''Dennis the Menace and Gnasher'' (originally titled ''Dennis the Menace'' and currently titled ''Dennis and Gnasher)'' is a long-running
comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
in the British children's
comic
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
''
The Beano
''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-runn ...
'', published by
DC Thomson
DC Thomson is a media company based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded by David Couper Thomson in 1905, it is best known for publishing ''The Dundee Courier'', ''The Evening Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Post'' newspapers, and the comics ''Oor Wull ...
, of
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
, Scotland. The comic stars a boy named Dennis the Menace and his Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound
Gnasher
Gnasher () is a fictional comic strip character that appears in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. He is the pet dog of Dennis the Menace, who meets him in 1968's issue 1362, and is also the star of three spin-off comic strips. Gnasher ...
.
The strip first appeared in issue 452, dated 17 March 1951, and on sale from 12 March 1951. It is the longest-running strip in the comic. The idea and name of the character emerged when the comic's editor heard a British
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
song with the chorus "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice".
The creation of Dennis in the 1950s had sales of ''The Beano'' soar.
From issue 1678 onwards (dated 14 September 1974), Dennis the Menace replaced
Biffo the Bear
Biffo the Bear is a fictional character from the British comic magazine ''The Beano'' who stars in the comic strip of the same name, created in 1948 by Dudley D. Watkins. He was the mascot of The Beano for several decades.
Background
Biffo's c ...
on the front cover, and has been there ever since. Coincidentally, on 12 March 1951, another comic strip named ''
Dennis the Menace'' debuted in the US. As a result of this, the US series has initially been retitled ''Dennis'' for UK audiences, while the British character's appearances are often titled ''Dennis and Gnasher'' outside the UK. In 2021, Dennis (and Gnasher) featured on a
series of UK postage stamps issued by the
Royal Mail
, kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga
, logo = Royal Mail.svg
, logo_size = 250px
, type = Public limited company
, traded_as =
, foundation =
, founder = Henry VIII
, location = London, England, UK
, key_people = * Keith Williams ...
to mark 70 years of the character.
Dennis is the archetypal badly behaved schoolboy. The main recurring storyline throughout the years features his campaign of terror against a gang of "softies" (
effeminate
Effeminacy is the embodiment of traits and/or expressions in those who are not of the female sex (e.g. boys and men) that are often associated with what is generally perceived to be feminine behaviours, mannerisms, styles, or gender roles, rath ...
, well-behaved boys), particularly
Walter the Softy
Walter Brown (pejoratively nicknamed "Walter the Softy") is a fictional character that appears in the British comic magazine '' The Beano''. He is the rival and antagonist to Dennis the Menace who is vilified because of his lack of interest in ...
. Walter finds himself in unfavourable circumstances on many occasions, although he sometimes gets the last laugh. Author
Michael Rosen
Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009.
Early life
Michael Wayne Ro ...
states, "In most children's books, a bad child gets made good – but the great thing about Dennis is he never gets better".
''Dennis the Menace and Gnasher'' was first drawn by
David Law (1951–1970), who gave the mischievous boy his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, outsized shoes, and devilish grin, then
David Sutherland (1970–1998).
David Parkins
David Alan Parkins (born 2 November 1955) is a British cartoonist and illustrator who has worked for D.C. Thomson, publisher of ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''. Now based in Canada, he illustrates children's picture books.
Parkins was born in ...
took over from 1998 until 2006, although
Nigel Parkinson
Nigel Parkinson is a British cartoonist who works for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and mainly draws for ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''.
Biography
Parkinson is the official artist for Dennis the Menace in ''The Beano''. His career in comics began ...
drew the lion's share of the strips after 2002, and Jimmy Hansen alternated with him in 2005–06.
Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986 to 2012. As of 2013, he currently draws strips for Viz. He lives in Leith, with three children, and is a Hearts supporter.
Tak ...
drew some second Dennis strips for the comic's rear pages.
Barrie Appleby
Barrie Appleby is a British comics artist who works mainly for Scottish publisher D. C. Thomson & Co., drawing strips such as Dennis the Menace and Roger the Dodger for ''The Beano'' since the 1970s. He has also drawn Cuddles and Dimples for ' ...
did the artwork for the ''Beano Superstars'' series, which, towards the end of its run, resorted mostly to strips based on the
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
. In 2011, he took over as Dennis's main artist. In 2012, Nigel Parkinson was named sole official Dennis artist. Dennis was returned to his previous appearance and personality.
