hair, a
thin face, and a medium-built frame. He is slightly taller than Archie or
Reggie. He enjoys playing sports such as surfing and football. As soon as he
arrived, he became one of Betty's date partners. He is Archie’s main rival for
Betty’s affections. Archie thinks very lowly of him, but he’s only prejudiced
against Adam because he doesn’t want him to steal Betty from him. One of the few
times when Archie gives Betty his undivided attentions is when there’s a chance
of Adam getting a date with her. Adam shows little interest in any other girl.
In Jughead & Friends #1, his date for a dance was Ginger Lopez, but that was
mainly because Betty was already going to the dance with Archie.
In Betty #87, Adam was introduced, and was deeply in love with Betty. She
started falling for him, which gave her a dilemma: should she stay with Archie
who frequently neglected her, or leave him for Adam? Readers were asked what she
should do. This was followed up in Betty #99 and #100, where Betty appeared to
be leaving Archie for good, but the two-part story ended with Betty doing what
readers voted for: date both. She continues to do so to this day. Like the
Blossom twins, Adam has proven a successful addition to the infamous love
triangle (though, with Reggie, Adam and the Blossom twins involved, it is not
really a triangle anymore).
Randy (Randolph)
This cosmopolitan character is another young guy who moved to Riverdale for a
while. He is built almost like Adam Chisholm, with a shoulder-length ponytail of
brown hair, glasses, a black top hat with a red band, and sometimes a black cape
with red lining. Randy enjoys the Japanese anime Captain Tuxedo (a parody of the
character Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon), and watches every episode he can. He
often dresses like this superhero, and wants to emulate him. Despite his anime
urges for Captain Tuxedo, Randy has been known to date Veronica.
Kim Wong
A Chinese teenager who moved to Riverdale after her father opened a branch of
Wong Enterprises in Riverdale. She is good at martial arts, and is a friend of
Betty and Veronica. Though she does not appear as often as Tomoko Yoshida, both
are recurring characters. In this way, there are different characters to
represent different regions of East Asia, rather than a single token character.
Late 2000s
Kumi Tamura
First appearance: Betty and Veronica Digest #190
A Japanese girl who moved to Riverdale with her parents and her younger sister
Ami. Unlike the other Asian characters in Archie Comics, Kumi finds the English
language somewhat difficult. Two issues after her introduction, it was revealed
that at home, her mother follows Japanese traditions and etiquette even in
America. Notably, Kumi stories are written by Misako Rocks!, a Japanese artist
and writer who moved to NYC in 2001.
Raj Patel
Yet another new student at Riverdale High. Raj is of Indian descent and lives
with his father Ravi, his mother Mona and his sister Tina. He befriended Archie
after moving to town. Raj’s favorite hobby is filmmaking. He is an expert on no
budget special effects, and builds his own models for science fiction movies. He
is well-liked at school, but sometimes his filmmaking gets on people's nerves.
Ravi Patel is a doctor who wishes his son would take up more serious issues.
Tina is a year younger than Raj, but she is such a good student that she was
moved up a grade so that both she and Raj are in the same year as Archie and the
gang. After Raj's introduction, he often appeared in daily newspaper strips as
well.
Tońo Díaz
First appearance: Pal's 'n' Gals Double Digest #123
Tońo was born in Mexico, and assists his parents, Adrián and
Rosa in their party planning business. Rosa handles Public Relations and the
administrative part of the business, while Adrián is responsible for the
creative and labor portions of the family business. Tońo enjoys helping them
with gardening and decoration, but the part he likes the most is cooking. He
wants to become a great chef when he grows up.
Sandy Sanchez
First appearance: Jughead's Double Digest #139
Sandy Sanchez is a straight-A student and star athlete at Riverdale High. Her
academics and athletics are both things she works very hard at, to ensure that
she can get college scholarships. For that reason, she has decided to not date
while in high school.
In Sandy's introductory story ("The Matchmakers" in Jughead's Double
Digest #139-142), Betty and Veronica (and eventually, the rest of the gang)
conspire to bring Jughead and Sandy together as a couple, in one of their
periodic attempts to get Jughead to start dating. However, the whole gang is
appalled when Jughead and Sandy apparently fall so deeply in love that Jughead
gives up food, his crown hat and even the nickname "Jughead", while Sandy lets
her grades slip and quits one of her sports. In the end, it turns out that
Jughead and Sandy aren't really in love; they had just been pretending in order
to teach the others a lesson about setting people up. (But at the very end of
the story, there is some inconclusive evidence that Sandy & Jughead may be going
on occasional dates in secret.)
