Jughead, Juggie, Jug, or Forsythe Pendleton Jones III. Whatever you call him, Jughead has always been an iconic part of Archie Comics. From the very tip of his crown hat to Hot Dog, the little sheepdog walking at his feet, everything about Jughead is a little odd. And that’s pretty much why we love him. Fans and skeptics alike have to admit that when Jughead gets involved things are immediately more wacky, more fun, and, of course, super weird.
Jughead is different in Riverdale than he was in the comics.
While in Riverdale, Jughead is mainly concerned with art and getting to the bottom of the crimes, comic book Juggie was way different! For starters, he couldn’t care less about Archie's dating drama. After seeing all the struggles Archie's faces, Jughead was typically wary of romance. That’s just not the case on TV.
Jughead and Betty are pretty much the ultimate Riverdale ship. Sometimes, their relationship gives us hope. Other times, it stresses us out to no end! Fans of the comics know that this never really happens in print. In fact, in later editions of the book, Jughead is considered asexual. This is something that Cole Sprouse, the actor who plays him, originally wanted to take into the series, but was inevitably changed.
He may not be a fan of love, but there’s one thing that will always have Jughead’s heart: food! The Archies comic book character is constantly eating and never worries about stomach aches. His favorite food of all-time is burgers. With all the drama going on in the town of Riverdale, the television character wasn’t shown stuffing his face as often as fans hoped he would. But, luckily, they made up for it a little in Season 2 and with this extra video.
But maybe comic book Jughead has the right idea. After all, he was often portrayed as a one-of-a-kind genius, who just followed his own path. Nothing about him is normal and that’s what he likes most about himself! His razor-sharp wit and keen observations are something that definitely comes along with The CW show.
One thing that will never change about is Jughead's hat, his signature look! In the comic books, Jug does his best to never, ever take it off. He can be a little superstitious. When his hat is off, bad things tend to happen. Jughead just isn’t going to take that chance. While Riverdale’s crown hat has been given a little update, it’s still the iconic piece of headwear that defines the character.
Why does Jughead Jones wear a crown?
The story of Jughead’s crown goes way, way back. According to the YouTube channel, NerdSync, Jughead’s crown is actually called a whoopee cap. Whoopee caps were incredibly popular when Jughead made his comic book debut in 1941. Back then, everyone was wearing hats all the time, which means there was an abundance of felt fedoras, the most popular style. Factory workers couldn’t wear a hat with such a huge brim, though. They needed to have a clear line of sight! Instead, they would invert the fedora and cut the brim into crude, pointy shapes. Dads would pass their old fedoras onto their sons and the kids would get crafty and create their own brimless beanies. As it got more popular, kids would put pins and buttons on the hats to decorate them. Eventually, they started to sell the hats, calling them “whoopee caps.”
Cole Sprouse personally feels that the Jughead beanie represents not just the character, but an entire social class. In a Reddit AMA, he told fans that “the cap will always stand for a kind of nonconformist, working class symbol.” He also added that he’s “hoping to breathe the same into this version.”
So, of course, Jughead’s hat is an important part of his character. But since the TV show isn’t set in the same time as the original comics, there needed to be a little update. The costume designer for the pilot, Hala Bahmet, told Fashionista that their “[Jughead] wouldn't wear that cap. We tried it and it looked a little bit silly. We thought, well, what would a young, cool guy wear? Well, he would probably wear a knit beanie." And that’s how the Jughead beanie was born!
Jughead in Riverdale is played by the actor Cole Sprouse. Remember him?
You may remember Cole Sprouse from his days on Disney Channel. Cole and his twin brother Dylan had two television shows called The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and The Suite Life on Deck. When the latter ended, Cole and Dylan decided to head off to college! Cole graduated from New York University in 2015 with a degree in archaeology. To make the jump from archaeologist to actor, it took a pretty special script.
“Honestly, I didn’t really expect it. I like this project,” Cole said about Riverdale to After Buzz TV. “I didn’t really expect to fall in love with this project as much as I did.”
Jughead Jones narrates Riverdale — listen closely, and you'll hear his voice start off the episode. What's happened to him in the show so far?
In the first episode of Riverdale, a mysterious voice introduces you to the main characters and the main plotline. It’s not until four minutes before the end that you’re ever introduced to the narrator himself! Jughead is writing a tell-all novel about the events in Riverdale. Except it’s not long before he is thrust into the action himself.
Jughead started off the series as a sophomore at Riverdale High, just like his friends Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Archie Andrews (KJ Apa). However, after his dad is arrested for covering up Jason Blossom's murder to protect his son, Jughead attends Southside High. There, he restarts the school newspaper and becomes close with a Serpent named Toni Topaz. He’s still dating Betty, even though she isn’t happy about his affiliation with the Serpents.
Even before Jughead officially joined the gang, the Serpents promised to look out for him. Jug is kind of like Serpent royalty because of his dad, FP. They make it so that he can live in his dad’s trailer instead of the foster home. Plus, they help him out with info when he needs it.
During this time, the Riverdale core four are still trying to figure out who shot Archie’s dad. The mysterious Black Hood tantalizes the entire town and they won’t go down without a fight. In the process, Betty breaks up with Jug after the Black Hood blackmails him. Then, he makes out with Toni and Bughead is up in the air.
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