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''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British
anthology comic A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication t ...
magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomson. Its first issue was published on 30 July 1938, and it became the world's longest-running comic issued weekly in 2018, publishing its 4000th issue in August 2019. Popular and well-known comic strips and characters include '' Dennis the Menace'', ''
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 ...
'', '' The Bash Street Kids'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
Billy Whizz Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic ''The Beano'', first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His ...
'', '' Lord Snooty and His Pals'', ''
Ivy the Terrible Ivy the Terrible is a fictional character featured in ''The Beano''. She is a four-year-old girl who annoys her parents with her misbehaviour. She first appeared in ''The Beano'' in 1985 in the comic strip of the same name, but has starred in ot ...
'', ''
General Jumbo General Jumbo is a British adventure story character from the comic magazine ''The Beano''. He starred in the eponymous adventure story series, as well as the 1971 spin-off series ''Admiral Jumbo'', and was illustrated by a variety of ''Beano ...
'', '' Jonah'', and '' Biffo the Bear''. ''The Beano'' was planned as a pioneering children's magazine that contained mostly comic strips, in the style of American newspaper
gag-a-day A gag-a-day comic strip is the style of writing comic cartoons such that every installment of a strip delivers a complete joke or some other kind of artistic statement. It is opposed to story or continuity strips, which rely on the development of ...
s, as opposed to the more text story based
Story paper A story paper is a periodical publication similar to a literary magazine, but featuring illustrations and text stories, and aimed towards children and teenagers. Also known in Britain as "boys' weeklies", story papers were phenomenally popular ...
s that were immensely popular before the Second World War. In the present, its legacy is its misbehaving characters, escapist tales and anarchic humour with an audience of all ages. ''Beano'' is a multimedia franchise with spin-off books and Christmas annuals, a website, theme park rides, games, cartoon adaptations, and a production company.


History


Creation (1920s–1939)

