This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dougie monty (talk | contribs) at 01:45, 27 January 2008 (Jughead's cousin Miranda). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 01:45, 27 January 2008 by Dougie monty (talk | contribs) (Jughead's cousin Miranda)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Misplaced Pages. See Misplaced Pages's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (December 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | This may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (September 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Template:Archie Comics character
Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is a fictional character in Archie Comics, first appearing in December 1941. He is the son of Forsythe II. He has a white sheepdog named Hot Dog, and has a younger sister, Forsythia "Jellybean" Jones.
History and character
Forsythe is known as Jughead , Juggie, or Jughead Jones. He is also called Needle Nose, courtesy of his friend Reggie Mantle, because of his long nose. He is named after his ancestor who is an American hero. Jughead started to use his given name for a brief time in honor of his ancestor, but after learning that he was married nine times, reverted to his nickname. He also says he is a fan of Japanese anime and manga, citing titles such as Sailor Lunar, Dragon Tall 33, Tech Robo, and Tragic Knight Sayearth (parodies, respectively, of Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Robotech, and Magic Knight Rayearth).
One of the comics around 1960 gave another version of Jughead's real name. Archie and Reggie were ribbing Moose about his name, which Archie had discovered was Marmaduke. Jughead pointed out that they were really Archibald and Reginald, which wasn't much better. Archie then said, 'Say, what's your real name?' Jughead cries 'Yikes!' and flees. Archie and Reggie decided to go to City Hall and check his birth certificate; the stuffy clerk there demands a large fee, which they scrape up with difficulty. The clerk responds by reading them a very ordinary name, to their great disappointment. In the last frame, Jughead crawls out from under the clerk's desk and hands him a cigar, saying 'Gee, thanks, Uncle George!' (a reference to a comedic short from the 30s show Our Gang). 'Don't mention it, FORSYTHE' comes the reply.
Archie Andrews radio series began on the NBC Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 05, 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years. Hal Stone, then known as Harlan Stone, portrayed Archie's pal, Jughead, known for the catchphrase, "Aw... relax, Archie, re-laxxx!" Jughead was also played by Cameron Andrews. Alice Yourman and Arthur Kohl, among others, played Fred and Mary Andrews.
In live-action Archies television program, Archie and Reggie attempt to find out Jughead's real first name. They go to the school office, and a woman there tells them that Jughead's real first name is Steve. After Archie and Reggie leave the office, the audience learns that the woman is actually Jughead's aunt and that she has just lied to Archie and Reggie as a favor to Jughead to help him cover up the fact that his first name is Forsythe.
In a story, Jughead's name Forsythe makes girls chase after him and he is arrested by the police for jaywalking. When the policeman asks for his name, he says that it is Jughead Jones. However, the policeman checked and there was no such name. One of the girls surrounding him ended the story by saying, "He doesn't want to admit his name!"
Jughead is Archie's best friend and the "weird one" of Archie's social circle. Though he's rarely pursued by any girls other than Big Ethel, Jughead usually does his best to avoid girls — unless a free meal is involved. Because of this he is often called a "woman hater" but he doesn't seem to mind.
In one story Archie and Jughead bought a typewriter from Reggie. It was an electronic typewriter and some characters were missing from its memory. Reggie refused to give the boys their money back. He then met a girl named Miranda--a tall, shapely miss. She said she was interested in typewriters, and Reggie, obliging her, gave the boys their money back--without knowing that Miranda was Jughead's cousin!
Jughead's hat
Jughead is almost always seen wearing his trademark gray crown beanie. This type of crown-shaped cap often puzzles modern readers, but was popular among boys in the 1930s and 1940s. It was made from a man's felt fedora hat with the brim trimmed in a zig-zag and turned up. In the 1920s and 1930s, such caps usually indicated the wearer was a mechanic; Goober Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show (who worked at the local gas station) wore a similar cap. Jughead's beanie was recolored in black when he appeared in the Filmation cartoons. In The New Archies, his beanie was recolored pink.
The dot and dash that adorn his hat constitute the Morse code symbol for the letter "A".
Miniseries
Jughead's Fantasy, resulting from Jughead's Folly, lasted for three issues and featured Jughead's dreams of various alter-egos, including "Sir Jugalot", "Peter Goon--Private Eye", and "Son of Hercules".
