Bughead Trivia: Betty and Jughead had a Beatnik phase.
Based on the dates the comics were published, Jughead was the first one to get bitten by the Beatnik bug. In Like Real Gone, he and Archie made Betty and Veronica worry when they started talking in slang and changing their style. In fact, Jughead was so committed to embracing Beatnik fashion that he even traded his iconic crown hat for a blue beret. A cool cat, regardless.
Two years later, when it was Betty’s turn to dip her toes into the Beatnik subculture, Jughead initially thought it was just an elaborate prank that was designed to make fun of him. He only realized the seriousness of it all when Veronica basically forced him to focus his audio and told him that Betty was essentially slated for crashville because she influenced both Archie and Reggie to embrace the lifestyle too.
While Jughead focused more on the fashion, the slang, and the non-conforming attitude, Betty showcased another facet of the subculture in Take Me to Your Leader: the music. She became so obsessed with progressive jazz music and she even learned how to play the flute and of course, the bongos. The girl's claws are sharp so it was relatively easy for her to know her groceries.
It’s a relief that Bughead only dabbled in Beatnik fashion, slang, and music. It would be a real zonk in the head if they messed around with the other things Beatniks are generally associated with like drug use and petty crimes. Jughead and Archie once tried to order some alcoholic beverages during their Beatnik phase, but Pop Tate just threw them out of the chock’lit shoppe after shoving unpaid tabs on their faces. Nobody’s getting Dixie fried in Pop’s. Especially not on Pop Tate’s watch. ♥