Throughout the 1920s, DC Thomson dominated the British comics industry. Dubbed " the big five", the publisher's most successful comics were ''Adventure'' (1921), '' The Rover'' and '' The Wizard'' (1922), ''The Skipper'' (1930) and '' The Hotspur'' (1933). These were weekly issued boys' magazines for preteen males, containing anthologies by DC Thomson's creator staff designed in various formats and genres. They became popular throughout the United Kingdom, notably in English industrial cities, helped through the company's ability to view sales and promotions in the areas much easier than the rival publishers in London. Although many were about "super men" the young readers could idolise, the rest of the stories would be comic strips inspired by the
gag-a-day A gag-a-day comic strip is the style of writing comic cartoons such that every installment of a strip delivers a complete joke or some other kind of artistic statement. It is opposed to story or continuity strips, which rely on the development of ...
strips in American newspapers full of stylised characters, slapstick and puns. Overseeing the magazines was the Managing Editor of Children's Publications,
R. D. Low Robert Duncan Low (25 August 1895, Dundee – 13 December 1980) was a Scottish comics writer and editor. Employed by D. C. Thomson & Co., he was responsible for their line of comics, and, as a writer, co-created ''Oor Wullie'' and ''The Broo ...
, who first joined the company in 1913. Almost a decade into the big five's success, the stories shifted to comedic and included more comic strips, which gave Low an idea of creating a new "big five" which focused on the funnies more than drama. The suggestion was approved; editors Bill Blain and (sub-editor) Albert Barnes of ''The Wizard'' and ''The Hotspur'', respectively, joined Low's project. The new team placed a newspaper advertisement into '' The Daily Telegraph'' asking for artists and/or comic ideas. With the help of the advertisement responses and employed artists at DC Thomson, '' The Dandy'' was published in 1937, the New Big Five's first member. For ''The Beano'' (initially called "The Beano Comic" until issue 412), Low received comic strip suggestions by
Reg Carter Reginald Arthur Lay Carter (6 December 1886, Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast a ...
, an English illustrator in
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
who had created funnies for several British comics and designed humorous postcards. After an in-person interview, Low and Carter planned the front cover for ''The Beano'' first issue, eventually creating the character
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 ...
(originally named Oswald the Ostrich). It would be in colour whilst the inside of the magazine would be black and white, a tactic used for ''The Dandy'' first issue (black and white stories inside, colourful
Korky the Cat ''Korky the Cat'' is a character in a comic strip in the British comics magazine The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, except for one issue, No. 294 (9 June 1945) when Keyhole Kate was on the cover. For several decad ...
strip on the front). Joining the ''Big Eggo'' strip would be many funnies, such as Hugh McNeill's ''
Ping the Elastic Man ''Ping the Elastic Man'' (also named ''Here Comes Ping the Elastic Man'') was a British comic strip that appeared in ''The Beano''. It was about a boy who could stretch his limbs as if they were made of elastic and was created by Hugh McNeill. ...
'', James Jewell's '' Wee Peem'',
Allan Morley Allan Morley ( Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Great Britain, 29 April 1895 - Thanet, Kent 5 September 1960) was a British comic artist. He first worked for DC Thomson in 1925, drawing a number of comic strips for the ''Sunday Post'' and for DC Th ...
's ''Big Fat Joe'', Eric Roberts' ''Rip Van Wink'',
Dudley D. Watkins Dudley Dexter Watkins (27 February 1907 – 20 August 1969) was an English cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters ''Oor Wullie'' and ''The Broons''; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Su ...
' '' Lord Snooty and His Pals'', and Roland Davies' ''Contrary Mary''. Despite the aim to make a new comic series full of American-inspired comic strips, ''The Beano'' also contained short stories, serial fiction and adventure stories similar to the Big Five's magazines; ''
Morgyn the Mighty ''Morgyn the Mighty'' is a British action-adventure comic strip about a super-strong shipwreck survivor. The strip debuted in 1928, created by Dudley D. Watkins, and continued to be published until about 1968. Publication history The strip f ...
'' was previously in ''The Rover''. ''
Tin-Can Tommy ''Tin-Can Tommy'' (The Clockwork Boy) was a comic strip in the UK comic '' The Beano'', featuring Tommy, the clockwork 'son' of Professor Lee and his wife. It first appeared on the back page of issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, where we learn that ...
'' and ''Brave Captain Kipper'' were reprints, co-produced by the Italian art agency Torelli Bros. Worth 2 d with a free prize of a "whoopee mask", issue 1 of ''The Beano'' was released on 26 July 1938 for the 30th, selling roughly 443,000 copies. Like ''The Dandy'', its name is from a Low-led DC Thomson office party called The DB Club (The Dandy
Beano Beano may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Beano, another name for the American version of Bingo, a game of chance * Beano, a character on the American television sitcom ''Out of This World'' * ''The Beano'', a British children's comic featuri ...
Club). DC Thomson had several office party clubs that hosted different types of staff gatherings to choose from (e.g. The Prancers would hike hills), but Low's DB Club preferred playing golf and dining throughout Dundee. The two magazines also followed the one-word titles of other comics by rival companies, such as Amalgamated Press' ''Crackers'', ''Sparkler'', ''Puck'' and some books from its '' Union Jack'' series ('' The Marvel'', '' The Magnet'' and '' The Gem''); and Target Publications' ''Chuckler'', ''Rattler'' and ''Dazzler''. ''Beano'' editor-in-chief was George Moonie, former sub-editor of ''The Wizard'', who would be editor until the summer of 1959. He later explained DC Thomson was a competitive company that wanted to make the best children's literature in the United Kingdom, but there was also competition within itself as ''Beano'' offices was determined to beat ''The Dandy'' popularity.


