Hal and Alice Cooper

Hal Cooper and Alice Cooper are fictional characters in Archie Comics and the parents of Betty Cooper and her older siblings Polly and Chic.

Hal Cooper

Betty’s father works as a druggist. Although he has only a middle-class income, he is a good provider for his family. He is also a highly respected citizen, very civic-minded, and serves on the town council. He is a somewhat rotund man and, for a time, his hair was white and thinning. By the 1990s, he was given light brown hair with early signs of baldness. In some early stories he was seen smoking a pipe, but it has been deleted where such stories have been reprinted.

He once believed in gender stereotypes, but in later years, he and Betty are seen sharing many activities, and he appears to be the one who introduced her to sports. Though he is sometimes frustrated with his daughter’s antics, such as her obsession with Archie, he loves her very much and is proud of her achievements. Even so, he is often perplexed by the female nature, especially since his son Chic moved out and he became the only male in the Cooper household. [http://www.archiecomics.com/whoswho/riverdale/whos-who-riverdale.htm]

Alice Cooper

Betty’s mother appears at first glance to be identical to Archie’s mother Mary, except that her hair is light blonde. Betty claims to be a natural blonde, which Veronica disbelieves, but blonde hair appears to be a family trait. Alice Cooper’s maiden name was Smith (in one story, her first name is given as Helen). She and Betty appear to have the closest mother-child relationship in Archie Comics. She is also friends with Mary Andrews and Hermione Lodge.

A very warm-hearted woman, she is always there for Betty, very proud of her, and is always willing to help with her problems. Still, she hopes that Betty will eventually outgrow her tomboy phase and embrace some of Veronica's more desirable traits (though Betty does have several traditionally feminine interests). In later years, it is implied that Alice works, but this has not really been explored. She secretly envies the Lodge wealth a little, mainly because she wishes she could afford to buy Betty the nice things the Lodges buy for Veronica. [http://www.archiecomics.com/whoswho/riverdale/whos-who-riverdale.htm]