100 Fun Facts About Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Which hobby project does Greg's dad keep working on in Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

A Civil War battlefield in miniature is his pride: he declares the room it sits in off-limits to the children and sneaks away from family film nights to work on it.

In the fourth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, what name does the dog Greg's dad brings home end up with?

Sweetie is short for Sweetheart, a name Greg cannot stand; the dog causes so much trouble over the summer that Greg's dad ends up giving him away to Gramma.

On which website did Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appear, as daily online entries in 2004-05?

Funbrain ran the story in daily entries from September 2004 to June 2005; it drew about 20 million views, and readers' requests for a printed version led to the 2007 book.

At which 2006 event did Kinney show Diary of a Wimpy Kid to the editor who published it?

New York Comic Con, then in its very first year, is where Kinney showed his samples to an Abrams editor in February 2006; the first book followed in 2007 and was an instant bestseller.

What is the name of Greg Heffley's best friend?

Rowley is cheerful and childish, which embarrasses Greg; when a game Greg invents leaves him in a cast, the girls' sympathy for Rowley makes Greg jealous.

In the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, what is the curse of the mouldy playground cheese called?

The Cheese Touch makes its holder an outcast until it is passed on; at the end Greg takes the blame for the missing cheese to protect his best friend, and is stuck with it himself.

Which instrument does Greg's older brother Rodrick play in his band in Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

Drums: Rodrick is his heavy-metal band's founder and drummer, and when he is grounded their dad cuts the punishment short just to stop the daily practice at home.

What is the name of Rodrick Heffley's heavy-metal band?

Löded Diper plays the school talent show in Rodrick Rules, hoping a tape of the set will win a record deal; the recording is ruined because the boys' mother talks over it.

What is the name of Greg Heffley's spoiled toddler brother?

Manny is three and gets away with things Greg is punished for, such as drawing on a bedroom door; twins Connor and Owen Fielding shared the role in the first three live-action films.

Which comic strip do Greg and his best friend create in the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book?

Zoo-Wee Mama! starts as a joint effort; Greg drops it to draw his own cartoon, and his friend later lands the school paper's cartoonist job with it and takes all the credit.

Which part does Greg land in his school's Wizard of Oz play in the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book?

A tree, a part Greg picks so he can pelt Dorothy with apples; she is played by Patty Farrell, who got him in trouble over a test, and on the night he is too nervous to sing.

Which student organisation does Greg join in the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, only to be thrown out?

The Safety Patrol drops Greg after he chases kindergartners with a worm and lets his best friend take the blame; the friend, suspended by mistake, is reinstated and promoted.

Greg's school, unnamed for 17 books, ends No Brainer with which name?

Larry Mack Junior Middle is its third name in one book: revealed as Larry Mack Middle, it sells its naming rights and becomes 1-800-DED-BUGS Middle School, then takes the name of the first Larry Mack's son, who pays to reopen it.

In Rodrick Rules, which play-money scheme is invented to make Greg and his brother get along?

Mom Bucks can be traded in for real cash; Greg finds identical play money at a friend's house and smuggles it home, and the scheme collapses when his brother tries to cash in a fortune.

In Rodrick Rules, where does Greg's big brother lock him while throwing a secret house party?

The basement is where Greg spends the party, sent down for chairs and then locked in; the secret holds for weeks until a photo gives it away, and Greg is punished too, as an 'accomplice'.

In The Last Straw, Greg's dad threatens to send him to which military academy for the summer?

Spag Union is where a neighbourhood troublemaker was straightened out, which gives Greg's dad the idea; he relents after Greg accidentally saves him from embarrassment at a party.

Which popular girl does Greg spend The Last Straw trying to impress?

Holly Hills finally speaks to him at the roller rink, only to mistake him for the weirdest boy in school; Greg loses interest on the spot and declares he is done with girls.

What traps the Heffleys at home for days in the sixth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book?

A blizzard snows in everyone but Greg's dad, who is stuck at a hotel; the power fails, and Greg later finds it was switched off for every room except his little brother's.

In Hard Luck, Greg starts making all his decisions using what?

A Magic 8 Ball turns up on Easter, just after Greg's best friend has ditched him for a girlfriend; he lets it decide everything until he drops it during a test he was using it to cheat on.

Which relative's fourth wedding makes Greg miss a popular kid's party in The Ugly Truth?

