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The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main characters
editGreg Heffley
editGregory "Greg" Heffley serves as the central character of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He is depicted as the middle son of Frank and Susan Heffley, navigating the trials of middle school with an intense desire for popularity. This ambition often leads him to go to great lengths, including displaying antagonistic behavior or manipulating his best friend, Rowley. Despite these tendencies, Greg occasionally shows moments of kindness, suggesting a more complex personality beneath his relentless quest for social status. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, for instance, Greg persuades Rowley to do his homework, only to annoy him and impede Rowley's concentration, underscoring Greg's tendency to exploit his friend.
In the film adaptations, Greg is portrayed by Zachary Gordon in the first three films, Jason Drucker in The Long Haul, and Brady Noon in the animated films until Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, where Wesley Kimmel provides his voice.
Rowley Jefferson
editRowley Jefferson is characterized to be Greg's best friend. Rowley is characterized as friendly, good-natured, and somewhat naive, remaining loyal to Greg despite frequently getting caught up in Greg’s schemes. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, Rowley begins dating Abigail Brown, initially Greg’s intended date for the Valentine's Day dance. This relationship continues into Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, where Rowley drifts away from Greg to spend more time with Abigail. However, by the end of the book, Rowley and Abigail break up, allowing Rowley and Greg to rekindle their friendship.
Rowley’s interests are often portrayed as "immature" by Greg, such as his enthusiasm for the pop singer Joshie, who is marketed toward young children, and his enjoyment of action figures Greg considers childish. Greg’s jealousy also becomes apparent when Rowley receives a diary for his birthday and suggests they could be “Diary Twins,” prompting Greg to dismissively respond with a light punch, showing his annoyance. Rowley is the original creator of the comic strip Zoo Wee Mama![1] Although Greg claims to have contributed, Rowley maintains in the first book that Greg had little involvement, a rare instance where Rowley asserts himself. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley is the protagonist, with Greg taking on a more antagonistic role, showcasing Rowley’s perspective on their friendship.
In the film series, Rowley is portrayed by Robert Capron in the first three films, Owen Asztalos in The Long Haul, and Ethan William Childress in the animated films until Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, where he was voiced by Spencer Howell instead.
Frank Heffley
editFranklin "Frank" Heffley is depicted to be Greg's overreactive but well-meaning father. He is interested in U.S. history, with his replica of a Civil War battlefield serving as a recurring plot point in the series.[2] In the books, Frank despises Rowley,[2] and does not appreciate Greg's skill at video games. He is also shown to loathe heavy metal[1] and adolescents.[3] Frank tries to toughen Greg up and threatens to send him to a military academy in The Last Straw, although ultimately this does not come to fruition, much to Greg's relief.[3] However, Greg and Frank grow together in Dog Days, despite a brief period when Frank does not speak to Greg after almost getting arrested and going to jail.
He seems to have displayed similar mischievous, possessive and selfish tendencies to Greg in his childhood, as in Old School, it is revealed that as a child he invented the mythical cryptid Silas Scratch to keep others away from the maintenance shed with a working bathroom at Hardscrabble Farms which he snuck into and used for his convenience. The rumors are later spread even further by Greg himself so no one would use the bathroom but him.
Frank is depicted to be addicted to junk food; in The Last Straw, the character makes a New Year's Resolution to go on a strict diet, but Greg later catches him in the garage eating brownies. After Greg is forced to go for several days without any snacks due to a thief taking them, he eventually decides to catch the thief and discovers that it is Frank.
In the film series, Frank is portrayed by Steve Zahn in the first three films, Tom Everett Scott in The Long Haul, and Chris Diamantopoulos in the animated films.
Susan Heffley
editSusan Heffley (known as Ann Heffley in the online version) is the mother of Manny, Greg, and Rodrick, the wife of Frank and a homemaker. She is about the same age as Frank as they've been together since middle school. She is a loving, caring, and good-natured mother but can be embarrassing, bossy, hypocritical, dimwitted, overprotective, and naive. Susan seems to have very limited knowledge of kids Rodrick and Greg's ages and constantly humiliates and ignores them. She constantly tries to get the family together, which never works out. She and her husband Frank also show immense favoritism towards their youngest son, Manny. In the 2011 film adaptation of Rodrick Rules, she has a column in the local newspaper known as Susan's Musings.
In the film series, Susan is portrayed by Rachael Harris in the first three films, Alicia Silverstone in The Long Haul, and Erica Cerra in the animated films.
Rodrick Heffley
editRodrick Heffley is a male teenager who is Greg and Manny's older brother. He is also a member of the heavy metal/punk band Löded Diper (a play on "Loaded Diaper" and rock bands with archaic name spellings such as Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe). He was introduced hating Greg and Rowley. Most of the time in earlier books, Greg and Rodrick do not get along, and often one of them gets the other in trouble. However, he shows affection to him in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days film when Rodrick is allowed to bring his band, "Löded Diper", to celebrate his crush's (Heather Hills') 16th birthday. In addition, their relationship slowly improves over the course of the books. Frank Heffley has trouble trusting him, as he dislikes heavy metal and teenagers in general. Rodrick is seemingly not very intelligent, as he makes foolish assumptions and decisions, and cannot spell very well. Frank becomes frustrated by Rodrick's factual errors in his school assignments (for example, crediting Abraham Lincoln as the author of To Kill a Mockingbird).
In the film series, Rodrick is portrayed by Devon Bostick in the first three films, Charlie Wright in The Long Haul, and voiced by Hunter Dillon in the animated films. For the first three live-action films, the character's room is relocated to the attic, as the house used in the films has no basement.
Manny Heffley
editEmanuel "Manny" Heffley is Greg and Rodrick's 3-year-old (5-year-old in the Funbrain version) brother, who is constantly spoiled and pampered by his parents, who even allow him to get away with the capitol crime of drawing on Greg's door in permanent marker. As the youngest child of the Heffley family, he plays a major role in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, having appeared in all the main series books to date. He has shown cases of unusually high intelligence; for example, switching all his family's power to his room in Cabin Fever during a blizzard, resulting in Greg, Rodrick, and Susan almost freezing to death in the ensuing chaos (excluding Frank, as he was in a hotel at the time), and speaking fluent Spanish to two repairmen in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul”. In The Long Haul, Manny is given a piglet at a country fair.
Manny often calls Greg "Bubby" on account of the fact that he is unable to say the word "brother". This trait from Manny annoys Greg a lot and he sees this as the most irritating thing about Manny.
In the film series, Manny is portrayed by Connor and Owen Fielding in the first three films, Wyatt and Dylan Walters in The Long Haul,[citation needed] and Gracen Newton in the animated films.
Greg's extended family
editGramma
edit”Gramma” is Susan's mother and Greg's maternal grandmother. Gramma is known to drive a car like the Heffleys'. Greg often calls her to his home as a way to avoid his dad's scoldings, since his father will not do this when she is around. Her favorite grandchild is Manny, although she denies and lies about this despite overwhelming evidence in the form of pictures on her refrigerator and many of Manny's drawings around her house. She also seems to have a passion for bingo and knitting. Gramma has a dog named Sweetie (originally the Heffleys' dog, who was given to Gramma in Dog Days to replace her dog, Henry, who was said to have died), who she overfeeds. She has a large role in Hot Mess, in which she wants her family to take a beach trip to relive her favorite memories for her 75th birthday. Later, the Heffley family returns home to realize that she has thrown a party without them.
Grandpa
edit"Grandpa" Heffley is Greg's unpredictable paternal grandfather, who is asked to babysit Greg and Rodrick in Rodrick Rules. Until Old School, he lived in a retirement community called Leisure Towers and enjoys playing games such as "Gutbusters" and Rummy, which the two boys find boring. Grandpa never watches any real shows on the television; instead, he constantly has his television tuned to CCTV footage of the retirement home lobby, which he spends his time watching. Greg is his favorite grandson which, unlike Gramma, he does not deny. Grandpa is known for preparing what he calls "watercress salad", a disgusting dish consisting of cold green beans and cucumbers floating in vinegar. Greg dislikes "watercress salad" to the point that he resorts to stuffing it inside his trouser pocket to conceal from Grandpa that he has not eaten it. It is stated that Grandpa never spent much time with Frank when he was a boy, and they seem to have a poor relationship. Grandpa once accidentally ran over Frank's dog with his car and lied to him about it, claiming that the dog ran away. Grandpa tells his son the truth many years later in Dog Days, expecting him to find it funny, but instead infuriating Frank. In Old School, Grandpa moves out after a rent hike and moves in with the Heffleys. Grandpa dates online, and eventually accumulates a large number of girlfriends, culminating in him accidentally inviting all of them over and throwing a party with them. He has a girlfriend named Darlene in Hard Luck, but is dumped by her in Old School. Grandpa constantly criticizes Frank during his stay at their home.
