The Women in Jughead’s Romantic History, A Collection
JD!!! It’s finally here!!! Sorry this post took a looooong time to complete because I always end up rambling and I keep on editing everything to make them short and simple - except Betty’s part, of course. I know that I promised to write about Betty’s love life too, but let’s just save that for later. Now, before anyone takes out their pitchforks and accuse me of being anti-LGBTQ and erasing Jughead’s asexuality, I’d like to clarify that every relationship mentioned in this post was included in the comics and is therefore canon. I just did my research, pals ‘n’ gals. It’s not my fault that such characters and stories exist in the comics. If you have any complaints, then please unleash your inner Karen and forward your concerns to the Archie Comics management. Besides, according to Dilton Doiley in Phood Phobia (Jughead #165, 1969), the only reason Jughead eats so much is because it’s his way of dealing with the anxiety he experiences whenever he interacts with girls.
Agents A,B, and C a.k.a. Aimee, BeeBee, and Celia
Aimee, BeeBee, and Celia were members of J.U.S.T (Jughead Under Surveillance Team), a task force founded by Trula Twyst which aims to make Jughead rethink his stand on the female population. Trula claimed that the only way to save all the Riverdale boys from becoming like Jughead (that is, a couch potato who only cares about food, games, and television) was to get the man himself a girlfriend, so in Know Your Target: Jughead (Archie’s Pal Jughead #90, 1997), she appointed three girls to lure Jughead into the world of dating. All three girls tried dating Jughead -consecutively, not simultaneously- but he still proved to be too much for them to handle because all three attempts ended terribly: Aimee kissing his fudgsicle instead of his lips, BeeBee despising him for napping during a poetry reading, and Celia turning into a couch spud herself.
Anita was introduced in Walk and Roll (Jughead #28, 1991) and instantly became friends with Jughead when they realized their shared dislike of the rudest boy in Riverdale a.k.a. Mantle the Magnificent. When Anita confessed about being nervous about her first day in Riverdale High, Jughead lent her his crown hat so she wouldn’t seem “unfamiliar” to the rest of the gang. He was quite smitten with Anita that he even told his therapist that she was kinda cute. The only problem? Dilton liked her too.
This post wouldn’t be complete without a segment about Betty and it’s not just because of my undeniable bias. I promised receipts and receipts I will provide. Jughead and Betty have been friends since they were kids and they have proven all throughout the 80+ years history of the comics that they would always be on each other’s sides. Although he’s technically Archie’s best friend, Jughead has always been on Team Betty during arguments and disputes (The Real Jughead, Jughead’s Double Digest #100, 2003). He even developed a habit of calling Archie out for his poor treatment of Betty: for trying out his “dating moves” on her to make sure Veronica will like them later in Trial and Error (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #31, 1957), for choosing to take Veronica to the picnic instead of her in The Last Straw (Betty and Me #46, 1972), for treating Betty like a dog in If the Hat Fits (Laugh Comics #36, 1949), for comparing her to an old shoe in I’ll Fall for You (Betty and Me #40, 1972), for taking advantage of her kindness in Contrast (PEP Comics #263 ,1972), for forgetting to get her a present in A Really Special Gift (Archie #571, 2007), for never getting Betty a nice and thoughtful gift in You’ve Got a Gift (Betty and Veronica Spectacular #65, 2004), for neglecting Little Betty in Movie Madness (Jughead Double Digest #161, 2010), for trifling with her affections in Lucky in Hate (Archie’s Pal Jughead #61, 1960), for treating her like dirt in Dumpster (Betty and Me #172, 1989), for always choosing Veronica over her in Switch Hitch (Everything’s Archie #86, 1980) and in Getting Some Smarts (Archie #565, 2006), for always making Betty play second fiddle in The Reject (Betty and Me #73, 1976), and for basically always being a jerk to her in The Task (Jughead with Archie Digest #182, 2003). It was even shown in the story Decisions, Decisions (Archie #214, 1971) that Archie knew he’ll receive an earful from Jughead if he makes Betty cry again.