Uncle Gary is marrying for the fourth time, and Greg is demoted to assistant flower boy; he later learns he dodged a bullet, as the party's host only wanted younger kids as servants.

Which deranged farmer is the subject of campfire rumours in Old School?

Silas Scratch turns out to be a hoax: Greg's dad invented the crazed farmer years earlier to scare other campers away from a hideout he had found, and Greg decides to keep the legend going.

What kind of film do Greg and his best friend try to make with gummy worms in Double Down?

A horror movie called 'Night of the Night Crawlers' starts when Greg, hunting for paper towels to hide a chocolate mess, finds a bag of gummy worms; the shoot falls apart once the family pig starts eating them.

In The Getaway, the Heffleys skip Christmas to fly to which resort, where Greg's parents honeymooned?

Isla de Corales has changed since the honeymoon: the fun parts are now adults-only, the family claims the wrong suitcase, and Greg meets an iguana, then a tarantula in his slipper.

The Meltdown, published in 2018, centres on a neighbourhood war fought with what?

Snowballs fly when the kids of Upper and Lower Surrey Street build forts and go to war, yet the book opens on a freakishly hot January day with Greg fretting about climate change.

In Wrecking Ball, whose death leaves the inheritance Greg's mom spends on a bigger kitchen?

Great Aunt Reba's money goes on a kitchen extension that exposes wasps and mice, then has to be torn down for standing too close to the neighbours; the Heffleys come close to moving away.

Which team sport does Greg reluctantly sign up for in Big Shot?

Basketball comes only after a disastrous school Sports Day; in one crucial game Greg's mom trades him to the opposing team as a 'secret weapon', and his fluke last-second shot wins it.

In No Brainer, falling test scores bring which retired principal back to run Greg's school?

Mr. Bottoms replaces the sacked Mrs. Mancy and launches gimmicks such as the High Flyers Club, then a paid 'Platinum' tier; he ends up handing the job to Greg for a day.

Which Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, the twentieth, arrived in October 2025?

Partypooper arrived on 21 October 2025; in it Greg's family forgets his birthday, and he treats the party they throw to make up for it as a chance to maximise his haul of presents.

About how many Diary of a Wimpy Kid books had been sold worldwide by 2020?

250 million copies by 2020, for a story that began as a free web comic whose readers had to ask for a printed version.

Who played Greg Heffley in the 2010 live-action Diary of a Wimpy Kid film and its two sequels?

Zachary Gordon played Greg three times in three years; by the third film the cast was outgrowing middle school, so the next adaptation, five years on, started again with new actors.

Which 2012 live-action Diary of a Wimpy Kid film blended two of the books into one story?

Dog Days took its summer plot from the fourth book and its crush and military-school threads from The Last Straw; it was billed as the last live-action film, as the cast had outgrown their roles.

The 2017 film The Long Haul recast every Heffley and provoked which fan hashtag?

#NotMyRodrick took aim at Charlie Wright, the new big brother, for looking nothing like Devon Bostick from the first three films; Wright answered his critics in a video years later.

In the 2017 film The Long Haul, what humiliating internet nickname does Greg pick up at Corny's restaurant?

Diaper Hands is born when Greg dives into a ball pit after his little brother and surfaces with a nappy stuck to his hand; onlookers film his panic, and the clip goes viral.

Which streaming service released the animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid reboot on 3 December 2021?

Disney+ inherited the project when Disney bought 21st Century Fox, home of the live-action films; Kinney wrote the screenplay and produced it himself.

Which Diary of a Wimpy Kid book became the third animated film, a 'Christmas' special, in December 2023?

Cabin Fever reached the screen as Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, a project Kinney had first planned as a television special for Fox about a decade earlier.

Which online adventure game created by Jeff Kinney features Wimpy Wonderland and Wimpy Boardwalk islands?

Poptropica was Kinney's creation as a game designer before his books made him famous; it launched in 2007 and had more than 75 million registered users by 2012.

In which state was Jeff Kinney, creator of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, born and raised?

Maryland is home: Kinney grew up in Fort Washington, a suburb of Washington, D.C., studied at the state university, and only moved to New England in 1995.

What bookstore and café did Jeff Kinney and his wife open in Plainville, Massachusetts in 2015?

An Unlikely Story opened in May 2015 in the town the Kinneys had called home since 2002; it serves his pet cause, getting children to spend time reading rather than on screens.

What was the name of Kinney's college comic strip in his university's student paper, The Diamondback?