Nick St. Clair
First appearance: Betty & Veronica Double Digest #151
A character introduced for the four-part “Bad Boy Trouble” when Archie Comics
was experimenting with a more realistic style. He also had a small cameo in Part
3 of “Civil Chore”. Nick is a teenaged delinquent. He moved to town to live with
his aunt and uncle. After sneaking into a movie, he fell for Veronica, and
vice-versa. Betty and Midge tried hopelessly to convince her that dating him was
a bad idea. Mr. Lodge forbid Veronica to date Nick, but she secretly disobeyed.
Nick also kept trying to hit on Betty, but she wanted nothing to do with him. He
began picking fights, stealing, cutting classes, breaking school rules, bullying
the boys, and was proud of his lifestyle.
Everyone but Veronica saw through him. He was not, however, as tough as he
pretended to be, as Archie easily beat him in a boxing match. Veronica accused
Betty of being jealous, and Betty decided that the only way to make Veronica see
the truth was to go on a date with Nick. This resulted in Veronica breaking off
with both of them. Nick couldn’t beat anyone up, as now, the gang was
confronting him together. The next day, Nick is not seen, as he has been sent to
a military school, but he is glad that he is being straightened out (or at least
he claims to be). Veronica learned why Betty went out with Nick, and forgave her
immediately.
He later reappears in a issue of Betty & Veronica Magazine (Issue #237) [Around
Oct - Nov of 2008] and The Archie Gang after the comic trust him. He said a tag
in the end as he planned to use ink squirting flowers on Betty to get his
revenge but in the end didn't and put his flowers on a table which Reggie later
took and open it and got squirted so he said "A saint I ain't".
Also in Betty and Veronica #236(the large magazine size , not digest) right
before he comes back to Riverdale, he is mentioned by Betty and Veronica at the
beach. In this story, the girls hear a motorcycle and some girls screaming
"Mick" and mistaken it for "Nick". Veronica tries to flirt with Mick, only to
find that he's interested in Betty. She immediately thinks of the Nick incident.
After she returns from the beach, she is surprised to find and e-mail from Nick
on her computer asking to see her when he comes back to Riverdale. The story
ends with her wondering if she's ready to see him after what happened.
The Veronicas
When Jess and Lisa Origliasso became a pop duet called The Veronicas after
Veronica Lodge, a lawsuit from Archie Comics followed. It was soon settled, and,
as a promotion for both parties, Jess and Lisa appeared in some stories in the
2000s, often alongside either their namesake or The Archies band. They even
appear against Puffy Ami Yumi in Celebrity Deathmatch, reading Archie Comics.
Girl With the Mole
Nothing is known about the
young girl with the mole that turns up all over Riverdale in stories by Fernando
Ruiz.
Adult characters
Faculty members
Mr. Adams
First appearance: Archie & Friends #117
A humanities teacher at Riverdale High. He is an internationalist, and believes
travel abroad is educational. In his first year at Riverdale High, he was able
to organize a five-city European & African trip for Riverdale students
(including Archie and the gang). Mr. Adams is African-American.
Mr. Philo Fluteweed
Originally an orchestra teacher, he might be the origin of Professor Flutesnoot.
Mr. Putnam Grimley
The guidance counselor at Riverdale High. Mr. Grimley often suffered
severe ulcers after hearing the Riverdale students' outlandish career plans. At
some point, he apparently switched to teaching Driver’s Education, hoping it
would be less stressful, but found the reverse to be true.
Superintendent Herkimer Hassle
The superintendent of the Riverdale school board, who is often not impressed
with Mr. Weatherbee. In some stories, when he comes to inspect the school, he is
impressed with some of the things Archie and the gang does, despite Mr.
Weatherbee thinking their antics will ruin the inspection.
Patton Howitzer
A retired Marine drill instructor and Riverdale's
vice-principal, Howitzer temporarily filled in for Mr. Weatherbee as principal
(in the story Boot Camp high), turning Riverdale High into a virtual boot camp.