Jughead's Time Police was a series that began in 1990 featuring Jughead as a hero of the 29 century and a member of the Time Police, an organization that ensures history to remain the same for the future's sake. Jughead's beanie gives Jughead the ability to time travel by thinking. With his supervisor, Marshal January McAndrews, Jughead repairs disturbances in the past.
In Explorers of the Unknown, Jughead played Squint, a daredevil escape artist.
Jughead starred in Jughead's Diner in 1990, where he runs a diner with an eclectic cast of patrons.
Appetite
Other than sleeping, eating is Jughead's number one hobby. Though he sports a pot belly after particularly large meals, Jughead remains as skinny as a twig. As a consequence of his eating habits, Jughead is also a preferred customer of most of Riverdale's food establishments, especially Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe, except when he is unable to pay his very large tabs. In one story, he is given a "Restaurant Club Card," and eats only fine foods. However, when he finds out how much interest the card charges, Pop Tate pays him the money on the condition that he eats only at the Chocklit Shop. He is a respected food critic who is said to have perfect taste, in that he can taste a dish and tell you exactly what's wrong with it. In one issue, in which a gym hired him to show people how to stay as fit as he was, it was revealed that Jughead has a very rare and amazing metabolism, which accounts for his ability to eat so much and not gain weight (similar to Peter Fox in FoxTrot).
Jughead once claimed that he weighed 300 pounds after a meal. In another story, Betty asked Jughead to give the owner of the ice cream shop where she worked at some pointers on how to improve the shop's products.
In one story, students from an adjacent town's high school challenge the students of Riverdale to an eating contest, pitting their chubby undefeated champion against Jughead. Jughead handily beats the other guy, but won't stick around to celebrate: he wants to stock up on munchies for watching TV that evening. In another, he is part of a citywide eating contest, having to eat a "Colossal Burger" made up of 16 different burgers.
In another story, Jughead set two world records for eating pizza; one for speed-eating a pizza, and one for eating the most pizzas in one sitting - 12. He tied the second record, set by himself earlier that day at another restaurant, where he ate 12 pizzas just to be sure that he could do it.
In addition to his metabolism, another reason for Jughead's incredible appetite is his ability to "train" while eating. The high school whose champion was pitted against Jughead in an eating contest also sent a girl to 'date' Jughead and stuff him so full of food on their dates that he would be too full to beat their champion. Amazingly, after eating enough food for a small army on his dates, Jughead still manages to win the contest with the rival champion. Jughead explains to his stunned rivals that top athletes need to constantly train in order to stay in shape, and when the girl from the rival school had dated him and taken him to every restaurant in town, she was actually helping him "train" for the eating contest.
Jughead also loves penny candy dearly; when a candy store opens in Riverdale, he spends his allowance on a large bag of sweets – only to meet a young boy outside who can't afford any. Reluctantly, Jughead gives the boy his bag, but feels better for it afterwards, when he sees how happy the candy makes the boy.
Love interests and relationships
In the story "Phood Phobia", Archie and Dilton Doiley discover another reason for Jughead's immense appetite; girls make him nervous, and he turns to food for comfort, since eating keeps him from having to talk to them. When confronted with this, Jughead is stunned: "You mean I've had this much fun eating because of... GIRLS???" He then declares "No girl is going to make me happy! I'll never eat again!"
Although Jughead usually doesn't seem interested in love, there have been several strips where he semi-enjoys himself with Ethel, and one strip where he professes an interest in Betty. Jughead usually doesn't like any long-term relationships, largely due to the observation (gained from watching Archie's romantic entanglements) that dating complicates a guy's life and deprives him of cash that could be used to buy burgers.
One of the common misconceptions about Jughead is that he is a misogynist. This has been disproved many times; throughout most of his history, Jughead has been depicted as disliking romance and the ways it leads young men to make fools of themselves, but not women. In one story, when he saw how upset Miss Grundy was on her birthday, Jughead rallied his fellow students to cheer Miss Grundy up.
In several stories in some of the Jughead digest magazines, several girls are after Jughead (not just Big Ethel). Big Ethel has been chasing Jughead for decades in the comic; but recent storylines have shown a decrease in her obsession with him, and even show her dating other guys. This makes Jughead surprisingly jealous. In current issues of the comics, a brown-haired girl named Trula Twyst appears to drive Jughead crazy with her ability to predict his next moves. In the early 1990s, Jughead had three girlfriends: Debbie, Joani, and January McAndrews. The latter is Archie's descendant in the future, who starred with Jughead in Jughead's Time Police, a short-lived spinoff comic about their adventures traveling through time.