Nigel Auchterlounie
Nigel Auchterlounie is a British comics artist and cartoonist. His graphic novel, ''Spleenal'', was published by Blank Slate Books in 2009. His artwork also featured heavily in the children's comic The Dandy, often writing the strips himself.
Fo ...
began writing for Dennis a month later and gave Dennis (and the other characters) wider personalities. Auchterlounie has proven to be a very popular writer since taking over Dennis. Dennis and Gnasher have remained the mascots of ''The Beano''.
Strip history
Creation and concept
The idea and name of the character emerged when ''The Beano'' editor George Moonie heard a British
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
song with the chorus "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice".
The character of Dennis was initially a struggle for artist Davey Law and then ''Beano'' chief sub Ian Chisholm to develop. Chisholm described the character to Law but was dissatisfied with every sketch the artist showed him. Out of frustration, Chisholm grabbed a pencil and quickly sketched out his creation to Law in the back of his cigarette packet. The drawing consisted of Dennis's trademark messy haircut, knobbly knees, and menacing scowl. Adapting Chisholm's doodle, Law set to work on the character in the strip, which would appear in the 17 March 1951 issue of ''The Beano''. Two months later, Law gave the mischievous boy his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, outsized shoes, and devilish grin.
David Law strips (1951–1970)
Dennis's first comic-strip appearance consisted of him walking into the park with his father and his dog, where a sign is planted informing visitors that they should 'Keep Off the Grass'. Keeping in with his "world's naughtiest boy" tagline,
Dennis makes many attempts to get onto the grass, much to his father's annoyance. Losing his temper, he takes the lead off the dog and puts it on Dennis, thus ending the menace's hijinks. This, like many succeeding it, only made up half a page. Dennis was deemed not popular enough to gain a full-page strip until around 1954. Many of Law's strips ended with Dennis being punished for his troublemaking with
corporal punishment, such as a
slippering
Slippering is a term for the act of smacking the buttocks, or the hands, with a slipper or a slide as a form of corporal punishment. A slippering on the buttocks is a form of spanking; it is a much more common method than slippering on the hand ...
or
use of a cane. Throughout the years, Law's Dennis became taller than his debut appearance. Why Law chose to do this is unknown, but many believe it was due to Law's
perfectionist nature. In 1954, Dennis replaced
Big Eggo
''Big Eggo'' was a British comic strip series about an eponymous ostrich, published in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. He first appeared in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the first ever cover star. His first words in the strip w ...
as the character next to ''The Beano'' title, citing one of many changes of the comic during this period. The following year, Dennis became one of a few characters from
DC Thomson
DC Thomson is a media company based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded by David Couper Thomson in 1905, it is best known for publishing ''The Dundee Courier'', ''The Evening Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Post'' newspapers, and the comics ''Oor Wull ...
comics to be featured in his
own annual (the 1956 edition), which continued to 2011.
Dennis was also present in the first ''
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...
''-''Beano'' Summer Special, where he appeared in full colour. This strip featured Dennis begrudgingly selling flags in aid of the dog's home. Bored, he chooses to make this a perfect aid to his menacing. Dennis continued to gain popularity solo as time moved on. His trademark pet, Gnasher, was not introduced until 1968.
On 31 August, a strip depicted Dennis being informed by his father that many pets look like their owners. Dennis dismisses this as being a load of "rot!" and goes out. However, seeing many different owners looking just like their dogs, he begins to consider that it may be true. Upon being informed of a dog show, Dennis decides to enter but needs a dog to do so. This was when he found the Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound roaming the streets of Beanotown. Menacing the dog show rather than attempting to win it, the duo are eventually caught and punished. Gnasher returned the following week and became a comic favourite, as well as the Menace's best friend.
David Sutherland strips (1970–1998)
In 1970, Davey Law took ill and retired from the strip, leaving Dennis in need of a new artist. Dave Sutherland, who was already the artist of ''
Biffo the Bear
Biffo the Bear is a fictional character from the British comic magazine ''The Beano'' who stars in the comic strip of the same name, created in 1948 by Dudley D. Watkins. He was the mascot of The Beano for several decades.
Background
Biffo's c ...
