explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2

2026-04-25T22:11:21Z

YZ100:

__NOTOC__
{{comic
| number = 820
| date = November 17, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 2
| image = five_minute_comics_part_2.png
| titletext = Dear Wiccan readers: I understand modern Wiccans are not usually all about the curses and hexes. But Darth Vader was recently converted from Episcopalianism and he's still figuring it all out.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the second comic in the [[:Category:Five-Minute Comics|Five-Minute Comics series]]. The series is composed of four comics, released between in November 2010 and August 2011, three of which were created due to Randall's wife's cancer. They are listed here for convenience:
*[[819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1]]
*[[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]
*[[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]
*[[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]

The caption above the comic explains the circumstances which led to this series' release. Here are the explanations for each of the small comics and the title text:

; Comic #1

: The first comic pokes fun at improbable conspiracy theories. {{w|Dealey Plaza#Grassy knoll|The grassy knoll}} is a location famous among conspiracy theorists who believe it to be the location of an unknown accomplice in the {{w|assassination of John F. Kennedy}}. It turns out that, somehow, this will all lead up to a theory that perfectly explains the {{w|September 11 attacks}}.

; Comic #2

: When a woman described as having a "glow" about them, it's usually just a vague sentiment of attractiveness, specifically during pregnancy, which here very suddenly reaches its conclusion as a baby is unceremoniously plopped into the world.

; Comic #3

: "{{w|Cogito ergo sum}}" is philosophical statement in Latin, formulated by {{w|René Descartes}}, translated as "I think, therefore I am". Descartes wanted to build a philosophy from scratch, starting with something he could be absolutely certain of. "Cogito ergo cogito", is Latin for "I think, therefore I think." This can even beat "cogito ergo sum" in uncontroversiality; it is a {{w|tautology}}, which is why the off-screen character describes it as "playing it safe."

; Comic #4

: The comic on the far right is a reference to {{w|trick or treating}}, a major part of the modern {{w|Halloween}} holiday. Children go from door to door saying, "Trick or treat?". The ''trick'' is a non-serious threat to play a trick on the person if no treat is provided (but see also {{w|Mischief Night}}). Normally, the person at the home then gives them candy (a ''treat'') as a response. Here, a Megan-like character, possible [[Danish]], is the one playing the trick, visiting nightmares upon small children by gifting them blood. The feat of turning things into blood has been previously mentioned in [[812: Glass]].

; Comic #5

: To bail out of a plane means to escape the plane, usually via the {{w|Ejection seat|cockpit's eject mechanism}}. To bail out a boat means to manually drain water coming onto the ship with buckets. The pilots here have confused the two, although if a plane was somehow taking on a large amount of water, bailing out that water would be a reasonable course of action.

; Comic #6

: Sometimes, TV shows will tell true stories while playing up the drama angle for ratings purposes. In these cases, they will often air a notice similar to "The following program is a dramatization of real events" before the show, to indicate that the story they're about to tell is true, albeit not as a literally accurate retelling of events. Here, the disclaimer is technically true, although the events are normally devoid of any drama whatsoever. To add some, Cueball is screaming.

; Comic #7

: {{w|Black light}}s are a kind of lamp that filters out sub-violet light. This means that the only light it gives off is a small amount of violet light, plus plenty of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, but it is noticeable in a few ways; it hurts the eyes, which is why it's hard to focus on things under a black light; it causes sunburns, although the amount given off by a black light is far too insignificant to do this in a realistic time; and it causes a fluorescence reaction in semen, urine, some food stains, and dust making them appear to glow, which is why the robes look dirty. As such, a "{{w|Lightsaber|blacklightsaber}}" would, indeed, be a bad idea. It also causes a fluorescent reaction in clothes washed with common washing detergents (which contain brightening agents [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/optical-brightener Optical Brighteners]) - most notably white cotton, which is why it has been used in discothèques, because of the way people in white T-shirts will light up. Interestingly, there is a "Black Lightsaber" in Star Wars canon; a unique, one-of-a-kind weapon known as the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darksaber Darksaber].