In the live-action films, Grandpa Heffley is portrayed by Terrence Kelly while in the 2022 animated film adaptation of Rodrick Rules, he is voiced by Ed Asner. The latter film was dedicated to Asner's memory who died a year before its release.
Joe Heffley
editJoseph "Joe" Heffley is Frank's brother and Greg's uncle. Frank has a sibling rivalry with Joe due to his actions. When Manny started potty training, Uncle Joe told him to watch out for the "potty monster", causing him to fear using the bathroom, forcing Frank to change his diapers for a longer period. Joe's children call their uncle "Aunt Fwank", which Frank swears he told them to do on purpose. Susan thinks it is cute, though. In Dog Days, Greg mentions that he tried to make Joe convince Frank to get a dog, but that did not work out. He also mentions that Joe's dog, Killer, ate most of his birthday cake.
Joe Heffley's children
editJoe Heffley has three children, who all appear to be a bit older than Manny, and are Greg's cousins. Their names and ages are unknown. They all call Frank "Aunt Fwank"; Frank believes that Joe specifically told them to call him that.
Uncle Charlie
editCharles "Charlie" (Freddie in the Funbrain version) is Grandpa’s brother in law and Greg's great-uncle. He is also Greg's "secret weapon" at Christmas, as he asks him to buy him presents that Frank has forbidden him from receiving. However, this backfires as he is usually given the wrong thing. Charlie is a bachelor and spends his spare money well. Greg says he wants to follow in his footsteps. Charlie got Greg a laundry hoop, hinting that he is tired of being Greg's secret weapon at Christmas, as the events that transpired meant that Greg effectively got a chore for Christmas.
Charlie has appeared in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Last Straw, Dog Days, The Ugly Truth, and Cabin Fever.
Loretta Heffley
editLoretta Heffley is Greg's great-aunt and the sister of Grandpa, Arthur, and Reba. She got a thank-you note for some pants she gave Greg at Christmas. She appeared mainly in Rodrick Rules at the Thanksgiving dinner. She also appeared a couple of times in the Do It Yourself Book and The Ugly Truth, and was mentioned in The Long Haul. It is implied that Greg and Rodrick are not very fond of her, as they fight over who has to greet her first when she visits.
Gammie Heffley
edit”Gammie” Heffley is Greg's 95-year-old[4] great-grandmother and the "unofficial head of the Heffley family." She appears in The Ugly Truth as a major character. Since her home is not very kid-friendly, she also has Lego building bricks that Susan bought so that her kids had something to do at her house, but she glued them all into one solid block to stop the small pieces from making a mess, returning her home to its non-kid-friendly state. She has a lot of valuable items in her home, and Greg expects countless arguments about who will inherit her possessions upon her death. Gammie is a trickster and knows a lot because of "experience". When someone in the family is about 12 or 13 years old she gives them The Talk, which is about how kids should not be hurrying to grow up.[5] Gammie loves having visitors for dinner. One day she bought a scratch ticket and matched up two pictures and told all her family members that she had won a lot of money. Everyone was in a big rush to visit her. When they all arrived Frank told Gammie that to win, she had to match up three pictures. When she found this out, she did not care. She pulled a roast right out of the oven, and Greg figures she got what she wanted anyway. Gammie is the mother of Grandpa, Arthur, Reba, and Loretta Heffley.
Gammie is briefly mentioned by Greg in Cabin Fever when he says she gave a miniature carousel that held spoons from all over the world to Greg's family five or six years before.
Gammie returns in The Deep End and has a much smaller role. She asks Greg's family to take Uncle Gary's camper, which has been parked in her driveway for two years, and makes sandwiches for them to eat on their trip.
Gary Heffley
editGarrett "Gary" Heffley (also known as Gray Heffley in Wimpy Wonderland) is Greg's uncle and the youngest brother of Frank and Joe, who has been married four times. He was first mentioned in The Last Straw when Greg said he was out of clean laundry and was going to have to wear a shirt he got from Gary's first wedding.
Gary makes his first major appearance in The Ugly Truth. It is revealed that all of his wives divorced him as soon as they found out about his financial situation and job. He has had so many weddings that Greg's family does not need to use a growth chart, and instead use family pictures from each of his weddings. In the book, he marries his fourth wife, Sonja, although in a speech at the wedding it is revealed that Gary had hoped to end his relationship with her to date her sister, however when the couple were attending a basketball game, a plane flies past with a banner attached to it reading "Marry Me Sonja," presumably intended for another woman with the same name, yet Gary's partner assumes the banner refers to her. She enthusiastically accepts the proposal, with Gary reluctantly going along with it. It is implied that after Gary reveals this at the wedding, he and Sonja end their relationship. This is Sonja's only appearance in the series to date. Greg speculates that Uncle Gary will have a fifth wedding soon. At the end of the book, Greg relates to Uncle Gary and wishes to emulate his lifestyle, despite his father and uncle trying to convince him to get serious about his future.
Gary returns in The Third Wheel and has a larger role. He comes to live with Greg's family after he discovers his job selling shirts in Boston was a ripoff. He was sold the shirts by a man claiming to have a good business for sale, and Gary bought the many boxes of shirts, unaware that the shirts said “Botson” instead of Boston. In his spare time, Gary plays a simulation video game in which the player can do whatever the player wants, although in the game, Gary is revealed to be unemployed and spends excessive money on scratch tickets. Later he is chosen to be the DJ at Greg's Valentine's Day dance and he sells his shirts to Greg's classmates, who are unaware of the mistake on the shirts. He uses his money to buy scratch tickets and wins $40,000, allowing him to move out. Gary is also said to commonly have nightmares, as Greg mentions one particular case of Gary believing there were monkeys in the walls.
In Double Down, Gary accidentally breaks his collarbone while cutting down tree branches over his driveway.
In The Deep End, Gary is never seen, but it is revealed that he used to own a camper, which had been parked in Gammie's driveway for two years. She gives it to Greg's family after being fed up with it taking up space in her driveway.
In Hot Mess, Gary unexpectedly joins the Heffleys' trip to Ruttyneck Island, after losing his job at Skullduggery Cove, which was being rebranded as a butterfly sanctuary.
Aunt Dorothy
editDorothy Heffley is Greg's aunt who always kisses him on the lips. Greg's mother, Susan, says it is rude to wipe the kisses Dorothy gives him, but Greg wipes his face on the nearest available curtain when no one is looking. She is overweight and sometimes passes gas loudly.
Arthur Heffley
editArthur Heffley is Greg's great-uncle. He only speaks in grunts or makes random sounds. He never has an actual conversation with anybody, but sometimes Greg tries to respond to him just in case he is trying to communicate. Arthur is the brother of Reba, Grandpa, and Loretta Heffley.[5]
Benjy Heffley
editBenjamin "Benjy" Heffley is Greg's cousin, whose parents are Greg's Uncle Tony and Aunt Patricia. The last time Greg saw Benjy, he could only say "No!" or "Shut up!", respectively. Now he can speak in full sentences and read chapter books but is still not potty trained and usually wears a diaper. Benjy is asked to be a reader at Uncle Gary's wedding to Sonja – a position that Greg had initially expected to fill.
Terrence Heffley
editTerrence "Terry" Heffley is Frank's second cousin who is said to have looked like Greg when he was his age. Greg confirms this by looking in Gammie's photo album and strives to save money for plastic surgery.
Lawrence Heffley
editLawrence Heffley is Greg's uncle who did not appear at Uncle Gary's fourth wedding because he is always traveling. He is said to almost never come to family gatherings because of this, but he sometimes makes an appearance by webcam.
Aunt Audra
editAudra is one of Susan's sisters. She believes in crystal balls and took Greg along with her to see her fortuneteller a few times. Susan thinks Audra is wasting her money. In Hard Luck, the fortuneteller told Audra that Meemaw's lost ring was inside a photo album. It turned out the fortuneteller did not mean it literally, and instead meant that they could find a clue to the ring's whereabouts in consecutive photos.
Aunt Veronica
editVeronica is Greg's aunt and Susan's sister. Greg states that she has never been seen in person since he was three or four years old, probably because being with the family in person stresses her out, but calls her family members on video chat. When Greg was sitting on the toilet playing games on his new phone (which was actually a hand-me-down from his mother), she accidentally started a video chat with him. This startled him, leading to him dropping the phone into the toilet. She appears in Hard Luck multiple times via video conference and in person in Hot Mess, where it is revealed that she owns a celebrity dog named Dazzle, who became a social media star after constantly appearing in her videos about money investments, forcing her to move twice after constantly getting free stuff and people showing up at her house to see Dazzle. She also formerly had a boyfriend named Noah.