'' and ''
The Bash Street Kids
''The Bash Street Kids'' is a comic strip in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. It also appeared briefly in The Wizard as series of prose stories in 1955. The strip, created by Leo Baxendale as ''When the Bell Rings'', first appeare ...
'', was chosen. Dennis made a cameo in a Biffo story in 1972, citing his wish to be on the cover. This dialogue proved to be almost prophetic, as he became the cover star of the comic in 1974 (issue 1678, cover date 14 September 1974), a position he still holds today. His first cover story consisted of him using the issue's free gift, the Happy Howler, to torment people, including his Dad and in an opera house, who gives Dennis's dad a free gift of his own, a slipper.
Dennis's popularity was emphasised in 1976 when he was awarded his own fan club. Members would get a membership card, a club wallet, and two badges. This became the foundation of ''The Beano'' Club years later. The club was well known for being popular amongst
celebrities
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
, as well as ''Beano'' readers.
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...
,
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
, and
Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World ...
were among many to join. A strip promoting an all-new Dennis T-shirt for club members emerged in 1978. It featured a guest appearance from
Minnie the Minx
Minnie the Minx, whose real name is
Hermione Makepeace is a comic strip character published in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. Created and originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, she first appeared in issue 596, dated 19 December 1953, ma ...
and consisted of the two fighting over to whom the red-and-black jersey image truly belongs.
''The Beano'' turned 40 in 1978. To celebrate, Dennis's weekly comic strip this week featured him celebrating his birthday and his menacing antics with his brand new
cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
outfit.
In 1980, ''The Beano'' reached a landmark 2000th issue. The front cover depicted Dennis offering to show readers the first issue of the comic. Incidentally and fitting well with the character's menacing nature, the comic was at the bottom of the pile. The character was then featured in one of the first ''Beano'' spin-off comics, ''The Beano Comic Libraries''. He was one of the first ''Beano'' characters to get a feature-length story, which in turn was called ''King Dennis''. Dennis was also a character present in the most successful ''Beano'' annual to date in 1983.
In 1986, one of Dennis's first story arcs appeared. Gnasher, his faithful companion, had gone missing. Distraught, Dennis asked readers to join him on a "Gnational Gnasher Search". At first, Dennis's dad was far happier without the tripehound, but as the week wore on, he found himself missing the dog. The story lasted seven weeks before Gnasher returned by a father with his six daughters and son, Gnipper, who later became a key character.
On ''The Beano''
's 50th anniversary, Dennis's strip consisted of him saving ''The Beano''
's birthday cake, which had begun to float away after the rope in which the sailor was pulling it along with was cut by a nearby crab.
A landmark issue for Dennis appeared in 1991, as ''The Beano'' announced they were to change his image. The news received much media attention throughout the UK and it was later revealed to be a publicity stunt in the very strip the image was introduced. Dennis's new attire consisted of a blue tracksuit, sunglasses and headphones connected to a
walkman
Walkman, stylised as , is a brand of portable audio players manufactured and marketed by Japanese technology company Sony since 1979. The original Walkman was a portable cassette player and its popularity made "walkman" an unofficial term for ...
. However, the tracksuit bottoms ripped due to Dennis's knobbly knees and he ditched the jacket as his father could catch him easier after he had menaced. The end of the strip showed Dennis returning in his trademark jersey and shorts and
pea-shooting his nemesis
Walter
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
. Dennis also played a vital role in the storyline in which ''The Beano'' was turned into colour. The front cover of the famous 2674th issue of the comic depicted Dennis spraying other famous ''Beano'' characters with a hose of paint.
In 1993, ''Beano'' editor
Euan Kerr
''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-run ...
was becoming concerned at the direction David Sutherland's depiction of the character was taking, with Dennis becoming ever stockier and larger. Kerr, feeling that Dennis was beginning to resemble a thuggish teenager rather than the naughty boy he was intended to be, told Sutherland to make Dennis look younger in appearance. As a result, Dennis was made shorter, with a smaller chin. He retained his familiar outfit but started to wear trainers. These changes were also made with the intention of making the character easier to animate for the forthcoming ''
Beano Video
''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-run ...
''.
In 1996, the first
Dennis animated series was released on the UK station CBBC, with a second series following in 1998.