Igdoof was a campus hit in the early 1990s, but no syndicate would take it after college, and that rejection is what set its creator sketching a wimpy kid instead.

Which nickname does Greg Heffley's little brother call him, to his lasting embarrassment?

Bubby began as a toddler's failed attempt to say 'brother'; Greg hates it so much that when it is shouted at the school play he pretends it was meant for another boy.

In 2009 Time magazine honoured Jeff Kinney by placing him on which of its annual lists?

The 100 most influential people list included him in April 2009, a striking honour for a man who, by his own account, never set out to be a children's author at all.

Which 2019 Diary of a Wimpy Kid spin-off is narrated by Greg's best friend?

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid starts as the friend's own diary, until Greg talks him into making it Greg's biography instead; two more 'Awesome Friendly' books followed.

Which video game is Greg Heffley hooked on in the early Diary of a Wimpy Kid books?

Twisted Wizard is what Greg wants for Christmas in the first book; his great-uncle's promising parcel turns out to hold a large photograph of the uncle himself.

What is the name of the weird kid at Greg's school with a secret 'freckle' and questionable hygiene?

Fregley unsettles everyone on Greg's street, yet in Hard Luck he briefly becomes a lunchroom star when classmates discover he can 'chew' food with his belly button.

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, what does Greg insist his diary should be called instead?

A journal is what Greg demands it be called, for fear of being caught with a book marked 'diary'; he adds that he is only writing it to hand to reporters once he is famous.

The first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book went on sale in 2007 on which day of the year?

April Fools' Day, 1 April 2007, was the date on the hardcover, three years after the story began as a free web comic; it was an instant bestseller.

Which actress played Angie, a character invented for the 2010 Diary of a Wimpy Kid film?

Chloë Grace Moretz played Angie Steadman, a seventh-grader who keeps apart from her classmates to 'survive' middle school; Kick-Ass, released the same year, made her a star.

In the 2017 film The Long Haul, the Heffleys' road trip is to celebrate whose 90th birthday?

Meemaw's party in Indianapolis is where the trip ends, with Greg arriving in a runaway boat that sails over her garden wall and lands in the swimming pool.

Which ancient language was the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book translated into in 2015?

Latin: Monsignor Daniel Gallagher, the Vatican specialist who put the Pope's tweets into Latin, translated it as 'Commentarii de Inepto Puero', coining words for 'video games' and 'heavy metal'.

In Hard Luck, what had Greg's late great-grandmother hidden inside a plastic Easter egg?

Her diamond ring, an heirloom worth a fortune: the relatives hunt high and low for it, and when Greg finally finds the egg he hides the ring rather than see it split the family.

Jeff Kinney saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid as a book for whom before a publishing board intervened?

Adults were the readers Kinney and his editor had in mind, fans of the TV series The Wonder Years, until the board at Abrams argued that Greg's story would work better for children.

Which language does Greg's little brother speak perfectly in The Long Haul after hearing it on a CD?

Spanish is what the toddler absorbed from a lesson CD on the drive, and he uses it to talk two passing drivers into giving the stranded family a ride home.

In Wrecking Ball, what falls through the Heffleys' roof and scares off the house's buyers?

A hot tub did the damage: the buyers had asked for it to be removed, and the crane lifting it over the house let go at the worst possible moment.

Rodrick's idols in the seventeenth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book spoof Metallica with which dog breed's name?

Chihuahua completes the name Metallichihuahua, a group that won the Battle of the Bands Rodrick dreams of winning, then split up before he ever saw them play.

Which instrument does Greg take up in Double Down, hoping it will win him a Halloween party invitation?

French horn was the wrong pick: the host had asked only the woodwind section of the school band, so Greg had to tag along as half of a two-headed monster.

In the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book Hot Mess, which famous dish of Gramma's turns out to be bought frozen?

Meatballs were her secret: Greg finds a restaurant's frozen packet in the rubbish and promises to keep quiet, hoping to run the family himself one day.

Which fruit do teenagers fire from a slingshot at the canoeing Heffleys in The Deep End?

Watermelons rained down on the family's canoes, so Greg joined a gang of boys who hit back with squirt guns loaded with ketchup, mustard and soda.

Which colour did Jeff Kinney choose for the cover of Hard Luck because the story is set in spring?

Green suited a story set in spring, Kinney said, and it is also the colour in the Irish flag that he linked to the luck of the Irish.