; Comic #8

: Most judicial systems have a {{w|jury}}, a panel of impartial laypeople that, primarily, determines the guilt or innocence of a suspected criminal. "Ladies and gentlemen" is a formal way of addressing a crowd, and so Cueball addresses the jury as "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury". However, it turns out the jury consists only of women, so the "gentlemen" part is not needed. This poses a problem to Cueball's defense, which apparently relied on somewhat sexist tactics. This, sadly, is not too uncommon in real life.{{cn}}

; Comic #9

: The commander's first line is a line from ''{{w|Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope}}''. In the original film, the commander was cut off by {{w|Darth Vader}} using {{w|Force_(Star_Wars)|the Force}} to strangle him, delivering the rebuttal "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Instead of belief in the Force as in the movie, the "ancient religion" referred to here is actually {{w|Wicca}}, a modern pagan religion with two deities that is most notable for practicing magic, and is related to {{w|voodoo}}. So, naturally, Darth Vader puts a hex on the commander's family. (Although, to modify a quote from the Internet, Wiccans hexing you as punishment is like a hippie threatening to punch you in your aura.)

; Title text

: The title text notes that modern Wiccans don't really practice the whole "putting hexes on people" thing, which is true. Episcopalianism probably refers to the {{w|Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church of the United States}}, which was founded during the American Revolution to replace the Church of England in the colonies.

==Transcript==
:Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes.
:--Randall

====Comic #1====
:[A ninja is hiding under a diving board as a man runs along it.]
:[The man jumps on the end of the board and hits the ninja in the head, knocking him into the pool.]
:[The ninja floats in the water. A bullet passes through the man's head.]
:''thwipp''
:[The man is lying bleeding on the diving board, the ninja is still unconscious on the pool.]
:[A sniper is at the top of a hill. The sign in front of the hill says "Grassy Knoll".]
:[Someone is pointing at the diagram of the previous panel.]
:Off-panel voice: Wait, so ''what'' does this have to do with 9/11, again?
:Cueball: I ''said'' I'm getting there!

====Comic #2====
:[Cueball is studying Megan.]
:Cueball: You look different.
:Cueball: You have this... glow about you.
:[They stare in silence.]
:[A baby falls out of Megan.]
:''plop''

====Comic #3====
:Megan: Cogito ergo cogito.
:Off-panel voice: Playing it safe, huh?

====Comic #4====
:[Two children dressed up as ghosts are standing in front of Megan at a door, each carrying a bag.]
:Children: Trick or treat!
:[Megan doesn't move.]
:Child: Um hi. Why are you just standing there?
:Other Child: Candy?
:[Another silent panel as the children stare up at Megan.]
:[The second child looks in their bag.]
:Other Child: Oh God, my bag of candy.
:Other Child: It's filling with blood.
:Child: We should go.

====Comic #5====
:[A jet is flying across the panel.]
:Pilot: Bail out! Bail out! Bail out!
:[The pilot and copilot have buckets, and are bailing water out of the cockpit.]

====Comic #6====
:The following is a dramatization of real events.
:[Cueball is at a counter, with several jars.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAA I'm making a sandwich! AAAAAAAAAA!

====Comic #7====
:[Two people are carrying lightsabers and wearing robes.]
:Cueball: Oh God, my eyes won't focus right! And your robe looks... really dirty!
:My blacklightsaber was not a success.

====Comic #8====
:[Cueball is standing.]
:Cueball: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
:Off-screen voice: It seems we happen to be all ladies, actually.
:Cueball: ...in that case, this defense is going to appear extremely ill-advised.

====Comic #9====
:[Darth Vader is sitting between two people, at a table.]
:Cueball: Your sad devotion to that ancient religion hasn't helped you conjur up the stolen data tapes, or given you—
:Darth Vader: ''HEY.'' Wicca is a legitimate belief system!
:[Darth Vader is drawing a pentagram on the table.]
:Cueball: What are you—
:Darth Vader: Putting a hex on your family.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Five-Minute Comics| 02]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Five-Minute Comics]]
[[Category:Comics with babies]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Aviation]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]

819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1

2026-04-25T22:09:08Z

YZ100:

