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Archie Andrews (comics)
Encyclopedia
Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana, is a fictional character
in an American
comic book
series published by Archie Comics
, as well as the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show
, and Archie's Weird Mysteries
.
version of the comics) debuted in Pep Comics
22 (December, 1941), where he was nicknamed Chick; Reggie often describes Archie as carrot-head. Decades later, Archie is still a redheaded
17-year-old. He lives in Riverdale
, attends Riverdale High
and is the only son of Mary Andrews and mid-level business executive Fred Andrews. His earlier life is revealed in the "Little Archie" stories when he had a dog named Spotty.
Archie is a typical small-town teenager. Generous, well-mannered, but clumsy, he is genuinely liked by many of his friends. Archie goes crazy when he sees an attractive girl, but mainly dates Veronica Lodge
and Betty Cooper
. He has taken various employment, but despite the best intentions, often clumsily breaks things, coming in conflict with Veronica's father Hiram Lodge
and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee
. As the lead singer of The Archies
, Archie performs with Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and Jughead.
The Andrews family originated in Scotland
, with great-grandfather "Andy Andrews" immigrating to the United States and befriending Moose Mason
's Russian ancestor, who was emigrating at the same time. Archie has been depicted wearing the traditional kilt
of his ancestors and playing bagpipes
(but not very well).
from 1936 to 1939, and his sketchbook, an illustrated diary of life in Haverhill, was the true origin of Archie Comics. After four years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Montana returned in 1946 to launch the Archie newspaper comic strip, which he drew until his death in 1975. Montana's daughters once made pages from this sketchbook available online. Several real-life residents of Haverhill were drawn into Montana's creation, as was revealed when film critic Gerald Peary
interviewed Haverhill's cartoon character prototypes for the Boston Globe in 1980.
His friends Skinny Linehan and Arnold Daggett were the basis for Jughead Jones and Moose Mason respectively. School librarian Elizabeth Tuck inspired Miss Grundy and principal Earl McLeod was the model for Mr. Weatherbee. Montana knew the Massachusetts' Brahmin political family, the Lodges, because he had once painted a mural for them; he combined that name with actress Veronica Lake
to create Veronica Lodge. Betty Cooper was based on Montana's girlfriend in New York. Pop Tate
's Chocklit Shoppe, a soda shop
where Archie's Gang hang out, was based on real-life locations frequented by Haverhill teenagers during the 1930s — Crown Confectionery and the Chocolate Shop on Merrimack Street and the Tuscarora on Winter Street.
on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC
from 1945 until September 5, 1953. The program's original announcer was Kenneth Banghart, later succeeded by Bob Shepard (during the 1947-48 season, when Swift and Company sponsored the program) and Dick Dudley. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings
as the title character during the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by Hal Stone
and Cameron Andrews. Stone later wrote about his radio career in his autobiography, Relax... Archie! Re-laxx! (Bygone Days Press, 2003). During the NBC run, Betty was portrayed by Rosemary Rice, and Veronica by Gloria Mann.
, Betty Cooper. Initially, Betty only considered him as an annoying neighbor. When Veronica Lodge
came to Riverdale, he switched his attention to her, leading Betty to jealousy. She then began competing with Veronica for his affection, but Veronica usually won.
It is hard to decide which one Archie truly loves. Archie and Betty date regularly, and he can count on her to lift his ego by showering him with affection. Often, though, he thinks of her as only a close friend, someone that he can confide in, and is more comfortable with her. Betty clearly loves Archie, but he frequently takes her for granted. However, with Betty sporadically dating Jason Blossom and Adam Chisholm currently, he shows a tinge of jealousy.
Archie considers Veronica to be his girlfriend, but as beautiful, stylish, and wealthy as she is, Veronica can easily manipulate him, and although he sometimes realizes it, he cannot do anything about it. He keeps running back to her, but she is rarely devoted to him. Archie is always fighting for her affection with his rival, Reggie Mantle
, and occasionally other boys.