World War Two, reaching million sales (1939–1945)

Drastic changes occurred behind the scenes of ''The Beano'' during the Second World War: George Moonie and editing partner Ron Fraser left to join the
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
and Air Force, respectively, both not returning until c. 1946. Stuart Gilchrist became sole editor-in-chief after Moonie's other sub-editor Freddie Simpson became ill and resigned. Contact was also lost with Torelli Bros. so in-house creations of ''Tin-Can Tommy'' began from issue 69 by Sam Fair. Paper rationing caused the rest of Low's New Big Five to be cancelled (it stopped at three published, the third member being '' The Magic Comic'' (1939), which ended with 80 issues in 1941), and ''The Beano'' to fluctuate its page count instead of its usual 28. Eventually, ''The Beano'' became a fortnightly magazine until 23 July 1949. Comic strips would encourage readers to help their parents and other adults with the war effort, and to be optimistic about the war's outcome. New comic strips mocked Mussolini and propagandist William Joyce, ''Lord Snooty and His Pals'' stories would be about the protagonists outsmarting the Axis leaders, and other stories would be about characters recycling paper. ''Big Eggo'' front covers were often about Eggo pranking servicemen during the Blitz, and
Pansy Potter Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine ''The Beano''. She first appeared in ''Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter'' issue 21 in 1938 and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill. Character background As ''The Beano' ...
received a medal for single-handedly capturing a Nazi U-boat. Issue 192 would debut a 16-part prose story about a boy and his mother being evacuated to the United States and becoming the enemy of a Chicago gangster's widow. Issues published weekly every Tuesday in 1938, and when the magazine changed distribution to every two weeks, the day remained unchanged. From issue 366, the day changed to Friday until issue 375 which began the Thursday publication day schedule.


Post-war changes (1945–1988)

December 1945 marked a milestone: issue 272 became the first ''Beano'' issue to sell over a million copies. The end of the war also ushered in a new era for the comic, debuting
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
Jack Flash Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
, the debut of Biffo the Bear as new cover star and a new generation of trouble-making kids: Dennis the Menace,
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 ...
, The Bash Street Kids, 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 ...
. DC Thomson also introduced new comic magazines like ''
The Beezer ''The Beezer'' (called ''The Beezer and Topper'' for the last three years of publication) was a British comic that ran from (issues dates) 21 January 1956 to 21 August 1993, published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. Comic strips in ''The Beezer' ...
'' and '' The Topper'' that a few ''Beano'' artists also created characters and stories for. After the war saw a drift away from text stories and adventure comics, with the last text story published in 1955; adventure comics lasted longer with 1975 being the last year to feature them as ''
General Jumbo General Jumbo is a British adventure story character from the comic magazine ''The Beano''. He starred in the eponymous adventure story series, as well as the 1971 spin-off series ''Admiral Jumbo'', and was illustrated by a variety of ''Beano ...
'' eighth series drew to a close in issue 1734. George Moonie resigned as editor-in-chief in 1959 to develop comics for girls. Sub-editor of ''The Beezer'' Harry Cramond succeeded Moonie until retiring in 1984, described as the most influential editor in ''The Beano'' history. He oversaw new merchandising, high sales, and the thousandth and two thousandth issues. Behind the scenes of the magazine became humanised throughout the years as DC Thomson's ''Beano'' offices featured on documentary television and Cramond's successor Euan Kerr guest-starred on television for the magazine's 50th anniversary.


Move to full colour (1988–present)

''The Beano'' began to advertise outside of DC Thomson's products in 1988 in order to keep both it and ''The Dandy'' "
pocket money Pocket money may refer to: *In British English, an allowance for children *''Pocket Money'', a 1972 film starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin * ''Small Change'' (film), a 1976 film directed by François Truffaut, titled ''Pocket Money'' outside the ...
" cheap, beginning with issue 2407. Issue 2674 in 1993 was the first issue to feature every page in colour. A notable revamp was the 50th birthday issue, which had an abnormally larger page count with more coloured sections and printed on wider sheets. A decade later, issues gained eight extra pages with computer-based art. In the 21st century, there were seven changes within a five-year span: logo updates, fonts assigned for certain design roles, and the magazine started using glossy paper. In the 2010s (and as of 2020), the day the comic was released was changed to Wednesday. Outside of the magazine, ''Beano''s brand expanded into a multimedia franchise. Theme park tie-ins, a website, spin-off magazines, and animated television programmes starring the popular comic characters (several for Dennis the Menace) became common, keeping ''The Beano'' in popular culture. The turn of the millennium began a sales decline and led to friendly rival ''The Dandy'' to discontinue in 2012. Eventually, ''The Beano'' recovered after the creation of its magazine subscription service, which also shipped internationally.