But the question is… did Jughead and Betty date? Of course, they have! Some of their memorable dates happened in Dutch Treat (Laugh Comics #47, 1951) where Jughead worked as a dishwasher just to treat Betty to an expensive meal in a fancy restaurant, in The Hex with It (Archie’s Pal Jughead #43, 1957) where Jughead waited 8 months just to score tickets to see “My Fair Woman” with Betty, in Hat ‘n Miss (Archie’s Pal Jughead Annual #3, 1955) where Betty had trouble fixing her headpiece, in Pinch Hit Date (Betty #17, 1994) where they had fun at the amusement park, in Limited Availability (Jughead with Archie Digest #195, 2004) where Jughead beat Archie into taking Betty to the Ar ‘n’ Ar concert, and in He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (Betty #65, 1998) where they contemplated about their feelings for each other. They were also each other’s prom dates in separate occasions: in this newspaper strip by Bob Montana (February 21 to 23, 1946), in Prom Princess (Betty #112, 2002), and in this cover of Betty and Veronica: Senior Year #4 (2019). They even danced together in the very first Archie Comics story Prom Pranks (Archie #1, 1942)! They also had a long history of attending dances together like in The Fancy Dancer (Archie’s Pal Jughead #27, 1954), in Ladies Man (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica Annual #2, 1954), in To Have and to Hold (Archie #66, 1954), in Date Bait (Archie’s Pal Jughead #30, 1955), in Sweetie Pie (Archie #77, 1955), in Phone Loving Crowd (Archie Annual #10, 1959), in Undressed for the Occasion (Archie’s Joke Book #38, 1959), in Belt Belle (Archie’s Pal Jughead #69,1961), in The Loner (Archie’s Pal Jughead #121, 1965), in Sound Advice (Archie Giant Series #139, 1966), Sound Advice (Archie Giant Series #139, 1966), and in Desperate Date (Everything’s Archie #6, 1970). It’s worth mentioning that in High Dating (Archie’s Joke Book #29,1957), Archie was complaining that he couldn’t take Betty to the dance because she already agreed to go with Jughead. And even in the instances where they didn’t show up at dances as each other’s dates, Jughead and Betty always found themselves sharing a dance or hanging out near the snack bar. There were even times when they didn’t attend dances at all and just hang out together. Jughead also had a history of hijacking Betty’s dates with other guys like when he “stole” her away from Reggie in Witch Switch (Archie #58, 1952) and Conform and Reform (Archie’s Pal Jughead #75, 1961) and when he cut in to her dance with Archie in Panic Antic Part 2: It’s No Occident (Jughead #40, 1992). He also had a habit of appearing in Betty’s dreams just to stop her from either dating or marrying Archie like what happened in Missed Bliss (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #11, 1954) and in Just Dreaming! (Betty and Veronica Double Digest #243, 2016). In fact, Jughead had this habit of asking Betty what she sees in Archie anyway and constantly reminds her that Archie is not the only “fish” in the sea. He also announced in several instances that Betty would be the first girl he’ll go after in the future and he even admitted to his parents in Man to Man (Jughead #312, 1981) that if more girls were like Betty, then maybe he’d be more interested in them. It’s probably not wrong to assume that Betty is ranked third among the women in Jughead’s life (the first and second are his sister Jellybean and his mother Gladys, obviously) and it was shown over the years that one of the easiest ways to get on his nerves is to either hurt Betty or make her cry. Even in the early days of the comics when he was a self-proclaimed woman-hater, Jughead already had a soft spot for her. He took offense when Betty announced that she hated all men in Flying High (Archie’s Pal Jughead #5, 1951) so he reminded her that he was good to his mother and to animals. He even told her in Early to Wed (Archie’s Pal Jughead #8, 1951) that boys like him weren’t so bad and that she shouldn’t curse all men just because Archie was a jerk to her for the nth time. And for someone who was known for being a lazy nonconformist, Jughead sure had a history of giving in to Betty’s whims and fancies. Though he sometimes pretend to be hesitant or uninterested, Jughead eventually gave in to whatever it is that Betty asked him to do. He helped her babysit a troublesome kid in Tooth and Wail (Archie’s Pal Jughead #8, 1951), lent his wardrobe to all their friends after she suggested they dress the same in Quint-trouble-ets (Archie’s Pal Jughead #57, 1960), posed as her mannequin in Betty Gets the Needle (Laugh Comics #31, 1949), offered to adopt her cat Max that her parents didn’t want in The Stray (Betty’s Diary #3, 1986), and also participated in a variety of charity projects that she was involved in. There was even an instance in Tempting Tutors (Laugh Comics #51, 1952) where Jughead said: “If you’re plotting a murder, let me on it, too! Maybe I don’t like the guy either!” so it might not be a stretch to call him Betty’s ride or die. In fact, these random favors even included schemes that involved him and Betty to pretend that they were romantically involved. Some examples could be found in Sweet Mystery of Life (Laugh Comics #39, 1950), Go West Young Man! (Archie’s Pal Jughead #15, 1952), Coat of Alms (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #18, 1955), Concerted Effort (Archie’s Pal Jughead #111, 1964), Matchmaker (Betty and Me #24, 1969), I Remember Momma (Betty and Me #31, 1970), The Missing Ingredient (PEP Comics #305, 1975), Ms. Match (Archie and Friends #111, 2007), and this newspaper comic strip by Bob Montana from January 5, 1947. It’s worth noting that not all of those were initiated by Betty. Jughead’s a fan of the fake dating trope himself. Betty is also one of the few people he’s willing to spend money on. Like when he offered to share a strawberry soda with him in The Unsung Hero (Archie’s Pal Jughead #1, 1949), when he suggested to buy her a dress in Dressed to Kill (Archie #51, 1951), when he asked her to the movies in The Misfortune Cookie (Betty and Me #153, 1986), when he offered to buy her the trinkets she’d been eyeing in Fool’s Gold (Archie Giant Series #178, 1970), when he bought her flowers in Ring-A-Ding-Ding (Betty & Veronica #93, 1995), when he announced he’ll treat her at the chock’lit shoppe in The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Archie Giant Series #548, 1985), and when he told Pop that he’ll pay for “anything my lovely friend wants” in Sad’s Not Bad (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #311, 1981). Jughead even paid Betty’s crush Ring-a-ding Riley five dollars just to make sure that Betty has a date to the dance in Secret Pals (Betty and Me #8, 1967). Careful, Jug, your favoritism is showing! There’s still a lot of things I want to say about Bughead, but this part has gotten too long, so let’s just move on to the next set of girls.