A third love interest is the wealthy red-haired girl named Cheryl Blossom
. At first, she was deemed too sexual and a bit promiscuous and she was taken out of the series, but due to her popularity, she was brought back again in Love Showdown
, a four-part mini-series in which Archie attempts to make the final decision between Betty and Veronica. Despite the efforts of both, he surprisingly chose Cheryl Blossom
. However, he returned to being torn between Betty and Veronica, with Cheryl remaining only an occasional third option. At the same time, Archie also dates many other girls, including Ginger Lopez, occasionally.
On May 15, 2009, it was announced that Archie would finally pick one of the girls to marry. According to the Archie Blog, the miniseries would run in Archie issues 600-606 (August 2009-February 2010). However, Archie Comics publicly revealed this to be a dream sequence to show two possible futures: one where Archie marries Veronica (issues 600-602), and the other Betty (603-605). In both, he has twins: a boy also named Archie who looks like him, and a girl named after and resembling whichever girl he married. Issue 606 was an epilogue to Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty
that returns to the comics' old format.
In Archie # 608 (May 2010), Archie began a relationship with Valerie Smith, making her Archie's first black
girlfriend; previously, Archie Comics has been very hesitant to depict interracial romantic relationships. The Archies
and Josie and the Pussycats were touring together. While rehearsing, Archie and Valerie secretly fell in love as they co-wrote the song "More Than Words" that described their feelings. Issue #609 revealed that this relationship had seeped into common knowledge by the end of the tour. Archie and Valerie were forced apart when the Pussycats were touring Europe without the Archies, but hoped to keep their relationship going.
has been Archie's best friend ever since childhood. When Jughead first came to Riverdale, he was in a bad mood and tended to dismiss Archie. However, Archie, of good heart, tried to cheer up Jughead and the two have been inseparable ever since. Jughead wears a trademark "clubhouse beanie" (a Depression
-era style of makeshift hatwear, crafted from an inverted fedora with a scallop-cut brim, and decorated with assorted pinbacks) and an inscrutable, closed-eyelid expression. Often Jughead has to help Archie out from a tricky situation. Jughead usually knows when Archie's ideas will not work, but is powerless to avoid getting involved.
Reggie Mantle
is Archie's constant romantic and athletic rival. Each often makes attempts to separate the other from Veronica, occasionally exhibiting physical violence, and both have won their fair share of scrapes with each other. Reggie takes every opportunity to play practical jokes on Archie and make cynical wisecracks. However, Reggie is often shown as a companion to and of Archie despite his arrogance and competitive nature, and they are often seen together practicing athletics or pursuing dates.
Archie's other friends include Dilton Doiley
, the local genius who gets Archie into and out of trouble through his experiments and inventions; Moose Mason
, the dim-witted but likable star athlete of Riverdale High who is often Archie's teammate; Chuck Clayton
, another of Archie's teammates who was originally shy and reclusive but came out of his shell when Archie befriended him; Moose and Chuck's girlfriends Midge Klump
and Nancy Woods
, two of the very few attractive girls Archie does not fall for; and Ethel Muggs
, a girl with a major crush on Jughead, who often wins his heart with the use of fresh-baked cookies.
, basketball
, and football
for the Riverdale High teams. Though often not as good an athlete as Moose Mason
, Chuck Clayton
or Reggie Mantle
, he proves a valuable member of the school team. Coaches Kleats and Clayton
value him for both his athletic abilities and his team spirit. However, Archie's athletic abilities vary from story to story, due to his frequent clumsiness. He also has a tendency to pay more attention to cheerleaders than to his playing. For this reason, Coach Kleats often tries to avoid resorting to use Archie in a game.