Stories

Plots and dialogue are written into a script by an (often) uncredited DC Thomson writer, a formerly common practice for DC Thomson magazines. Uncredited artists assigned to a strip(s) will design all its stories into a "series" that the chief editor will arrange into an order to publish for each issue. Strips are sometimes ghostwritten by other artists who imitate the original designer's style, which is helpful if artists retire or die unexpectedly, otherwise the strip is discontinued. "When I started I was drawing two pages a week and thinking 'Phew, that's quite a lot'. Now I do 10 or 12 pages a week. You have to do more all the time to stay where you are," explained Nigel Parkinson. From March 2016, authors and illustrators are now credited in issues. There have been over a thousand stories throughout the magazine's history told through various ways. Since November 1975, the magazine has contained only comic strips in the style of American newspaper "funnies", but it began with other genres. The last genre to leave ''Beano'' was adventure stories: short tales eleven-pictures long in text comics format. The stories were either dramatic or dramedies, but heavily featured hobbies and interests young boys had (war and the military, hunting, sailing, jungle men). They also stood out because the illustrations of backgrounds, animals and human characters were photorealistic. Although artists like
Dudley D. Watkins Dudley Dexter Watkins (27 February 1907 – 20 August 1969) was an English cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters ''Oor Wullie'' and ''The Broons''; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Su ...
drew for a few series, the most prolific illustrator was Irish artist Paddy Brennan, who notably drew for ''The Daring Deeds of Sinbad the Sailor'', ''Red Rory of the Eagles'' and ''
General Jumbo General Jumbo is a British adventure story character from the comic magazine ''The Beano''. He starred in the eponymous adventure story series, as well as the 1971 spin-off series ''Admiral Jumbo'', and was illustrated by a variety of ''Beano ...
'' in the 1950s. Comic adventure stories were a hybrid: adventure stories presented as a comic strip. Prose stories were a page of text with an illustration at the top. Some stories were about animals with artwork by former Big Five illustrator Richard "Toby" Baines, but the longest-running prose character in the magazine's history was Prince Ivor, who first starred in ''Follow the Secret Hand''. The last prose story to appear was ''Ace From Space'' in 1955. Although comic strips have featured in ''The Beano'' since issue 1, their contents has changed throughout. Anthropomorphic animals were common stars that would partake in human activities, and the punchlines occurred from the failures to do so. Misbehaving children showed most popular with ''Lord Snooty and His Pals'' becoming the first longest-running strip when it concluded in 1991, but the most well known that continue to appear in issues are ''Dennis the Menace'', ''Minnie the Minx'', ''The Bash Street Kids'', and ''Roger the Dodger''. Some adult-starring characters also misbehaved but they were usually portrayed as incompetent, notably Jonah. In the late 20th century, merging comic strip characters in the same vicinity became common in the franchise, such as the video game ''Beanotown Racing'', but characters living together in "Beanotown" became a prominent feature of comic strips into the present. Due to the initial target audience of ''The Beano'' being schoolboys, masculine interests, hobbies, and values dominated issues constantly. Aside from aforementioned adventure stories and comedic characters, there were cowboys, aliens, kings, the supernatural, fantasy creatures (and talking animals), and men whose