After Mr. Weatherbee returned, Howitzer stayed on as vice-principal, although he
has toned down his disciplinary manner somewhat. He has all but disappeared from
view in recent years (a recent appearance in Tales from Riverdale #1 indicated
that he was still tough on the students.)
Malcolm Meeks
A timid substitute teacher at Riverdale in the 1980s, Malcolm Meeks eventually
revealed that his timorous nature was the result of his frustration of being
unable to save a comrade when he served in the Vietnam War. Finally Meeks found
peace with himself when he saved the victims of a helicopter crash, and took a
full-time teaching job at the nearby Tri-City College Preparatory High School.
He was just minutes away from the local airport where he would spend his after
school hours investigating the wonders of flight. Someday, he mused, he would
fly with the local Blue Eagles Team and touch the sky and go beyond the limits
of the clouds. Like many characters, he disappeared from view.
Ms. Philips
Mr. Weatherbee’s secretary who still appears occasionally in new stories. She
has not been around as long as many other well-known faculty members have. Ms.
Philips is portrayed as an attractive young woman, unlike Ms. Grundy, Ms.
Beazley and the other aging faculty members who have looked old since the early
years of Archie Comics.
Ramon Rodriguez
Maria's father, and for a time the vice-principal of Riverdale High. His
initials earned him the affectionate nickname of "Choo-Choo". He is apparently a
famous artist, as dictated in one Archie story that he is "the" Ramon Rodriguez.
Mr. Wood
The surly, sarcastic shop teacher at Riverdale High, with a perpetual scowl on
his chiseled face. He hasn't been seen since the 1980s. He was also occasionally
referred to as "Mr. Kroskut".
Other Minor Recurring Faculty Members
Ms. Harriet Burble:
Guidance Counselor
Ms. Crouton:
Home Economics Teacher
Mr. Flores:
Computers/Mathematics Teacher
Mr. Johnson:
Janitor (may have evolved into Mr. Svenson)
Ms. Kandinsky:
Art Teacher
Mr. Monet:
Art Teacher
Ms. Patti Pacer:
Physical Education Teacher
Prof. Samantha Lovett:
Drama Teacher
Ms. Shapely:
attractive Substitute Teacher (1970's-80's)
Miss Simkins,
a math teacher.
Families of Archie characters
Artie Andrews
Archie's paternal grandfather who appeared sporadically for years before
actually receiving his first name. Sometimes his hair is white, sometimes it is
orange, and sometimes it has only partly lost its color. However, his hair
almost always has the same criss-cross pattern as Archie (which Archie's father
oddly lacks). He got his name in Archie Digest #239 in October 2007. Mr. Lodge
showed him and Archie a classic car that looked like Archie’s original jalopy.
It was the car Artie had as a teenager, when he looked and dressed like Archie
from the 1940s. His girlfriend (and eventual wife) Bernice was nearly identical
to Betty as a teenager, so when Artie said he married her, Veronica was
displeased. His best friend as a teenager was Curly, who looked a lot like
Jughead.
Clifford and Penelope Blossom
The parents of Cheryl Blossom and her twin brother Jason. Penelope is an
attractive woman with the same bright red hair as Cheryl, while Clifford's hair
is somewhat darker like Jason's and he has a goatee. Created in the age of
yuppies, the Blossoms are a wealthy family, due to the fortune Clifford Blossom
made as a software designer. However, despite their wealth, and much like the
Lodges, they're down-to-earth, and not as snobby as their offspring could be.
Clifford and Penelope were instrumental in thwarting Cheryl's scheme to break up
the Riverdale gang's friendships for good, when they were informed of their
daughter's deceit by a concerned Mr. Weatherbee. They forced her to shed her
assumed identity of Shirley Merryweather, and punished her by making her attend
Riverdale High for the remainder of the school year.
Mr. and Mrs. Doiley
Dilton’s mother has made a few appearances. She appears similar to Mrs. Andrews
or Mrs. Cooper, except for being a bespectacled brunette woman. This appears to
be the only case where an Archie character's mother appears significantly more
than his or her father (Mr. Doiley hardly ever appears even in the background).
Mr.Doiley is seen to have black hair and spectacles similarly to his son Dilton.
One of his appearances was made when Dilton, wanting to be 'macho' like Moose
Mason, tries to convince his father to buy him dumbbells.
