| MTV Name/Nickname | Head Boy (?) |
| Fandom Names | The Head, Head Boy, Head, Derek |
| Stock/stereotype | Clueless Nerd |
| Classmates | Daria and Jane |
| Speaks? | Only once, in "Esteemsters" |
| Frequency seen | Often, from "Esteemsters" through Is It College Yet? |
| Based on real person? | No, but his T-shirt portrays another MTV cartoon character |
| Alter egos? | Yes |
A short, thin student with medium brown bangs (his hair style not unlike Jane Lane's), The Head typically wears a gray T-shirt with a logo showing an MTV cartoon character from the mid-1990s, "The Head" (see below). He also wears round-lens glasses (like Daria's), tan slacks, a dark belt, and black-and-white sneakers. The Head's eyes cannot be seen, implying his glasses are quite thick (unlike Daria's) and his uncorrected eyesight very poor.
This character is named for the image on his gray T-shirt: the logo for The Head, an MTV cartoon that ran from 1994-1996. The character here called The Head first appeared in Daria in Mr. O'Neill's self-esteem class with Daria, so it may be guessed that Mrs. Manson (the school psychologist) thought he had self-esteem issues, or else was just plain weird. The latter seems most likely as the character can clearly duplicate himself (see below).
Given The Head's strange appearances on Daria art (the milk carton, the zodiac alter ego), it appears he was for a time a favorite among the MTV art staff. That his T-shirt promoted another MTV cartoon is interesting given the fact that Daria, as a character, originated on the Beavis and Butt-head show, and Butt-head, as a character, appeared in the opening episode of The Head. This invites the question: was The Head actually part of the same media universe as Daria and Beavis and Butt-head? Or is The Head just assumed to be a fiction-based TV show in Daria? This issue has never been settled.
The Head made an appearance in "A Hard Days' Night" as a member of a group of teenage boys who fought supernatural threats to Lawndale, under the direction of genius inventor Andrew Landon (assisted by J.B. the talking bulldog). The Head was bright but quite the nerd. His real name was said to be Derek (named for a Daria fan).
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1. "Esteemsters": In his first-ever appearance, The Head sits in Mr. O'Neill's after-school self-esteem class with Daria. It is here that he utters the only lines he has in the entire show. When Mr. O'Neill asks a lame question ("So, what are we talking about when we talk about ourselves?"), The Head offers a sincere but lame answer ("We're... talking about us?"). The Head later asks for a nerdy clarification of an assignment Mr. O'Neill gives for the class. True to form, Mr. O'Neill cannot remember the boy's name, and so he goes nameless.
2. A small, slightly modified logo for MTV's animated show, The Head, showing its similarity to the image on the character's shirt. This image was taken from a pre-2000 MTV website using the WayBack Machine at the Internet Archive. The alternate image, retrieved from the same place, shows a promotional image used by MTV for the second and last season of The Head.
3. A curious animation error in "Esteemsters" appears to give The Head dark lenses in his glasses (see full image). The alternate image shows the same scene from a different angle, once Daria raises her hand.
4. Image from "Esteemsters" revealing The Head's bowl-shaped haircut as he tilts his head back. The alternate image shows him raising his hand to speak.
5. An image from "Esteemsters" that shows the height difference between Shaggy, Jane Lane, and The Head.
6. The Head seen in profile, leaving the self-esteem class ("Esteemsters"). He is a weird-looking kid. Short, too, compared to Mr. O'Neill and The Smirker.
7. One of two images from "Esteemsters" showing how strange The Head looks from behind because of his haircut. The alternate image is from the same point of perspective, only later in the episode during a later after-school meeting. The Head and Jane must go to the same barber.
8. Near the end of "Esteemsters," The Head validates his Clueless Nerd image by standing up and vigorously applauding Daria and Jane before they give their self-esteem speeches (full image). We assume The Head has not yet "graduated" from the class, but he does not hold a grudge.
9. It is difficult to pick out The Head in the crowd scene in "Daria!" as Ms. Li announces the coming of the hurricane. He is in the front row, third one over from the left, between Rob and Tank Top. He assumedly sings with the others, but is not seen doing so.