Automobile
s are one of Archie's hobbies, and he is passionate about his car. For decades, he was shown driving a 1916 Ford Model T
jalopy called "Betsy". In Archie double digest #192, it is said to be a Model A. In a story where Archie tried to have his jalopy insured, he described it as being a "Ford, Chevy, Plymouth
, Pierce-Arrow
, Packard
, DeSoto
, Hudson
..." explaining that his jalopy was "a collection of replacement parts from several junkyards", some of which dated back to 1926.
Archie's jalopy was destroyed permanently in issue #238 of Life With Archie, which was published in 1983.
In the newer comics, he drives a mid-1960s Ford Mustang
, which is more contemporary in appearance, but still unreliable and prone to breakdowns. Archie Digest 239, published in October 2007, included a new story where Mr. Lodge owned an antique car that had a strong resemblance to Archie's jalopy. The story featured Archie's grandfather who, as a teenager, looked and dressed like Archie from the 1940s. It turned out that he owned the same jalopy that Mr. Lodge now owned.
is a garage band containing Archie (lead vocals and lead guitar), Reggie (bassist or guitarist), Veronica (vocals and keyboards), Betty (vocals and tambourine), and Jughead (drums). Archie founded the group himself. Although not as famous as Josie and The Pussycats, the band plays numerous gigs and has some notoriety.
In the Little Archies series, the band just starts to form, although Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie, and Veronica start to play different kind of songs. The people like it, although sometimes, it doesn't sound that great.
telecast Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
, a TV movie (and subsequent comic book) depicting the characters as adults 15 years after their high school graduation.
Christopher Rich
portrayed Archie with Lauren Holly
as Betty and Karen Kopins
as Veronica. As the gang prepare for their 15th high school reunion, their teenage years are only memories. Archie is an attorney
engaged to image-conscious Pam, while Jughead (Sam Whipple
) is a neurotic
psychiatrist
with a troublemaking son (dubbed "Jughead Junior" by Archie). An elementary school
teacher and aspiring novelist, Betty is engaged to Robert Miller, who is jealous of Archie. Living in France
, Veronica charters a Concorde
to attend the reunion. She remains in love with Archie, who still has divided feelings for Betty and Veronica.
Moose Mason (Jeff Hochendoner) and Midge Klump (Debi Derryberry
) are married chiropractors
, while Big Ethel (Cindy Ambuehl
) is a beautiful model. Having worked for Mr. Lodge (James Noble
), Reggie (Gary Kroeger
) owns several businesses. Reggie plans to demolish Pop Tate
's to gain extra space for his gym, which Archie contests in court. In the end, Archie breaks up with Pam, Jughead moves back to Riverdale to open a practice, and Betty plans to teach in Riverdale High. Veronica stays for a while before going back to Paris
, and Reggie is forgiven. Panned by both fans and critics, this pilot film was not picked up for a series run.
On the blogs on ArchieComics.com, there also is a story starter page where the beginning of an Archie-related story is listed, and replaced once a week. Fans may write a story about the starter and post it on the blog for all to read. In a couple weeks, if the fan wins because their story is the best, they are rewarded with either a comic subscription or a comic collector set. They may go on to win the grand prize and get their story published in an Archie comic book.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, as well as the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show
The Archie Show
The Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
, and Archie's Weird Mysteries
Archie's Weird Mysteries
Archie's Weird Mysteries is an American animated children's television program, based on the successful Archie comics. The series premise revolves around a Riverdale High physics lab gone awry, making the town of Riverdale a "magnet" for B-movie style monsters.The show is distributed as meeting the...
.
Character and story
Archibald "Archie" Andrews (Archi Gómez in the SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version of the comics) debuted in Pep Comics
Pep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
22 (December, 1941), where he was nicknamed Chick; Reggie often describes Archie as carrot-head. Decades later, Archie is still a redheaded
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
17-year-old. He lives in Riverdale
Riverdale (Archie Comics)
Riverdale is a fictional town somewhere in the United States that is the setting for most of the various characters that appear in Archie Comics...