Aunt Gladys
First appearance: Veronica #110
Veronica's truck driving aunt. She is a stocky woman with short black hair (with
streaks of white and gray), and she is partial to plaid flannel shirts. She does
not live in Riverdale, but she visits Veronica whenever her route may bring her
into town.
The Lopez Family
Ginger Lopez's parents are Eduardo and Gloria Lopez. She also has younger twin
sisters named Teresa and Eliza. Little is known about Ginger’s family. Eduardo
is a well-known chef.
Mr. Lodge’s employees
Gaston
The Lodge Mansion’s French chef. He speaks with a bad French accent, and is very
temperamental, especially when the subject is his cooking. Along with Ms.
Beazley and Pop Tate, he is one of Jughead’s favorite cooks. Occasionally, a
chef named Pierre comes when Gaston is on vacation in France.
Saranda Yates Jones and Harry S. Fulmonovich
Saranda is the daughter of yuppies Michael Jack "Mike" and Sophia Victoria
"Summer" Jones (née Thomas), who both died when she was young. She was raised by
relatives of Jughead Jones' family, and attended local schools. At Riverdale
University, she majored in secretarial studies and computer applications. She
briefly worked as a secretary for the elderly Judge Jack Bookum at Riverdale
Court House. They were seen working on a case involving Reggie's father being
jailed for something that he didn't do (he was released). Shortly thereafter,
Saranda took a similar position at RSI, where she was assigned to Harry (whom
Mr. Lodge hired as a programmer). They then got acquainted, and started dating
steadily. The couple now live at Fulmonovich Estates (a mansion on the northwest
corner of Riverdale).
Saranda is mellow, bubbly and very smart. She wears long ladylike skirts and
dresses with matching tops, and well-coiffed light blonde hair (sometimes with
lime green highlights). Harry (born Arrishtotolo Suleymanokh Fulmonovich) is
from Fosnia, where he learned immaculate English, and a member of the Fosnian
Royal Family Fulmonovich. Harry acquired the designation Esq. after immigrating
to America. The couple appeared in the 1980s, and were the main characters of a
proposed series that never got off the ground.
The Lodge Family Maids
The maids at the Lodge Mansion have been referred to by many names, and it may
be that the Lodges have been through many maids. However, they never had any
character development, so all maids are treated as if the same character with no
consistent names. Several stories give their names as Fifi, Marie or Celeste.
Other adult characters
Betty’s Auto Racing Rivals
In 2006, Betty began racing cars for Mr. Lodge. Some recurring racing rivals
appeared. Mr. Lodge had been the sponsor to driver Dale Jonas, but Dale had been
bribed to join C.C. Carp’s outfit (a rival to Mr. Lodge). So Betty became the
new Lodge auto racer. A frequent theme mentioned is the sexism in auto racing:
it is not easy for women to become professional race car drivers. This was why
she took a co-ed pit crew (including Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Chuck
and Nancy). Besides the arrogant Dale Jonas, Betty raced against her friendly
rival Speedy Spencer (real first name Marty). C.C. Carp later replaced Dale with
a female driver C.B. (Carla Bonita) Quick.
Abbey Finn
Abbey is a middle-aged woman who thinks of Archie as a pest and is very
protective of her pet schnauzer.
Mayor Glibb
The mayor of Riverdale for a time. Apparently from Texas, Glibb always spoke
grandiosely and wore a ten-gallon hat. He seemed to be more interested in
publicity and fame than governing Riverdale properly.
Mr. Pansky
Mr. Pansky owns a costume shop in Riverdale. Most of the gang goes to his store
whenever they need an outfit for a themed party. In some stories, Mr. Pansky has
hired Archie, Jughead, or Reggie.
General Pickens
An army general from the American Civil War who served on a battlefield, part of
which is now Riverdale. He only appears in references to the local history. The
park in Riverdale is named Pickens Park in his honor.
In one "Jughead's Time Police" story, it is revealed that in the future, Jughead
will clone himself, and the clone (who is an old man by the time we meet him)
only comes out of hibernation when needed. He went with Jughead and January
McAndrews to the Civil War and became a hero under the alias Pickens. The army
assumed Pickens dead, but he simply returned to his own time and went back in
hibernation. Oddly, in this story, he is referred to as a colonel instead of a
general. However, he was promised a promotion if he succeeded, and may have
received a posthumous promotion.