Aunt Gretchen
editGretchen is Susan's youngest sister. She has two out-of-control twin sons, Malvin and Malcolm. Gretchen has at least thirty pets. In Hard Luck, she takes her pets with her, and her rabbit has a litter of bunnies, angering Frank since Gretchen lied that her rabbit was a boy.
Malvin and Malcolm
editMalvin and Malcolm are Gretchen's two sons, the nephews of Susan, and the cousins of Greg, Rodrick, and Manny. They are out-of-control kids who used to wear child leashes. Once they played throw and catch with a large sharp piece of concrete. Eventually, Malvin had to go to the emergency room to get stitches on his forehead. Malcolm is the wilder twin. While Malvin was getting stitches, Malcolm got hold of Frank's shaving kit and shaved his head and unibrow. He also called the police to report Greg's family for running out of ketchup. This results in Frank angrily making them leave early. They also have a habit of writing bad words on the tablecloth.
Aunt Cakey
editCakey is Susan's oldest sister. She is single and has no pets or kids, suggesting that she does not like kids. Greg believes that spending the day at Cakey's house is like a prison sentence. In the online book, she owns a dog named Rudy who passed away. When she stayed with the Heffleys when Greg was little, she kept all fragile items out of his reach and made him take a nap. When she told Greg to not touch the iron, he could not stop thinking about it and snuck out of bed to press his whole hand against the iron, giving him a second-degree burn. Susan has never trusted Cakey with babysitting since. In Hot Mess, it was revealed that she was Frank's girlfriend for a short period of time, but he had ended up liking Susan better, which had caused a fight and led Susan to give away two of her favorite items as a result. She dated Vincent for six years but he left her.
Gerald
editGerald is Susan's cousin from California who lived with the Heffleys for a few months after Greg was born, which he embarrassingly reminds Greg of every time he sees him.
Martina
editMartina is Susan's cousin who had gained a lot of money while in Las Vegas. She had been eating at a breakfast buffet in a hotel, when she mistook a full-length mirror for another room, causing Martina to run straight into the mirror, break her collarbone, and sue the hotel. Greg notes that a Porsche in Gramma's driveway was probably hers.
Uncle Larry
editLawrence "Larry" is a man who is not actually related to anyone, but is a friend invited over one year and who has been showing up ever since. Greg likes him but is annoyed that he always sits in Gramma's best chair until it is time to leave.
Gramma's sisters
editGramma has two sisters whose names have not been confirmed. They cannot stand each other and try to give each other the most insulting gift they can think of, such as five ketchup packets or a used bar of deodorant (Hard Luck). They are Greg's maternal great-aunts, Susan's maternal aunts, and Frank's aunts-in-law.
Cecil
editCecil is Greg's adopted uncle who is only three or four years old. He was adopted by Great Aunt Marcie, and Greg often feels awkward around Cecil, due to the fact that he gets privileges (such as sitting at the adult's table at family gatherings), despite his young age.
Georgia
editGeorgia is Greg's second cousin who has a loose tooth that has been in her mouth for years and always stalls when people ask if they can pull it out.
Aunt Reba
editGreat Aunt Reba was the sister of Grandpa Heffley. She first appeared in The Ugly Truth, and Greg mentions that Gammie forgot to send Reba an invitation to her Christmas party. Reba showed up to the party anyway, but made Gammie feel guilty by refusing to take off her jacket. Reba dies in Wrecking Ball, and Greg's family ends up going to the wrong funeral by mistake. She leaves them an inheritance of her fortune, and Susan decides to use it to renovate the Heffleys' house.
Meemaw and Peepaw
edit”Meemaw” and “Peepaw” are the parents of Gramma and her two sisters, the maternal grandparents of Susan, the grandparents-in-law of Frank, and the maternal great-grandparents of Rodrick, Greg and Manny. Their first appearance was in Hard Luck. Peepaw is portrayed as old and batty. Meemaw is dead, while Peepaw is still alive. Meemaw was in charge of putting prizes in the Easter eggs and wore a diamond ring, which was extremely valuable because it had been in her family for three generations. She used to over do with hiding the Easter eggs, which results in Greg finding eggs in all sorts of strange places, even years after the egg hunt is over. As Meemaw got older, she became less sharp and started putting strange prizes in the eggs, such as a green bean, a bottle cap, and a paper clip. Before she died, she accidentally put her ring in an Easter egg that was found by Greg at the end of the book.
In Wrecking Ball, when Aunt Reba passed away, Susan read Manny a book that she read to Greg when Meemaw passed away.
Meemaw appears in some flashbacks in Hot Mess, during which Greg explains that she often dressed improperly, such as wearing pants on her head and her underwear over her clothes.
Meemaw appears in the film adaptation of The Long Haul played by Mimi Gould; unlike the books, she is alive.
Aunt Lou
editGreat Aunt Lou is Greg's great aunt, who came up with a special recipe to one-up Gramma's meatballs, but fails to do so.
Rowley's family
editRobert Jefferson
editRobert Jefferson is Rowley's father. He is fairly paranoid and does not take kindly to criticism of himself or his property from anyone. He is a very strict father, not allowing Rowley to play any video game with even a little violence or fighting in it, as he thinks doing this could have a negative effect on his son's character. However, he is also shown to be kind to his son, having a close bond with Rowley. Mr. Jefferson despises Greg and sees him as a bad influence on his son. After Greg and Rowley invent their own secret language, which Mr. Jefferson cracks, he sends Greg home early. Mr. Jefferson always make sure he has an eye on Greg whenever he is at the Jefferson family home.
He shows little interest in sports until Dog Days, where he is found playing tennis with Rowley and golf with a caddy.
In Dog Days, it is revealed that Mr. Jefferson's first name is Robert. When Susan emailed him because of the note Greg sent her, it had Mr. Jefferson's first name on it.
In Old School, he is stuck chaperoning the group of extra kids at Hardscrabble Farms (which includes Rowley and Greg), much to Greg's dismay. Later, Rowley adds poison ivy to a fire started by him and he has problems breathing the next morning, which means he and Rowley (who had spots on his body) would be going back home.
In the film series, Mr. Jefferson is portrayed by Alfred E. Humphreys. He appears in the first three live-action films while making a cameo in the 2021 animated film. Notably, he does not speak in these adaptations, with the exception of Dog Days and Cabin Fever. He is voiced by Randy Pearlstein in Cabin Fever.
Linda Jefferson
editLinda Jefferson is Rowley's mother. She often seems to be concerned about Rowley, such as the time he broke his big toe after Greg put one of his dad's dumbbells under a pillow that Rowley kept kicking at Greg's sleepover.[1] She also had Greg apologize to her for what he did to Rowley. Despite this, Mrs. Jefferson always enjoys Greg's company with Rowley. Although Mrs. Jefferson likes Greg, she does not let him come over because her husband dislikes him. She often sneaks healthy foods into other foods, for example by putting spinach in brownies. On day 24 of the online version, it is revealed that her first name is Linda from Greg's The Boy Whose Family Thinks He's a DOG comic.
In the film adaptations, Rowley's mother is portrayed by Kaye Capron in Diary of a Wimpy Kid (who in turn is the real-life mother of Robert Capron, the actor who plays Rowley) and by Bronwen Smith in Dog Days.
Grandpa Jefferson
edit”Grandpa” Jefferson first appears in Rodrick Rules in a minor role. The Jeffersons were holding a birthday party for him with Greg invited, where he states that he wants a chocolate cake the next year. Greg (who is bound by a promise to always tell the truth) then suggests that he may not be alive next year, angering Mr. Jefferson.
In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal, he has a very different appearance and it is unknown if they are the same person. In this book, Rowley explains that he called his grandfather "Bampy" because he could not say "Grandpa" when he was two. As he got older, he was not allowed to change what he called him, and as his grandfather got older, he only said "Bampy", suggesting he was struggling with insanity and had to be put down. A year later, Rowley described an experience that made him believe he encountered Bampy's ghost while staying at his old log cabin.
Other characters
editFregley
editFregley (known as Fregly in the Funbrain version) is Greg's acquaintance and neighbor noted for his many odd or disgusting eccentricities. He has been known to perplex others with his behavior (for example, exclaiming "Juice! Juice!" when he needs to use the bathroom) and does not have any known friends. Greg has been forced to hang around with Fregley on several occasions, to his chagrin or aggravation. It has been mentioned that Fregley is prohibited from eating sugar by his parents, and the consumption of it in large quantities will send him into hysterical, uncontrollable frenzies. This occurs in the first book when he eats Greg's jelly beans, as well as in The Last Straw when he eats cake frosting and ruins Greg's chances of making a good impression on Holly Hills.