, attends Riverdale High
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and is the only son of Mary Andrews and mid-level business executive Fred Andrews. His earlier life is revealed in the "Little Archie" stories when he had a dog named Spotty.
Archie is a typical small-town teenager. Generous, well-mannered, but clumsy, he is genuinely liked by many of his friends. Archie goes crazy when he sees an attractive girl, but mainly dates Veronica Lodge
Veronica Lodge
Veronica Lodge is a fictional character in the Archie Comics books series.-Fictional history and character:She is called both by her name Veronica and her nickname Ronnie...
and Betty Cooper
Betty Cooper
Betty Cooper is a fictional character of Archie Comics, the blonde-haired daughter of Hal and Alice Cooper. Betty likes sports, and is also a cheerleader. Betty was created in December 1941. Her older brother Chic Cooper and older sister Polly Cooper have both moved out of Riverdale, their hometown...
. He has taken various employment, but despite the best intentions, often clumsily breaks things, coming in conflict with Veronica's father Hiram Lodge
Hiram Lodge
Hiram Lodge is a fictional character by Archie Comics. He is married to Hermione Lodge and they have a daughter, Veronica Lodge. He is also the richest man in Riverdale . Bob Montana, creator of the original Archie characters, knew the Lodges, a Massachusetts Brahmin political family because he...
and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee
Mr. Weatherbee
Waldo Weatherbee is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. Mr. Weatherbee is the principal of Riverdale High School, where Archie Andrews is a student. To Riverdale students and staff, he is commonly called Mr. Weatherbee, due to his authority position. Sometimes, Archie and his...
. As the lead singer of The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
, Archie performs with Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and Jughead.
The Andrews family originated in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, with great-grandfather "Andy Andrews" immigrating to the United States and befriending Moose Mason
Moose Mason
Moose Mason is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He attends Riverdale High School where he is typically depicted as the best athlete but the poorest student. His difficulties with school were later attributed to dyslexia...
's Russian ancestor, who was emigrating at the same time. Archie has been depicted wearing the traditional kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
of his ancestors and playing bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
(but not very well).
Bob Montana and Haverhill, Massachusetts
Bob Montana went to high school in HaverhillHaverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
from 1936 to 1939, and his sketchbook, an illustrated diary of life in Haverhill, was the true origin of Archie Comics. After four years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, Montana returned in 1946 to launch the Archie newspaper comic strip, which he drew until his death in 1975. Montana's daughters once made pages from this sketchbook available online. Several real-life residents of Haverhill were drawn into Montana's creation, as was revealed when film critic Gerald Peary
Gerald Peary
Gerald Peary is an American film critic, who has been a reviewer and columnist for the Boston Phoenix since 1996. He was formerly the Acting Curator of the Harvard Film Archive and is currently the General Editor of the University Press of Mississippi Conversations with Filmmakers Series...
interviewed Haverhill's cartoon character prototypes for the Boston Globe in 1980.
His friends Skinny Linehan and Arnold Daggett were the basis for Jughead Jones and Moose Mason respectively. School librarian Elizabeth Tuck inspired Miss Grundy and principal Earl McLeod was the model for Mr. Weatherbee. Montana knew the Massachusetts' Brahmin political family, the Lodges, because he had once painted a mural for them; he combined that name with actress Veronica Lake
Veronica Lake
Veronica Lake was an American film actress and pin-up model. She received both popular and critical acclaim, most notably for her role in Sullivan's Travels and her femme fatale roles in film noir with Alan Ladd during the 1940s, and was well-known for her peek-a-boo hairstyle...
to create Veronica Lodge. Betty Cooper was based on Montana's girlfriend in New York. Pop Tate
Pop Tate
For the 19th-century baseball player, see Pop Tate ."Pop" Tate, a fictional character in the fictional Archie universe, is the owner and manager of the Chok'lit Shoppe, a soda shop and frequent hangout of Archie's Gang...