lifestyle or jobs require physical strength (despite the story making their careers incidental). ''The Beano'' alternated between mocking or idolising these characters through story formats; wealthy characters causing mischief, caring about their families or being shown underprivileged lives made the working-class audience relate and sympathise with them. Female characters were usually supporting a male character, joint protagonist with a male character, or the antagonist. Prose stories starring girls and women were about the protagonist searching out the truth to a secret, usually over a friend's/family disappearance, or they were
witches Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have use ...
cursing or tormenting the male protagonists. Female comic characters were also in supporting roles with or join-protagonist with a male character, but the starring characters notably had binary stereotypical traits: drawn as tall and flowy, ''Swanky, Lanky Liz'' is obsessed with fashion and makeup and acts vain and snobbish, whereas
Pansy Potter Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine ''The Beano''. She first appeared in ''Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter'' issue 21 in 1938 and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill. Character background As ''The Beano' ...
, Minnie the Minx and Toots from ''The Bash Street Kids'' share the round-faced and snub-nosed art style of the boys in their stories and are unruly
tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. Wh ...
s (in Pansy Potter's case, showcases the strength she inherited from her father). Non-White characters starred in their stories either set in Africa, Asia, or South America, or were about the character adapting to a new life in the United Kingdom. Stories used to vary in length and layout, but in 2012, ''The Beano'' debuted a chapter called Funsize Funnies where shorter comic strips shared some pages. In some instances, these extremely short strips were brand new (''
Stunt Gran A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spe ...
'', ''BamBeanos'', ''BSK CCTV'', ''Gnash Gnews'', ''Winston''), but others were tiny reboots of older comic strips that the new audience could not recall reading before. Quiet reboots included ''
Simply Smiffy Simply Smiffy is a comic strip published in the British comic magazine ''The Beano''. It is one of the many spin-off comic strips off ''The Bash Street Kids ''The Bash Street Kids'' is a comic strip in the British comic magazine '' ...
'' (cancelled 1987), '' Rasher'' (cancelled 1995), ''
Little Plum Little Plum (full name revealed to be Little Plum Stealing Varmint) is a British humoristic western comics series about a little Native American, originally created by Leo Baxendale and published in the magazine ''The Beano''. Concept The epon ...
'' (cancelled 2007), ''
Les Pretend Lesley Presley Pretend is a fictional character in a comic strip (Les Pretend) in the UK comic ''The Beano'' with the byline "the Little kid with the big imagination". Originally drawn by John Sherwood, he first appeared in issue 2493, dated ...
'' (cancelled 2007), ''
Baby Face Finlayson Baby Face Finlayson is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic ''The Beano'', first appearing in issue 1553, dated 22 April 1972. Baby Face Finlayson "The Cutest Bandit in the West" is an outlaw from the American Old West, an ...
'' (cancelled 2005), '' Biffo the Bear'' (cancelled 1999), ''
Pansy Potter Pansy Potter is a British comic strip character from the magazine ''The Beano''. She first appeared in ''Pansy Potter the Strong Man's Daughter'' issue 21 in 1938 and was first illustrated by Hugh McNeill. Character background As ''The Beano' ...
'' (cancelled 1993), and '' Lord Snooty'' (cancelled 1991).