After Greg inadvertently causes the Snella family to move away due to a foul smell which (unknown to the Snellas) was caused by Greg dumping deviled eggs into a plastic plant, he decides that he should find a way of sneaking deviled eggs into Fregley's house.
In Hard Luck, Fregley has the talent of chewing gum and other foods with his belly button. This earned him the respect of many other kids and allowed him to win the "Most Popular" class favorite category in the yearbook, where he shows he can also blow a bubble.
In The Meltdown, Fregley asks to find Greg's "tickle spot," and later builds himself inside a snowman. In Wrecking Ball, he is seen eating lawn fertilizer.
In the film series, Fregley is portrayed by Grayson Russell in the first three installments, and by Christian Convery in the animated films.
Preston Mudd
editPreston Mudd is one of Greg's classmates. He is said to have been the best player in the basketball unit of gym class during sixth grade at Westmore Middle School. Unfortunately, when his name was displayed as "P. Mudd" on the athlete of the month poster, this led to his classmates making fun of him, calling him "Pee Mud".
Christopher Brownfield
editChristopher Brownfield is one of Greg's friends and is shown to have been a great mosquito magnet while hanging out with Greg in the summer. However, Greg does not see him as a close friend because he is "not a school-year friend". Later in The Ugly Truth, he is on Greg's team for a game and hides behind a soda machine after the teachers threaten to call all of their parents.
Tyson Sanders
editTyson Sanders is a friend of Greg who appears in The Ugly Truth. He is mentioned at the beginning along with Chris when Greg is considering new best friends and mentions that although Ty is nice and into the same video games as Greg, he is turned by the fact Ty pulls his pants all the way down when using the urinal. When they play a game of "Guess Who?", the team takes a picture of Ty's bent arm, which gets them disqualified as the chaperones think the picture is of someone's buttocks. However, the misunderstanding is later cleared up after a mole near Ty's elbow is matched to the one shown in the picture. Greg remarks that everyone should know what Ty's buttocks look like due to his habit of pulling his pants all the way down when using the urinal. He has made several cameo appearances in later books.
Holly Hills
editHolly Elizabeth Hills (known as Piper Elizabeth Matthews in the online book) is one of Greg's classmates; a girl who primarily serves as Greg's unrequited romantic interest and also Heather Hills' younger sister. She is the youngest daughter of Mr. Hills and Mrs. Hills. A minor character, she earns a prominent role in The Last Straw as the object of Greg's most recent infatuation. He is continuously motivated to impress her to no avail. Virtually oblivious to Greg's existence or identity (Greg stops trying to impress her after she mistakes him for Fregley), she appears to take an interest in Rowley's sweetness, judging by an enthusiastic message which she had signed in his yearbook (as opposed to the note that she had written for the envious Greg). She seldom appears afterward. Greg's interest in her is seemingly damaged by events such as this and he starts showing an interest in other girls, including Holly's older sister Heather.
Holly makes a cameo in The Ugly Truth talking to some of her friends, and this is her most recent appearance in the books, though she was shown in a chart Greg drew in The Third Wheel as one of the many girls interested in Bryce Anderson.
Whereas her personality is hardly explored in the books, Holly's role was increased in film adaptations, debuting in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules as a newcomer to Greg's school with whom he is instantly besotted. She is depicted as being friendly, kind-hearted and good-natured. The relationship she shares with Greg and Rowley is emphasized and exaggerated in the film portrayals, to the extent it can be assumed that the feelings Greg has for her may be mutual. She reappears in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.
Holly seems to enjoy the boys' companionship and shows gratitude for Rodrick's unintentional blunders that wind up destroying her sister Heather's birthday party. The party ends with Holly slipping her hand into Greg's, implying that she likes him as well, and they will potentially start a relationship.
Holly is portrayed in the live-action films by Peyton List.
Chirag Gupta
editChirag Gupta is one of Greg's schoolmates and a minor character in the books. He is characterized by his short stature. Although he and Greg are well-acquainted and generally amiable to one another, Greg started the "Invisible Chirag" prank in Rodrick Rules. During the summer the Gupta family were to move away but an unexplained alteration in their plans changed this. As a result, Chirag's classmates teasingly ignore his presence for days on end, which aggravates and shocks him. Greg is called into Mr. Roy's office and is severely reprimanded, but Mr. Roy gets the identity of the victim wrong. After Greg apologizes to a completely different student named Sharif, who does not understand why Greg is apologizing, Mr. Roy lets him go. However, after Susan gets a phone call from Chirag's father, she brings Greg to Chirag's house and orders him to apologize. Mr. Gupta does not seem impressed, but Chirag accepts the apology and forgives Greg.
Later in The Last Straw, Greg and some other students started talking very quietly around Chirag to trick him into thinking he was going deaf. Chirag however told a teacher quickly because he did not want the prank to escalate to the scale of the "Invisible Chirag" joke.
In The Ugly Truth, when Greg brags to his classmates about his family hiring a maid, Chirag says that his family does not need a maid and is glad that his mother is there when he comes home from school. Later in the book, he gets invited to Jordan Jury's party, only to discover that he and other kids in his grade are being used as servants.
Though Chirag has forgiven Greg and his fellow schoolmates for concocting the prank, Greg mentions in Cabin Fever that Chirag takes advantage of his family's non-observance of the Christmas holiday, and no obligation to behave for Santa Claus, to pick on Greg, and this is his most recent appearance.
In the film series, Chirag's role is enhanced and he is a close friend of Greg and Rowley. He also plays a considerably more prominent role in these films, appearing in adaptations of books in which he is absent or hardly mentioned. He is portrayed by Karan Brar in the first three films and voiced by Veda Maharaj in the 2021 animated film, both American actors of Indian ancestry. Chirag in the Funbrain version has a different design with longer hair.
Patty Farrell
editPatricia J. “Patty” Farrell (misspelled as Patty Ferrel in the 2022 Rodrick Rules movie) is a minor character who shares an intense rivalry with Greg, which is showcased on several occasions. It is implied she is a hardworking but sanctimonious and domineering student. She earns Greg's animosity after she suggests a map of the United States displayed in the classroom be covered during a geography quiz. Greg had planned to cheat using the map and this causes great difficulties for him and makes him furiously angry. Motivated by his lust for revenge to pay back on her, he volunteers to play a tree in the school's upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz after viewing the movie adaptation for the first time. He believes the role entails having to bombard the character of Dorothy Gale (whom Patty would be portraying in the play) with apples, only to learn that this scene was deleted for the school production. He winds up re-enacting this scene, despite the script, and the other trees join in. However, the play has to be shut down after Patty is hit in the face with an apple and her glasses are broken, as Patty is short-sighted without them. She has yet to play quite as significant a role in the book series again. She has become something of a minor recurring character whose appearances are rare.
In the film adaptations of the books, Patty's role is enhanced slightly. She is depicted as being monstrously demanding. Her parents are involved with the school board in this portrayal. The motivation given for her hatred of Greg is his recital of an offensive playground chant poking fun at her that sent her bursting into tears in elementary school. She appears in the film adaptations of all three films Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. Alterations made to the books include her talent for both wrestling and playing tennis. She snatches any opportunity to assault Greg somehow while engaged in either sport with him.
She is portrayed in the live-action films by Laine MacNeil.
Heather Hills
editHeather Hills (known as Lori Matthews in the online book) is the attractive elder sister of Holly Hills, with whom Rodrick is infatuated. A minor character in the books, but the main villainess in the third film, Heather is only featured in several books as the object of Greg's unrequited infatuation. However, she seems oblivious to this. A student attending Crosslands High School with Rodrick, she has had several minor occupations throughout the books, during each of which Rodrick fecklessly attempts to grab her attention or impress her. Little insight into her personality is provided in the book series.
Heather is introduced only in the third movie in the film series (after having an unnamed role in Rodrick Rules), Dog Days, where her personality and role is further enhanced similar to her younger sister, Holly. In a modification of the events of the books, she is given a stereotypical Valley Girl personality, depicted as a spoiled, obnoxious, grouchy, ignorant, sarcastic, conceited, irritable, unforgiving, cold-hearted, and demanding eldest daughter of the Hills family who often mistreats her family and acquaintances. A lovelorn Rodrick Heffley and his band are hired to perform at Heather's ostentatious upcoming sixteenth birthday party on the suggestion by Greg himself. In an attempt to earn her admiration, Rodrick sings lead on the band's cover of Justin Bieber and Ludacris's hit song "Baby" (while his bandmate plays the drums), which he claims is her favorite song, but chaos ensues when the band switches from the song's original, dance-infused pop tempo to an extremely wild, boisterous, punk rock version of the song wherein Rodrick inadvertently breaks a huge ice bust of Heather. This angers Heather even more and the party ends in disaster.
She is portrayed in Dog Days by Melissa Roxburgh.