{{comic
| number = 819
| date = November 15, 2010
| title = Five-Minute Comics: Part 1
| image = five minute comics part 1.png
| titletext = The wolves thin the RAID arrays, removing the slowest and weakest disks to keep the average seek speed high.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the first comic in the [[:Category:Five-Minute Comics|Five-Minute Comics series]]. The series is composed of four comics, released between in November 2010 and August 2011, three of which were created due to Randall's wife's cancer. They are listed here for convenience:
*[[819: Five-Minute Comics: Part 1]]
*[[820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2]]
*[[821: Five-Minute Comics: Part 3]]
*[[Five-Minute Comics: Part 4]]

The caption above the comic explains the circumstances which led to this series' release. Here are the explanations for each of the small comics and the title text:

; Comic #1

: In astronomy, an "approach" is when two bodies come abnormally close to one another, but not close enough to crash. {{w|Jupiter}}, as most probably know, is the fifth planet in our solar system. Its approach to Earth in September 2010 was the closest seen in many years - in fact, the next time it will come that close will be in 2022. In the comic, this is indicated by Jupiter hovering right above Earth and talking to the characters. Of course, Jupiter is not only planet-sized, but is ''enormous'' compared to Earth; in fact, Earth would fit quite comfortably into the {{w|Atmosphere of Jupiter#Great Red Spot|red spot}} of Jupiter. Gravitational slingshots are used by deep-space probes to gain speed by approaching a planet and then leaving that planet; the gravity fields of the sun and the planet changes the trajectory of the probe, and the end result is an extremely fuel-efficient way of gaining speed during space travel. Jupiter is commonly used for this purpose because it's the most massive planet in our solar system.

; Comic #2

: The comic in the middle left features the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song {{w|A Boy Named Sue}}, but with "Sue" replaced with "Trig." Inexplicably, Trig is a name that people actually give their children. The most notable example in the US - and probably the inspiration for Randall drawing this comic - is Trig Palin, the son of Alaskan politician Sarah Palin. Trig is also a widely accepted abbreviation for the mathematical field of {{w|trigonometry}}, and it sounds similar to "twig," so one can imagine how a person with such a name might be ridiculed.

; Comic #3

: A child getting trapped in a well is an alien experience to some parts of the Western world, but it's quite a serious problem in places where wells are commonplace. Here, though, rather than attempt to rescue the little girl, Cueball instead tries to grant her wish of owning a pony before her imminent demise; a pony is a stereotypical thing for a little girl to want. Of course, since ponies don't fit into wells too easily,{{cn}} he has to stuff it in, which appears to be quite painful for the pony.

; Comic #4

: The server room of a large datacenter would be an unusual place to return "back to nature", to say the least. {{w|Reintroduction}} refers to the process of taking a population of animals raised in captivity and bringing them back to the wild; this is a delicate process, as being raised in captivity affects the natural development of skills the animal needs to survive. In fact, Wikipedia has a page specifically about the challenges of {{w|wolf reintroduction}}. Needless to say, reintroducing wolves to a server room is neither a good idea nor OSHA-approved. Cueball may also be referencing a computer program named "reintroduction" or something similar when he says "We started a reintroduction program".

; Comic #5

: Directly below the previous comic, Cueball is telling a "yo mama" joke. Such jokes are usually told in jest, and aren't really targeted at a particular person's mother; however, in this case, Cueball ''was'' attempting to make an honest observation about the listener's mother, and when he discovers his mistake, he realizes that she is, in fact, quite a nice person. Alternatively, Cueball is insulting the femininity of the listener's mother, and the masculinity of the listener's father.

; Comic #6

: {{w|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart}} wrote an opera called ''{{w|The Magic Flute}}'', though the comic seems to attribute it to {{w|Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach}}. {{w|Richard Wagner}} wrote a series of operas called {{w|Der Ring des Nibelungen}}, or, more commonly, the ring cycle. Here, Randall interprets the ring cycle as some kind of motorcycle, while the teleporting magic flute comes from video games: in both ''The Legend of Zelda'' and ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', the player can obtain a magic flute item that has teleportation powers. In the Magic Tree House series, the magic flute is an actual magical flute that does magic when played, although it does not teleport people. The caption implies that even Randall is not sure what meaning this comic has. However, as he has made a mash up of Mozart, Bach and Wagner - this must be intentional - so ''he'' does not attribute the Magic Flute to Bach! Also, due to the anachronistic nature of this comic, it could imply a pun, where they are going "Bach to the future."