Note: There are at least two stories in the comics where Future!Bughead got married: Early to Bed (Archie #43, 1950) and The March of Time (The Adventures of Little Archie #43, 1967). Jughead also proposed marriage to Betty several times, including a cute moment on the cover of Archie’s Pal Jughead #102 (1958) where he promised to cater to all her silly whims and do any stupid thing that she wants if she marries him. ♥
Before Joanni and Debbie, the girls in the Jughead triangle were two best friends named Cheryl and Lori. In Genesis… The Beginning (Jughead #283, 1978), Cheryl (not Blossom) confessed to her friend Lori that Jughead’s crown beanie turns her on. Shocked, Lori admitted to her friend that she also finds Jughead sexy. The next set of stories in the issue (Fielder’s Choice, The Novice, and The Best of Two Worlds) showed how Jughead dealt with his newfound popularity with girls and how he decided to give this dating thing a try: buying a new suit in an attempt to dress better for the girls, offering to walk Cheryl on her way home, and even treating Lori to a meal at the chock’lit shoppe.
Note: He impressed Cheryl during their walk home by being naturally sweet and gentlemanly (”Is it that romantic?!? It just popped out!”, he tells her) that she kissed him on the cheek as a “thank you”. Jughead liked it so much that Archie saw him clicking his heels on the way back home.
In the story In Your Dreams (Cheryl Blossom #31, 2000), Cheryl kept on spending romantic moments with Jughead as soon as she closes her eyes: they called each other pet names and shared coconut milk while vacationing in a tropical island, she played damsel in distress to his Indiana Jones-like hero inside a spooky cave, and she even starred as the Princess Leia to his Han Solo in a Star Wars-themed fantasy. Upon Dilton’s suggestion that the only way to get rid of such dreams is to face them up front, Cheryl marched to the chock’lit shoppe and planted a big wet kiss on Jughead’s lips. While he was indifferent to the sudden intimacy at the time, Jughead was the opposite in It’s in Her Kiss (Cheryl Blossom #23, 1999) where he told Cheryl that he was willing to kiss her because he wanted to know what her fruit-flavored lip gloss tasted like.
Note: In Fast and Loose (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #322, 1983) a.k.a Cheryl’s first appearance in the comics, Betty asked Jughead to lure the redhead bombshell away from Archie by “seducing” her using a magic pin that made him irresistible to women. It worked.
Debbie is a member of the new love triangle that was featured in the Jughead comics of the late 80s/early 90s. She was first introduced in Jughead’s Journal (Jughead #5, 1988) when she literally bumped into Jughead in class. In true meet-cute fashion, Jughead helped Debbie pick up the stuff that fell from her bag, which included a Crazy Willie Jim cassette. Jughead, surprised that a girl shared his taste in music, suddenly felt… funny. Through his journal, he admitted that his woman-hater image was totally wrong because he was actually interested in girls and he thought Debbie was cute. The two of them eventually date, but their relationship was made complicated by the arrival of Jughead’s childhood sweetheart, Joani Jummp.
Dilly and Debbie Doodle/Dalton
Dilly and Debbie are identical twin sisters who are both romantically interested in Jughead. In Slightly Outnumbered (Archie’s Pal Jughead #91, 1962), they executed “Operation Jughead”, a carefully-planned plot to lure him into going steady with them. Yes, the both of them (they’re very willing to share). The operation was unsuccessful, but their persistence was shown again in Woo For Two (Archie’s Pal Jughead #103, 1963) where they invited Jughead to a midnight buffet at their house. When Jughead asked who else was invited, Dilly and Debbie told him that “all the people in Riverdale who truly matter” would be at the dinner, so he agreed to come. The catch, however, was that Jughead was the only guest invited because he was the only person in Riverdale who truly mattered to the twins. Smart!
Note: Debbie Dalton the twin is not the same character as Debbie Dalton from Jughead’s Journal.
Dede the Purple-Haired Girl
Jughead and Archie Meet Dede! (Jughead and Archie Double Digest #12 ,2015) when she started working at PEP Comics. Archie was smitten, of course, but Jughead was quite indifferent. He then became a bit annoyed with her when he noticed that Dede rearranged the comic book shop in a way that made it unfamiliar to him. But Dede the purple-haired beauty was instantly attracted to Jughead, so she did everything she could to get his attention. She succeeded in inviting him to see the film adaptation of the Guardians of the Galaxy Protectors of the Planets comic book, but it ended up in a Triple Date! (Jughead and Archie Double Digest #14, 2015) because Jughead said that he’d only go if Archie does too. The movie date turned out to be a disaster because Archie kept on making a move towards Dede, who was trying to get the attention of Jughead, who was only interested in the popcorn.