Samm
A thin, bespectacled man who often appeared in crowd scenes, or on posters (most
of which read "Vote for Samm"). He was a self-portrait of his creator, Samm
Schwartz. He was also a good friend of Jughead Jones.
Segarini
A pizza parlor owner and Pop Tate’s biggest rival. However, while Jughead enjoys
the food of both, he and the gang stay loyal to Pop, and the Chocklit Shoppe
remains their hangout.
Dr. Soonpoon
Dr. Soonpoon is an importer/exporter who possesses mystical powers like time
travel, and has appeared in at least two issues. He is shown wearing a turban.
Ms. Stonewall
The head counselor at a girl's summer camp where Betty and Veronica occasionally
worked in the 1980s. In her job, Ms. Stonewall dressed in Native
American attire, and may have been the first recurring Native American in Archie
Comics. One of her campers was a girl named Tessie.
O. O. Wellenmellen and Bruce Baby
A rotund, pompous movie director, Wellenmellen is known for filming spectacular,
if patently ridiculous, art films. His catchphrase is "Nobody but nobody says
'no' to O. O. Wellenmellen!" Bruce Baby is his overeager, effeminate,
sandal-clad assistant. They mainly appeared in the early stories.
Lydia Wyndham
Betty's elderly neighbor. They first met when Betty discovered a love letter
between her and the man she loved, and tracked her down. Betty also found out
that Lydia’s lover, a World War I soldier, died in battle. Betty often asked her
for advice and did favors for her. Lydia is passionate about her writing, which
is one reason Betty looked up to her. Unfortunately, Lydia died (something rare
for an Archie character). Betty inherited Lydia’s diaries and everything else
she had written.
Crazy Willie Jim
An African-American drummer who had several hit records decades before his
appearance. He became a friend and mentor to Jughead Jones after Jughead
discovered several of his old records and managed to track the now elderly Jim
down. When Jim passed away at the end of the story he left Jughead his
drumsticks and Jughead used them to sit in with his friend's street band,
playing in Jim's signature style as a tribute to him.
Other characters
Characters in Little Archie
Bubbles McBounce
Bubbles McBounce was an obese girl from Little Archie. Being heavier than the
other kids, she is known for such moments as the time she saved the day by
holding down an air balloon that risked taking Archie and the gang on a magical
voyage.
Mad Doctor Doom & Chester
Not to be confused with Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom, Mad Doctor Doom is a
green-skinned mad scientist who has terrorized Archie and the gang since they
were children, as they constantly foiled his plans of gaining great wealth and
conquering the world. Doom was assisted by Chester, his nitwitted, teenaged
slacker of an assistant (occasionally said to be his nephew). Chester looks and
acts like a stereotypical 1950s juvenile delinquent. They both made at least one
appearance in the mainstream comics.
Evelyn Evernever
A young girl who was acquainted with Archie and friends when they were young.
Evelyn was a shy girl with a bit of an inferiority complex, with tenuous
relations to the rest of the gang. Her only real friend was her doll, Minerva.
Evelyn Evernever likes to think of herself as a "bou'tiful" gal.
After a long hiatus Evelyn Evernever reappears as a teenage girl who kidnapped
Archie in a recent all-out action issue of Betty & Veronica Spectacular. It was
shown in a recent issue of Veronica that Evelyn was Archie's first kiss.
Edward "Fangs" Fogarty
A fat, snaggle-toothed bully who tormented Archie, Jughead and Reggie in their
younger years. Fangs was an unreasonable thug who brutally battered his
classmates, either because they looked at his self-appointed girlfriend Penny,
they insulted him behind his back, or for no reason at all. He was, however,
good friends with Dilton. When, in one story, Archie and Reggie (not yet knowing
this) learned that Dilton is a karate expert -- surpassed, he says, only by his
friend Edward -- they persuaded him to confront Fangs, presuming Dilton could
beat him up. In preparation for the encounter, Archie and Reggie deliberately
provoked Fangs into a fit of rage. However, when Dilton arrived, he cheerfully
greeted Fangs as "Edward." "You guys didn't think my mother called me "Fangs,"
did you?" Fangs sarcastically asked before pummeling Archie and
Reggie. Presumably, Fangs moved away at around the time Moose Mason arrived in
Riverdale.