; Comic #7

: This comic shows how people rate the "hotness" of girls. Glamour magazines have desensitized many people to photo-edited models with large amounts of make-up, so the model gets a "meh" reaction. The girl in biology class, by contrast, is not only "real" by comparison, but is actually a viable choice for dating, so she is given a 2 star rating. If the same girl from bio class is wearing your shirt, that usually means you've had sex the night before, and she spent the night at your apartment, hence the need to get dressed in one of your shirts; this possibility earns the highest rating, 4 stars. Here it starts taking a turn for the worse. If wearing one of ''your'' shirts means she spent the night with ''you'', logically, wearing one of your ''mom's'' shirts means she spent the night with ''your mom''. This earns a "Wat!" reaction. Finally, human skin is not generally designed to detach from its owner.{{Citation needed}} If the girl from your bio class is wearing your mom's skin like a suit, it means she probably murdered your mom and skinned her. This is a reference to serial killer {{w|Ed Gein}}, who (among other things) made suits out of the skin of some of his victims. To this, Cueball can only scream.

; Title text

: The title text refers to the wolves thinning the RAID array. A {{w|RAID|RAID array}} is a way of spreading data redundantly across multiple hard drives, such that 100% of the data is still recoverable if some number of drives go down. This number can be set arbitrarily, as long as you have at least one more disk than the number you want, but it reduces your total storage space accordingly. The seek speed of a drive is how fast it can find a specific point of data on its platter; thus, the wolves are essentially killing the slowest drives, implementing a kind of natural selection to "evolve" the drives to be faster. "Thinning the RAID array" is a play on words. In the ecological sense, it refers to eliminating some members of the population to allow the remaining ones to thrive more successfully. In the datacenter sense, "thin provisioning" refers to the practice of marking an intent to use disk storage for a specific purpose but allowing it to be used for something else until actually needed (as opposed to "thick provisioning" which immediately reserves the storage space, even if unused).

==Transcript==
Because of a family illness, instead of regular comics, this week I'll be sharing some strips that I drew as part of a game I played with friends. Each comic had to be written and drawn in five minutes. -- Randall

====Comic #1====
:[Cueball and Megan stand facing each other.]
:Cueball: Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in decades.
:[Cueball points behind Megan, and she turns around.]
:Cueball: In fact, here it comes now!
:[Jupiter, about the size of the characters' heads, hovers into the frame at about head-height.]
:Jupiter: Hey, guys.
:[Jupiter continues to hover through the frame as the characters watch it go.]
:Jupiter: Anyone need a gravitational slingshot?
:Megan: No, I'm good.
:Jupiter: Aight.

====Comic #2====
:[Cueball sits on a box, playing a guitar.]
:Cueball: ...Now I don't blame him 'cause he ran and hid,
:Cueball: but the meanest thing that he ever did
:Cueball: was before he left, he went and named me "Trig."

====Comic #3====
:[Cueball looks down a well.]
:Cueball: Oh God, a little girl is trapped down this well!
:[Cueball runs off screen.]
:[Cueball returns, leading a pony.]
:Cueball: It's okay, we got you that pony you always wanted!
:[Cueball tries to cram the pony down the well with the aid of a large stick.]
:Cueball: Get... in... there...
:Cueball: Ugh!

====Comic #4====
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a server room. ]
:Cueball: I like to get back to nature by coming out here to the server room.
:Cueball: The warmth, the whirr of the drives, the drone of the fans, the howl of the wolves...
:Megan: Wolves?
:Cueball: Yeah, we started a reintroduction program.
:Wolf: Awoooooo

====Comic #5====
:[Cueball stands by himself in the frame.]
:Cueball: Yo momma's so masculine that she... oh, wait, that's your dad.
:Cueball: Is your mom the lady over by the door? Aww, she looks nice!