It was not revealed whether or not Jughead really dated Dolly, but he was seen carrying her books in one pin-up. When Betty expressed surprise in this particular development, Archie was quick to remind her that Dolly’s father owns the school cafeteria concession.
Doris and Wendy Fleegelheimer
Betty and Archie set up Jughead on a blind date in The Right Type (Jughead #25, 1991). Though he was against the idea at first, Jughead quickly changed his mind upon learning that the father of his date is the owner of the famous Fleegelheimer Bakery. Doris was impressed when she met Jughead, calling him a “a cool, unflappable boy” a.k.a. just her type. He was pleased with this compliment, of course, but as the date went on, he found it harder and harder to hide his boredom even when after experiencing the most thrilling park rides with her. He only started showing emotion when he spotted the yummy snacks at the different concession stands, but his passion towards food turned Doris off. Luckily for Jughead, Doris’ sister Wendy likes the excitable type of guy and they hit it off right away. Bring on the free eclairs!
Everyone in Riverdale is aware of Big Ethel’s intense feelings towards Jughead… and it might be Dilton Doiley’s fault. In her first comic appearance in Electronically Yours (Archie’s Pal Jughead #84, 1962), Ethel became the first person to try out Dilton’s new mate selector gizmo and she was over the moon when the machine concluded that out of all the students in Riverdale High, Jughead is the perfect mate for her. What followed is a long history of her literally chasing after Jughead to force him into spending some time with her. She also tried almost every trick known to man just to get Jughead’s attention: working at Super Weiner and Burger Queen to give him free hotdogs and burgers in Jug’s Heart is Afire… and It’s Not Heartburn!, (Archie and Friends #49, 2001), threatening to reveal his embarrassing childhood stories in exchange for dates in The Bad Old Days (Archie’s Pal Jughead #119, 1999), kissing him while he was asleep in Rude Awakening 🚩 (Jughead #59, 1994), forcing skinship using a stolen “hug coupon” that was intended for his mother in On Demand (Archie’s Pal Jughead #192, 2009), dragging him by the collar in Going My Way (Jughead #343, 1985), chasing him down the streets with a lasso in The Sisterhood of the Travelling Jughead (Archie’s Pal Jughead #208, 2011) and a whole lot of other crazy antics. Jughead did ask Ethel to go steady with him in Steady as She Goes (Archie’s Pal Jughead #90, 1997) because he thought that being in a relationship with someone - literally anyone - would finally stop the boys of Riverdale from assuming that he was on a secret mission to steal their girlfriends. Unfortunately for Big Ethel, that relationship only lasted for a day.
Note: I wanted to give Ethel the credit of eventually helping Jughead clear up a misunderstanding with Joani in The Best Policy (Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals #214, 1990), but I don’t know if she deserved it because she only told Joani the truth after Betty guilted her into doing the right thing (as opposed to her original plan of “stealing” Jughead away by seducing him with some homemade pizza).
Gigi the Green-Haired Girl
In an attempt to stop Betty and Veronica from pestering him about getting a girlfriend, Jughead declared that his dream girl is someone who has green-colored hair. So when Veronica introduced him to a girl named Gigi who recently dyed her hair green for a TV commercial in Color Me True Love (Jughead #321, 1982), Jughead swallowed his pride and pretended to be into her instead of being exposed as a liar. The only problem? It seemed like Archie had a thing for green-haired ladies as well.
Gladys the Ice Cream Girl
Gladys, the girl working at Calvin’s ice cream in A Dark Saga (Jughead’s Double Digest #174, 2011), took one look at Jughead Jones and concluded that he is a teen vampire. Her reasons? First is that he’s apparently the spitting image of Basil Loverton, the fanged hero of the latest Twilight teen vampire franchise; second is that he likes things that are red (in this case, a raspberry-flavored sherbet - go figure). Even if he’s not a real teen vampire, Jughead decided to go along with Gladys’ vampire fantasy that he even borrowed a red jacket from Archie to dress the part. They went on a date to watch A Dark Tale and generally had a good time until a group of girls spotted Jughead the Basil Loverton lookalike and chased him around town. The situation became so out of control that he had to call Archie for help. Jughead visited Gladys at the ice cream shop the next day not only to apologize for the whole teen vampire fiasco, but also to promise that he will never bother her again. The story ended with poor Gladys crying, finally realizing that teen vampires really know how to break a girl’s heart. Aww.
Note: There’s a part in the story where Jughead expressed disappointment in Archie when he declared a strong repulsion for the teen vampire genre (”I can’t STAND those movies!”, Archie says) because he knew that Betty wanted to watch those movies too. FYI: Jughead enjoyed A Dark Tale.
It wasn’t mentioned how or when Jughead first met Gloria, but in Double Trouble! (Archie’s Pals 'n’ Gals #3, 1954), it was implied that they were already dating when Reggie heard him scheduling a Saturday night date with her while he was on the payphone at Pop’s. After Reggie pressed him for some details, Jughead revealed three things about his new girlfriend: she was a “Venus de Milo with arms”, her father owns the hamburger stand on main, and that she was a twin. After seeing the signed photo of Gloria, Reggie convinced Jughead to set him up on a date with Gloria’s twin. The twist? Gloria’s twin is a brother named Jack.
