This is the main page for "Backgrounders," a catalog of all the minor, one-shot, and background individuals who had small (or smaller) roles in the series. Other than being sorted according to apparent age and where they are encountered in the series, background characters are arranged below in little particular order, as they rarely have names and are usually identified only by their appearance. Clicking on a linked character image will send you to that character's webpage, which will have more images of that character from various Daria episodes, plus commentary on that character's possible personality and habits (as can be determined from observed behavior) and any appearances by that character in fanfiction.
Background students from Lawndale High School are being presented first. Later will come adult backgrounders and small children such as Trike Girl from "Daria!" We might even do all the animals, who knows.
Many names offered for background characters below are unofficial "placeholder" names given them by the fandom (i.e., UU and TAG). Characters with official (canon) or commonly used (fandom) names are given those whenever possible. Individual character pages offer more extensive lists of names used for characters in fanfiction or by fandom members.
"Stock/stereotype" offers suggestions, to be taken with a grain of salt, on what sort of "teen stereotype" (normal, jock, nerd, etc.) each character seems to represent given appearance, dialogue, and behaviors. Commonly seen uses of the character in fanfiction might be noted, too. Unless a character was specifically said to be based on a living person, all characters are assumed to be original. Any information offered on these characters is subject to change with subsequent discoveries of other material in the rich lore of Daria.
Image descriptions with a number written in bold red indicate an anomaly is present. This usually means the character has an unusual appearance or actions thanks to an animation error.
The quality of images on this site varies greatly, though we strive to offer the best possible. Differences in film quality, focus, color saturation, brightness, contrast, and so forth make it very difficult to standardize appearance for the same character across all images. Use your best judgment. If you have better images than these, by all means contact us (The Angst Guy).
It is difficult to separate the greats from the lesser greats in Daria, and thus it is worth a few words about how that line was drawn for purposes of this website.
Major characters not only appear frequently in the show, but usually have speaking parts and interact with Daria or Quinn Morgendorffer on a regular basis. They are expected to act or react every time they show up, and they are often the core of a major plot line in an episode. A less obvious criteria is that major characters have lots of alter egos drawn of them, indicating the MTV staff had a strong interest in them.
Jane Lane gets an automatic pass into major stardom, being one of the three most important characters in the series next to the Morgendorffer sisters. Helen and Jake Morgendorffer, Trent Lane, the Fashion Club, Anthony DeMartino, Timothy O'Neill, Upchuck, Brittany and Kevin, Mack and Jodie, and Principal Li (among others) are also major figures. Tom Sloane, though he appears over halfway through the series, easily qualifies as a major character, too.
And now, the borderlands. Given the above, the Three Js (Jeffy, Joey, and Jamie) qualify as major characters, though barely. They almost always have something to do when they show up (and they show up a lot), even if it's merely chasing after Quinn. They, however, are among the least important major players because of the very limited role they play and the shallowness of their personalities. Just across the border, Andrea is the most important of all minor characters. She does not have many speaking roles but is often seen and has more character depth than the Three Js put together. Her popularity among Daria fans is significant, and the MTV staff even made a number of alter egos of her, indicating she was a favorite of theirs as well. She remains a minor character because of her limited interaction with major characters. She has never been a part of an important plot line in the series, appearing always as an intriguing sideshow to the main events. For the moment (depending on what new suggestions pour in on this matter), the Three Js and Andrea make up the boundary between the big and the small.
One can quibble over technicalities. Popular Girl shows up in every regular episode, for instance, but that is because she is shown on the volleyball team playing against Daria, Stacy, and Tiffany in the introduction. None of these appearances are meaningful. Ted DeWitt-Clinton is at the core of an entire episode ("The New Kid") and is briefly a romantic interest of Daria's, but then drops off the radar, appearing only twice more in the entire series in minor roles. Evan, Jane's one-time beau, faces exactly the same problem. Dawn and The Head have a few alter egos, but little else in their favor. Certain "silent" background characters like Burnout Girl, Shaggy, Popular Girl, and Scarlett attract considerable fan attention because of their peculiarities, but none has yet risen to the level of fandom fame that Andrea enjoys, and none has anything like Andrea's (albeit limited) significance in the show.
That issue resolved, we move on to the Backgrounders themselves.
Five major characters are on the football team but not named below: team captain Michael Jordan "Mack" Mackenzie; quarterback Kevin "The QB" Thompson; and the Three Js: Jamie White, Jeffy, and Joey. Playing positions for the Three Js and the minor characters are unknown at this time. Certain characters are marked with a question mark (?) if they typically wear clothing suggesting that they are on the football team (such as the trademark yellow T-shirts with V-shaped collars and player numbers on the chest) but have not appeared in scenes showing them playing football or with other known team players in uniform, such as Mackenzie or Thompson. No distinction between varsity and junior varsity teams is known.
 Robert |
 Latino Lion (?) |
 Lion #8 (?) |
 Beard #12 (?) |
 Other AA Lion |
 Van Dyke Lion |
 Mohawk Lion (?) |
 Red Lion |
 Black Mane Lion |
 x |
x |
x |
One major character is a cheerleader but is not named below: Brittany Taylor.
 Angie |
 Lisa |
 Nikki |
 Cheerleader 5 |
 Cheerleader 6 |
 Cheerleader 7 |
 Cheerleader 8 |