's Chocklit Shoppe, a soda shop
Soda shop
A Soda shop, also often known as a Malt shop, is a business akin to an ice cream parlor and a drugstore soda fountain. Interiors were often furnished with a large mirror behind a marble counter with gooseneck spouts, plus spinning stools, round marble-topped tables and wireframe sweetheart...
where Archie's Gang hang out, was based on real-life locations frequented by Haverhill teenagers during the 1930s — Crown Confectionery and the Chocolate Shop on Merrimack Street and the Tuscarora on Winter Street.
Archie on radio
Montana's characters were heard on radio in the early 1940s. Archie Andrews began on the NBC Blue NetworkBlue Network
The Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from 1945 until September 5, 1953. The program's original announcer was Kenneth Banghart, later succeeded by Bob Shepard (during the 1947-48 season, when Swift and Company sponsored the program) and Dick Dudley. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings
Bob Hastings
Robert "Bob" Hastings is an American film, radio, and television character actor. He has also provided voices for animated cartoons....
as the title character during the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by Hal Stone
Hal Stone (radio)
Hal Stone , died February 21, 2007, was a radio actor best known for his performance as Jughead on the Archie Andrews radio series.-Radio:...
and Cameron Andrews. Stone later wrote about his radio career in his autobiography, Relax... Archie! Re-laxx! (Bygone Days Press, 2003). During the NBC run, Betty was portrayed by Rosemary Rice, and Veronica by Gloria Mann.
Love life
The love triangle between Betty, Archie and Veronica became the hallmark of the Archie stories since the character was created more than 60 years ago. In Archie's debut, when he was nicknamed Chick, he was trying to impress the girl next doorGirl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
, Betty Cooper. Initially, Betty only considered him as an annoying neighbor. When Veronica Lodge
Veronica Lodge
Veronica Lodge is a fictional character in the Archie Comics books series.-Fictional history and character:She is called both by her name Veronica and her nickname Ronnie...
came to Riverdale, he switched his attention to her, leading Betty to jealousy. She then began competing with Veronica for his affection, but Veronica usually won.
It is hard to decide which one Archie truly loves. Archie and Betty date regularly, and he can count on her to lift his ego by showering him with affection. Often, though, he thinks of her as only a close friend, someone that he can confide in, and is more comfortable with her. Betty clearly loves Archie, but he frequently takes her for granted. However, with Betty sporadically dating Jason Blossom and Adam Chisholm currently, he shows a tinge of jealousy.
Archie considers Veronica to be his girlfriend, but as beautiful, stylish, and wealthy as she is, Veronica can easily manipulate him, and although he sometimes realizes it, he cannot do anything about it. He keeps running back to her, but she is rarely devoted to him. Archie is always fighting for her affection with his rival, Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle is a fictional character in the Archie Comics book. His full name is given as Reginald Mantle, but he is usually called by his nickname Reggie, and sometimes refers to himself as "Mantle, The Magnificent." The character was introduced in 1942...
, and occasionally other boys.
A third love interest is the wealthy red-haired girl named Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl Blossom is a fictional character of the Archie Comics universe. She is a wealthy teenage girl, the privileged daughter of a software engineer.-History and character:...
. At first, she was deemed too sexual and a bit promiscuous and she was taken out of the series, but due to her popularity, she was brought back again in Love Showdown
Love Showdown (Archie Comics)
"Love Showdown" was a four part 1994 comic book story arc featuring the characters from Archie Comics. Publicized as a possible resolution to the decades-long love triangle between Archie Andrews and his longtime sweethearts Betty and Veronica, Love Showdown received more publicity than any other...
, a four-part mini-series in which Archie attempts to make the final decision between Betty and Veronica. Despite the efforts of both, he surprisingly chose Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl Blossom
Cheryl Blossom is a fictional character of the Archie Comics universe. She is a wealthy teenage girl, the privileged daughter of a software engineer.-History and character:...