When Honeychile Hamilton arrived for a visit, she enchanted the boys of Riverdale with her pretty looks and her southern drawl. Annoyed that an out-of-towner was stealing their popularity towards boys, Betty and Veronica came up with Operation Jughead (Archie’s Pal Jughead Annual #3, 1955), a scheme to shift Honeychile’s attention from the boys who go gaga over her to the most unattainable of them all: Jughead Jones. B&V’s plan worked and soon, Honeychile started coming up with her own schemes just to spend some time alone with Jughead. She picked him up on his way to the Bijou, but instead of driving him to the cinema, she took him to Lover’s Lagoon where she tried to charm her way into his heart. Unfortunately, Jughead just wasn’t interested, so Honeychile cut her vacation short and went back to her hometown.
Jughead and Jackie first met when he found her all tangled up on Hot Dog’s leash in Chilly Reception (Archie’s Pal Jughead #186, 2007). Feeling bad for the girl who is probably clumsier than Archie, Jughead invited Jackie over to the chock’lit shoppe so that he could “treat her for her troubles”. He meant it to be friendly, but Jackie was still charmed by his doltish ways (her words, not mine) that when the trip to Pop’s was almost cancelled because Archie called Jughead over for a baseball game with the rest of the guys, Jackie suddenly caused a snow squall by simply moving her fingers. Jughead bought her a mug of hot chocolate (which she turned into a sundae) and she expressed her gratitude by laying a kiss on his lips. Jackie got to kiss Jughead a second time in Thrills and Chills (Archie’s Pal Jughead #199, 2010) when he agreed to make out with her in exchange for a better climate.
A descendant of Archie from the future, Jan was a timekeeper from the Time Police who visited Jughead in present-day Riverdale to make sure that he fulfills a destiny that would greatly affect not only Senator Bailey’s life, but also the whole world in general. While fighting off time thieves and warbots, they went on several adventures together and eventually developed feelings for each other. Though they were lucky enough to confess their love for each other before it was too late, Jughead and January both accepted that it was impossible for them to be in a romantic relationship because it might upset the very balance in time that they worked hard to maintain.
Note: In the new Jughead’s Time Police #2 (2019), there was a moment where January asked Jughead if he and Betty were ever an item.
According to the story A Lass from the Past (Jughead #5, 1988), Joani is Jughead’s childhood sweetheart. The two of them were inseparable: they were so close that Little Jughead was so heartbroken when the Jones family moved to Riverdale because he didn’t want to part with Joani. Years later, when Joani came to Riverdale for a visit, she and Jughead shared their first kiss. Joani is generally regarded as Jughead’s first ~real~ girlfriend in the comics, but their relationship was cut short when Joani and her family relocated to Alaska in The Good-Bye Girls (Jughead #18, 1990).
Note: Joani’s big brother Junior once threatened to turn Jughead into a knuckle sandwhich after he saw him holding Betty’s hand in Love is Everywhere (Jughead #15, 1989).
Jughead hated gals and Judy hated guys, so when they met in The Losing Battle (PEP Comics #95, 1953), they both agreed that it would be perfect to strike a friendship with each other because they’re both too intelligent to get mixed up in all that love stuff. They went to Pop’s to hang out, and despite Judy’s constant reminders to “not treat her like a lady because they’re not on a date”, Jughead couldn’t help but act like a gentleman: holding the door for her, pulling a chair for her to sit on, offering to pay for her meal, walking her home, and even tipping his crown hat before leaving. He wondered if his manners would get in the way of their friendship, but Judy assured him that his chivalry wouldn’t be a problem. In fact, she claimed that they could even share a kiss and still stay platonic. Judy ate her words and started falling for him instead.
Before Midge Klump, Moose’s girlfriend in the early comics was called Lottie. She was cute and friendly, but because Moose is her boyfriend, all the boys in Riverdale avoid her like the plague. Lottie’s fondness for Jughead caused a lot of misunderstandings that usually ended in him falling victim to Big Moose’s fists. Some example of Jughead getting pulverized include that time when Lottie asked him to be her math tutor in A Dangerous Sex (Archie’s Pal Jughead #1, 1949), that instance when she wore his fraternity ring in Ring on My Finger (Archie Annual #3, 1952), and that episode when she mistook a poem written by Archie for Veronica as a love letter from Jughead in Gals and Pals (Archie Annual #2, 1951). One of the worst incidents with this couple happened in The Unsung Hero (Archie Annual #4, 1953) when Moose beat Jughead into a pulp after he saw Lottie kiss him on the cheek even though she was only showing Jughead her gratitude for helping Moose pass history which made him eligible to play football.
Note: On the cover of Archie’s Pal Jughead #15 (1952), Betty wondered if Lottie was wearing the new “scent of romance” perfume because Jughead finally noticed her. Veronica corrected her that Jughead was actually lured in by the scent of hamburgers, which were brought by Lottie to the picnic.