Fangs eventually showed up in the mainstream comics in a story titled "Blast
from the Past", first printed in Archie's Double Digest #117 (August 2000). Now
nicknamed Smiley after getting his orthodontic work, he had returned to
Riverdale to apologize to his those he had formerly antagonized, now a tall,
muscular, handsome young man.
Penny Peabody
Fangs Fogarty’s girlfriend. Their relationship is exactly like Moose and
Midge’s: Fangs will hurt any boy who even talks to Penny.
The Perilous Pike
A pike that lives in Logger’s Pond, a large pond near Riverdale. No one has ever
caught the Perilous Pike, though some people have almost caught him. In some
stories, attempts to fish for him cause the Pike to attack a member of Archie's
gang.
Ambrose Pipps
A small, shy boy with a large nose and an outsized baseball cap pulled over his
face (Not to be confused with Sabrina's cousin Ambrose.). Ambrose was
the tagalong of Archie's gang when they were young. Although Ambrose's loyalty
was unflagging, Little Archie took pride in bullying and exploiting him, without
ever letting him join the "good ol' gang".
Although a teenage Archie was apprehensive when Ambrose returned to Riverdale
after several years' absence, Ambrose held no grudges, and the two became good
friends. In the story "The Great Quiz Whiz Contest" reprinted in Archie's Pals
'n' Gals #108, Archie pulls a his lucky double sided penny from his pocket that
his pal Ambrose gave him.
The Southside Serpents
A gang of kids who were the rivals of Little Archie’s gang and lived in the
southern district of Riverdale. They filled the role of Central High Students
when a rival group was needed.
Sue Stringly
Sue was a poor little girl who knew Archie and the gang when they were young.
Sue's family didn't have much money, and they lived in a shack near the railway
tracks. Despite this, Sue was an upbeat, cheerful girl who never complained or
despaired over her predicament. While most of the school students didn't want
anything to do with her, eventually Sue became good friends with Little Archie
and Veronica. Her father was sometimes said to be working in a pickle plant. Sue
also lived next to a coal mine. In one story she was called a cousin of Veronica
Lodge. Although her hair is blonde, she bears a resemblance to Big Ethel.
Child characters (not in Little Archie)
The Feebly Twins
Identical twin brothers Glenn and Benn Feebly who played the bass fiddle (it
took both little guys to do it). They occasionally appeared in the 1980s, but
never had any character development, and faded from view.
Souphead Jones
Jughead’s young cousin who, except for being much shorter, looks (and often
dresses) exactly like him. He is apparently the same age as Leroy and has been
around as long, but doesn’t appear as often. Both still appear in the occasional
new story to this day.
Leroy
Veronica’s young cousin who is apparently in Elementary School. He is something
of a troublemaker and prankster, making him resemble a younger version of
Reggie. He has been a minor but consistently recurring character since the
1940s. It is unknown whether he and Veronica share a last name. One significant
role was in Archie’s R/C Racers, where he was mainly added to give Reggie’s team
a sixth member and even up the teams. In that series, he often gave the reader
tips on how to operate and maintain a remote-controlled vehicle.
Monica
Chuck Clayton's younger cousin. She is around 11 years old. Chuck used her as
the model for his comic book character PowerTween (a sidekick to PowerTeen,
which Chuck based on Veronica), and most of her appearances have been in stories
where she is dressed as PowerTween, helping to promote Chuck's comics.
Tessie McGuire
A girl with short red hair and glasses who sometimes attended the summer camp
where Betty and Veronica worked as counselors. Originally a troublemaker at
camp, she was known as Terrible Tessie, but the girls helped turn her around,
and she became a lot nicer. She looked up to Betty and Veronica. Ms. Stonewall
was her head counselor.
Non-human characters
Caramel
Caramel is Betty’s golden-haired cat. She originally appeared in Little Archie,
but would later become a frequent character in the main continuity. She
continues to make occasional appearances. Betty has owned many cats (Max, Susie,
Buddy, Samantha, etc.), but Caramel is the best known and the most frequently
appearing.
Chili Dog
Appeared in a 1970's animated Sabrina the Teen-age Witch. When "Hot Dog" was
colored white, Chili Dog was colored orange. A running gag on the series is that
Hot Dog and Chili Dog are in a state of war with Sabrina's cat "Salem".