After ''The Beanos 60th anniversary issue in 1998, David Sutherland stopped drawing the strip, and was replaced by former
Billy Whizz and
The Three Bears artist,
David Parkins
David Alan Parkins (born 2 November 1955) is a British cartoonist and illustrator who has worked for D.C. Thomson, publisher of ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''. Now based in Canada, he illustrates children's picture books.
Parkins was born in ...
.
David Parkins (1998–2003)
Parkins' first Dennis strips featured a storyline that formally introduced Dennis's younger sister
Bea into the comic. The story lasted three issues and consisted of Dennis's fear that a younger sister would ruin his reputation as the toughest menace in Beanotown. However, as it turned out Bea was as much of a menace as her older brother and even gained her own spin-off strip drawn by Nigel Parkinson (who would frequently ghost the main strip during 1999–2004), which Dennis would sometimes cameo in.
Dennis kicked off the new millennium with a strip of him charging 50 pence to access the Menace Dome, a more 'menacing' version of the
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millenn ...
. He also starred as a villain in a feature-length Bash Street Kids strip in which he, alongside Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger, raced against the Bash Street Kids to find the treasure which was apparently buried underneath the Millennium Dome. It ended with Danny, the Bash Street leader, outwitting Dennis and his cronies and Dennis angrily blaming it on Roger. Whilst a rivalry with The Bash Street Kids was touched on before in other strips, it was this story that made the rivalry far more well known. Several succeeding feature-length strips after, usually drawn by Mike Pearse or Kev F. Sutherland, further depicted the rivalry even to the point it would get violent. He also made other appearances in the spin-off
Bash Street Kids - Singled Out
Singled Out was a comic strip in the UK comic ''The Beano''. It first appeared in issue 3226, dated 15 May 2004, drawn by Mike Pearse.
Based on The Bash Street Kids, Singled Out focuses on one character each week and builds a one-page story aro ...
, where he would take on a similar role.
In 2000, Dennis became a major mascot for Beanoland at the
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, with the theme park being developed along ...
theme park. He was featured prominently throughout the land including a large figure atop the shop, a member of the squirting water fountain, a character on the
dodgems
Bumper cars or dodgems are the generic names for a type of flat amusement ride consisting of multiple small electrically powered cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. Bumpe ...
, a silhouette on the entrance and a cast member in the live show located in his treehouse. Later in the park's history, ''Dennis's Madhouse'' was introduced which was a foam ball play area. In 2008, the land was changed into Wild Asia.
In 2001, Dennis turned 50 and celebrated with a house party in which several ''Beano'' characters were invited. The same issue also showed readers how Dennis received his trademark jersey which, it reveals, was initially owned by a boy called Tufty. After Tufty asks when someone would
land on the moon, to which Dennis accurately predicts 20 July 1969, Dennis offers to give him the chance right then. He attaches his granny's homemade soda pop to Tufty, shakes him then removes each of the lids which causes Tufty to blast off and fall into a nearby lake. Dennis then grabs the jersey and puts it on remarking it 'feels right somehow!'.
In 2003, Dennis appeared as a playable character in the PC game ''
Beanotown Racing''. He was featured in several strips leading up to the game's release depicting how he received his vehicle and the races he got into before the game's events. This includes a rivalry with
Minnie the Minx
Minnie the Minx, whose real name is
Hermione Makepeace is a comic strip character published in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. Created and originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, she first appeared in issue 596, dated 19 December 1953, ma ...
who had got her vehicle before him. Dennis tuned up his Menace-Mobile to make a dune buggy.
Nigel Parkinson, Jimmy Hansen and Tom Paterson (2004–2009)
David Parkins' workload meant he was able to draw the strip on an increasingly less frequent basis throughout his time on the strip, and after 2003 he became too busy to continue as a full-time artist. Nigel Parkinson, who had previously been drawing the strip as Parkins' understudy, continued as artist, along with Jimmy Hansen coming in to replace Parkins. The pair drew the vast majority of stories between 2004 and 2007 when Tom Paterson also started drawing the strip. In 2008, Dennis was given an extra strip towards the back of the comic, usually a continuing story across a few weeks. These strips were usually drawn by
Tom Paterson
Tom Paterson is a Scottish comic artist who drew characters for Fleetway in 1973–1990, and D.C Thomson from 1986 to 2012. As of 2013, he currently draws strips for Viz. He lives in Leith, with three children, and is a Hearts supporter.
Tak ...