Albert Sandy
editAlbert Sandy is a minor character who often talks about rumors he has heard, including one rumor about a man somewhere in Asia who allegedly learned to jump very high by digging a hole in the ground, jumping out of it, digging it deeper and repeating the process. The validity of his statements is unconfirmed. One of his statements which Greg disproved was when Albert told him that it was "medically impossible for a girl to fart" (Greg remembers a time when his mother hugged Aunt Dorothy, causing her to fart). Some of Albert's statements make no sense; for example, he said a man got decapitated when he sneezed and survived.
Albert has appeared in The Last Straw, The Ugly Truth, Old School, Double Down, The Meltdown, Wrecking Ball, The Deep End, Big Shot, and No Brainer, and was briefly mentioned by Greg in Hot Mess.
Collin Lee
editCollin Lee is a minor character in Diary of a Wimpy Kid and a main character in the 2010 film. Collin is the kid that Rowley replaces Greg with after they stop being friends in the first book. In the book, Collin and Rowley make matching "Best Friends" T-shirts and spend all of their time hanging out. Due to their continuous playdates and sleepovers, Greg has a sleepover with Fregley as a counterattack to Rowley. He gets a mention in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.
In the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film, Collin is portrayed by actor Alex Ferris. Before Rowley and Greg's breakup, he is seen speaking with Bryce Anderson about Shelly's looks in Pig Latin. Rowley mistakes the Pig Latin as Russian when Greg asks what they said. He is also seen asking Greg and Rowley for hot chocolate, which they deny saying that it is for kids on the school's Safety Patrol team only. After Rowley gets removed from Safety Patrol, Greg reveals that he is the reason that Rowley was removed. Rowley ends their friendship after this. Rowley starts being best friends with Collin. After this things get on track with the book and Greg has his sleepover with Fregley due to Collin and Rowley hanging out. After this Rowley and Collin go to the play that Greg happens to be in. After being cast as the Tree, Greg gets distracted when Manny (Greg's brother) calls him "Bubby" and when Rodrick (Greg's brother) starts recording him on his camera. Due to this Greg and Patty get into a physical fight. During this Collin and his new best friend Rowley start laughing at him. When they are at the Mother-Son Sweetheart Dance, Greg asks Rowley if they can go out for ice cream, but Collin shuts him down telling him they have plans. Rowley starts dancing in the middle of the room getting everyone excited. At the end of the movie, Pete Hosey and his goons force Rowley to eat The Cheese. Rowley almost gets outed by Patty but Greg takes the blame for the cheese causing everyone (including Collin) to run away. After this Rowley and Greg become best friends again.
In the Funbrain version he is a much more major character and friend of Greg and has a design similar to Alex Aruda.
Bryce Anderson
editBryce Anderson is the most popular kid in Greg's grade. He is adored by the girls in the school, despite only becoming interested in them in the last couple of years (he used to call them "stinky poos" in elementary school). Bryce has a group of "cronies" who are always loyal to him and often help out on his projects. One summer, they set up a restaurant for the parents in the neighborhood and earned $300, with one crony buying a BB gun with his share. When Greg was a photographer for the yearbook, Bryce was said to have won "Best Hair".
Bryce has appeared or been mentioned in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Last Straw, The Ugly Truth, Cabin Fever, The Third Wheel, and Hard Luck.
Abigail Brown
editAbigail Brown is a minor character and the daughter of a state trooper. She goes to the school's Valentine's Day Dance with Greg and Rowley and cries after finding out that her boyfriend, Michael Sampson, was cheating on her (having told her he was unavailable for the dance, then showing up to the dance with another girl). She is upset further after Greg freaks out after thinking she has the chickenpox, which turned out to be a pimple on her chin. At some point afterwards, Abigail and Rowley start dating, and she causes him to start dressing and behaving differently much to the annoyance of Greg. They are voted Cutest Couple, which causes Greg to resign as the yearbook photographer. Not long afterwards, Abigail breaks up with Rowley and gets back with Michael, causing Greg to feel sorry for Rowley and they become best friends again. It is heavily implied that Abigail only went out with Rowley to make Michael jealous.
Abigail first appears in The Third Wheel and returns in Hard Luck as the main antagonist.
Mingo kids
editThe Mingo kids are a group of wild kids who live in the woods and do not attend school. Not much is known about them. Their main camp consists of several abandoned cars and trucks deep in the woods, which had remained unknown to the town until Greg and Rowley accidentally discovered it in The Meltdown. It is heavily implied that the Mingos hibernate over the winter, as they are not seen until the spring and look like they just woke up. There are no known grown-ups or parents in the clan, though the leader (who appears to be the oldest) is named Meckley Mingo, who wears a giant metal belt buckle.
The Mingos are territorial and often threaten people who walk past their woods, even to the point of chasing and attacking them, with Meckley using his belt as a whip. They are suggested to speak in a Southern drawl, as one kid used the word "git" (get). They have been shown to wake up early during the winter when they are disturbed and will go to great lengths to get back at an insult (Greg infiltrating the camp and accidentally stealing Meckley's belt buckle).
The Mingo clan has appeared in Hard Luck and The Meltdown.
Dennis Denard and Erick Glick
editDennis Denard and Erick Glick are two eighth graders who run an illegal homework assignment and school project business that has them selling old projects from the school's storage room. Dennis is the ringleader while Erick acts as his public face. Dennis was also said to have been held back twice (probably on purpose so he could continue his business). In Hard Luck, Greg attempts to buy an old science project from them but eventually has second thoughts, thinking it would be his first step toward the life of a criminal. At the end of the book, another kid tips a teacher, causing the faculty members to stage a raid on the storage room. Dennis, Erick, and everyone else who was caught were given detention for the rest of their time in school, and Greg believes that it also includes an automatic trip to summer school.
The Snellas
editThe Snellas (known as The Smedleys in the Funbrain version) are a family that lives in the Heffleys' neighborhood. They have a lot of children, all of whom are male and have names beginning with the letter S. Five of the children's names are revealed, and they are (from oldest to youngest): Shawn, Shane, Sam, Scott, and Seth. Their first appearance is in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, in which Shane Snella pays to go through Greg and Rowley's haunted house, getting too scared to continue in the process. Both Shawn Snella and his father appear in Rodrick Rules, in which Shawn tells Greg his plan to become a basketball player. Greg (who is bound by a promise to never lie) states his doubts by pointing out the short stature of both the parental Snellas and Shawn's current weight, hurting Shawn's feelings.
In The Last Straw, it is revealed that each Snella child has a half-birthday party, at which the adults perform funny stunts to attempt to make the babies laugh. According to Greg, however, no baby has laughed once. Also according to Greg, the Snellas' real reason for having these parties is to win a prize from America's Funniest Families, a spoof and parody of America's Funniest Home Videos. Mr. Snella sends the videos to America's Funniest Families, and has never won anything (though after Greg is filmed wearing Wonder Woman underwear hanging a tree with his trousers below his ankles at the end of The Last Straw, the footage is sent, and it is never explained if Mr. Snella won with it).
Their most recent appearance was in The Ugly Truth when they move to another house because of a strange smell they cannot get rid of in their home following another half-birthday party for an unnamed child. The smell was caused by deviled eggs that Greg covertly threw into one of their plant pots when he was having dinner at their house; he had taken a dislike to the Snellas' deviled eggs, despite having had deviled eggs before. Despite trying to find the cause of the smell, after eliminating possible causes including a dirty carpet and a dead animal in a wall cavity, the Snellas cannot cope with the smell and eventually decide to move. Greg feels guilty when he sees that they are taking the plant pot with the deviled eggs with them, but he resolves to try to find a way to sneak deviled eggs into Fregley's house.
In Cabin Fever, their vacant house is moved into by a man called Mr. Alexander, who has uneven teeth that Greg's dad thought were fake the first time they met.
Scotty Douglas
editScotty Douglas is a first grader from Rowley's karate class. In Rodrick Rules, Scotty was going to do a magic act in the Talent Show with Rowley as his assistant. But after Greg breaks Rowley's big toe, he has to fill in for Rowley. Greg complains about being a magician's assistant to Scotty, but Susan tells Scotty's mother that Greg would be happy to replace Rowley.
Scotty has a remarkably similar appearance to Greg's comic character, Creighton The Cretin, except Creighton's eyes are wide open and Scotty's eyes are beady just like all the other characters that do not wear glasses. In The Ugly Truth, he becomes the new Peachy Breeze kid, yet cannot say the slogan right.[5] Between Rodrick Rules and The Ugly Truth it appears that Scotty has two siblings - an unnamed baby sister and an older brother. In The Third Wheel, when Greg and Rowley become private investigators Greg looks through the window at his house to find him playing one of Greg's video games with Rowley.