Jingles
A magical elf in the employ of Santa Claus, who often shows up in Riverdale
during the Christmas season. While Jingles can be a bit clumsy and hot-tempered,
he often manages to use his magical powers to create a happy ending. Adults
cannot see Jingles, and it is implied that Archie and the gang's interactions
with Jingles will someday come to an end.
Spotty
Little Archie’s brown dog with black spots. He appeared primarily in "Little
Archie", as an honorary member of the gang, so he has been known to tag along
with them on their adventures. He has a close relationship with his master, and
Little Archie often worries about him being in danger.
Spotty has made a few appearances in the main continuity, usually shown as an
older, less active dog. His most recent appearance in mainstream continuity
was Archie's Double Digest#196 in 2009
Sugar
Cheryl Blossom’s purebred Pomeranian dog. Although Cheryl may seem snobby and
antagonistic at times, Sugar proves that she has a soft sentimental side. She
also proves that Cheryl prefers top-breed dogs to mixed breeds like Hot Dog.
Sugarplum
A sugarplum fairy who appears at Christmas time to help spread Christmas cheer.
She thus has a similar role to Jingles (see above); however, while Jingles is a
friend to all of the main teenagers, Sugarplum mainly interacts with Betty and
Veronica.
Veronica's pets
Veronica has had a number of purebred dogs and cats over the years. When she has
a dog, it is usually a poodle. Some of these include Fifi and Lucretia, the
latter having ended up in a romantic relationship with Hot Dog. At the end of
one story, they had a litter of puppies. Jughead and Veronica were not pleased
at this, because it effectively made them "in-laws".
Minari, Beatrice and Smedley are some of Veronica Lodge's purebred cats. Minari
has made many appearances in recent stories. Veronica is often portrayed talking
to Minari when she is feeling "blue". Beatrice is Veronica's Angora and she
often takes her to cat shows, in which she wins many awards. Smedley is often
portrayed in the Little Archie comics. She was once left at the care of Little
Jughead when Veronica, Betty, Reggie and Archie try to get their families to
vacation together, ending in Betty and Veronica getting stuck in a Cowboy Ranch
while Reggie and Archie go deep-water fishing.
Characters in alternate universes
Amani
She is Eugene’s girlfriend, and only appeared in The New Archies. She bears some
resemblance to Nancy. She is a close friend of Betty and Veronica.
Babette
The main villain in Archie’s R/C Racers. She and her bungling henchmen trailed
Archie and the gang on their cross-country race to cause trouble for them. She
owned a company that made radio-controlled vehicles. She was apparently a
madwoman because her main motive in ruining the race was that the gang chose to
endorse another company instead of her own.
C.R.U.S.H.
A parody of T.H.R.U.S.H., this evil spy organization was the main antagonist
in The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E., a series of spy-themed stories appearing in
the Life With Archie title in the mid to late 60s, meant to capitalize on the
popularity of spy movies and TV shows at the time. It was never revealed what
C.R.U.S.H. stood for. The evil agents from C.R.U.S.H. often had bizarre arsenals
and abilities.
Eugene
This character, although African-American, was really a re-imagining of Dilton.
He appeared only "The New Archies" when Archie and the gang were Junior High
Students. As he filled the role of both Chuck and Dilton, neither of those
characters appeared in the series.
Danni Malloy
This red haired teenaged girl appeared only in Dilton’s Strange Science. She
served as Dilton’s best friend, love interest, and partner in their
science-related adventures. Her shared last name with Jinx Malloy is probably a
coincidence.
January McAndrews
She is the 29th century descendant of Archie, and is one of the characters in
the short-lived Jughead's Time Police. One of the few girls that Jughead truly
loves, she is also his superior in the Time Police squad.
"Slimy" Sal Monella
Sal Monella was the villain of the short-lived Jughead's Diner comic book. He
has been attempting domination on Dinersville with his fast food chain, but is
unable to take over the independent restaurant that Jughead owns. His name is a
pun on the disease salmonella.
Lady Smitty
Full name Lady Winchester Huntington-Smythe Jones, but she goes by her nickname
Lady Smitty. This rich woman appeared frequently in Veronica’s Passport, serving
as a foil to Veronica Lodge. Veronica often ran into her on her travels. Lady
Smitty had a husband named David and a teenaged son named Jared.
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