. One such story featured the illness of Gnasher's young pup, Gnipper who had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Throughout this story, Dennis and Gnasher called upon the help of various past characters of the strip's history before finally contacting Gnipper's many sisters who successfully managed to get him out of his coma. Walter also changed in the strip as Dennis was given more reason to belittle and menace him. Instead of being camp and frilly, he was quite rude and obnoxious especially towards Dennis and his friends. However, Dennis seemed to be more of a bully than an anti-hero at this age.
In 2007, Dennis was featured on the front page of a new magazine ''
BeanoMAX
''EPIC Magazine'' (Previously known as ''Dennis the Menace and Gnasher's EPIC Magazine'' (2014–2016), ''100% Official Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine'' (2013–2014) and ''BeanoMAX'' (2007–2013)) was a monthly British comic magazine ...
'' and was the cover star until 2008 where he was replaced by Max, an exclusive character. Another landmark issue was met in 2008 where ''The Beano'' turned 70. As a celebration, Dennis was seen on the cover sharing a cake with
Wallace and Gromit
''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series c ...
, whose creator was featured heavily in the issue.
2009 re-launch (2009–2010)
When the
strip
Strip or Stripping may refer to:
Places
* Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya
* Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...
was relaunched in 2009, Dennis faced several changes to his character and appearance. It was the first major revamp of the character since his debut over 50 years prior. Parkinson, Hansen and Paterson continued to draw the strips, although Dennis became slightly shorter with a boyish look to him as opposed to the brute, tough guy look the previous artists had established. His behind the nose grin was used far less frequently and most of his menacing was toned down. He also no longer used weapons such as a catapult or peashooter save for a few times, so he became more creative in his mischief. The strip's title was shortened to Dennis and Gnasher during these years, and Dennis rarely used the term 'menacing' to describe his actions. Dennis's idol was revealed to be 'Rat-Bucket', a fictional heavy metal singer introduced in the strip. He was also given more rivals as Athena and Sugar were both introduced to the strip. He was also given a new spin-off called ''Sixty Second Dennis''. This was a single page strip that featured Dennis in a short story and was usually illustrated by
Nigel Parkinson
Nigel Parkinson is a British cartoonist who works for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd and mainly draws for ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''.
Biography
Parkinson is the official artist for Dennis the Menace in ''The Beano''. His career in comics began ...
.
The reason behind the re-launch was to promote the new
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
which was just about to hit screens in Britain. It followed Dennis, Curly, Pie-Face and Gnasher as they attempt to brighten up the average day in Beanotown through new ideas, adventures and pranks.
On 27 November 2010, ''The Beano'' Club was relaunched into ''The Beano'' V.I.P. It was officially announced via a Dennis strip where several British celebrities including
Ant and Dec
Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo, consisting of Anthony McPartlin (born 18 November 1975) and Declan Donnelly (born 25 September 1975), from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Formed after their meeting as child actors on CBBC's dr ...
,
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
and
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. He rose to fame at age twelve, when he began portraying Harry Potter in the film series of the same name; and has held various other film and theatre roles. Over his career, Rad ...
visited Beanotown in an effort to join the club but all failed as they were not deemed tough enough. In the end, Dennis decides it is only the reader who can become a ''Beano'' V.I.P. This was the first strip in which Dennis seemed to actually do his 'menacing' intentionally since his re-launch in 2009.
Barrie Appleby (2011–2012)
In early 2011, Dennis's re-launched character slowly and subtly began returning to his 'menacing' ways. He began using his weapons again and referring to his antics as menacing. He also began to do his menacing more intentionally as he did in all previous eras. Barrie Appleby, who had previously drawn Roger the Dodger, became the artist as the strip was extended to three pages rather than the usual two. Sixty Second Dennis was also dropped, being replaced by a Gnasher spin-off strip called Gnashional Treasure, which was later renamed as
Gnasher's Bit(e)
Gnasher () is a fictional comic strip character that appears in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. He is the pet dog of Dennis the Menace (UK), Dennis the Menace, who meets him in 1968's issue 1362, and is also the star of three spin-off ...
.
Although the strip continued to be known as ''Dennis and Gnasher'', Dennis was once again overtly referred to as 'the menace', and by his 60th birthday, Dennis had returned to his original character although he still has the likeness of his 2009 TV series counterpart. Meanwhile, Nigel Parkinson continued with lengthier ''BeanoMAX'' stories which would often feature other ''Beano'' characters.