He appeared in the film adaptation of Rodrick Rules, with only a few lines. He is portrayed by Jakob Davies.
Mr. Underwood
editMr. Underwood is Greg's P.E. coach. Once he was bitten in the arm by Ruby Bird, and one of her teeth got stuck in his arm.
In the first three live-action films, he is portrayed by Andrew McNee, while Billy Lopez voices him in the 2021 animated film. Notably, the live-action films rename the character to Coach Malone while the animated film retains his original name.
Mrs. Canfield
editMrs. Canfield is a woman who appeared in Dog Days and refused to pay Greg after he mowed her lawn poorly.
Emilio Mendoza
editEmilio Mendoza is one of Greg Heffley's classmates who appears in Old School and the animated adaptation of Rodrick Rules. Emilio was the boy who spotted Gareth Grimes' tooth in Rowley's forehead during the trip to Hardscrabble Farms.
Bill Walter
editBill Walter is a 35-year-old unemployed high school dropout, guitarist and professional singer. Rodrick idolizes him and his lifestyle. In the novel Rodrick Rules, he was voted "Most Likely to Be a Rock Star" (despite this he has not had success) which influenced Rodrick to persuade him to join his band Löded Diper. Frank Heffley strongly dislikes Bill because he disapproves of his lifestyle, and is afraid Rodrick will follow in his footsteps. Greg describes him as unemployed and still living with his parents. He also explained that whenever Frank sees Bill, it usually puts him in a bad mood for the rest of the day. When the band is preparing for the talent show, Frank is seen with Bill by his boss, embarrassing him. In the 17th book, he continues to practice with Löded Diper. He gets a girlfriend named Becky who brings donuts to practice, making Rodrick think Bill's relationship with Becky is a big distraction. Rodrick forces Bill to break up with her until the "Battle of the Bands" competition is over, much to the latter's dismay. Bill ends up leaving the band and joining another band named Stank. At the end of the book, he rejoins Löded Diper.
In both film adaptations of Rodrick Rules, Bill is portrayed and voiced by Fran Kranz and Jimmy Tatro respectively.
Mr. Huff
editMr. Huff is Greg's cantankerous History teacher who only appears in Rodrick Rules, where it is revealed that he previously had Rodrick as a student when he was in middle school. As a result, he distrusts Greg, and has him sit in a chair next to his desk. When Greg is assigned to write a poem about events of the 1900s decade, Greg attempted to blow the project until the day it was due, counting on school being cancelled due to heavy snow, but discovered that the snowstorm had blown past them. After asking his dad for help (Frank declined, saying "Good luck with that!"), and attempting to write it himself (the power went out), Greg buys Rodrick's version of the assignment, as he got it in middle school too. But on the bus, Greg discovers that the poem is written in Rodrick's handwriting and has numerous inconsistencies with the time period and history as a whole (including references to cave people and dinosaurs). Rodrick, who received an F for the assignment when he submitted it, had written the poem before Frank began typing his assignments. As a result, Greg has nothing to turn in to Mr. Huff, and resigns himself to having to go to summer school for History class, although he ultimately does not have to in later installments.
In the movie version of Rodrick Rules, Mr. Huff's name is changed to Mr. Draybick and he is portrayed by John Shaw. In the movie, he only moves Greg next to him when Greg attempts to pass a note to Holly Hills. Also, Greg turns in his (Rodrick's) assignment without looking at it first. Mr. Draybick recognizes the assignment and he has Greg read it out loud to the class, much to Greg's embarrassment. He also appears briefly in the movie version of Dog Days on the last day of school, in which everyone but Greg brought their History textbook, forcing Greg to partner with Fregley so they could share textbooks.
Darren Walsh
editDarren Walsh is a minor character who is only mentioned in the original book. He is the boy who starts the Cheese Touch game at Larry Mack Middle School after intentionally touching a piece of cheese in the school's playground wherein everyone starts running away and avoiding him, becoming an outcast until he passes it to the next student.
He appears in the 2010 and 2021 films wherein his role remains the same. The only difference in the 2010 version is that after touching the cheese, a student of Asian heritage calls Darren out for it, which he denies, with the outcome remaining similar. Another difference from the book is that he is not shown enjoying the Cheese Touch game and begins sobbing after becoming an outcast. In the 2021 film, Walsh is changed from middle school to high school and is the same age as Rodrick Heffley, who tells the story of the frenzy instead of Chirag Gupta.
The character appears in the online book, where he is renamed as Darnell Washington and his manner of starting the Cheese Touch is that of him tripping over and accidentally touching the cheese.
Abe Hall
editAbe Hall is a minor character who is only mentioned in the original book. Prior to the events of the original book, Hall was the last person in Larry Mack Middle School to get the original Cheese Touch that originated with Darren Walsh, failing to pass it on to anybody else, as no one would even come near him for the rest of the school year. During the summer, Abe moved away to California and took the Cheese Touch with him, ending its presence at school.
In the 2010 film adaptation, Hall is renamed to Dieter Müller and is depicted as a German exchange student hailing from Düsseldorf, Germany. Like Hall in the book, Müller was the last victim of the Cheese Touch and fails to pass it on, eventually taking it with him when he and his family move back to Düsseldorf. However, unlike Hall, Müller became lost in translation after falling victim to the game, not knowing its meaning.
Lenwood Heath
editLenwood Heath is a minor character who debuts in The Last Straw. He is a rebellious teenager, who was Frank's arch-enemy for about three months. Frank has called the cops on Lenwood about fifty times, according to Greg. Lenwood's parents got sick of his act and sent him to a military academy called Spag Union. This resulted in him becoming a fine young man who works at the movie theater. Frank is now really impressed with Lenwood despite the history between the two of them.
Lenwood makes another appearance at the start of the Dog Days film telling Rodrick to not play his music so loud. Frank notices Lenwood and has a talk with him about how the latter has changed and how he has been going to Spag Union. After Lenwood tells Frank that Spag Union starts at the eighth grade, Frank considers signing Greg up to go there, though he decides not to near the end of the film.
Taylor Pringle
editTaylor Pringle is a minor character who only appears in the films Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. She is a very rude little girl and is first seen at the end of the opening scene in Rodrick Rules in which during her birthday party at the roller rink, Rodrick embarrasses Greg, prompting Greg to try and tackle him, but he misses and face-plants in Taylor's birthday cake, destroying it. As a result of this, Taylor gets angry and she and her friends begin beating up Greg as the intro begins. Later in the film, during church, when Rodrick intentionally pulls down the sweater around Greg's waist to reveal the chocolate stain on Greg's pants, Taylor points it out to everyone, mistaking it for poop. Then, in Dog Days, when Greg attempts to impress Holly by jumping the high diving board, he becomes nervous, due to it being very high above the water. Taylor then comes up behind Greg and states that he is talking to himself, due to being scared. When Greg gives Taylor a brush that he is not scared and that she would not understand since she is "just a little kid", she pressures him to jump. When Greg jumps, he loses his swimsuit on the board, and Taylor chucks it onto a nearby fence to get back at Greg for brushing her. As a result, Greg is forced to borrow a girl's swimsuit that reads Princess on it until he goes to the fence to retrieve his own swimsuit, and as he does so, he gets taunted by Patty. Taylor is portrayed by Dalila Bela.
Angie Steadman
editAngie Steadman only appears as an additional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film. She is in seventh grade, has a pink streak of hair, works for the school newspaper, and hates middle school. In the film, Greg and Rowley meet her under the bleachers during a game of "Gladiator". She gets along with Rowley but starts a rocky relationship with Greg after he egotistically declines her offer to join the school newspaper. Greg later tells the whole school he ate the cheese instead of Rowley and she compliments and accepts him when she sees that Greg is learning the errors of his ways. In the film, she is portrayed by Chloë Grace Moretz.
Pete Hosey
editPete Hosey is the leader of the teenagers, Carter and Wade who attacked Greg and Rowley on Halloween. He is an antagonist in the first film. He is unnamed in the first book and he is replaced by Herbie Reamer in the online version. After hassling Greg and Rowley on Halloween, Greg yells that he will call the cops, and they chase him to Greg's grandmother's house. In the book, Greg and Rowley sneak back home, but in the movie, they try to intimidate Pete and his friends with a weed hacker, before Greg scratches his truck and they are chased into the woods. In both the book and the movie, the teens hold a vendetta against Greg and Rowley. Near the end, they corner them on the school field and decide to force them to eat the moldy cheese. Rowley is forced to eat the cheese, but Greg avoids it by saying he is lactose intolerant. In the movie, they are chased by the coach.
In both film adaptations of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, he is portrayed and voiced by Nicolas Carey and Zeno Robinson respectively.