In Old School, which toiletry do Greg's chaperones confiscate after a boy eats some to get sent home?

Deodorant vanished from every bag after Julian Trimble ate part of his stick to make himself ill, and the boys soon smelled so bad that they raided others for more.

Which illness does Greg catch at the end of The Third Wheel, after mistaking a girl's pimples for it?

Chicken pox finally caught him: he had panicked at spots on his partner's face, reduced her to tears and watched his best friend step in to comfort her.

Which live animal does Greg's little brother win at a county fair in The Long Haul?

A pig was the prize, and it soon ate its way through a hotel minibar, so Greg's parents gave it to a petting zoo before it ended up back with the family.

In The Long Haul, feeding one snack to which bird brings a whole flock into the Heffleys' van?

A seagull got one of Greg's snacks at the beach, the flock poured in after it, and a panicking Rodrick hit the gas and rear-ended another car.

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which junkyard vehicle does Rodrick's band use to blast its song around town?

An ice cream truck became the band's rolling loudspeaker after local radio ignored the track the group had finally managed to record.

Which job does Rodrick's band give Greg when it lands a live show in Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

Roadie was Greg's title for the night, a show that went so badly that the venue's owner revealed the band was never going to be paid anyway.

Where do the Heffleys end up taking their big family photo in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book Hot Mess?

A police station was the backdrop, not the lighthouse Gramma had asked for, after a restaurant manager called officers on the family for posing as another booking.

In The Deep End, what wrecks the bridge out of the campground and strands the Heffleys there?

Lightning hit the bridge in a storm, and the family's bid to drive through the river instead left their vehicle wedged in the gap, where everyone else drove over its roof.

In the twentieth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, which occasion of Greg's does his whole family forget?

His birthday slipped every mind: Greg turned up at a pie-baking contest sure it was cover for a surprise, and his parents were shamed online into a huge make-up bash.

In Rodrick Rules, where at his grandfather's retirement home did Greg get stuck hiding?

The women's bathroom is where he fled with his diary, and Rodrick saw it all because their grandfather watches the home's security cameras on his living-room TV.

In The Ugly Truth, what does Greg's new dentist prescribe after Greg accidentally bites his finger?

Headgear was Dr. Kagan's revenge for the bite, but Greg lost it within a day, found his little brother wearing it and vowed never to put it on again.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid became which kind of stage show at the Children's Theatre Company in 2016?

A musical it was, reworked by the same company in 2022, and Broadway names including Sutton Foster later recorded its songs for a studio album.

What is the first name of Greg Heffley's mom, who was called Ann in the original online version?

Susan Heffley has been with Greg's dad since middle school, and her plans for family bonding rarely work out the way she hopes.

What kind of vehicle, left on a relative's driveway, do the Heffleys take on holiday in The Deep End?

A camper belonging to Greg's uncle had been sitting at his great-grandmother's house, and borrowing it meant a trip with no hotel or restaurant bills.

In Old School, Greg's mom gathers signatures asking the whole town to give up what for a weekend?

Electronics were her target because she dislikes smartphones, and the unplugged weekend she won came with a town clean-up that Greg soon ran away from.

Greg Heffley's dad was told as a boy that his dog Nutty had run away to a farm for which creatures?

Butterflies were the cover story: his own father had run Nutty over by accident, and learning the truth at a Father's Day meal sent Greg's dad out to get a new dog.

Which fundraiser does Greg's student council choose in The Third Wheel over a motocross-wrestling night?

A Valentine's Day dance won because the school bans motor vehicles in the gym, and on the night a group of pensioners claimed half the hall for themselves.

Which overnight event at Greg's school in The Ugly Truth has parents arriving at 3 a.m. to take kids home?

A lock-in was the plan, but a chaperone took every phone, so worried parents who got no answer drove over in the small hours to fetch their children.

In the fourth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, which pet of Greg's is eaten by Rodrick's fish?

An angelfish was Greg's make-up present after a ruined party, but his mom moved Rodrick's fish into the same bowl because its own had become too filthy.

Which actor played Greg's dad in the first three live-action Diary of a Wimpy Kid films?

Steve Zahn played the father opposite Rachael Harris as Greg's mom, before Tom Everett Scott took the part when The Long Haul recast the whole family.

In No Brainer, which kind of business renames Greg's school after its own phone number?

