Phil and Lil's dad Howard is the quietest grown-up in the gang, and possibly the oldest. This is probably because he's married to Betty, the loudest grown-up in the gang, and it's hard to get a word in edgewise. The DeVilles are the Pickles' next-door neighbors, and Howard likes to drop by and see Stu's toys. Or maybe he's just looking for a little peace and quiet. He has been nicknamed "Howie".

Howard is generally considered to be fairly shy. He tends to not be as bold as others, and usually takes a back seat to his wife, in terms of domestic duties and parenting. Howard is known to display passive aggressive tendencies toward his wife. It is revealed by Betty that she use to poke him with her index finger during their school days. However, after years, he realized Betty was only doing it because she was too shy to admit she liked him. He is shown in Touchdown Tommy to be a big football fan and was seen skiing in A Rugrats Vacation. However, like his timid personality, he does seem to take household hobbies, such as building with toothpicks. It is revealed that Lil wants his special calculator. It's possible that Howard might be of French descent because of his last name.

Howie is implied to be somewhere in his forties, and in All Grown Up!, in his fifties, making him the oldest parent of the Rugrats.