Archie Andrews

Archie   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 20:33 GMT
My first introduction to American English was reading Archie Comics. Does anyone still read them? Are they a part of American culture?
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 20:48 GMT
I don't know how popular they are today, but they are still on the market. I was born in 1950, and they were definitely part of my American culture, although I didn't get excited at the sight of a new issue of Archie Comics as some of the girls in my neighborhood.

I always thought it was odd that Betty and Veronica had 1940s hairstyles in the 1950s. At some point in the early '60s, one of the issues actually proposed new hairstyles for the girls, which the readers could vote on. I believe they made an attempt to keep them updated ever since.

Although Archie comics were not one of my favorites, to this day I still see certain characters in movies or on TV and think of them as either a Betty Cooper or Veronica Lodge type.

http://www.geocities.com/jughead_p_jones_12/
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 21:25 GMT
as some of the girls in my neighborhood --> as some of the girls in my neighborhood did

I just read the character profiles in the linked site, and was amused to see how socially aware they've become over the years. When I read Archie Comics, the kids were self-absorbed, interested only in their relationship problems and clothes.
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 21:26 GMT
Oh, one more thing: I'm not sure whether boys ever read Archie Comics, but in my neighborhood they were popular only with girls.
Cro Magnon   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 21:52 GMT
They must be doing something right, since they're still being sold in grocery stores.
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 23:13 GMT
From the linked website:

<< Virtually every other comic book company, seeing what was happening with Archie put out similar books, trying to capitalize on the Archie mystique, but no one did even a fraction as well as Archie did. Most of those companies either folded or returned to producing superhero books. Archie’s formula for success was to remain contemporary with the times in terms of fashions, slang and the fads and pastimes of the day. >>

Except for the late recognition of the need for updated hairstyles, this was true. Around the time I was starting to outgrow Archie, surfing had become a pastime for Archie and his gang.
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 23:27 GMT
Another example of keeping up with the times was a story that came out after Edward Villela, a hunky principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, had graced the cover of one of the most popular magazines in the US (can't remember which), with a caption something like "Could this be America's greatest athlete?"

The Archie story had Archie and Reggie coming across Betty and Veronica's new male friend, a ballet dancer, giving them a lesson -- on the front lawn, of all places. (His attire was completely inaccurate, and he was wearing pointe shoes.) Archie and Reggie scoffed, of course, until a couple of thugs came along and threatened to beat everyone up. The ballet dancer, with his agility and superstrong legs, manages to kick the *#% out of them, of course, which greatly impresses the guys, who then join in the ballet class.

The website I linked to reminded me of another comic book in the Archie series that I'd forgotten about: Katy Keene, a glamor girl whose clothes were designed by the readers. I submitted a couple of drawings of outfits for her to wear, around 1960, which weren't chosen. My mother warned me that they would never go for the colors I used. Shocking pink and lime green together were very popular few years later, though, so I was just ahead of my time.
Deborah   Wednesday, June 01, 2005, 23:51 GMT
Archie, if you're still around, what country are you from?
Frances   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 00:02 GMT
I used to watch the cartoon series as a kid on TV about 22-23 years ago but haven't seen them since. That's because I really haven't kept in touch with the goings on cartoons or comics. They still might be around.
posts   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 02:18 GMT
The Archies comic book became one of my favourite comics book to read too back inthe 80s after I'd occassional read some. My friend and her father would give me large piles of Archies books dating back to the 70s and up to the early 90's. I would always read Archies at night before going to sleep. It helped that I had no cable or was bored sometimes. I heard a few Archies radio shows last year that were recorded in the 50s, I think, on the internet somwhere. I recall seeing the Archies on T.V. when I was a small kid too, but I don't recall any of the plots at all except that the Archies band were playing music. At least the band behind the Archies made 'Sugar Sugar' a hit. It's interesting to see how the girls went from being conformist to at least a little more liberal in their attitudes and clothes in the comic book. Poor Betty still did almost anything she could to hold Archie's attention though. Most boys probably don't care to read those comics but a little 9 1/2 year old who's been reading them since he was about 6 or 7 enjoys those comics most if he feels to read something that is funny with a quick ending. Jughead is his favourite character probably because since he's 9 years old, he easily identifies with Jughead who sees girls as nuisances like he does.

Deborah - speaking of cartoon characters, I remember you saying that Bugs Bunny was one of your favourite cartoons. I just learned last christmas - because I bothered reading the credits - that Chuck Jones was a collaborator on the old cartoon "The Grinch That Stole Christmas". He was quite the talented cartoonist. Oh, and I recently learned via the news that a man (Horton Hears) was the voice for Tony the tiger of the "Frosted Flakes" cereal commercials as well as the person who sang "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" - I realised that 'yes it's him' when I heard the song - he did work on other Dr. Seusse projects too.
andre in south africa   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 06:42 GMT
I was a huge Archie fan as a kid. My brother used to collect them, and I 'inherited" them when he lost interest. My parents didn't encourage it, saying that it was a "bad" English used in it. I've stopped reading it many years ago, but bought the Americana editions - each one covering a decade from the fourties to the nineties - a while ago. I don't know how popular they are these days in SA, but they are still available here.
posts   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 18:17 GMT
Andre, your parents were probably referring to characters like Big Moose with the bad english, but the good thing is that someone who was learning english would have been exposed to the everyday way of speaking of the different speakers of english.
The comics are available here too though I haven't read any new issues in years now.
andre in south africa   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 18:32 GMT
Posts

Nope it was more about words such as "wanna", "gonna" and so on, which is totally unacceptable in SA English, so they considered it bad English. Of course, in reality it was perfectly good (American) English. I agree with you, that was my first exposure to "another kind" of English. And it introduced me to the American way of life, which I'm glad about :)
Deborah   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 18:45 GMT
Thanks for the information. I didn't know Chuck Jones worked on "Grinch," but those great animators really got around. My favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons, though, are the ones Tex Avery did -- the less sophisticated Bugs.

<< a man (Horton Hears) was the voice for Tony the tiger of the "Frosted Flakes" cereal commercials as well as the person who sang "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" >>

Actually, the voice was Thurl Ravenscroft's.
http://www.toonopedia.com/tonytigr.htm

I let the name “Horton Hears” go by at first, then I remembered the Dr. Seuss book “Horton Hears a Who” (1954), the book that introduced Whoville (and which, according to a father on a website I came across, can be read to children with the interpretation that the famous line from the book, “A person’s a person, no matter how small,” is a message supporting anti-abortionists!).
andre,
<< Nope it was more about words such as "wanna", "gonna" and so on, which is totally unacceptable in SA English, so they considered it bad English. Of course, in reality it was perfectly good (American) English. >>

I always hear about how “gonna” is American, but it seems to be pretty common in England, too.
andre in south africa   Thursday, June 02, 2005, 18:50 GMT
Deborah

Yes, I've heard it on British TV shows too. But it's still regarded as slang in SA English. Of course, some things which we regard as good (SA) English, would be regarded as slang in American and British English :)