Margie Jones
Margie Jones is the protagonist of "The Fun They Had." She is an eleven-year-old girl living in 2155, in what appears to be a stable, middle-class home. She is inquisitive, asking many questions of her older friend Tommy. Margie hates school and particularly dislikes her mechanical teacher's lessons in geometry. She imagines that children used to have a lot more fun when school was in person.
Tommy
Tommy is Margie's neighbor and friend. He is thirteen years old, two years older than Margie, and often answers her questions in an all-knowing tone. He initiates the story by finding a paper book in his attic, and brings it over to show Margie.
Mechanical Teacher
The mechanical teacher is a robot programmed to individually suit Margie's learning needs. Margie hates the teacher, which is described as "large and black and ugly" with a slot where she has to insert homework.
Mrs. Jones
Mrs. Jones is Margie's mother. She appears in the story only in relation to Margie's schooling, about which she has strong opinions. For example, she called the County Inspector to come fix Margie's teacher when it kept giving her geography tests that were too hard. She also enforced the timing of Margie's schooling, believing that school should happen at the same time every day.
County Inspector
The County Inspector is described as a round little man with a red face. Margie's mother sends for him when Margie's teacher malfunctions and gives her geography tests that are too hard. The Inspector takes apart the teacher and puts it back together, resetting its geography level to an average ten-year-old level. He reassures Margie and her mother that it was not her fault that the geography tests were too hard.
