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| “ | Wanna come over to my house and play? | ” |
| — Rowley to Greg during their first day of middle school | ||
Rowley Jefferson is the best friend of Greg Heffley and the son of Robert and Linda Jefferson, who spoil and are often overprotective of him. He is a major character and deuteragonist (sometimes antagonist in Greg's perspective) in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, often accompanying Greg on his misadventures and getting roped into his schemes, though plays a more antagonistic role in the books where he and Greg are at odds, such as The Ugly Truth and Hard Luck.
In addition, Rowley is the protagonist of Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, a spinoff series that centers around him and his own tales. In the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, he is played by Robert Capron, with that role being filled by Owen Asztalos in the film adaptation of The Long Haul. In the first two animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, he is voiced by Ethan William Childress, and in the animated film adaptation of Cabin Fever, he is voiced by Spencer Howell.
Personality
Rowley is a very infantile child whose parents are overprotective and disapprove of Greg's behavior, especially Robert Jefferson, who sees Greg as a bad influence on his son. They are not happy with the fact that Greg mistreats Rowley and are quick to get annoyed at his behavior.
Rowley, on the other hand, is not very bright and often does silly things that end up getting Greg and himself in trouble. Despite this, he has a caring but naive personality and always wishes the best for everyone. He can also be quite childish, sleeping with his stuffed animals and prioritizing his Dinoblazer Action Figures over other activities like writing his comic, Zoo-Wee Mama! for the school paper. He also has a fondness for a children's singer named Joshie. He even thinks that the spelling of "volleyball" is actually "bolleyball."
During Christmas, Rowley receives many childish gifts, including a Big Wheel and a "Best Friends" locket that he tries to give to Greg. In the second movie, he gets scared after watching a horror movie and has to leave early with his parents. In Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, during Greg's first sleepover, Rowley wets his pants after being scared by Rodrick's prank and has to leave early because his parents didn't pack any extra underwear.
Despite his quirks, Rowley's good heart and innocence shine through. His parents' over-protectiveness may be hindering his growth and preventing him from experiencing new things. However, Greg could also benefit from being more considerate of Rowley's feelings and not dragging him into trouble. Ultimately, with better communication and understanding, both Greg and Rowley could improve their friendship and grow as individuals.
In the fourth book, he kept his eyes covered the entire time while Greg tried to watch the horror movie, Hello, You're Dead. Also, when he was sleeping in a beach lodge, he got a nightmare that there was a chicken underneath him, which made him scream out loud. His parents calmed him down and Rowley went and slept in their room. In the movie, he goes with his parents to nearby places. If not, then he'd have to follow Greg. In the book, he went in kiddie rides for little kids while Greg was in the Cranium Shaker, a ride that was meant to terrify and disorientate its riders. In Dog Days, his dad scolded Greg for not showing up for 10 minutes.
He is the main character of his own spin-off called Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid, which also had two sequels called Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Adventure and Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Spooky Stories.
Biography
Rowley Jefferson was born in Ohio to his parents, Robert and Linda Jefferson. When he moved to Plainview in the fourth grade, he crossed paths with Greg, an encounter that would shape their unique friendship. Eager to make connections, Rowley would often recite knock-knock jokes from a book titled "How to Make Friends in New Places," a gift from his parents. Greg, perplexed by these jokes, decided to take Rowley under his wing, partly because it allowed him to replicate the playful antics Rodrick once used on him during their younger days.
When it comes to birthdays, Rowley prefers childlike celebrations, inviting kids from his karate class, even those much younger than him, and reveling in the joy of childish toys. He is a fun-loving and affectionate boy, endearing himself to many, especially more than Greg. Despite Greg occasionally taking advantage of him, asking him to carry his belongings, give piggy-back rides, write English work, or scout for dog droppings, Rowley remains a loyal and willing friend, eager to emulate Greg's ways.
Rowley's immaturity and naivety occasionally leave him susceptible to Greg's manipulation, but his charming and innocent nature makes him popular, particularly among his fellow students, especially the girls. Their friendship, while sometimes challenging, holds genuine affection. In the movie adaptations, their bond is even more developed compared to the books, though they remain true friends in both versions.
