Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III is one of the main characters created by Bob Montana and John L. Goldwater in Archie Comics who first appeared in the first Archie story, from Pep Comics #22 (December 1941). He is the son of Forsythe Jones II; in one of the early Archie newspaper comic strips, he himself is identified as Forsythe Pendleton Jones III (and in one strip, likely due to continuity error, as Forsythe Van Jones). He has a white sheepdog named Hot Dog and a younger sister, Forsythia "Jellybean" Jones. Jughead (sometimes shortened to Jug or Juggie) is the best friend of Archie Andrews.

Jughead is almost always seen wearing his trademark beanie with both a round and square pin. This type of crown-shaped cap, called a whoopee cap, was popular among boys in the 1930s and 1940s. It was made from a man's felt fedora hat with the brim trimmed in a zig-zag and turned up. Bottle caps could be 'pinned' in place using the cap's removable cork lining. In the 1920s and 1930s, college freshmen were sometimes required to wear them for initiation purposes, and such caps were often worn by mechanics. Similar caps have appeared on other comic book/strip, cartoon, and children's book characters such as Eddie Stimson in Little Lulu, Melvin Wisenheimer in Little Audrey, Skuzz in The Berenstain Bears, and Bugs Meany in Encyclopedia Brown as well as on Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and Jeff Goldblum's character "Freak #1" in Death Wish. Jughead's hat was recolored in black in the Filmation cartoons and pink in The New Archies. Over the course of the character's publication, Jughead's hat has evolved from a modified fedora to its more recognisable "crown" appearance.  Though some view the hat as strange and immature, Jughead considers it a good luck charm and when it is taken from him, misfortune comes his way. While on the school baseball team, Jughead was pulled aside and reprimanded by school principal Mr. Weatherbee for wearing the hat instead of a proper baseball uniform cap. Jughead complied, but then started performing so badly that Weatherbee was forced to relent.  In the "Time Police" comic, there is a double of his beanie given to him by an unknown benefactor (later revealed to be himself) that allows him to travel in time.  Some stories showed him to wear a unique pin on his hat which attracts many girls to him, so he hid it to avoid the crowd of girls rushing him.  The hat also seems to define part of Jughead's personality. One story has the gang try to convince him to try a different hat, but it's revealed that whatever hat he tried on changed his personality to suit the hat. When they had him try on a detective hat, he zeroed in on clues that would have gotten Archie in trouble with Betty and Veronica, and took a hair from Reggie's sweater that implied that he sneaked a date with Midge behind Moose's back (the look on both of their faces imply he was on to something). Jughead also stated that he felt naked without a hat. Finally, Veronica gave him a special hat to try on. When he did, everyone said it suited him (it was an ugly thing but looked comical. She said she was saving it for a Mad Hatter party). Jughead tried wearing it for a day at school, but scared several students, teachers, and even Miss Beazly the cafeteria lady) they begged him to go back to his trademark hat. When he asked what they'd do if he did, they offered him a platter of hamburgers and he happily agreed.

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