Hi
The happy husband of a beautiful wife, and proud father of four lovely children, Hiram Flagston is your typical hardworking American — a decent and likable guy anyone would like to call a friend. He commutes by bus to his job as district sales manager for Foofram Industries; he declares all of his income; and he pays his taxes with a groan. Like many do-it-yourselfers, Hi fights and occasionally wins the battle against crabgrass, peeling paint and a leaky basement. A willing supporter of his wife's career choice, he doesn't mind taking care of the kids or, if he remembers to consult his "Job Jar," helping out with chores around the house. He's even been known to combine baby-sitting with his favorite recreational pastime, golf. Hi thinks about his age now and then, but although he will probably never experience a midlife crisis or face an early retirement, he still thinks about his lost youth and the passing of years. Too bad he doesn't know that cartoon characters are immortal!

Lois
In the '50s Lois began as the classic baby-boom mom: a romantic lover to her husband, a devoted den mother to her kids, and a civic activist to her community. The perfect housewife, she's always worked hard at raising the children and making home a loving, laughing place. Lois has survived the "Battle of the Sexes" and has changed with the times. She thoroughly enjoys her job as a real estate agent and she's gained self-confidence as well as new interests and hobbies. Unfortunately, she still has most of the same old household responsibilities and parental obligations!

Chip
The only character in "Hi and Lois" cast who has aged slightly over the years. In the early years of the strip, Chip was somewhere around 8 years old, but now he hovers on the edge of adulthood, waiting to get his driver's license, hoping for his first real romance, and anticipating college life. He's made procrastinating into a philosophical search for meaning. And naturally, he monopolizes the telephone, spending hours talking with his class sweetheart. Although Chip did grow out of his paper route and doesn't wear his hair quite as long as he did in the '60s, there is one thing he will NEVER do: clean up his room. He's probably afraid of what he might find after more than 40 years!

Ditto
A terror in kid's clothing, Ditto has discovered more ways to get into trouble than his mother can shake her finger at! He broke a window with his first home run. He helped change his baby sister, Trixie, once — into a cat. He imitates everything his daddy does, and he has an insatiable appetite for cookies. He's a kid who maintains that sense of fun most of us lost with our childhood.

Dot
While less precocious than her twin brother, Dot believes just being a girl gives her the inalienable right to tell Ditto what to do. She's a know-all and a tattletale, but she possesses a very generous dose of sugar and spice.

Trixie
She's soft, cute and cuddly, as babies should be, but Trixie is also resourceful, perceptive and downright defiant at times. She keeps up a running commentary on family life and humanity inside her thought balloon, looking at the world through her bedroom window and seeing things in a way that no one else can. She loves to feel the warmth of her friend Sunbeam shining down on her face. And although she wouldn't mind increasing her vocabulary or learning to walk, she will never give up pulling paper out of the wastebasket or tossing her peas in the air!

Dawg
Warm, woolly, friendly and fun, Dawg is the Flagston family's dog. Since he can also think out loud like Trixie, we are often privy to his innermost feelings, which are not very deep. He loves to hog Trixie's sunbeam and never refuses her unwanted food.

Other supporting characters include next-door neighbors Irma Thurston and her husband Thirsty, who's everything Hi isn't; Mr. Foofram, Hi's boss, who has a lot of power but not very much wattage; and Abercrombie and Fitch, the neighborhood garbage collectors.