. However, he returned to being torn between Betty and Veronica, with Cheryl remaining only an occasional third option. At the same time, Archie also dates many other girls, including Ginger Lopez, occasionally.
On May 15, 2009, it was announced that Archie would finally pick one of the girls to marry. According to the Archie Blog, the miniseries would run in Archie issues 600-606 (August 2009-February 2010). However, Archie Comics publicly revealed this to be a dream sequence to show two possible futures: one where Archie marries Veronica (issues 600-602), and the other Betty (603-605). In both, he has twins: a boy also named Archie who looks like him, and a girl named after and resembling whichever girl he married. Issue 606 was an epilogue to Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty
Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty
"Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty" is an American comic book story by writer Michael Uslan and artists Stan Goldberg and Bob Smith that was originally presented in Archie # 600-605...
that returns to the comics' old format.
In Archie # 608 (May 2010), Archie began a relationship with Valerie Smith, making her Archie's first black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
girlfriend; previously, Archie Comics has been very hesitant to depict interracial romantic relationships. The Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
and Josie and the Pussycats were touring together. While rehearsing, Archie and Valerie secretly fell in love as they co-wrote the song "More Than Words" that described their feelings. Issue #609 revealed that this relationship had seeped into common knowledge by the end of the tour. Archie and Valerie were forced apart when the Pussycats were touring Europe without the Archies, but hoped to keep their relationship going.
Friends
Jughead JonesJughead Jones
Jughead Jones is a fictional character in Archie Comics who first appeared in the comic in December 1941. He is the son of Forsythe II; although in one of the early Archie newspaper comic strips, he himself is identified as Forsythe Van Jones II...
has been Archie's best friend ever since childhood. When Jughead first came to Riverdale, he was in a bad mood and tended to dismiss Archie. However, Archie, of good heart, tried to cheer up Jughead and the two have been inseparable ever since. Jughead wears a trademark "clubhouse beanie" (a Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era style of makeshift hatwear, crafted from an inverted fedora with a scallop-cut brim, and decorated with assorted pinbacks) and an inscrutable, closed-eyelid expression. Often Jughead has to help Archie out from a tricky situation. Jughead usually knows when Archie's ideas will not work, but is powerless to avoid getting involved.
Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle is a fictional character in the Archie Comics book. His full name is given as Reginald Mantle, but he is usually called by his nickname Reggie, and sometimes refers to himself as "Mantle, The Magnificent." The character was introduced in 1942...
is Archie's constant romantic and athletic rival. Each often makes attempts to separate the other from Veronica, occasionally exhibiting physical violence, and both have won their fair share of scrapes with each other. Reggie takes every opportunity to play practical jokes on Archie and make cynical wisecracks. However, Reggie is often shown as a companion to and of Archie despite his arrogance and competitive nature, and they are often seen together practicing athletics or pursuing dates.
Archie's other friends include Dilton Doiley
Dilton Doiley
Dilton Doiley is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He is the smartest teenager in Riverdale High School.-History:Characters resembling Dilton appeared quite early in Archie stories—one can be seen, unnamed, in Archie Comics #1...
, the local genius who gets Archie into and out of trouble through his experiments and inventions; Moose Mason
Moose Mason
Moose Mason is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He attends Riverdale High School where he is typically depicted as the best athlete but the poorest student. His difficulties with school were later attributed to dyslexia...
, the dim-witted but likable star athlete of Riverdale High who is often Archie's teammate; Chuck Clayton
Chuck Clayton
Chuck Clayton is an African-American teenage fictional character published by Archie Comics. Chuck lives in the fictional town of Riverdale, and is the friend of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, and other students at Riverdale High School....