Jughead met the Morgan family when they moved to the old Walton house in Love Stinks (Jughead Double Digest #121, 2006). Upon smelling that something delicious was cooking, Jughead basically invited himself to their family barbecue by following Captain Morgan and his twin boys to the backyard. Luckily for him, the Morgans welcomed him in and even introduced Jughead to their teenage daughter Melanie who was responsible for the special G.I. chili that intrigued his senses. They hit it off right away. As they talked, they discovered that they have several things in common: wearing funny hats (crown hat for him, garrison cap for her), having an offbeat personality that most people don’t understand, liking double anchovy pizzas and grape-flavored sodas, and not gaining any weight even when they eat a lot. The two of them continued seeing each for the next few weeks and only separated when Melanie told Jughead that her father received an urgent order to fly the entire family to Germany.
Midge was always known as Moose’s girlfriend in the comics, but in Life of Archie: The Married Life series, her story arc was mostly about her relationship with Jughead. In this version, Midge and Moose broke up and she and Jughead became close not only because they worked together at Pop’s, but also because they both wanted to help keep the chock’lit shoppe stay afloat amidst the tough competition from the new franchise stores that Mr. Lodge kept opening around town. They eventually started dating, became engaged, and ultimately married before the series ended.
Note: When Jughead had a decent conversation with Midge for the first time since they’ve known each other, he admitted that the only girl he could really open up to was Betty.
In A Retiring Fellow (PEP Comics #87, 1951), Jughead was immediately attracted to Mildred when he saw her by the phone booth in the Soda Shack. He thought she was cute, so he asked Archie to make the necessary introductions. Jughead flirted (he really did!) and just when he thought he scored a date to the lake with her, Mildred’s boyfriend showed up for some PDA. Poor Juggie!
Note: I think it’s worth mentioning that Mildred is blonde and a dead ringer for classic Betty Cooper.
Instead of feeling bad for Jughead because of his massive toothache, Archie and Reggie felt envious of him in 'Tis Better to Have Brushed and Flossed (Archie’s Pal Jughead #136, 2001) because it meant that he needs to make a dental appointment with Dr. Munowitz, whose cute daughter Mindy works as her assistant. The boys told Jughead that Mindy is a feast for the eyeballs and that her beauty is enough to melt even the most curmudgeonly heart. Reggie even claimed that she makes him “hear the bells”. Jughead was in too much dental pain to be bothered, but when Mindy offered him a pair of video goggles and told him that he could enjoy a movie (Space Trek Dune Wars!) during the procedure, he instantly warmed up to her. When Jughead left the clinic, he suddenly heard the bells and excitedly concluded that it happened. He was in love.
Betty and Veronica were shocked when Jughead took Ophelia to the school dance in It Makes Scents (Archie’s Pal Jughead #15, 1952) not only because he was previously uninterested in attending the event, but also because she does not meet the only requirement to be Jughead’s date: a girl who can cook hamburgers. Jughead admitted to the girls that Ophelia is indeed far from his type, but he just couldn’t resist the burger-scented perfume she has sprayed all over her body. He did take her to the movies that one time in Archie’s Joke Book #25 (1956) though it was later revealed that she was the one who paid for everything. Jughead also went to the switch dance in Witch Switch (Archie #58, 1952) with Ophelia, but he immediately pushed her towards Reggie so he could steal Betty away from him.
Note: Ophelia was the prototype for the character of Big Ethel.
Obviously related to Mantle the Magnificent himself, Regina was first introduced in Cousin Calamity (Jughead and Friends #18, 2007) and was an instant hit among the men of Riverdale. Both Archie and Moose tried asking her out, but Regina was more interested in Jughead, so she asked him out instead. Surprising Archie and Regina’s cousin Reggie, Jughead said yes. It was later revealed that Regina only asked Jughead out because she was interested in pulling pranks on him, but she admitted that it totally backfired on her because he let her experience the best date she’s ever had.
Rocky, short for Roxanne, caught Jughead’s eye when she punched Reggie in Advice to the Lovelorn (Jughead #170, 1969). Reggie was hitting on her, but after she told him that she wasn’t interested, he basically insulted her and made fun of her for being a girl who wears boys’ clothes. Rocky then punched him in the gut, which impressed Jughead a lot. After a little push from Archie, Jughead introduced himself to Rocky and offered her to a meal at the chock’lit shoppe. She accepted, and just when it looked like things were doing well for the two of them, their date was cut short when they started fighting over the hamburgers.
It’s no secret that the way to Jughead’s heart is through food, specifically burgers, so when he sees a girl dressed up in a burger costume to help promote Pop’s chock’lit shoppe (Jughead #9, 2015), Jughead panicked and literally ran away. Betty told him that the constant thinking and the inexplicable nerves mean that he has a crush on the burger lady, and after a bit of convincing, Jughead sort of admitted his interest in her. The burger lady, it turns out, is everybody’s favorite teenage witch Sabrina Spellman. They scheduled a date - the very first for the Jughead in this universe - but it was so awkward that not even a platter of nachos could save it. A frustrated Sabrina tried using her magic to improve the situation, but Jughead was too inexperienced and too nervous to even notice whatever’s going on.