Nigel Parkinson & Nigel Auchterlounie (2012–present)
By August 2012, Dennis's 2009 re-launch was reverted following yet another re-launch of the comic. His illustrations were more in tone with David Parkins' era and he partook in genuine naughtiness and disruption again. Nigel Parkinson was named sole official Dennis artist and began the weekly strips while Barrie Appleby returned to Roger the Dodger. Like his 2009 re-launch, Dennis faced several new changes mainly due to a new editor. His old behind the nose grin returned and he began to once again refer to himself as a 'menace'. His parents had a make-over, so his traditionally balding father now shared his messy spiked hair and his mother was no longer neatly shaped. Gnasher also returned to normal. A new character called Angel Face was also introduced into the strip, in order to give Dennis more of a rival.
In honour of the
2012 London Olympic Games
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, gold medalist
Jessica Ennis
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (born 28 January 1986) is a British retired track and field athlete from England, specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, ...
appeared in a strip, much to public attention. Paralympic runner
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius (; ; born 22 November 1986) is a South African convicted murderer and former professional sprinter. Both of his feet were amputated when he was 11 months old owing to a congenital defect; he was born missing the o ...
also appeared, with the current editor, Stirling citing that 'When people told Oscar he couldn't be an athlete due to his disability, he ignored them and, in that respect, he's just like Dennis, who never does as he is told.' Both strips were extremely well received amongst both the athletes and the public.
During Series 12 of the BBC's ''
Mock the Week
''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...
'', host
Dara Ó Briain
Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the We ...
, and comedians
Hugh Dennis
Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist who has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with partner Steve Punt. He played Dr Piers Crispin in the ...
,
Andy Parsons
Andrew John Parsons (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian and writer. He regularly appeared on ''Mock the Week'' from Series 3 to Series 14. With comedy partner Henry Naylor, he has written and presented nine series of ''Parsons and Na ...
and
Chris Addison
Christopher David Addison (born 5 November 1971) is a British comedian, writer, actor, and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as a regular panellist on ''Mock the Week''. He is also known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of ...
were drawn by Nigel Parkinson in a one-off pic with Dennis, which was shown in the second episode, whilst they and guest comedians were discussing the appearance of
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
and
Camilla Parker Bowles
Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...
in ''The Beano''. Each celebrity was drawn holding a weapon – Hugh had a peashooter, Chris had a water gun, Dara had a plunger and bow, and Andy had a catapult, and all four were drawn with Dennis's trademark red and black striped top, shorts, black socks, and brown shoes (except Andy, who had red trainers).
Starting in November 2012, Dennis was written by former ''Dandy'' writer, Nigel Auchterlounie, who gave Dennis and the other characters wider personalities. Auchterlounie's strips have been very well received since taking over the strip. Dennis's younger years in Beanotown Preschool were chronicled in a strip called ''The BamBeanos''.
For the 75th anniversary, Dennis' parents noticeably changed appearance. His father had become a pot-bellied man with black, spiky hair and similar colour-schemed clothes to him, and his mother had red, shaggy hair. It was later revealed in 2015 that Dennis' father was the original Dennis the Menace from the 1980s in issue 3932 in a featured strip about him campaigning to be mayor, in which his opponent,
Walter the Softy
Walter Brown (pejoratively nicknamed "Walter the Softy") is a fictional character that appears in the British comic magazine '' The Beano''. He is the rival and antagonist to Dennis the Menace who is vilified because of his lack of interest in ...
's father, starts a hate campaign by showing potential voters videos of Dennis, Sr.'s antics as a child. Although there is no distinct timeline in the comic strip, editor-in-chief Mike Stirling explained that "There's no definable lineage
n ''Dennis and Gnasher'' but there can only ever be one Dennis at any time. It serves as a salutary warning that even the coolest kids can become boring grown-ups."
In 2021, The Beano celebrated Dennis' 70th anniversary with a special anniversary issue guest-edited by
Joe Sugg
Joseph Graham Sugg (born 8 September 1991) is an English YouTuber and actor. In 2012, he began posting videos on the YouTube channel ThatcherJoe, currently at over 7 million subscribers. In 2018, he was a finalist on the sixteenth series of '' ...
.
