The comic strip FoxTrot has been written and drawn by Bill Amend since 1988. The comic strip has spawned fans the world over, many of whom are obsessed with the trivia and minutiae of the strip.

Mr Amend favours Apple computers over Windows-based PCs, and this theme often pops up in his comic strip. Of course, Apple computers are not safe from his parody either; recent comics have featured the family using an 'iFruit' computer.

The Characters

• Roger Fox (aka Dad) - One of those guys who just never seems to get it right.

• Andy Fox (aka Mom) - A work-at-home journalist, health food nut, and the commonsense queen of the family.

• Peter Fox - The oldest child, a scrawny teenager who eats enormous amounts of food, and yet can't develop enough body mass (or athletic ability) to make any of the school sports teams. He's quite a slacker when it comes to schoolwork, and also has a blind girlfriend named Denise.

• Paige Fox - The middle child, and only daughter of the Fox family. She's a stereotypical American teenager, obsessed with shopping, boys, and tormenting her younger brother. She also has an imaginary French boyfriend named Pierre.

• Jason Fox - The youngest child, who's brainy and precocious and lacking in social graces. Jason has a pet iguana named Quincy, and a best friend named Marcus. He also has a bizarre love-hate relationship with a girl named Eileen at school. Jason's favourite pastimes include aeronautics experiments with Marcus, and tormenting Paige with Quincy.

Common Story Lines

• Jason pestering Paige, often with antics involving Quincy. For example, there are quite a few strips in which Quincy destroys something belonging to Paige (whether it be a favourite sweater or an autographed boy band poster), and Paige then takes vengeance on Jason.

• Jason being a stereotypical nerd, he often has too much fun either conducting bizarre science experiments in the back yard or dressing up like the latest hit movie. Marcus is generally involved in these escapades, and on occasion Jason manages to bribe his older brother into also participating. Several strips have also been devoted to the tortuous relationship of Jason and Eileen.

• 'Health food' meals served by Andy - the rest of the family is less than excited about all the tofu casseroles. There are several strips in which Roger manages to save his children with fast food or pizzas, and there are other strips where the children manage to manipulate each other into eating awful concoctions.

• Peter going to insane lengths to avoid any kind of work. There have been strips where he tries to trick his mother into doing his homework for him, where he tries to rely on the old fable of sleeping with the book under his pillow, and more than a few last minute all-nighters. Peter apparently inherited these traits from his father, as other strips feature Roger tricking the kids into doing his share of the household chores.

• Other typical Peter strips focus on his desire to succeed at sports, even though he's a runt hated by all the coaches, despite his ability to put away extraordinarily large amounts of food in record time. The coach appears to allow Peter onto the various teams solely to serve as an errand boy to run and fetch snacks during the games.