When the Jones family briefly moved to Montana in Freshman Year: The Missing Chapters (Archie and Friends #140, 2010), Jughead became friends with a girl named Sadie. She’s smart, friendly, athletic, and is nice to Hot Dog. Jughead even claimed that she’d probably deck Reggie if he ever sounded off to her. It was implied that Jughead developed feelings for her when he had a dream about introducing Sadie as his girlfriend to the Riverdale squad, so when Sadie immediately ran towards her childhood friend (and secret admirer) Randy Stone and not him after an eventful pie-eating contest, Jughead reassured his parents that he was okay with the news of them moving back to Riverdale. It was, according to him, the right time to move on. Aww.
Upon learning that the Riverdale High School picnic in The Matchmakers: Part 2, (Jughead’s Double Digest #140, 2008) will feature a series of couple competitions, the gang felt bad at the thought of Jughead missing a lot of fun activities just because he’s single. Their solution? Find him a girlfriend! Enter Sandy Sanchez: a pretty, athletic, and smart classmate. In fact, she’s too smart that, along with Jughead, she quickly figured out that bumping into each other at the movies wasn’t a coincidence, but a set-up by their friends. Instead of confronting them about it, Jughead and Sandy turned the tables on their friends by fake dating and winning the couple competitions by a nose (literally). They even took this prank up a notch by pretending that their love was serious enough to stage a public proposal in The Matchmakers: Part 3 (Jughead’s Double Digest #142, 2008).
Note: When Jughead told the gang that he was planning to propose to Sandy, a panicking Betty immediately asked him to think it over first because they’re both too young to be engaged.
When Archie and Reggie spotted him on a movie date in Hungry for Love (Jughead #142, 1967), Jughead took Sharon by the hand and ran out of the cinema without even finishing whatever they were watching. The two boys chased them around town, but Jughead was determined not to get caught. When Sharon confronted him about what the heck was going on, Jughead confessed that he didn’t want his friends to meet her because they were both good-looking and he’s worried that either of them would take her away from him. Instead of getting mad, Sharon found this declaration to be romantic, so she gave him a kiss. So what’s the twist? Sharon’s father owns a hamburger stand.
Note: A few panels from Jughead and Sharon’s story are quite popular within the Bughead fandom because somebody photoshopped Betty’s face into Sharon’s. Sorry to be the bearer of news, but that’s the truth.
Archie and Reggie engaged in yet another rivalry when a new girl named Sheila started attending Riverdale High School in A New Dish! (Jughead Double Digest #147, 2009). They tried to hit on her, but she dismissed them both, claiming that she prefers guys who are tall, dark, and handsome… just like her boyfriend. To their shock, the boyfriend Sheila was bragging about was no other than Jughead! The boys couldn’t believe that Sheila would choose Jughead over them or that Jughead would even date at all. In an attempt to uncover the truth about their bizarre relationship, Archie and Reggie followed the new couple to their date and quickly realized why Jughead decided to date Sheila in the first place: her father owns The Hot Tamale, one of Jughead’s favorite chain of restaurants.
In Kidded Kidders (Archie’s Pal Jughead #80, 1962), Archie and Reggie decided to play a prank on Jughead by telling him that Sophie Himmeldimmel’s father owns a bakery. Jughead the donut connoisseur then took Sophie on a date, treated her like royalty, and left Betty and Veronica in awe because it seemed so out of character for Jughead not only to go on a date and actually spend money on someone else, but also for him to act so chivalrous and use terms of endearments (he kept calling Sophie “M’dear). Though it wasn’t true that Sophie’s dad owns a bakery, Jughead still got the last laugh in the story when Pop Tate told the gang that Mr. Himmeldimmel actually owns the meat packing company that’s responsible for supplying all the hamburgers in their territory. Free burgers!!!
Jughead met Tiffany when they were both invited to attend Veronica’s piano recital in Beau Who? (Veronica #82, 1998). When asked about his hobbies, Jughead talked about his penchant for collecting classic cars and soon after, Tiffany was seen bragging to Veronica about meeting the greatest boy during her recital. Tiffany was so enamored with Jughead that she organized a lawn party just to show him off to Veronica and their friends. The “relationship” was short-lived, of course, because Tiffany dumped Jughead after learning that the classic cars he liked collecting were just toys, not real ones.
It was no secret that Jughead was different from the other boys in Riverdale, so it wasn’t surprising that aspiring pop psychologist Trula Twyst became a bit obsessed with him as soon as she appeared on Target: Jughead (Archie’s Pal Jughead #89, 1997). She tried so hard to understand him by analyzing every move, every word, and every quirk that she event went as far as organizing J.U.S.T (Jug Under Surveillance Team) to find him a girlfriend. As previously mentioned, the early attempts to turn Jughead into a boyfriend have failed miserably, but in a surprising twist, Trula found herself dating him instead. In Target: Jughead! The Dramatic Conclusion (Archie’s Pal Jughead #91, 1997), everyone (even Principal Weatherbee and the teachers!!!) was surprised to see Jughead act like a regular boyfriend: walking arm-in-arm with her, laughing at her jokes, hanging out with her at Pop’s, and even sharing his food with her. But of course, there was another twist to this story: all this time, Jughead had been aware that everything was a part of Trula’s scheme, but instead of fighting it, he just gave in and went along with it. They broke up after Trula started gaining interest from other boys and soon developed a rather love-hate kind of relationship.