Character traits
Dennis is an uncontrollable schoolboy who takes pride in causing chaos and mayhem to those around him due to his
intolerance
Intolerance may refer to:
* Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity (also called hypersensitivity reaction or intolerance) refers to undesirable reactions produced by the normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmunity. They are usual ...
for rules and order. Such traits have caused some artists and writers to consider him a villain, as, in such strips, Dennis would often prove himself to be selfish and greedy, tending to disregard his friends in favour of treasures. His misbehaviour stems from what ''The Beano'' explains as an attempt to add excitement to an otherwise dull day. Additionally, Dennis is often considered to be a
loner
A loner is a person who does not seek out, or may actively avoid, interaction with other people. There are many potential reasons for their solitude. Intentional reasons include introversion, mysticism, spirituality, religion, or personal consi ...
, seeking no solace in anyone's company aside from his faithful pet dog Gnasher. Feature-length strips in ''The Beano'' reveal that Dennis actually has a rivalling nature with The Bash Street Kids, often brawling and attempting to
outwit them. Most notably, he seems to have a particular dislike for Danny, the leader. He has, however, been shown to have a fairly stable friendship with
Minnie the Minx
Minnie the Minx, whose real name is
Hermione Makepeace is a comic strip character published in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. Created and originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, she first appeared in issue 596, dated 19 December 1953, ma ...
and
Roger the Dodger
Roger "the Dodger" Dawson is a comic strip character from the comic magazine ''The Beano''. He first appeared in his eponymous comic strip in 1953, and is one of the longest-running characters, known for his tactics of avoiding responsibility a ...
, enough so that the three have been seen to work together often. Dennis has also been shown to be very
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
ic, having saved his town on occasion from potential disaster. ''The Beano'' Annual 2001–2002, both exemplified this in their stories in which Dennis defeated a race of 'Beanobots'. Even though many strips depict Dennis as being fairly academically challenged, he is in fact extremely inventive and clever when it comes to mechanics. On occasion, it has been shown that Dennis can make from scratch his very own vehicles including a Menace Dune-Buggy, a working rocket, and other such things.
Talking of the character's longevity and changes over the years, Beano editor Michael Stirling stated: 'I'm sure he'll change again over the years, If kids are going around on hoverboards in 10 years’ time, Dennis will definitely have one. It's really up to kids, and I think it's always been that way, and that's why we’re able to appeal to kids today as well as to their parents. He's a great role model. That might sound counterintuitive because he's naughty, but his mischief nowadays is a lot more driven by positive things, and just making sure kids are really listened to.'
Timeline
March 1951: Drawn by David Law, Dennis the Menace appeared for the first time, as well as his dad.
May 1951: Dennis got his trademark
red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
-and-
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
striped jersey, knitted for him by his granny (aka Whentball). He also teamed up with fellow menaces Curly and Pie-Face. The strip appeared in two colours (red and black).
Mid-1953: Dennis got expanded to a full page, while earlier strips were only half a page long.
8 August 1953: Walter appeared for the first time. He moved in as Dennis's next-door neighbour.
1954: David Law's style of drawing Dennis changed dramatically, making the characters tall and thin. Dennis appeared on the back page in full colour for the first time.
1955: The first
Dennis Annual was published, using reprinted stories from previous years.
1958: After four years of being drawn this way, characters become more or less back the way they were. Dennis returned inside the comic.
1962: Dennis returned to the back of the comic.
31 August 1968: Dennis found a dog on the street, Gnasher, on his way to the dog show at the local town hall. Gnasher became a regular from this point onwards.
1969: Walter's dog, Foo-Foo, debuted.
25 July 1970: David Law retired, and one comic was drawn by
Pup Parade artist Gordon Bell.
1 August 1970:
Bash Street Kids
Bash or BASH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bash!'' (Rockapella album), 1992
* ''Bash!'' (Dave Bailey album), 1961
* '' Bash: Latter-Day Plays'', a dramatic triptych
* ''BASH!'' (role-playing game), a 2005 superhero game
* "Bash" ('' ...
artist
Dave Sutherland started drawing Dennis, although drawing the strip almost identically to David Law. The strip was renamed "Dennis the Menace & Gnasher" when originally it was just called "Dennis the Menace" as Gnasher had been appearing every week on the strips.
14 September 1974: Dennis took the front cover of ''
The Beano
''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-runn ...
