My Top 6 Drummers from Cartoon Bands

October 10 is Hug a Drummer Day, and to celebrate, I'm going to embrace my picks for the Top 6 Drummers of Cartoon Rock Bands--in no particular order, of course.

Jughead of The Archies, the ARCHIE franchise

Let's begin with the Jughead beat! Archie Andrews' offbeat best friend (real name: Forsyth P. Jones) is best known for his crown-shaped beanie, his love of eating (especially hamburgers) and his resentment of women (at least in the early comics). He's not the brightest student in Riverdale High School, since he has no idea what year the War of 1812 was fought; but that won't stop Big Ethel, the girl with the humongous crush on Jughead, from relentlessly pursuing him. Jug's big love, besides eating, is his shaggy canine buddy Hot Dog.

In the Filmation ARCHIE franchise, Jughead was voiced by Howard Morris, veteran cartoon voice actor, who was also the voice of Droopy Dog in the MGM cartoons.

Melody of Josie and the Pussycats, the JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS franchise

Drummers don't come any bubblier--or ditzier--than Melody Valentine, the giggly blonde drummer of Josie and the Pussycats. It's a good thing she can play drums--with her brain power, or lack thereof, she's not suited for any other occupation.

In the cartoon's first season, Melody was given the unique trait of her ears wiggling rapidly whenever danger was lurking nearby. Those ears got quite a workout, with all the would-be world-dominating villains they encountered. In JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS IN OUTER SPACE the following season, the gang was accidentally shot into space in a rocket, and encountered Bleep, a bleeping alien creature whose bleeps only Melody could interpret. So the blonde was good for something besides playing drums.

Melody's speaking voice was done by Jackie Joseph, while her singing voice was done by Cherie Moore, better known today as Cheryl Ladd of CHARLIE'S ANGELS fame.

Wally of the Sundance Kids, BUTCH CASSIDY

I first mentioned Wally, the tall, lanky, curly-haired drummer in my list of Top 8 Other Favorite Cartoon Cowards, and he still is a favorite, even though he seems to be of no use to this rock band/undercover spy team, except for playing the drums.

For starters, Wally is not too bright (he mindlessly read a secret code out loud on a train), gets motion sickness (he turned green pursuing bad guys on a roller coaster), gets distracted easily (by delicious food and pretty girls), and of course, he chickens out. The group's hound dog mascot, Elvis, looks brainier by comparison.

As mentioned before, Wally was voiced by Micky Dolenz, drummer for another made-for-TV rock band, the Monkees. Talk about typecasting!

Raya of Jem and the Holograms, JEM

Her real name is Carmen Alonzo, and Raya is the nickname given to her by her doting father, who runs a plant nursery. She first appeared in the two-part episode "The Talent Search," where she auditioned for, and won, the position as the Holograms' drummer.

A sweet-natured, pink-haired Chicana, Raya sees Jem & Co. as the sisters she never had (she grew up with all brothers). And when she accidentally learns Jem's secret identity as Jerrica, she keeps it to herself, and even prevents Jerrica from accidentally revealing herself.

Raya was introduced in the second season of JEM.

Jabberjaw of the Neptunes, JABBERJAW

Here is the only non-human drummer on this list. Jabberjaw, the great white shark, has the voice and mannerisms of Curly Howard of the Three Stooges, and the catchphrase of comedian Rodney Dangerfield ("I don't get no respect!"). And he gets no respect, especially from Shellie, the diva tambourine player of their band, the Neptunes.

Jabber and his human bandmates live in the year 2076, when humankind has moved into underwater cities. Like Josie and the Pussycats before them, they ran into and fought exotic villains attempting to "take over the entire undersea world." Of course our heroes won, defeating the bad guys while one of the Neptunes' songs played in the background.

Jabberjaw was voiced by Joe Baker, doing his best Curly Howard.

Henry of the Chan Clan, THE AMAZING CHAN AND THE CHAN CLAN

Last but certainly not least, here's Henry, the Number One Son out of the ten children of Mr. Chan, private detective supreme. He was voiced by Robert Ito, who played Sam on the crime drama QUINCY.

While "helping" their Pop crack the case (they usually end up spinning their wheels), Henry is accompanied by his brother, Number Two Son Stanley, naive would-be master of disguise who always gets recognized. When Stanley bungles, which is all the time, Henry, always exasperated, calls him "dummy." I think he does this more than Fred Sanford does to Lamont on SANFORD AND SON.

Not only is Henry the drummer of the Chan Clan family rock band, he has a song dedicated to him, "Number One Son."

Those were my Top 6 Cartoon Rock Band Drummers. They've got the beat--and a whole lot more!