Rowley possesses a pure soul and deeply believes in the underlying affection Greg has for him. He also shares a close relationship with his parents, and disappointing them weighs heavily on him. Despite his good-nature spirit, Rowley has had a few run-ins with his parents, like causing a mess in the basement during a Halloween attraction, spending extravagantly at the country club with Greg, and wandering off without informing his parents, resulting in early bedtime.
Throughout their adventures, Rowley's endearing personality, loyalty, and genuine nature shine through, making him an indispensable part of Greg's life and the heart of their enduring friendship.
Appearance
- Holy pepperoni!
- — Rowley in the 2011 Rodrick Rules movie
In the movie series, Rowley is a boy with a thick build and long bowl-shaped hair that is orange and is wider than Greg's, but his hair is golden brown in Rodrick Rules and Dog Days.
In the book series, he has 7 strands of hair that is flat on his head and is wider than Greg's. He has two large teeth and his mouth never appears to be closed, except for a few occasions.
In the spin-offs, he is skinny (but not as much as Greg). He gets mad at Greg more often. He seems to be more sensitive than the original books. For Example, When Greg says his tap dancing is bad, he starts bawling. He likes math and it is highly likely that he has a crush on Ms. Beck, his math teacher. Greg and Rowley got in trouble during one incident and she punishes the boys. Greg receives a three day detention but he doesn't really mind. However, Rowley cries like a baby when Ms. Beck said she was disappointed in him.
In Hard Luck, since he started dating Abigail Brown, he combed his hair differently and had 8 strands rather than 7. After the break-up, his hair got messed up, and had a tired expression before he went back to his original look.
Trivia
- Given estimates made based off of illustrations of him, Rowley Jefferson is most likely between 4' 11" (149.86 cm) and 5' 1" (154.94 cm) tall. However, this is only conjecture, as his height has never been stated definitively within the series.
- He appears in all of the books and all of the movies, and the online version as well, to date, but he only made a small appearance in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End' Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde.
- He’s the only character outside of Greg’s family to appear in every book.
- He is Jeff Kinney’s favorite character, which is what part of what inspired him to write Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal.
- It is never revealed what country Rowley went to on his trip to South America in the book series, but the online book states that he went to Brazil. It is said in the first film that Rowley went to Guatemala, although Guatemala is in Central America.
- Rowley is younger than Greg, as his birthday is in early October while Greg's is in June.
- This means that Rowley is a Libra.
- Rowley's birthday party in Rodrick Rules seems to have been on Oct. 7th. A statement from Greg suggests that the day of the party was Rowley's actual birthday. (October timeline)
- In the online book, Rowley is revealed to be 12 years old.
- Rowley has never had detention, but he almost had one in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid.
- In the online book, Rowley is said to own a PlayStation with 42 games. However, in the movie, Rowley is shown to have a Wii, meaning that he probably upgraded his console.
- Rowley ate the cheese but Greg told everyone he (himself) ate it.
- Rowley goes on frequent vacations to other countries.
- Rowley has closed his mouth five times, twice in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Online, once in Cabin Fever, once in The Third Wheel, and once in Hard Luck.
- Rowley serves as the main antagonist of the first book, due to his and Greg's fight, The Ugly Truth because they separate in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and get back together in the book, and was a major antagonist in Hard Luck because he was ditching and betraying Greg for his new girlfriend Abigail Brown, who served as the main antagonist.
- Rowley is shown to be more sensible than Greg, as he was allowed into the student council, and he gets far better grades than him.
- This implies that Rowley may be notably more apt in some areas not seen in the books.
- According to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Online, Rowley came from Ohio.
- On page 33 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Online book, it is revealed that Rowley's age is 12.
- Jeff Kinney said that he named Rowley after a city in Massachusetts because he thought it would fit the character as being "slow and innocent and pure".
- His journal in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is most likely a different one shown from Rodrick Rules.
- It is shown he has lived on Greg's street since the fourth grade.
- In the German translations, Rowley's name is Rupert. Coincidentally, Greg alludes to this in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal when he says he will change Rowley's role into a made-up kid named Rupert who is an over-exaggerated parody.
- In the French translations, Rowley's name is Robert instead.
- In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, Greg once planned on calling Rowley "Rupert" or "Roger" in his biography, in Greg Heffley: A Life. Rupert is again shown as an imaginary character in Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal.