Riverdale's 10 Funniest Character Puns, Ranked | ScreenRant
It's unclear if Riverdale is supposed to take place in modern times, the past, or some strange fictional space and time that doesn't really exist. Indeed, really odd things happen on the show, from high schoolers investigating serial killers like The Black Hood to plenty of mythical and spiritual occurrences. Adding to the confusion is the variety of funny brand names that exist on the show, most of which are parodies of real-life brands, like American Excess and the Five Seasons hotel.
The show is almost not afraid to be blatantly corny, delivering silly names for people, as well, that would otherwise be laugh-inducing if the characters didn't deliver them with such serious faces. And they go far beyond ridiculous ones, like Jughead and Jellybean Jones, and uninspired ones, like Baby Teeth and Tall Boy. Some even serve as witty plays on real people, and others as clever parodies of common stereotypes.
10 Pretty Poisons
This gang of girls was led by Cheryl, with the idea that they would be women who stood behind Toni as a leader after she was exiled by the Southside Serpents. It was the ultimate "girl power" group with an edge.
The creation of the Pretty Poisons was one of the first really selfless things Cheryl did for Toni, showing her love for the young woman. And the name perfectly represented the members, who were all very pretty but also pretty badass and weren't afraid to kick butt and take names when needed.
9 Edgar Evernever
The leader of a cult masquerading as a group that helps lost souls, this name couldn't have been more fitting. Played by Chad Michael Murray, Edgar was a recurring character and a charismatic man who used his number-one and wife, Evelyn, to recruit young and vulnerable people.
While many, including Betty, were suspicious of his real motives right from the beginning, it was finally revealed that he was harvesting organs from his followers to sell on the black market, manipulating them to think they were saving themselves. His name, like his true motives, was a total contradiction.
8 Mr. Honey
The name was, again, designed to be a contradiction. While honey is traditionally very sweet, Mr. Holden Honey was anything but. In fact, he was quite mean and cold to the students, seemingly wanting to crack down on things in such a way that made high school life unbearable for them.
It turns out Mr. Honey also has a dark side, renting and watching questionable videos from an underground video store. So much for being sickly sweet.
7 Smithers
It likely isn't that the show's creators couldn't come up with a less stereotypical name for the Lodges' long-time doorman. It was more like it too funny an opportunity to pass up and calling him anything but just wouldn't have fit. In a show like Riverdale, of course the Lodges' doorman would have the most stereotypical name for a character in his position.
Smithers is a pretty common name for bell boys, busboys, family house managers, butlers, drivers, and other hospitality staff members to the rich and famous. In fact, the character shares his name with another famous right-hand man: Smithers, one of the best TV butlers, from the animated sitcom The Simpsons, who is the dedicated assistant to Mr. Burns.
6 Deena Lunham
An obvious anagram of the name of the famous actor, director, and writer Lena Dunham, this one appeared in the series' fourth season finale. Jughead had been accepted to the University of Iowa and was told the news by the admissions coordinator, a woman by the name of Deena Lunham.
The character was never really a part of the show but the name was mentioned, making it a pretty hilarious and subtle pop culture reference and shout-out to the feminist entertainer.
5 The Midnight Club
When the parents of the kids of Riverdale were in high school, they were part of this sinister club where they got together to play the deadly and addictive game Griffins & Gargoyles, and just generally get up to no good.
It was an interesting take on The Breakfast Club, one of the most popular '80s Brat Pack movies that also centered around a high school group of misfits who weren't quite as angry and sinister as those kids. Nonetheless, it perfectly represented how twisted Riverdale is compared to real life: while those kids met in detention in the morning hours, the Riverdale kids of the '80s were out and about late at night.
4 Mobsplaining
Veronica spoke this word to a pair of her father's men when they tried to talk with her about what she needed to do. Angry, Veronica told them she didn't need them to "mobsplain what's best for my family."
"Mobsplain" isn’t an actual word, of course, but it's a clear play on the pejorative term "mansplain" and perfectly demonstrates how Veronica wants to be treated like an equal. Not just because she's a woman, but also because she knows the ways of mob life.
3 Dr. Curdle
Every time this creepy doctor appears on screen, it's enough to make viewers cringe. Creepy and odd, he is always the one inspecting dead bodies that arrive at the morgue. And he isn't above being paid off by journalists like Alice Cooper (yes, Betty's mother's first name is Alice) to reveal details about the death.
To curdle, of course, means "to separate or cause to separate into curds and lumps," as in when milk separates into its two parts, curds and whey. When milk curdles, it's considered to have gone "off" and it looks pretty gross and unappetizing, which perfectly describes not only the creepy pathologist, but also what he does for a living.
2 Bret Weston Wallis
It makes total sense that the name of the pompous, narcissistic, cruel, even murderous, prep school student would pay homage to the creator of one of the most iconic fictional psychopaths to ever grace the big (and small) screens and book pages.
The author who wrote American Psycho is Bret Easton Ellis, a name that sounds an awful lot like Wallis' name. Perhaps the intent is to suggest that while Ellis goes one way (east), the character of Wallis goes the other (west), more towards the personality of Ellis' most famous character, Patrick Bateman.
1 Papa Poutine
During the time when Archie worked for Hiram Lodge, one of the people Hiram met with was a restaurant chain owner from Canada, stereotypically nicknamed "Poppa Poutine." Poutine, a delicious dish that's popular in the northern country, consists of French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.
As if the name wasn't stereotypical enough, Poppa Poutine's real name was Paul Boucher – suggesting he was French Canadian. (His son, meanwhile, was Small Fry Boucher). In one episode, Poutine sent Pop Tate's food back with disgust because the local diner owner did not use Quebecois cheese curds in his poutine.
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