In another story, he describes that the reason why he does not chase after girls is because of a childhood heartbreak, sustained before he moved to Riverdale. Before he moved to Riverdale, little Jughead befriended a girl named Joani Jumpp. Both of them had a puppy love. Jughead's family moved to Riverdale, and he had to leave Joani behind. Determined not to go through any heartbreak again, he swore off girls. He keeps little Joani's picture in his wallet to reminds him about his heartbreak, and vows never to fall in love. That changes when Joani suddenly appears on his door step. Joani is a young woman now, and she tells Jughead that she never forgot him and still has a crush on him. The two shared their first kiss together. Before Jughead decides whether he wants to pursue a relationship with Joani, she leaves him -- but with a promise that they will be together again. (Jughead Jones Digest Magazine #81). The comic strip even had Jughead say, "After all, there are so many things more interesting than food and music."
Another thread that has run through stories in recent years involves a psychic experience he is supposed to have had, caused by an odd pin he wears on his hat. He was seen by various friends hanging around girls; when Moose saw this he thought he was having "hallusinerations and garages" (hallucinations and mirages). Sure enough, Moose's own girlfriend Midge is captivated by Jughead, too, and Moose leaves Jug alone, sure it's still a "hallusineration."
Besides being best friends with Archie, Jughead also has a soft spot for Betty Cooper. Betty is a great cook, which is one of the reasons that he loves to hang out with her. Jughead also provides a shoulder to cry on whenever Betty has trouble with Archie or Veronica. There has also been one strip where Jughead tells Betty that if he was to ever kiss a girl willingly, it would be her. Writers of Archie comics sometimes make comments on how they want Jughead to hook up with Betty, but that would ruin the formula of the love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica that has been going on for decades.
Jughead seems to have constant arguments or banter with Veronica Lodge. Veronica cannot stand his laidback attitude and witticisms, and Jughead seems to enjoy teasing Veronica with pranks and clever comebacks. He once told Veronica he was "mad with passion" for her, and began popping up wherever she went, to get her off his back after she criticized him publicly. Even though Jughead seems to dislike Veronica a lot, there was one strip where he stuck up for her in stopping someone else trying to snog her. The two were once cast together in a school play, which required them to kiss. Jughead proved to be a "good kisser"; Veronica was caught up in the moment and fell in love with Jughead for a while. But Jughead managed to get her over her crush, with the help of a garlic & onion sandwich.
Another theory is that Jughead is, perhaps, homosexual (gay). This is a widely debated theory, and may or may not have any truth behind it.
Musical interests
Jughead is the drummer for The Archies. In one four-part story which included many flashbacks of Jughead's life, Archie had commented that the reason he'd chosen the position of drummer was that he was too introverted to play at the front of the stage. (The drummer normally has the drum kit at the back of the stage.) Another reason why he may have become the drummer was that he could put food in his drums to eat while he played. He has also professed a love for jazz music, once detailed in an issue of Jughead Magazine where he develops an obsession with an obscure jazz drummer named "Crazy" Willie Jim, much like Lisa Simpson's infatuation with Bleeding Gums Murphy. After collecting all his records, Jughead finally meets Jim (who is at least 80 years old), playing on a street corner with a jazz trio. Jughead convinces Jim that he is trustworthy and they become fast friends. Jughead convinces Jim to play with The Archies at one of their gigs, and he is a hit. Later, Jughead discovers that Jim has died. Jughead takes his place at Jim's drum kit on the corner to play one last, mournful version of "St. James Infirmary Blues".
Special abilities
Jughead possesses a better sense of smell than most normal humans, and can run faster than anyone else in his town. He also enjoys skateboarding. He is an excellent cook, artist, basketball player, martial artist, swimmer, dancer, thinker, and gymnast.
Most of the time he is depicted as lazy. In one issue, Mr. Weatherbee tries to cut down on Jughead's food consumption, only to realize that Jughead's brain stops functioning without massive amounts of food. Professor Flutesnoot implies that although Jughead eats an enormous amount, the calories are all burned by his brain activity and that's how he remains thin.