, another of Archie's teammates who was originally shy and reclusive but came out of his shell when Archie befriended him; Moose and Chuck's girlfriends Midge Klump
Midge Klump
Midge Klump is a fictional character appearing Archie Comics.-History:The character of Midge was designed by Dan DeCarlo and bears an uncanny resemblance to pin-ups he did for men's magazines just before he started working for Archie Comics. She was originally created simply to serve as Moose's...
and Nancy Woods
Nancy Woods
Nancy Woods is a fictional character, an African American, who appears in the Archie Comic books. A friend of the whole gang, Woods dates Chuck Clayton, a football player at Riverdale High.-History:...
, two of the very few attractive girls Archie does not fall for; and Ethel Muggs
Big Ethel
"Big" Ethel is a fictional character by Archie Comics. She is a student of Riverdale High School, known to her schoolmates by the nickname Big Ethel, though this nickname has virtually fallen out of use since the 1990s...
, a girl with a major crush on Jughead, who often wins his heart with the use of fresh-baked cookies.
Sports
Outside of dating, Archie largely enjoys sports. He plays baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for the Riverdale High teams. Though often not as good an athlete as Moose Mason
Moose Mason
Moose Mason is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. He attends Riverdale High School where he is typically depicted as the best athlete but the poorest student. His difficulties with school were later attributed to dyslexia...
, Chuck Clayton
Chuck Clayton
Chuck Clayton is an African-American teenage fictional character published by Archie Comics. Chuck lives in the fictional town of Riverdale, and is the friend of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, and other students at Riverdale High School....
or Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle is a fictional character in the Archie Comics book. His full name is given as Reginald Mantle, but he is usually called by his nickname Reggie, and sometimes refers to himself as "Mantle, The Magnificent." The character was introduced in 1942...
, he proves a valuable member of the school team. Coaches Kleats and Clayton
Coach Clayton
Coach Clayton is a fictional character, an African American coach of the Archie Comics universe. He is Chuck Clayton's father. He first appeared in Archie at Riverdale High #14....
value him for both his athletic abilities and his team spirit. However, Archie's athletic abilities vary from story to story, due to his frequent clumsiness. He also has a tendency to pay more attention to cheerleaders than to his playing. For this reason, Coach Kleats often tries to avoid resorting to use Archie in a game.
Archie's car
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s are one of Archie's hobbies, and he is passionate about his car. For decades, he was shown driving a 1916 Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
jalopy called "Betsy". In Archie double digest #192, it is said to be a Model A. In a story where Archie tried to have his jalopy insured, he described it as being a "Ford, Chevy, Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
, Pierce-Arrow
Pierce-Arrow
Pierce-Arrow was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901-1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.-Early history:The forerunner...
, Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
, DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
, Hudson
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
..." explaining that his jalopy was "a collection of replacement parts from several junkyards", some of which dated back to 1926.
Archie's jalopy was destroyed permanently in issue #238 of Life With Archie, which was published in 1983.
In the newer comics, he drives a mid-1960s Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
, which is more contemporary in appearance, but still unreliable and prone to breakdowns. Archie Digest 239, published in October 2007, included a new story where Mr. Lodge owned an antique car that had a strong resemblance to Archie's jalopy. The story featured Archie's grandfather who, as a teenager, looked and dressed like Archie from the 1940s. It turned out that he owned the same jalopy that Mr. Lodge now owned.
The Archies
The ArchiesThe Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
is a garage band containing Archie (lead vocals and lead guitar), Reggie (bassist or guitarist), Veronica (vocals and keyboards), Betty (vocals and tambourine), and Jughead (drums). Archie founded the group himself. Although not as famous as Josie and The Pussycats, the band plays numerous gigs and has some notoriety.
In the Little Archies series, the band just starts to form, although Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie, and Veronica start to play different kind of songs. The people like it, although sometimes, it doesn't sound that great.
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
On 6 May 1990, NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
telecast Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again was a live-action television movie based on comic book characters published by Archie Comics...
, a TV movie (and subsequent comic book) depicting the characters as adults 15 years after their high school graduation.