Crossovers

''The Beano'' allows its characters from different strips to interact with each other. Reprinting old stories or redistributing characters into other magazines is common throughout DC Thomson's history, as if the stories are set in the same universe. The '' Lord Snooty'' series discontinued old characters and replaced them with ''Beano'' strip characters of the past; ''Dennis the Menace'' featured in DC Thomson's ''Champ'' magazine in the mid-1980s and ''The Weekly News'' tabloid-magazine for four years in the 1950s. ''Morgyn the Mighty'', '' Tricky Dicky'', ''
Bananaman Bananaman is a fictional character appearing in British comic books. Bananaman is a parody of traditional superheroes, being portrayed as a schoolboy who is transformed into a muscled, caped adult man when he eats a banana. The character origin ...
'' and ''
Corporal Clott ''Corporal Clott'' was a strip in the British comic ''The Dandy''. It started in the issued dated 12 November 1960 (issue 990) and was drawn by Dennis the Menace artist David Law. The strip was drawn by David Law until issue 1496 dated 25 July ...
'' were stories previously from ''The Rover'', ''The Topper'', ''Nutty'' and ''The Dandy'', respectively, whereas one of Gnasher's puppies had her own strip in ''The Beezer and Topper'' and ''Jackie'' magazine.


Anniversary issues

Along with guest editors, anniversary issues are frequently contained with crossovers. The 2000th issue had the "Hall of Fame" strip which showed framed portraits of characters from the past, and issue 3443's ''Fred's Bed'' featured Fred crawling under his bed and time travelling through the magazine's comic strips. For the 80th anniversary, issue 3945 was guest edited by actor-turned children's author David Walliams and had a large crossover story about Bash Street School opening the Beanotown's 1938 time capsule and discovering a map, which leads to robots and a giant tentacle monster breaking out to attack the residents. There was also a flashback panel of the time capsule being sealed which featured a handful of comic strip characters from the first issue, later helping the present day characters discover how to defeat the tentacle monster, named Simon. Issue 4000's crossover was a time travel story where the Beanotown characters of the present helped their future selves save the world.


Creators


Chief Editor history

As of 2020, there have been seven official chief editors: *George Moonie (1938–1939, c. 1946–1959) *Harold Cramond (1959–1984) *Euan Kerr (1984–2006) *Alan Digby (2006–2011) *Michael Stirling (2011–2012) *Craig Graham (2012–2016) *John Anderson (2016–present) Temporary chief editors: *Stuart Gilchrist (1939–c. 1946) stood in as editor when George Moonie joined the Navy for World War Two. * Dick and Dom (2006) edited issue 3311 and chose their favourite strips from the available 2005 waiting list. * Nick Park (2008) edited issue 3443 to celebrate ''Beano'' 70th anniversary. * Harry Hill (published 6 March 2013) edited the 2013 Red Nose Day special. *
Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British professional tennis player from Scotland. He was ranked world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 41 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 in 2016. Murray h ...
(28 June 2014) edited the
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...
special. * David Walliams (2018) edited issue 3945 to celebrate the 80th anniversary. *
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 Strictly Come Dancing (s ...
(2021) edited issue 4077 for ''Dennis the Menace'' 70th anniversary. * Marcus Rashford (2022) edited issue 4146 following the release of his book, '' You Can Do It: How to Find Your Voice and Make a Difference.''