In several issues, Jughead has demonstrated that his IQ is well above average. In one story, he was given an award for being the best student in the school. In a different story in Little Archie, it was revealed that Jughead was the second-best student in the school, Dilton Doiley being the first. His intelligence is displayed by his sharp wit, the occasional deep insight, and the odd chance he gets to upstage or outsmart Reggie Mantle. He also appears to have unparalleled good luck.
Still, he is open-minded enough so that he will even help Reggie, of all people. On one occasion, when Reggie was running from Moose, Jughead was doing some painting and painted Reggie up and messed up his hair and clothing so that when Moose approached he could say, "But, Moose, you already clobbered him!" Moose walks off, bewildered.
In the "Super Teens" stories (where several of the main Archie characters are secretly superheroes), Jughead can become Captain Hero, gaining a caped costume and more muscular physique (varying from story to story; in some depictions, Captain Hero has a stereotypically "buff" superhero build, while in others, he appears to be little more than Jughead with more muscle tone), but retaining his crown-shaped cap. Captain Hero appears when Jughead recites the magic incantation (similar to Green Lantern's oath):
Teeny weeny magic beanie pointing towards the sky; give me muscle, power, vigor - form a super guy!
Captain Hero was arguably the most powerful of the Super Teens, if only because he always seems to possess just the right powers for the problem at hand. Captain Hero's overall powers were never completely defined, but he maintained certain "stock" superhuman powers, such as enhanced strength and resistance to conventional injury. In the earliest Captain Hero stories, Jughead's alter ego was often presented as the most serious and competent of the Super Teens, and the others would defer to Captain Hero's leadership when he was present, in contrast to Jughead's perceived status as Archie's sidekick and a generally lazy individual.
In one story, Jughead also writes a story about his favorite superhero named Captain Wham. He also imagines Captain Wham as his superhero alter-ego and was mostly likely to be called Forsythe rather than Jughead.
In other stories, Jughead has shown the following abilities: control weather (causing rain clouds to appear over his head), give the evil-eye (curse people with bad luck), learn the skills presented in any book he reads (including downhill skiing while reading a book - though the knowledge is lost when he reads a new book).
Hot Dog
Hot Dog is Jughead's dog, though when he first appeared, he belonged to Archie. Because of some confusion between the Archie Comics artists and the Filmation animation studio, Hot Dog switched owners frequently when he started appearing more. Hot Dog was eventually given a permanent home at Jughead's. Hot Dog is a long-haired mutt who resembles a sheepdog. He usually thinks like a human in that his thoughts are presented in voice-over (or thought bubble in the comics) to the audience as asides where the dog's mouth does not move. Hot Dog is lazy, constantly hungry, and has a dislike for Reggie Mantle, much like Jughead. When Jughead's family objected to Hot Dog living indoors because he was covered in dirt, Dilton Doiley built Hot Dog a doghouse full of whimsical inventions, which was the kickoff plot for the miniseries Hot Dog. Hot Dog is usually considered a member of Archie's Gang. He is also the mascot for The Archies . In the Filmation series, he is often seen pretending to "conduct" the band. He is married to Lucretia, Veronica's dog, which makes Jughead and Veronica in-laws.
Career
In the TV movie and subsequent comic book To Riverdale and Back Again, which portrayed all of the characters fifteen years after their graduation from high school, Jughead has become a psychiatrist. He has a successful private practice outside of Riverdale, but is divorced and is raising his young son Jordan, who Archie jokingly refers to as Jughead Junior.
Trivia
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (June 2007) |
- In the Spanish versions of the comic book, Jughead's name is Torombolo.
- Puerto Rican comedian Luis Antonio Rivera had to give Jughead a Spanish language name that predated Torombolo in a local radio series (during the early 1950s) that adapted the Archie comics' characters; he came up with Yoyo Boing, Yoyo sounding close to Jughead. The radio series was short-lived, but the made-up name has become Rivera's nickname ever since.
- Jughead is known in French as Doudingue although "Jughead" is used in the comics.
