Doonesbury

Doonesbury is a comic strip by Garry Trudeau, popular in the United States and other parts of the world. The title comes from the name of one of the main characters, Michael Doonesbury, a character Trudeau originally modeled after himself. The character's name is a combination of the word doone — 1960s prep school slang for "someone unafraid to appear foolish" — with the surname of the roommate who was given that nickname, Charles Pillsbury.

Major characters

• Mike Doonesbury - Ex-advertising man and co-founder of a software start-up; ex-husband of JJ, husband of Kim, dad to Alex.
• Mark Slackmeyer - Former campus revolutionary turned radio commentator, and one of several openly gay characters in the strip.
• B.D. - Husband of Boopsie. A reservist and veteran of many military actions, he lost a leg in Iraq. Known for his conservative views and (until 21 April 2004) occupation-representative headgear. Even Boopsie doesn't know what 'B.D.' stands for (maybe nothing - he has stated that his last name is "D"). The character was originally inspired by Brian Dowling, the captain of Yale's football team in 1968.
• Zonker Harris - Stereotypical hippie turned ennobled lord, professional tanner, med student, Lieutenant Governor of Samoa, and occasional nanny. After his campaign to enable public access to some of California's beaches, a beach access road in Malibu was named in his honour.
• Joanie Caucus - Ex-housewife and "libbie" who met Mike and Mark on the road, went to law school, and worked with Mike on the John Anderson campaign. Married to journalist Rick Redfern.
• J.J. Caucus - Daughter of Joanie (JJ is 'Joan Junior'), who married Mike, left him for Zeke, and later won a MacArthur Fellowship. Performance artist. Mother of Alex Doonesbury.
• Zeke Brenner - Former caretaker for Duke's house. He married JJ on the second try.
• Kim Rosenthal - Jewish-raised Vietnamese orphan, uber-geek and Mike's second wife. Turned down a Doctorate in Computer Science at MIT because it was "too easy".
• Alex Doonesbury - Teenage daughter of Mike and J.J. who now lives with her father and Kim. More or less a liberal foil for her more moderate father.
• Jimmy Thudpucker - Overnight success as a rock star at 19. Later caught politics and moved to Vietnam. Modelled partially on Bob Dylan.
• Barbara Ann Boopstein (Boopsie) - Cheerleader turned actress, model, New Age channeler, and generic starlet. She is married to B.D.; they have a daughter named Samantha.
• Zipper Harris - Zonker's nephew and current Walden undergraduate.
• Phred - The Viet Cong "terrorist" who B.D. befriended when lost in Vietnam, later Vietnamese delegate to the United Nations, last seen working for Nike in Vietnam.
• Roland Burton Hedley III - Former print journalist (to use that term generously), moved to television and then the Internet.
• Jeff Redfern - Joanie and Rick's son. Is currently attending Walden, and is an intern for the Central Intelligence Agency.
• Uncle Duke, "Uncle" of Zonker, former Rolling Stone writer, governor of American Samoa and ambassador, once the self-proclaimed proconsul of Iraq, and is now the mayor of a city in that country. He has also been a drug smuggler (and heavy user), an enemy of John Denver, toady to Donald Trump, and a zombie. His character was initially based on Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Duke is said to be "Like Forrest Gump's evil twin."