Note: Betty said that it was strange to see Jughead with a steady girlfriend, but Veronica claimed that Jughead and Trula were an interesting couple just like Sam and Diane from Cheers.
Archie and Reggie became head over heels for the new girl in Voice and Girls Together (Archie Annual #9, 1958). Named Vilma, this atomic girl had the ability to entice men by simply mentioning their name. Upset by this situation, Betty desperately asked Jughead if he could “sock her just once”, so when Jughead saw Vilma for the first time, he confronted her right away and called her a menace. Vilma was stunned. She didn’t know why a stranger would even dare to accuse her of such a thing, but when Jughead suddenly called her by her name, she suddenly flipped and latched on to him ‘til the end of the story.
The boys of Riverdale were all intrigued by new girl Wendy, but they all run for their lives as soon as they learn that she is the niece of Principal Weatherbee. So when Jughead approached her at the beach in Double "W” Trouble (Jughead and Friends #12, 2006) to sing praises about her frozen juice snack and talk about comic books, Wendy realized that he was quite nice, so she decided to ask him out on a date. Before Jughead could answer, he was reminded of who her uncle was, so he went into panic mode after imagining a couple of scenarios where his dates with Wendy were interrupted by the presence of their school principal. Unfortunately for Wendy, it was enough to make Jughead run away like the other boys in Riverdale.
Note: Principal Weatherbee chose Jughead to be Wendy’s date for the spring dance in Wendy Be Warned (Archie and Me #6, 2018) because he seemed like the only boy in Riverdale who didn’t have any hidden motives towards his niece.
The Riverdale rumor mill went crazy when news of Jughead finally dating started circulating in Love at First Fright (Archie’s Pal Jughead Annual #3, 1955). Everyone was excited for him - except his best buddy Archie who felt left out because he was the last one to know about it. When the two of them bumped into each other after Jughead’s date with his blond girlfriend, Archie made fun of him for sounding goofy and looking lovestruck. Jughead then started gushing about her: "What eyes! What nose! What lips! What a girl! Rowff-f!!“ but instead of being supportive about his best friend’s love life, Archie started telling him how expensive it is to have a girlfriend and how her expectations of him would soon increase. He claimed that his girl would eventually demand him to take her to dinners and dances, expect him to pay for everything, ask him to go steady, and eventually set up a wedding date. A panic-striken Jughead then broke up with his girlfriend because he couldn’t comprehend why buying her a soda would suddenly escalate to exchanging wedding vows with a girl who can’t even cook.
Other Dates or Girlfriends
Throughout the 80-year history of the comics, Jughead also dated the following girls: a girl named Jerry Price in The Case of the Missing Mistletoe (Archie #1, 1942), the daughter of the hot dog stand owner in Juggy’s Last Stand (Archie’s Girls Betty and Veronica #18, 1955), a girl named Devon who went to the movies with him in A Date with Jughead (Archie’s Pal Jughead #172, 2006), the girl who works at the movie theater concession stand in Super Date (Archie and Friends #46, 2001), a girl named Sandy Berger that he met on the beach in What’s in a Name? (Jughead #173, 1969), the girl he was whispering to in First Love (Archie #61, 1953), a girl named Jane Dough who was paid by the Blossoms twins to distract him from the upcoming eating contest in The Great All-American Pembrooke-Riverdale Food-Eating Contest! Munchie Mania! (Archie at Riverdale High #97, 1984), the girl who gets lots of candy in Love Starved (Archie Giant Series #161, 1969), a girl named Terri who used to date Reggie in The Hat Trick (Archie Giant Series #523, 1982), a girl named Suzette whose father is a chef at the country club in A Saucy Dish (Archie’s Pal Jughead #50, 1958), the girl who peppered him with kisses in Conscience Stricken (Jughead #190, 1971), the girl he met on the beach in Magic Moments (Archie Giant Series #531, 1983), the girl on the cover of Archie’s Pal Jughead #44 (1957) whose father runs a hamburger stand, a girl named Susie Sweet whose father also owns a hamburger stand in Archie’s Pal Jughead #12 (1952), a girl named Patty that he was on a date with on the cover of Archie’s Pal Jughead #141 (2002), another girl (also named Patty) on the cover of B&V Friends Double Digest #280 (2020), and the Betty look-a-like that he painted in Three’s A Crowd (Archie’s Pal Jughead #107, 1964). Who’s the woman-hater now? Hahaha!
While it is true that he took out several women just because of their connection to food, Jughead also dated some of them out of pure interest. Just like Archie and Reggie, he pursued girls and flirted with them because he thought they were nice or cute or interesting or pretty. Jughead may be aromantic or asexual in some versions of the comics, but what stays true in all iterations of his character is that he is always attracted to people with similar values or interests. He liked girls that share his interest in music, in food, in comic books, in animals, and in movies while he developed feelings for girls who are cool, smart, athletic, and kind.
So there you have it: Jughead’s romantic history. I’m aware that this list is probably still incomplete, so I’ll just update it after I discover another girlfriend or date that I may have missed. Thank you for reading! ♥
