Archie's Pal Jughead Comics #51
Issue #51 is the direct continuation of the landmark 'Jughead's Baby Tales' arc that fundamentally reshaped Jughead Jones's character for the modern era — moving him from a perpetual loner to a devoted older brother. While Jellybean Jones was born one issue earlier in #50, it is in #51 that she arrives home from the hospital and receives her enduring nickname: Jughead, refusing to use the official name Forsythia, calls her 'Jellybean' after the truck whose accident caused the traffic jam in which she was born, cementing one of the most durable character additions to the Archie universe in decades. The introduction of Jellybean as a recurring infant/toddler broke from the Archie Comics norm of static, ageless casts and made the Jones family one of the very few in Riverdale where genuine time and change are acknowledged within the continuity.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The 'Jughead's Baby Tales' storyline was constructed across a run of issues beginning with #46 (June 1993), the same issue in which the title was renamed from simply Jughead (Vol. 2) to Archie's Pal Jughead Comics — a deliberate echo of the long-running original volume title. Issue #51 was produced by a team of Archie Comics regulars: scripts by Bill Golliher and George Gladir, pencils and cover art by Stan Goldberg, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Barry Grossman, and additional cover work by Henry Scarpelli. No single creator is credited with originating the Jellybean concept across all available sources; one collector-forum entry attributes the character's creation to Al Hartley and Stan Goldberg from the preceding issue #50, though this specific claim could not be confirmed in a second editorial source.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated December 1993; published by Archie Comics as Vol. 2, No. 51 of the Archie's Pal Jughead Comics series.
- The series was renamed Archie's Pal Jughead Comics starting with #46 (June 1993), with issue numbering continuing from Jughead Vol. 2 (1987 series).
- Part of the 'Jughead's Baby Tales' story arc: Jellybean Jones (born in #50) is brought home from the hospital in this issue, and Jughead reacts to her given name Forsythia — nicknaming her 'Jellybean' after the truck involved in the roadside birth.
- The issue contains three stories: 'What's in a Name?', 'Something Racy!', and 'Unlucky Day.'
- Creative team on #51: scripts by Bill Golliher and George Gladir; pencils/cover by Stan Goldberg; inks by Mike Esposito; colors by Barry Grossman; additional cover art by Henry Scarpelli.
- Jellybean's full given name is Forsythia Jones — a feminine form of Jughead's own real first name, Forsythe — a deliberate in-universe gag about the Jones family's tradition of unfortunate names.
- Jellybean Jones went on to become a recurring supporting character in the Archie line, notable for communicating only through thought balloons (unheard by other characters) and being one of the very few Archie cast members with a sibling.
- The lead story from this issue was later reprinted in Jughead with Archie Digest #151.
Cast · 3 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Jellybean comes home from the hospital and Jughead learns what a terrible name his parents have chosen for her.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).