Bugs Meany

Bugs Meany is a recurring antagonist in the Encyclopedia Brown series. He is a teenager who lives in Idaville and is a town bully and mischief maker. He is also the leader of the Tigers.

Personality
In the books, Bugs is portrayed as an arrogant, troublemaking teenager. Many of his crimes involve him finding a way to attain something he wants, either by theft or trickery. Bugs tries to make his pranks elaborate in order to fool people, but Encyclopedia Brown always sees through him.

The only person Bugs fears is Encyclopedia's friend Sally Kimball. Sally is the only person younger than 14 to beat Bugs in a fight; as such, Bugs never dares to physically attack Encyclopedia when she is around.

Role
In most of the books, the second case is one where Bugs steals from and/or lies to the kids in the neighborhood. In these cases, Bugs often wants to humiliate the kids by taking away something they like. After being foiled by Encyclopedia Brown, Bugs (and often his Tigers) will come back for revenge in the third mystery. When this happens, Encyclopedia elists the help of Sally Kimball to foil the Tigers.

In subsequent cases, Bugs will try to set up a trap that frames Encyclopedia Brown or one of his friends. However, Bugs always makes a mistake that Encyclopedia exposes.