Notable artists


Merchandise

From the first issue, readers have received free gifts from ''The Beano'': toy masks, sweets, posters, and toys. Originally, free gifts would be attached inside the cover or strategically on the front so that it could distract the buyer from other comics next to ''The Beano'' on the shelves, hopefully excited for the next issue after reading it and eating/playing with the toys. Gifts were intentionally sporadic, especially during the Christmas period when families' money would be saved for food and presents. Issue 90 would be the last issue with a gift ( licorice "black eye") due to rationing, the next free gift being the Flying Snorter Balloon in issue 953. The most popular free gift was issue 2201's Gnasher Snapper, a prank toy that would make a bang sound when unfolded, and was re-gifted occasionally in later issues, as well as the 60th anniversary. During the 25th anniversary of ''Dennis the Menace'', The Dennis the Menace Fan Club was formed. The fan club was instantly popular, recalls Euan Kerr in 1984; "The club enrolled over 2000 new members every week, well into the 90s Membership was 30p, and new members received a membership card full of classified communication tactics and two badges: a red one with Dennis' face on the front and a furry one of a googly-eyed Gnasher face—the latter was the most sought-after badge in the club's history. For two years, there was a tie-in
agony aunt An advice column is a column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response. The responses are wr ...
page called ''Dear Dennis'' (issue 1679–1767) where fan club members sent Dennis their problems that Dennis would reply to in the following issue; thousands of letters would arrive at DC Thomson per week and the authors of the messages would receive prizes. The club would be renamed The Beano Club, which ended in 2010, but had over 1.5 million members. A spin-off was introduced called Gnasher's Fang Club, and Gnasher would ask readers to send him stories about their pets' adventures which could be printed into the next issue. "The mailbag of little drawings of pets was several thousand per week," remembers sub-editor Morris Heggie. "And the popularity lasted and lasted." The 21st century celebrated anniversaries with more memorabilia. For ''The Beano'' 70th birthday, DC Thomson published ''The Beano Special Collectors Edition: 70 Years of Fun'' (2008), and ''The History of The Beano'' (2008) was published by Waverly Books, both documenting the magazine's history; two exhibitions at the University of Dundee (''Happy Birthday, Beano!'') and The Cartoon Museum (''Beano and Dandy Birthday Bash!'') showed the public private DC Thomson artwork and the history of the magazine. For 2018, readers could buy a box for the 80th anniversary containing posters, reprints of selected older issues, and two books updating the previous documentation of the magazine's history, as well as ''
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 ...
'' origins. Both anniversaries had tie-in museum exhibitions that also told their audiences the magazine's history. Limited-edition figurines from Robert Harrop were available to buy from their official website in late 2008. The 21st century also began ''Beano'' branching into different mediums: their first website, Beanotown.com, formed in 2000, and
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 ...
opened Beanoland in the same year. Both would later discontinue but Beanotown.com would be revamped as beano.com, a website full of games, ''Beano'' secrets and other activities for children. Gulliver's Travels opened the Beano 6 Super Ride in May 2021. ''The Beano'' was also the face of the United Kingdom's 2018
Summer Reading Challenge The Summer Reading Challenge is an educational competition held annually in the UK by The Reading Agency. It first began in 1999 with the intention of encouraging primary school children to read Read Read may refer to: * Reading, human cogn ...
, called Mischief Makers, which included a special Dennis the Menace novel tie-in called ''Dennis the Menace and the Chamber of Mischief'' by Beano artist Nigel Auchterlounie. The Dennis the Menace Fan Club was re-launched as a
phone app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on desk ...
, rebranded as The Dennis and Gnasher Fan Club, and allowed readers free membership, printable badges, and pranks. On television, the
Sky Kids Sky Kids may refer to: * ''Sky Kids'' (magazine), a magazine * Sky Kids (TV channel), a British television channel * ''The Flyboys'' (film), a 2008 film that was released internationally as ''Sky Kids'' See also * ''Sky Kid is a horizontally ...
show ''SO Beano!'' aired; a TV show with special guests, children presenters, and fun and games, in a similar style to '' Friday Download'' and '' Scrambled!''


Spin-off comics


Comic libraries

Since 1982 the comic, along with ''The Dandy'', has also run "Comic Library" titles. Released monthly, these titles are a feature-length (usually about 64-page) adventure, featuring a character from the comic itself. They are available in A5 size only. In 1998, these were replaced by the '' Fun Size Beano''. Fun Size Comics were discontinued in late 2010.


''Beano Specials''

The comic also ran A4-sized ''
Beano Specials Beano may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Beano, another name for the American version of Bingo, a game of chance * Beano, a character on the American television sitcom ''Out of This World'' * ''The Beano'', a British children's comic featuri ...
'' in 1987 with full coloured pages, which later were replaced by ''
Beano Superstars Beano may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Beano, another name for the American version of Bingo, a game of chance * Beano, a character on the American television sitcom ''Out of This World'' * ''The Beano'', a British children's comic featuri ...
'' which ran for 121 issues from 1992 to 2002. These were similar to the Comic Library series. Some of the last issues were printed versions of episodes from the 1996–1998 ''Dennis and Gnasher'' animated TV series. A ''Beano Poster Comic'' series was also printed in the early 1990s. The Beano Specials returned in 2003, and are now published seasonally. The issues were numbered, and the first one was a Dennis and Friends special, the last a Christmas reprint special. These were replaced by BeanoMAX in early 2007.