An exterminator the school had earlier dropped to save money won the name, turning it into 1-800-DED-BUGS Middle School and infuriating parents.

Which girl starts dating Greg's best friend in The Third Wheel, leaving Greg friendless in Hard Luck?

Abigail Brown barely speaks in the books, and Jeff Kinney admitted he wrote her as a placeholder girlfriend whose job was to threaten the boys' friendship.

In Double Down, which sweet is the prize Greg wins in a school balloon-launching contest?

Candy corn went to Greg because his heavy letter kept his balloon low and slow while most of the others crashed into a brand-new radio mast.

What invades the classroom during the make-or-break test in No Brainer, leaving Greg's school to close?

A swarm of bees stung pupils in the middle of the exam, and because the state refused to allow a retake, the school shut its doors.

Which animal, brought in to calm pupils, escapes during the big test at Greg's school in Wrecking Ball?

A lizard meant to lower stress got out of its cage mid-exam and caused panic, and the poor scores that followed cost the school part of its funding.

In The Ugly Truth, Greg expects to be a groomsman at a family wedding but is given which role instead?

Flower boy was only half the indignity: Greg had heard talk of a tuxedo and assumed the best, then learned he would merely assist his toddler brother in the job.

In the fourth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, which business does Greg start to pay off an $83 smoothie bill?

Lawn mowing under a grand V.I.P. brand name was the plan Greg hatched with his best friend, but it flopped because neither boy had ever used a mower.

Which school group does Greg join in Hard Luck, then quit after photographing his former best friend?

The Yearbook Club lost Greg when he was sent to snap the Cutest Couple winners, his old friend and the girlfriend who had come between them.

In the sixth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, which doll does Greg's mom use to make her sons behave?

Santa's Scout was meant to report on the boys before Christmas, but it made Greg so paranoid that Rodrick started using the doll to prank him.

Which group wins the day off at Greg's chaotic school field day in Big Shot?

The lunch staff took the prize after teachers traded pupils between homerooms and students were paid to lose, and in the end everyone was given the Friday off.

Which phone in Diary of a Wimpy Kid lets Greg call only home or the emergency services?

The Ladybug was a gift from Greg's parents, and he later used it to report his own dad, convinced he was about to be sold to an orphanage.

Which boardwalk ride does Greg wait all summer to try in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, only to feel sick?

The Cranium Shaker finally got its rider on a beach trip with his best friend's family, a stay that ended with Greg's dad being phoned to come and take him home.

Which wild group of children has a camp in the woods that Greg stumbles into in The Meltdown?

The Mingo Kids frightened Greg after a bus driver dropped him near the woods, and the same clan later attacked every side in the book's great winter battle.

On which road does Greg Heffley live, its upper and lower halves at war in The Meltdown?

Surrey Street has a flat lower half and a sloping upper half, where Greg lives, and the children of the two stretches are long-standing rivals.

What is the name of Aunt Veronica's dog, a social media star in Diary of a Wimpy Kid?

Dazzle became famous when Veronica began posting clips of the dog, and Greg later borrowed its picture to win followers for a channel of his own.

Which subject did Jeff Kinney switch to from computer science to gain time for his college comic strip?

Criminal justice was the degree he finished in 1993, and the student-newspaper strip it made room for became popular on campus.

What is the name of the retirement home where Greg Heffley's grandfather lives in Rodrick Rules?

Leisure Towers later lost its resident: in Old School, Grandpa moves in with the Heffleys after the home puts up its rent.

Which British children's TV programme gave the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid book its book prize in 2012?

Blue Peter revealed the win live on the CBBC channel on 1 March 2012, five years after the book first appeared in America.

Which 95-year-old relative gives Greg a talk about growing up in The Ugly Truth?

Gammie, Greg's great-grandmother, warned him that getting older is less fun than it looks, advice he took more to heart than his dad's lectures about the future.

In The Ugly Truth, who is hired to help at home when Greg's mom goes back to college?

A maid named Isabella took the job, but she mostly watched television and ate snacks, and was fired after inviting the other local maids over for soap operas.

Which spooky book series does Greg buy at the school book fair in Double Down?

Spineticklers were the only books he wanted after first spending his mom's book-fair money on toys, and they put him in the mood for Halloween.

What is the nickname of the boy who leads the campground gang Greg joins in The Deep End?

Juicebox led the squirt-gun raid on some older teenagers, then tried to pin the blame on Greg once the camp director had caught most of the others.