====Comic #6====
:[Cueball runs toward another man who is wearing a powdered wig, holding a gun in one hand, and a flute in the other. Behind him, someone is chasing him on a motorcycle.]
:Cueball: Bach, activate the magic flute and teleport us home! Wagner's right behind me on his Ring Cycle!
:Why did I ''draw'' this?

====Comic #7====
:Hotness Ratings:
:[A close up of a girl with wavy hair.]
:Incredibly made-up girl on magazine cover.
:Girl: Airbrush!
:[Inset of Cueball: "Meh."]

:[An average girl.]
:Girl in your bio class.
:[Inset of Cueball: "Two out of four stars."]

:[Girl with mussed hair in over-sized men's shirt.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your shirts.
:Girl: Want some breakfast?
:[Cueball: "Four out of four stars."]

:[Girl with another sort of shirt speaking to an older lady.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing one of your mom's shirts.
:Girl: Thanks for the great night.
:[Cueball: "Wat!"]

:[Creepy-looking girl.]
:Girl in your bio class wearing your mom's skin like a suit.
:Girl: Give Mommy a hug!
:[Cueball, screaming: "AAAAAAAA"]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Five-Minute Comics| 01]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Five-minute comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Template talk:navbox characters

2026-04-25T20:20:47Z

YZ100: /* Make Hairbun a major character */

==Gender Merge?==
Instead of Male, Female, and Minor, perhaps it should simply be Major and Minor? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 15:37, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

Also, suggestions for a consistent sort order:

Frequency: list1 = [[Cueball]] {{!}} [[Megan]] {{!}} [[Black Hat]] {{!}} [[Danish]] {{!}} [[Beret Guy]] {{!}} [[Ponytail]] {{!}} [[White Hat]]

Alphabet: list1 = [[Beret Guy]] {{!}} [[Black Hat]] {{!}} [[Cueball]] {{!}} [[Danish]] {{!}} [[Megan]] {{!}} [[Ponytail]] {{!}} [[White Hat]]

Chimeric: list1 = [[Cueball]] {{!}} [[Beret Guy]] {{!}} [[Black Hat]] {{!}} [[Danish]] {{!}} [[Megan]] {{!}} [[Ponytail]] {{!}} [[White Hat]]

== Reorder ==

Probably should reorder the categories by appearances for the ease of use. I already did it for the major characters. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|15:57, 26 August 2015}}

== Make Hairbun a major character ==

I think we should make [[Hairbun]] a major character. As of [[3237: Husband and Wife]] (the most recent comic), Hairbun has 103 appearances, only 6 less than [[Beret Guy]], the least commonly appearing major character. Hairbun is the most commonly appearing minor character. We should either make her a major character or make Beret Guy a minor character. - [[User:YZ100|YZ100]] ([[User talk:YZ100|talk]]) 20:20, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Template talk:navbox characters

2026-04-25T20:19:19Z

YZ100: /* Make Hairbun a major character */ new section

Category:Comics featuring Hairbun

2026-04-25T20:15:08Z

YZ100:

<noinclude>:''For the character's explanation, see [[Hairbun]].''</noinclude>

These are all the comics that feature or mention Hairbun.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Comics featuring minor characters|Hairbun]]

Hairbun

2026-04-25T20:14:38Z

YZ100:

{{Infobox character
| image = Hair_Bun_Girl.png
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = '
| first_appearance = [[337: Post Office Showdown]]
}}

<noinclude>:''For a list of comics, see [[:Category:Comics featuring Hairbun|Comics featuring Hairbun]].''</noinclude>

'''Hairbun''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. Like most characters in xkcd, she does not necessarily represent the same person from comic to comic. She is distinguished by her hair, set up in a bun. She can have several variations of her hair style, and occasionally uses glasses.

==Characteristics==
[[File:Hair Bun Girl with glasses.png|thumb|200px|Hairbun with glasses from [[1756: I'm With Her]].]][[File:Hair Bun Girl as Emily Dickinson.png|thumb|200px|Hairbun with a bun and trailing hair from [[1737: Datacenter Scale]].]][[File:Hair Bun Girl with curly hair but no ponytail.png|thumb|200px|Hairbun with curly hair from [[1645: Toasts]].]]Hairbun appeared two weeks in a row in the spring of 2015 ([[1504: Opportunity]] and [[1507: Metaball]]) and was recognized as a "new" character at that time, though she had been used several times prior to then.

