Mr. Weatherbee

Waldo Weatherbee

First appearance	Jackpot Comics #5
Hometown	Riverdale
Job	Riverdale High School Principal
Family	Wendy Weatherbee (niece) Tony Weatherbee (twin brother)
Cartoon voice(s)	Dal McKennon (1960s and 1970s), Marvin Goldhar (The New Archies), Tony Wike (Archie's Weird Mysteries)

Waldo Weatherbee is a fictional character in the Archie Comics universe. Mr. Weatherbee is the principal of Riverdale High School, where Archie Andrews is a student. To Riverdale students and (most) staff, he is commonly called Mr. Weatherbee, due to his authority position. Sometimes, Archie and his friends playfully call him The Bee. Mr. Weatherbee is a heavyset man with tiny round eyeglasses perched on the tip of an aquiline nose and a tiny wisp of a toupee that perpetually flies off whenever he is upset or startled.

Character history

Mr. Weatherbee's first appearance may be in Pep Comics #5 (March 1942), as a passenger of a taxi driven by Archie. After not impressing him with his driving skills, Archie learns that his passenger is Riverdale High's new principal. However, this character is not named, and he is not overweight. The first unambiguous appearance of Mr. Weatherbee is in Jackpot Comics #5, where he is named, and has his customary girth.^[1]

Mr. Weatherbee is a former member of the United States Marine Corps. According to a story in one of the digest magazines, he was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War (1957–1975). A previous story had placed him as a veteran of the World War II Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944–January 28, 1945), thanks to retconning and the "sliding time scale" principle.

In one story, Coach Kleats, explaining to Archie and his friends the value of not underestimating Weatherbee's physical prowess, mentions that Weatherbee was a good athlete in high school, excelling in football and baseball.

In Archie Digest #233, Archie's father accidentally reveals that Waldo was known as "Wild Wally" in high school. Wild Wally was a troublemaker, and, after the kids find out, contrary to what he expects, they learn to appreciate it.

He is a semi-active explorer and discovered some Malooka Indian relics near Riverdale.

Mr. Weatherbee has certain fears about his mental health, owing to the "hallucinations" that he sometimes experiences. However, his fears are wholly unfounded and stem entirely from his accidental witnessing of Sabrina's (or sometimes her Aunt Hilda's) witchcraft. Typically, upon seeing such things as an elephant and a giraffe poking their heads out of the windows at Sabrina's house (as in the Filmation production Hexter's Day Out) or Pop, the local malt shop proprietor flying by an aircraft window on a broom followed by Sabrina (as in Zelda's Racing Broom), he turns away and in a rather perturbed voice says "I didn't see that! I did not see that!"

Relationships

Weatherbee is constantly annoyed by Archie, so he often tries to avoid him. Ironically, he can not escape from Archie even in the summer months, as he also serves as head of the camp where the Riverdale teens serve as junior counselors. He constantly dreams of the day when (or if) Archie graduates from high school, although there are numerous stories in which Archie and his friends save him from various crises.

Despite their conflicts with each other, Weatherbee is friends with Archie's father, Fred, even inviting him to lead the parents' association during one episode. During that episode, Weatherbee also acknowledged that while Archie's school work has been careless at times, his grades were quite adequate.

There are, however, times when Weatherbee takes an interest in teaching Archie valuable lessons about life, nature, or things he enjoys. At times he even tries to hang out with the gang to be, as he says, more "in". Although Archie often annoys Weatherbee, Weatherbee has admitted on several occasions that he is "really fond" of Archie and that he is one of his "favorite" students.

While Weatherbee appears to be unpartnered, there has been speculation about the nature of his relationship with fellow Riverdale High veteran teacher Geraldine Grundy.

Also, in one Archie story where Dilton builds a time-machine, Mr.Weatherbee is shown to have been in love with a fellow student named Gwendolyn in his youth. After hearing his regrets about not getting together with her, Archie and Dilton go back in time to help him get the girl. Initially successful in introducing Weatherbee to Gwen, the plan ultimately fails when she finds out his ambition to become a teacher, which she says has no money in it. She then dumps Waldo. This was the 1st and only appearance or mention of Gwen in the series.

Despite the students' fear of Weatherbee, they still recognize his affection for the school and appreciate his efforts. In a story titled "Sheer Gratitude" in Archie's Double Digest #167, Weatherbee's age is said to be 65, the required age of retirement, according to the rules of the Board of Education. Archie produces a petition from the entire school, however, and the Board agrees to let Weatherbee continue working at the high school.

In one story, Mr. Weatherbee's motorcycle-riding mother visits the school. During her visit, she refers to him as "Willy".

His niece Wendy first appeared in Tales From Riverdale #10. She became a minor recurring character, noted for her quirky, eccentric interests, such as odd fashions and exotic pets. She is the daughter of Mr. Weatherbee's twin brother, Tony, as revealed in Tales From Riverdale #28.

The Weatherbee twins were very different as teenagers: Waldo focused on his career and education, while Tony focused more on girls and motorcycles (he opened his own motorcycle shop). Tony dated Miss Grundy when they were teenagers, but they parted. His friend Hiram Lodge apparently wanted to follow Tony's example, but instead settled down as a businessman and married Hermione.

Friends

The Staff of Riverdale High School, Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Dilton Doiley, Moose Mason, Big Ethel, (also known as Ethel Muggs) Chuck Clayton, Nancy Woods, Midge Klump, and other characters from Archie Comics.

Alternate versions

In Life with Archie's current dramatic storylines, Miss Grundy and Mr.Weatherbee realized they loved each other, and the couple finally married. However, in this alternative future, the former Miss Grundy died from kidney disease soon afterwards, leaving the portly principal a broken-hearted widower.

References

1. ^ "When did Mr. Weatherbee make his first appearance?". 1 May 2000. http://www.archiecomics.com/blog/gems/2000/05/when-did-mr-weatherbee-make-his-first-appearance.html. Retrieved 11 July 2010. 

See also

• Wendy Weatherbee
• Riverdale High School (Archie Comics)