Archie Comics is the comic book publisher and brand named for its best known character, Archie Andrews (created in 1941). Countless comic book titles, past and present, feature the Archie characters, who include girlfriends Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, rival Reggie Mantle, and gluttonous best friend Jughead Jones. Other notable titles from the company have starred Josie and the Pussycats and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and the company was the exclusive US publisher of Sonic the Hedgehog comics from 1992 to 2017.

Filmation produced a long-running animated TV Archie franchise, beginning in 1968, with a different format each year through 1978. The cartoon introduced the fictional band "The Archies," and their song "Sugar, Sugar" became a #1 hit in real life.

Little Archie, first published in 1956, predated Muppet Babies in the concept of reworking established characters as children. Live action adaptations include the CW drama Riverdale, the 1990s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch (and later darker Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene.

Appearances

• On Sesame Street, in a segment produced by Filmation, an animated Jughead Jones (voiced by Howard Morris) talks about the letter J, telling a wild story full of "J" words to demonstrate. (First: Episode 0231)

• During The New Archies Saturday morning run on NBC, the Fraggles appeared together in a print ad with the cast, alongside Foofur, Tummi and Zummi Gummi, The Smurfs, ALF, and Alvin & the Chipmunks.

In TV bumpers for that season with the Muppet version of Uncle Traveling Matt, he referred to The New Archies as The New Archery.

References

• Archie at Riverdale High #3 (1972) is on the Hooper's Store newsstand in Episode 0627.

• Archie comics are among the items for sale in Hooper's Store (as seen in Episode 0832).

• David uses an Archie digest to demonstrate "big" and "little" books in Episode 0966.

• A lunchbox featuring the Archies was seen at the Sleaze Brothers (F)Unfair in Follow That Bird. Depicted are band members Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica, and Reggie, as well as Jughead's pet Hot Dog.

Muppet Mentions

Print

• The cover gag for Reggie and Me #124 (July 1980) has the Archie characters watching The Muppet Movie on TV.

• In a story originally featured in Jughead #101 (October 1997), Jughead, trying to avoid listening to the paper Dilton keeps reading to him, stuffs bananas in his ears. When Pop Tate asks Jughead why he's doing that, Archie responds "He can't hear you, Pop! He's got bananas in his ears!", referencing Ernie and Bert's "banana in my ear" sketch.

• The story "E-Z as A-B-C" (Betty and Veronica Double Digest #96, 2001) features the gang finding a collectibles store featuring puppets from their favorite childhood series Alphabet Street. While counterparts of most of the Sesame Street cast are included, the art by veteran Archie artist Bob Bolling, and a tendency to mix and match traits, renders them distinctly un-Muppety. The group includes Big Turkey (who frightens Mr. Blooper when popping out of a trashcan), the ravenous Candy Monster (beloved by Jughead), the unhygienic Elmer the Slob, and bickering friends Gary and Larry. In the end, Veronica buys the puppets for everyone.

Television

• When Josie and the Pussycats crossed over to The New Scooby-Doo Movies episode "The Haunted Showboat," Melody said of the vessel the gang was following into a cave, "He didn't even say, 'Open, Sesame Street!"

• In the Riverdale​ episode "Chapter Twenty: Tales from the Darkside," Cheryl Blossom says "Out of the way, Bert and Ernie" as she pushes Archie and Jughead out of her path.

Connections

• Alyson Court voiced Veronica Lodge on The New Archies (1987-1988)
• Alan Cumming played Wyatt Frame in Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Carson Daly played himself in Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Rosario Dawson played Valerie Brown in Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Donald Faison played D.J. in Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Seth Green played Travis in Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Casey Kasem voiced Alexander Cabot on Josie and the Pussycats
• Cheryl Ladd provided the singing voice for Melody on Josie and the Pussycats
• Cameron McDonald played Mr. Svenson on Riverdale (3 episodes, 2017)
• Marisol Nichols played Hermione Lodge on Riverdale
• Bernadette Peters played Mrs. Fresia on Katy Keene
• Cole Sprouse played Jughead Jones on Riverdale