Christopher Rich
Christopher Rich (American actor)
Christopher Rich Wilson is an American actor, best known for his roles on Murphy Brown and Reba .-Career:...
portrayed Archie with Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly
Lauren Michael Holly is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the TV series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, and as Jenny Shepard on the TV series NCIS. She was married to comic actor Jim Carrey from 1996 to...
as Betty and Karen Kopins
Karen Kopins
Karen Kopins Shaw is an American actress and former model. Her acting career is mostly under her maiden name.-Early life:Kopins was Miss Connecticut 1977, having entered the pageant as Miss Ridgefield...
as Veronica. As the gang prepare for their 15th high school reunion, their teenage years are only memories. Archie is an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
engaged to image-conscious Pam, while Jughead (Sam Whipple
Sam Whipple
Sampson E. "Sam" Whipple was an American actor best remembered for his role as Dr. John Ballard on the TV series Seven Days.His credits include The Doors, Airheads and The Rock...
) is a neurotic
Neurosis
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
psychiatrist
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
with a troublemaking son (dubbed "Jughead Junior" by Archie). An elementary school
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
teacher and aspiring novelist, Betty is engaged to Robert Miller, who is jealous of Archie. Living in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Veronica charters a Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
to attend the reunion. She remains in love with Archie, who still has divided feelings for Betty and Veronica.
Moose Mason (Jeff Hochendoner) and Midge Klump (Debi Derryberry
Debi Derryberry
Debi Derryberry is an American voice actress, singer, composer and kids' entertainer who won an American Anime Award.-History:...
) are married chiropractors
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
, while Big Ethel (Cindy Ambuehl
Cindy Ambuehl
Cindy Ambuehl , is an American actress and fashion designer.She played Sophie in Seinfeld's season 9 episode "The Burning"....
) is a beautiful model. Having worked for Mr. Lodge (James Noble
James Noble (actor)
James Noble is an American actor best known for his portrayal of the slightly daffy Governor Eugene Gatling on the 1980s sitcom Benson. He began his career in soap operas, most notably, The Brighter Day; As the World Turns, The Doctors and A World Apart...
), Reggie (Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger
Gary Kroeger is an American actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985.Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kroeger attended Northern University High School and graduated from Northwestern University in 1981. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during Lorne Michaels' hiatus...
) owns several businesses. Reggie plans to demolish Pop Tate
Pop Tate
For the 19th-century baseball player, see Pop Tate ."Pop" Tate, a fictional character in the fictional Archie universe, is the owner and manager of the Chok'lit Shoppe, a soda shop and frequent hangout of Archie's Gang...
's to gain extra space for his gym, which Archie contests in court. In the end, Archie breaks up with Pam, Jughead moves back to Riverdale to open a practice, and Betty plans to teach in Riverdale High. Veronica stays for a while before going back to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and Reggie is forgiven. Panned by both fans and critics, this pilot film was not picked up for a series run.
Official site
According to Archie publisher Michael Silberkleit, the official Archie website receives 40 million hits a month. There have been many Archie licensing deals and products, including Archie tattoos from Topps Chewing Gum in 1968.On the blogs on ArchieComics.com, there also is a story starter page where the beginning of an Archie-related story is listed, and replaced once a week. Fans may write a story about the starter and post it on the blog for all to read. In a couple weeks, if the fan wins because their story is the best, they are rewarded with either a comic subscription or a comic collector set. They may go on to win the grand prize and get their story published in an Archie comic book.
Listen to
External links
- Haverhill cartoonist Bob Montana
- Archie trivia (Archived 2009-10-25)
- Interview with Michael Silberkleit by Rik OffenbergerRik OffenbergerRik Offenberger is an American comic book journalist and publicity agent, an early utilizer of the Internet for distributing comics news, and currently the public relations coordinator of Archie Comics.-Career:...
- Vanity Fair: "American Idol" by Jim Windolf" (December 20, 2006)
- Gallery of Archie covers #1-200
- Archie Universe