'' replacing
Biffo the Bear
Biffo the Bear is a fictional character from the British comic magazine ''The Beano'' who stars in the comic strip of the same name, created in 1948 by Dudley D. Watkins. He was the mascot of The Beano for several decades.
Background
Biffo's c ...
.
1975: Walter joined "the softies", Bertie Blenkinsop and Algernon "Spotty" Perkins.
21 May 1977: Gnasher got his own strip in the comic, called "Gnasher's Tale", also drawn by David Sutherland.
5 May 1979: Dennis's pet pig "Rasher" debuted.
Early 1980s: Use of the slipper became increasingly rare in this time, having been very common in earlier strips.
22 September 1984: Rasher got his own strip in the comic, called simply "Rasher". Again, David Sutherland is the strip's artist.
March 1986: Gnasher "went missing". Foo Foo's Fairy Story temporarily replaced Gnasher's Tale.
May 1986 Gnasher returned, introducing his pups; Gnatasha, Gnanette, Gnancy, Gnaomi, Gnorah and Gnipper. "Gnasher and Gnipper" replaced "Gnasher's Tale".
1987: Dennis's spider, Dasher, appeared.
1988: Rasher's strip ended, replaced by Ill Will and the Germs.
1990: Granny's personality was changed drastically. Now, rather than a mean old woman, she became an elderly menace. The slipper was no longer used, partly due to changing attitudes towards child discipline at the time.
1990: ''The Beano's Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Show'' appeared for the first time on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
and
TCC
TCC may refer to:
Companies
*Taiwan Cement Corporation
* The Casual Courier
* The Clearing Corporation
* Trammell Crow Company
* Travancore Cochin Chemicals, Kochi, Kerala, India
* The Coring Company, Mo i Rana, Norway
Organizations
* Tanana C ...
,
1992: The Menace Car was seen for the first time.
February 1993: David Sutherland, Realising how stocky and bulky he became in recent years, started changing Dennis, making him look young and cute for a few years. The "Gnasher and Gnipper" strip was taken over by Barry Glennard in order to ease Sutherland's workload, though the style remains similar.
Early 1996: Dennis The Menace was looking like he did again, and for the first time ever, the story was drawn in the same style as the
Bash Street Kids
Bash or BASH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bash!'' (Rockapella album), 1992
* ''Bash!'' (Dave Bailey album), 1961
* '' Bash: Latter-Day Plays'', a dramatic triptych
* ''BASH!'' (role-playing game), a 2005 superhero game
* "Bash" ('' ...
.
April 1996: The
Dennis the Menace Animated TV series appeared for the first time on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. This year marked the first appearances of The Colonel, Dennis's neighbour, and Sergeant Slipper, the local constable, who had both previously appeared in the television series. From this point onwards the front cover page usually consists of just one frame of the strip rather than several.
1998: Dasher re-appeared with a red mask as the mascot of the ''Beano'' site.
August–September 1998: For the 60th anniversary of ''The Beano'', David Parkins started drawing Dennis the Menace, creating
some issues later.
October 1998: Bea got her own strip called Beaginnings drawn by Nigel Parkinson. She said her first word (Mud) in this strip.
1999: Nigel Parkinson became Dennis artist for the first time.
February 2001 The Gnasher and Gnipper strip was revamped, now being drawn in Barry Glennard's own style.
March 2001 Dennis celebrated his 50th Birthday. A special episode drawn by David Parkins (In the style of David Law) was released in the issue, telling the readers how he got his striped jersey.
December 2001 Beaginnings got renamed Dennis's Little Sister Bea – the Mini-Menace.
2002:
By this time, Nigel Parkinson was drawing Dennis as often as David Parkins, and effectively became the main artist the following year. Also in 2002, Jimmy Hansen drew his first Dennis strip.
2004: David Parkins stopped drawing Dennis altogether, and Jimmy Hansen joined Nigel Parkinson as main artist. Over the next 5 years, they each drew about half of the strips. Walter got revamped when drawn by Jimmy Hansen, and he now bears the appearance of an
with much bigger glasses.
2004: Dennis the Menace became the longest-running strip in ''The Beano'' ever, beating
started drawing Dennis occasionally.
2008: Dennis got a comic strip at the back of ''The Beano'' as well as the front. The second strip was usually drawn by
. It is now clear that Walter has a new personality. Instead of being a gentle, well-behaved boy, he's become camp, considerably meaner, and almost certainly evil.
2009:
...