The Warrens
editAlthough the family is vaguely referenced in the books, the Warrens (known as the Swanns in the online book) are what got Frank thinking of making Greg more manly. In the books, Mr. Warren is Frank's boss. Frank is deeply jealous of the Warrens. In stark contrast to Greg and his brothers, the Warrens' children are shown to be athletic and sporty. In the third film, Stan, the father of the family, is shown to be a neighbor of the Heffleys. He had a minor childhood rivalry with Frank, that they appear to have gotten over as adults. In the movie, Mr. Warren is the troop master of the Wilderness Explorers and invites everyone over for an Independence Day party. They only appear in The Last Straw. In the film adaptation of The Long Haul, Stan was replaced as Frank’s boss by a woman named Julie, who makes a brief voice cameo in the film when it is revealed that Frank forgot to ask Julie for time off from work, which results in Julie calling Frank on his phone. Since Stan has not appeared in any of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books since The Last Straw, it is implied that he retired or quit, which is why Frank now has a different boss. However, Julie has not appeared in any of the books.
The Beardos
editOnly appearing in The Long Haul, the Beardos (a nickname Greg uses for them, as their real names are unknown) are a couple with three sons who drive the same model of van as the Heffleys but their van is purple. The Heffleys indirectly met them during their road trip, though only Greg knows who they are. Their first encounter is at the motel during the first night, where they are hogging the hot tub. Greg is later woken up by the Beardo children for making noise where Greg angrily berates them. The youngest then tells his father on him, causing Greg to fear running into them again. Greg sees them again on the highway, the country fair, and at the Soak Central Waterpark.
Greg and his family are convinced that the Beardos have stolen their luggage and belongings at Soak Central after they steal their pool chair and they find their supposed locker empty. The Heffleys try to track them down but could not since they did not know their number plate. On the trip back home, Greg recognizes the Beardo's van outside the same motel that Greg first encountered them, prompting the Heffleys to sneak into their room to look for their stolen belongings. When the Beardos return too early, they catch Frank Heffley using the toilet, who escapes and throws the Beardo's keys away so they could not be chased. In the end, Greg discovers that he actually had the key to the locker in Soak Central and that he got the number in the lottery. The family's real surname is unknown, as Greg himself does not know who they are. It is likely he dubbed them this because of the patriarch's noticeably long beard. (They are known as the Barbudos in the Spanish version.)
In the film adaptation of The Long Haul, Mr. and Mrs. Beardo are portrayed by Chris Coppola and Kimberli Lincoln. They have two sons named Brandon and Brent and a daughter named Brandi. They also drive a different van from the Heffleys’, contrasting from the book. The Beardos are depicted as much more malicious, with Mr. Beardo chasing Greg around through the carnival in order to get revenge on him. In contrast to the book in which they appear, The Beardos actually do steal some of the Heffleys’ luggage, which they later recover.
Silas Scratch
editOnly appearing in Old School, Silas Scratch is the subject of superstition at Hardscrabble Farms. According to the legend, Silas Scratch was originally a farmer who worked on Hardscrabble Farms until was kicked off his land so the school system could use it. He then lived in the woods where he ate slugs and berries, soon becoming deranged and growing his fingernails long and sharpening them. Greg and students from his school first learned of him when a bus that was leaving featured a poster that said "Beware of Silas Scratch". As the week the students stayed at the farm progressed, the lore was continuously edited upon, such as that Silas Scratch is undead and cannot be killed, a rock with scratch marks is his tombstone, and that he has a network of tunnels around the farm.
When Frank (unwillingly) arrives at the farm he continues to spread the lore when two students find a shack that they believe belongs to Silas Scratch. On the last night as Greg is searching for firewood, he finds a shack in the woods, and "almost dies of fear" when he sees several scratch marks on it. But when Greg looks closer at it, it turns out to be a maintenance shed with a toilet and shower. While looking through the shed, Greg encounters Frank, who reveals that when he discovered the shed when he went to the farm at Greg's age, he had started the lore of Silas Scratch to keep the other students away. Greg at first considers telling the other students that Silas Scratch is a hoax but decided not to, as he figures that he might be stuck chaperoning at the farm when he is older, and he will want to use the shed as well. As everyone is leaving, Greg writes on a poster "Beware of Silas Scratch" and holds it up to the rear window of his dad's car for new students coming in.
Joshie
editJoshie is a European singer (possibly British) who is Rowley's favorite idol. Greg believes that Joshie is for six-year-old girls, but Rowley ignores him, saying that Greg is jealous because he was the one who "discovered" Joshie. However, despite Rowley's opinion, Joshie appears to be a singer that is mainly idolized by females (specifically six-year-old girls).
Juicebox
editJuicebox is the main antagonist in The Deep End who leads a gang in Campers' Eden. The gang includes DooDoo, Big Marcus, Regular Marcus, Weevil, Cutter, Fivehead, and briefly Greg Heffley under the nickname Jimmy Dogfish. They like to talk about everything (according to Greg) and they like to settle arguments by physical fighting, making Greg a bit nervous around them. The whole gang (except Greg and Regular Marcus) gets in trouble with the camp counselor after they trashed the snack shack. Juicebox attempts to pin the blame on Greg but is unable to find him.
Ruby Bird
editRuby Bird is a minor character whom Greg fears because she bites people whenever she is upset. She first appears in The Third Wheel and is the only girl that has been suspended from school, because she bit Mr. Underwood (the gym teacher) and left one of her teeth stuck in his arm. Greg tries to be nice to her when she is around as he does not want to get bitten. When he is getting paired up for the dancing unit, he writes a note asking if he could not be paired with Ruby. She is eventually paired with Fregley, which Greg says is "a match made in heaven". She later appears at the Valentine's Dance walking toward Greg, making him scared until Abigail comes, allowing Greg to get out of dancing with Ruby.
Ruby returns in Big Shot and ends up joining a basketball team for students who did not make the cut during tryouts, along with Greg (who says that the only reason Ruby ended up on a boys' team was because she bit one of the evaluators at the girls' tryouts for writing her number down). Her most recent appearance is in No Brainer when kids have no sharpened pencils. They start handing them to Ruby Bird who is seen sharpening them by twisting them in her ears. Greg is not sure how this works yet.
The Woodley Brothers
editDarren and Marcus Woodley are two brothers who always get into fights. They first appeared in The Last Straw, where they went camping with Frank. Marcus wets his pants after getting hit in the stomach with a football by Darren. Marcus bites Darren for laughing at him, resulting in Darren having to go to the emergency room. The brothers return in Big Shot, where they play on a basketball team with Greg. In the book Big Shot, Jeff Kinney describes Darren and Marcus as two brothers who are trying to kill each other.
Edward Mealey
editEdward Mealey is a boy who, according to Greg, has not said a word since second grade. His first minor appearance was in Rodrick Rules when a teacher asked him to clean up a juice spill. He appears a second time in Big Shot with a bigger role. During one of Susan's games where one had to tell everybody something about oneself when one had the ball, Edward finally started talking about how his stepmother is so strict and how she does not like the pet turtle he got for his birthday. He talked for so long that Susan had to take the ball from him and give it to someone else.
Laurel Stringer
editLaurel Stringer is a girl at Larry Mack Middle School. One day, Greg is asked to babysit her younger brother, Wesley.
Wesley Stringer
editWesley Stringer is the younger brother of Laurel Stringer. When Greg is babysitting him, Wesley locks Greg in the laundry room, then rides his bicycle in the house, and gets hurt riding down the basement stairs.
Anthony Grow
editAnthony Grow is a soccer player who played for Greg Heffley's town and appears in Big Shot. Twenty years before the events of the book, he played a soccer game against Slacksville and lost because he missed a kick on an empty net. Now he "can't go anywhere without people reminding him about it." Whenever he goes to Slacksville, however, he is treated like a hero.
Sebastian Sleeves
editSebastian Sleeves is the main drummer of Metallichihuahua in the 17th book. Sebastian is described by Greg as "Rodrick's hero" because when Sebastian burned his hands in a hamburger-grilling accident (which could have resulted in Metallichihuahua cancelling its world tour), he taught himself to drum with his feet, allowed the band to perform more shows. After the bank broke up, Rodrick's band went to Sebastian's house to ask him for advice. But, instead of giving Löded Diper a "pep talk", Sebastian tells them to quit the music business due to the very little chance of getting famous. At the end of the book, Sebastian and the rest of his former bandmates end up performing at the Battle of the Bands and winning, resulting in Metallichihuahua becoming famous again.
Warwick Sprinter
editWarwick Sprinter is the main guitarist of Metallichihuahua. When Rodrick's band meets him at the Legends of Yesteryear convention, he tells them to never do anything for free (as people will always try to take advantage of a band that is just starting out). He also tells them the reasons Metallichihuahua broke up (money and ego). They broke up because of desperate attempts to recover stolen money. He tried to sell Metallichihuahua gear at the Battle of the Bands with no success. He ended up performing with the rest of his bandmates at the end of the book, restoring Metallichihuahua's popularity.