- Jughead rarely opens his eyes fully and is often drawn with his eyes shut or lowered. It was revealed that his eyes are blue. Once Sabrina, the Teenage Witch cast a love spell on Jughead, and then realized it had failed because he'd never actually opened his eyes to see the girl. When she caused him to open his eyes, he was struck blind by the sight of daylight. Also, in one story, convinced by one of his friends to walk with his eyes open, Jughead finds that he cannot avoid obstacles (manholes, poles, etc.) that give him no trouble when his eyes are closed. Also, in a story from another comic book, Jughead actually admits the reason he always has his eyes closed is because it is "too much trouble to open them all the way!"
- Jughead is in control of his subconscious to such a degree that he will sink through sand or other loose terrains when he's sufficiently relaxed, and will float unusually well if tense.
- In early comics, Jughead is mostly seen wearing a blue turtleneck with a large white "S" on the front. But it has never been explained what, if anything, the "S" stands for. However, historians of January McAndrews' time (see above) have found out Jughead's secret and, she said, "...they were very shocked when they found out", to which Jughead replied, "...but that's my biggest secret." In one story, finally questioned on the issue by Archie and Betty (after complaining that moths have damaged his shirt and eaten through the letter), Jughead reveals that there he simply likes the letter "S" and is "compatible" with it because, in keeping with his obsession with food, "S" stands for soup, sandwich, steak, all kinds of goodies!" A bemused Archie chimes it that it "Also silly, simple..." Betty concludes the conversation with "S" stands for "Sorry I asked!" Also in a thin paperback comic book, on the cover, Veronica refers to Jughead, who was in the cafeteria wearing his "S" shirt. She also says "I finally figured out what the "S" stands for... Starving!"
- In 2005, it was revealed that Jughead's mother, Gladys, and Bingo Wilkin's mother, Wilma, are sisters, thus making Jughead and Bingo first cousins. Bingo, however, acts more like Jughead's best friend Archie, by virtue of his being girl-crazy and somewhat clumsy. However, unlike Archie, Bingo has eyes for only one girl, his next-door neighbor Samantha Smythe. This doesn't sit well with Samantha's muscle-bound father, Samson, but her more understanding mother, Sheila, is delighted since she is best friends with Bingo's mother. Further,Gladys and Wilma have a big brother, Herman, which makes him Jughead and Bingo's uncle.
- Jughead is supposedly Merlin's great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson. This is reaveled in Jughead's Time Police. Merlin is actually the founder of the Time Police and retired to the past at the end of his career.
- Jughead is named after his father, "Forsythe Jones", and his baby sister Jellybean (real name "Forsythia"), according to his mother, was named after Jughead himself.
- Since October 1966, Jughead has had a heroic alter ego, Captain Hero.
- The now-defunct American punk rock band Jughead's Revenge named themselves after Jughead. Their 1990 independent release Unstuck in Time features a cover of him stuck in an hourglass.
- In the Tom Clancy novel Without Remorse, John Kelly assigns the names "Archie" and "Jughead" to two drug pushers he kidnaps at gunpoint off the street. Kelly assassinates "Jughead" while interrogating the two pushers because "Jughead wasn't much of a conversationalist, anyway."
- On the radio program Bubba the Love Sponge, the show's videographer is named Jughead
- "Jughead" was an insult Moe used in The Three Stooges at some point
- In the movie Police Academy 2, Carey Mahoney (played by Steve Guttenberg) infiltrates a gang calling himself "Jughead", formerly of a gang called the Archies.
- In one storyline, Jughead goes to the fourth millennium, and found that he is celebrated as a hero, for something he did in his original time. He is also told that later in his life, Archie almost married one of Archie's two girlfriends (Veronica and Betty), but changed his mind at the last moment and married the other.
- In the 1970's, Jughead had a special appearance in one of the letter of the day segments from Sesame Street.
- Is an inspiration to Takeru Kobayashi, who says Jughead inspired him to become a competitive eater.
- Jughead also made several appearances in The Simpsons either with friends (Sideshow Bob Roberts) or by himself (Papa's Got a Brand New Badge).
- In an episode of That 70s Show, Red Forman refers to Michael Kelso as "Jughead", with Steven Hyde becoming "Archie".
- In an Entourage episode, Ari Gold presented Vincent Chase with an opportunity to star as Jughead in the fictional Archie movie being cast in the show's universe.
References
- July "Did You Know?"
- December "Did You Know?"
- October "Did You Know?"
- Ask the Archivist, "Why did Jughead give up girls?"
- November "Did You Know?"