However, after comic 1500 she has appeared fourteen times from [[1504: Opportunity]] to [[1756: I'm With Her]] (which was the second comic in a row with her). This is more than once every 20th comic, compared to only twenty times before comic 1500 which is only once every 75th comic, so there was a good reason for why she was not "discovered" before.

She is not the same character from comic to comic. She is mainly just another woman that [[Randall]] can use when he wishes to give a woman a specific characteristic so to set her aside from the more commonly used women, [[Megan]] and Ponytail. Often, she is depicted together with both Megan and Ponytail proving this point. (Ten appearances as of February 2016: [[703]], [[708]], [[1052]], [[1253]], [[1504]], [[1507]], [[1601]], [[1637]], [[1645]] and [[1756]].) She has, for instance, represented the mother of both Megan and [[Cueball]], see the list below under the list of Hairbuns drawn with glasses.

*In her first appearance, [[337: Post Office Showdown]], she is drawn with glasses.
**She also wears glasses in [[2472: Fuzzy Blob]], [[1772: Startup Opportunity]], [[1756: I'm With Her]], [[1637: Salt Mine]], [[1110: Click and Drag]], [[1088: Five Years]], [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]], [[872: Fairy Tales]], [[863: Major in the Universe]], [[835: Tree]], [[566: Matrix Revisited]] and in [[410: Math Paper]]
***In [[835: Tree]] she portrays Cueball's mother and/or the wife of [[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|another version]] of Cueball.
***In [[872: Fairy Tales]] she portrays Megan's mother, a sleepy math professor.
***She wears sunglasses (as {{w|Trinity (The Matrix)|Trinity)}} in [[566: Matrix Revisited]].
***In total, up to "I'm With Her", she has used glasses nine times.
*Her first appearance without glasses was in her second appearance, [[378: Real Programmers]]. In the recent comics (past no. 1500), this is her most prevalent appearance.
*Hairbun can represent a real person:
**This is similar to Cueball who also represents real persons from time to time.
**This first occurred when she represented {{w|Emily Dickinson}} in [[788: The Carriage]]. In that comic, Emily is drawn exactly as the standard version of Hairbun, and she is labeled as such.
**It also occurred in [[896: Marie Curie]] where zombie {{w|Marie Curie}} is drawn as Hairbun.
***In the book ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', she is also used to represent Marie Curie in the explanation for ''The pieces everything is made of'' (e.g., the {{w|periodic table}}).
*Her appearance, apart from her glasses, can also change.
**In [[703: Honor Societies]], [[708: Sex Dice]], [[1511: Spice Girl]], [[1601: Isolation]] and in every instance in [[1608: Hoverboard]] her hair looks somewhat different, curly and with some kind of pony tail, but since her main distinguishing characteristic is the hair bun, these comics are included.
**Her hair looks somewhat similar in [[1645: Toasts]], but without the ponytail appendage.
**Six times in total, she has appeared with different hair, though never with glasses.
**This leaves 19 times (after 34 appearances, 6 with different hair and 9 with glasses) where she has looked like the picture used on this page, and 15 timed she has looked differently. See the [[#Gallery|gallery]] below.
*There are some characters with hair buns that are not Hairbun:
**Since she is a grown woman, she should not be confused with Jill or any other small girls with hair bun like in [[1584: Moments of Inspiration]].
**In [[572: Together]] a woman looking like Hairbun is obviously Megan who has turned old during the comic, so this comic is not included here. But it could indicate that Randall often uses Hairbun to represent an older woman, as this was also the case in [[586: Mission to Culture]].
**A character with a hair bun was also featured in [[911: Magic School Bus]], but she is drawn in color and with a dress and represents the fictional character {{w|Ms. Frizzle}}. She is thus not included as a Hairbun.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category: Characters]]
[[Category:Minor characters]]