Wayne Barnes
editWayne Barnes is the second guitarist of Metallichihuahua. After the aforementioned band broke up, Wayne got a job at Hipp 'O' Henry's as a security guard. When Greg and Bill go into the restaurant to "steal" a robot monkey's drumsticks, Wayne watches them nearly the whole time. When they escape, Wayne chases down the whole band in his Hipp 'O' Mobile, failing to catch them. He goes to the Battle of the Bands as a fan and ends up performing with the rest of Metallichihuahua's former members.
Stewart Taylor Jr
editStewart "Stew" Taylor Jr is Metallichihuahua's main singer. Before the band broke up, people kept telling Stew that he was the "real star of Metallichihuahua", resulting in him creating a solo holiday album, which totally flopped (according to Greg). After the band broke up, Stewart went back to school and became a lawyer. Stew sends Löded Diper a cease and desist letter from a trading card company, which owns a card named Loaded Diaper (they threatened to sue Löded Diper for "monetary damages"). This resulted in all the members of Löded Diper (except Rodrick) leaving the band. At the Battle of the Bands, Stew delivers Rodrick the news that he was taking the latter's band to court (which never happened). Stew ends up performing with the rest of his former bandmates and winning the competition.
Mackie
editMackie is one of Löded Diper's two guitarists. His first major appearance is in the 17th book. When the band attempts to become famous, Mackie suggests they buy rock star costumes to look cool, which fails (the costumes looked more like plastic aprons, and they came with mini-inflatable guitars). Before Löded Diper performs at the Headless Chicken, the monkey paw that they stole from Hipp 'O' Henry's attaches to Mackie's leg. At the end of the book, Mackie gets accepted to a school for robotics. Greg thinks he did it to get the monkey paw off his leg.
Drew
editDrew is the bassist of Rodrick's band, Löded Diper. He appears in most of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series unnamed and serves no major role until the 17th book. When the band played their song "Diper Överlöde" at a deli counter where Drew's older brother worked, the deli manager fired Drew's brother because the former did not like heavy metal music. After Rodrick forces Bill to break up with his girlfriend, Becky, Drew gets mad because he really liked getting free donuts from Becky at practice. After Rodrick gets a cease and desist letter from a trading card company, Drew, Bill, and Mackie leave the band (they did not want to risk going into an expensive legal fight). At the end of the book, Drew takes his brother's old job at the deli counter.
Becky
editBecky is a minor character in the 17th book. She works at a donut shop called Huneybuns and is Bill Walter's girlfriend. After Rodrick forces Bill to break up with her, Becky does not take any of his calls or his orders at the donut shop, resulting in Bill becoming heartbroken. After Bill joins Stank, Becky makes bobbleheads of Bill in time for the Battle of the Bands and, during Stank's performance in the competition, Becky tosses donuts at the audience.
Ward
editWard is one of Rodrick's friends who used to work security at Löded Diper's shows. He makes his first appearance in Rodrick Rules. He officially joins the band in Diper Överlöde.
Mrs. McNeil
editMrs. McNeil is the next-door neighbor of Gramma. She appears in The Meltdown when Greg and Rowley stop at Gramma's house when Gramma is on vacation, and she is being a snoop.
Mrs. Monroe
editMrs. Monroe is the next-door neighbor of the Jeffersons. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, Rowley goes outside and tells her to call the cops on a burglar, only to find out that it actually was Greg playing a prank on him.
Robert Law
editRobert Law was a man who died around the same time as Aunt Reba. The family accidentally goes to his funeral instead of Aunt Reba's.
Larry Mack
editLarry Mack was the first principal of Greg's middle school. For years he was stealing money from the school and using it to open car dealerships until they arrested him and sentenced him to prison.
Larry Mack Junior
editLarry Mack Junior is the son of Larry Mack. When Larry Mack Middle School closed and Greg got sent to Slacksville Middle School, he dated his daughter Sophie. He saved the middle school named after his dad and renamed it as Larry Mack Junior Middle School.
Sophie Mack
editSophie Mack is a girl who attends Slacksville Middle School. When Larry Mack Middle School closed its doors and sent Greg to Slacksville, he dated Sophie for a short time but broke up when her father saved the middle school named for his father.
Evelyn Trimble
editEvelyn Trimble is a girl who dresses and acts like a vampire. Her first appearance is in the Meltdown, when Greg is listing the kids on his street. He says she actually thinks she is a vampire and is one of the only reasons that Greg is glad he does not ride the bus anymore. Her second appearance is in No Brainer when the C wing lights of Larry Mack Middle are turned off. Greg says Evelynn is the only child who is not bothered by the lights being turned off. She is seen popping out of a locker and scaring Greg.
Pets
editHenry
editHenry was Gramma's former dog. The only time he is mentioned is in Dog Days, where Greg mentioned that Henry died recently, leaving Gramma with a lot of time on her hands, which she spends reading tabloid newspapers.
Sweetie
editSweetheart “Sweetie” Heffley (known as Sweetie Pie “Sweetie” Heffley in the online book) is a dog that first appeared in Dog Days. Greg's dad buys him after discovering that his own father (Greg's grandpa) lied about accidentally running over his childhood dog, Nutty. Sweetie wreaks havoc in the Heffley household and is given to Gramma at the end of the book. In Cabin Fever, Sweetie undergoes drastic weight gain at Gramma's house because he is fed many table scraps. Sweetie is mentioned in The Third Wheel when Greg explains that Manny locks himself in Sweetie's old playpen to avoid interacting with other kids. In Hard Luck, Gramma dresses Sweetie up like a little person. Greg and Rodrick like playing with him by going up behind him and making flatulence sounds. He will the sniff his rear end until he goes to sleep. In The Long Haul, Greg mentions in a flashback where Susan took Sweetie to the vet to get his stomach pumped, because she saw some whoopie pie wrappers on the floor, causing her to think Sweetie ate the whoopie pies, but Greg actually ate them. In The Meltdown, Greg imagines Sweetie sunbathing when Gramma takes him to the beach. In The Deep End, Greg tries to sleep in Gramma's guest room, but Sweetie refuses to share it.
Greg and Rodrick's fish
editGreg and Rodrick’s fish are two fish that appeared in Dog Days, when Greg's mom gives her sons five dollars to buy something they wanted. Greg buys an angelfish that was many different colors, and Rodrick buys a piranha-like fish that was said to be "aggressive". While Greg bought a journal to track everything his fish did, Rodrick neglected his fish to the point of putting its filthy bowl on top of the refrigerator and never feeding it or cleaning it once. When Greg and his family go to a waterpark, Greg's mom puts Rodrick's fish in the same bowl as Greg's fish as it was cleaner. By the time the Heffleys got home, Rodrick's fish had eaten Greg's.
The Pig
editThe Heffleys’ pet pig was introduced in The Long Haul, in which Manny won it at a country fair for correctly guessing the weight of a hog. In Old School and Double Down, to the annoyance of Greg, the pig exhibits extraordinary intelligence and gains human characteristics. One running gag is that despite not having opposable thumbs, the pig opens objects such as soda cans. In Double Down, the pig eats a box of candy corn, later to throw up in Rodrick's van. Rodrick then ordered Greg to clean it up, realizing Greg's role in the mess. In The Meltdown, the pig throws a tantrum for being excluded from the trip to Isla de Corales in The Getaway. Frank sends it to obedience school, only for the pig to escape on its second day there. The pig is never found by the Heffleys despite numerous missing posters, and since The Meltdown, the pig is never seen or mentioned again.
In the 2017 adaptation of The Long Haul, the Heffleys gained the pig in a similar way to the 9th book. After causing havoc in a hotel room, and nearly leaping onto a busy highway, the Heffleys decide to get rid of the pig by donating it to a petting zoo, much to Manny's dismay. Later on, when Manny can speak fluent Spanish, he directs a helpful towing company to the petting zoo, reuniting him with the pig.
Rudy
editRudy was Aunt Cakey's dog in the online book. Greg mentions that Cakey's house was not so monotonous with Rudy around before he passed away. Rudy was "the most clueless dog ever alive", according to Greg.
References
edit- ^ a b c Kinney, Jeff (2007). Diary of a Wimpy Kid(Old School). Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Amulet Books. ISBN 978-0-8109-9313-6.
- ^ a b Kinney, Jeff (2008). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
- ^ a b Kinney, Jeff (2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. ISBN 978-0-8109-7068-7.
- ^ Kinney, Jeff (2024). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess. Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
- ^ a b c Kinney, Jeff (2010). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth. Diary of a Wimpy Kid.