10. In "See Jane Run," The Head sits in the stands behind Kevin and Brittany, beside Angel of all people. (We can tell who they are even with their top halves cut off.) Is Angel some kind of nerd magnet?
11. The Head can be seen in the background on the left of this shot in "Fair Enough." He watches as Jamie signs a waiver for Ms. Li, just before he fights (and immediately loses to) Mr. DeMartino, the Black Knight.
12. The Head can be seen immediately to the right of Sandi Griffin's head ("One J at a Time"). They are in the LHS cafeteria, The Head sitting two tables away from Sandi.
13. "Prize Fighters": In a cafeteria shot, The Head is shown eating lunch (full image).
14. As students watch the bridal expo in the LHS gym, only to be distracted by Kevin Thompson, we see The Head in the audience in the lower-right corner, head turned toward Kevin ("I Don't").
15. The Head sat behind Daria at the climactic football game in which Kevin becomes the QB again in "A Tree Grows in Lawndale."
16. "A Tree Grows in Lawndale": The Head also appears seated in a classroom behind Jodie Landon.
17. This image came originally from a now-lost "page" in a flipbook at MTV's Daria site. The flipbook, "The Package Tour," was accessed from The Definitive Daria: Chapter 4. However, the image and accompanying text (and many other things from "Chapter 4") were copied in August 2002 by fanfic author/webmaster Wildgoose on a page of his Daria website. The site, now offline, was archived and can be accessed through this link at Archive.org. The text reads: Jake relies on this calming carton of milk to help him get through a car trip to The Retreat in "Psycho Therapy." Indeed, The Head does appear in living color on the milk carton Jake drinks (alternate image, visible on lower side of carton). Second alternate image: In "Lane Miserables," Quinn eats dinner at home while holding a milk carton with The Head's picture on it (see #17). She doesn't appear to make any connection between the carton and The Head, but she is probably not paying attention. Could The Head have been a missing child? How could that have happened?
18. Another image from a lost MTV flipbook, "Those Who Can, Shred," was recovered through an archived copy of Wildgoose's site. This captionless image shows The Head in a marching band uniform, playing the trombone. The only scene in which this would appear on the show is, of course, the parade from "I Loathe a Parade." Oddly, such an image cannot be found in that episode (per UU, Pinhead, and TAG). Was that scene cut or discarded before filming?
19. At the end of "Prize Fighters," we see The Head's one great paranormal feat. As students cluster around to watch the hot dog eating contest sponsored by Jake Morgendorffer, we see The Head walking up from the left side of the screen to watch. And we see him walking up from the bottom of the screen, too. Are two Heads really better than one? You've got to wonder at the sense of humor the MTV artists have.
20. Time to clean out lockers at the end of a school year (Is It Fall Yet?). The Head pauses to examine a book. His locker is several away from Mack Mackenzie's (full image). The top of his head comes up only to the top of Mack's shoulders.
21. "Quinn the Brain": The Head sits at a cafeteria table with three other nerds, laughing because the nerd in the blue shirt blew milk out of his nose.
22. The Head is one of the first to walk up and investigate the Fashion Club's newsletter recall in "The Story of D" (full image). Notice that he is shorter than Stacy Rowe.
23. School's out at last, and The Head leaves class, his senior year over (Is It College Yet?). This is the last we see of him.
24. The only alter ego for The Head, showing him as the astrological sign for Aquarius. One might assume he has an Aquarian personality or birthday, if great leaps of logic are no problem.
DariaWiki: The Head (TV series)
Wikipedia: The Head (TV series)
Outpost Daria: transcript of "Esteemsters" (The Head is called "Boy" here)
Sick, Sad World: character entry (as "Head Boy"), without image. The caption reads like an entry from an online MTV flipbook (Head Boy: Even a minor speaking role can't save this poor boy from the role of background character. Maybe if he ever changed his shirt...).
Daria Fandom Blog II: All DFB2 posts that discuss The Head
Daria: Alter Egos flipbook, image #181, on MTV's Daria website
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