BeanoMAX

On 15 February 2007, the first issue of a monthly comic entitled ''BeanoMAX'' was published. The sister comic features many of the same characters; however, the stories in ''BeanoMAX'' are written in a longer format meant for 10- to 13-year-olds. The first issue was a Comic Relief special featuring assorted celebrity guests. The magazine has been rebranded several times since 2013, and is currently known as ''EPIC Magazine''.


''Plug''

''Plug'' was a comic based on the eponymous character from '' The Bash Street Kids'' that began with issue dated 24 September 1977, and is notable for being the first comic to make use of rotogravure printing. The magazine similar in style to I.P.C's ''Krazy'' which had started the previous year. It contained uncharacteristically outlandish material for D C. Thomson, as well as later including celebrity appearances in the comic. The comic revealed Plug's full name to be Percival Proudfoot Plugsley and also gave him a pet monkey by the name of Chumkee. Plug's strip was mostly drawn by
Vic Neill Vic Neill (24 November 1941 - 24 December 1999) was a British cartoonist who drew for D.C. Thomson and I.P.C.'s comics. His first notable comic work was on Sparky strip Peter Piper. In 1969, he replaced Dudley Dexter Watkins on Topper cover s ...
but other artists, including
Dave Gudgeon Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * Dave (film), ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * Dave (musical), ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital ...
drew some later strips. Other strips included ''Antchester United'', ''Violent Elizabeth'', ''Eebagoom'', ''Hugh's Zoo'' and ''D'ye Ken John Squeal and his Hopeless Hounds''. The venture was unsuccessful, in part because the comic cost 9p, with the ''Beano'' at the time only costing 4p and most of its rivals priced similarly. It merged with ''
The Beezer ''The Beezer'' (called ''The Beezer and Topper'' for the last three years of publication) was a British comic that ran from (issues dates) 21 January 1956 to 21 August 1993, published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. Comic strips in ''The Beezer' ...
'' on 24 February 1979.


''Dennis and Gnasher''

The brand new ''Dennis and Gnasher'' was launched separately from ''The Beano'' in September 2009. It coincided with their new cartoon on CBBC of the same name.


''BeanOLD''

44-page special issue 4062, with cover date 21 November 2020, during a lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic had an eight-page adult pullout named ''BeanOLD'', with cartoons poking fun at British politicians such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings, and with appearances by Greta Thunberg,
Captain Tom Captain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser who made international headlines in 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th bir ...
, and footballer Marcus Rashford. The slogan was "2020 has been tough. So tough that even grown-ups need ''Beano''".


Beano Studios

In June 2016, DC Thomson launched Beano Studios, a spin-off media studio (based in both London and Dundee) with the intention of creating media appropriate for children and expanding ''The Beano'' franchise. Its introduction to the readers came in ''The Beano'' issue 3854 with a revamp of the cover's layout and the logo, removing "The" to make it coincide with the studio, and unveiling the website beano.com. Former chief-editor Michael Stirling (who stepped down in 2012) became head of the Dundee studio and the franchise's spokesman. Jodie Morris became Head of Digital Content, James Neal stood as Director of Content, Nigel Pickard joined as non-executive director and Emma Scott stood as CEO until 2020, succeeded by David Guppy. As well as expanding ''Beano'' franchise through games and merchandise, Beano.com also contains other activities and interests for children to enjoy, such as news about popular celebrities, and miscellaneous videos and articles. Neal described it as "a fun but trusted babysitter who lets the kids stay up a bit late". For parents who formerly read ''The Beano'' during childhood, Beano Studios invites them to also participate on their nostalgia, once sending a
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
letter to politician Jacob Rees-Mogg for copyright infringement against Walter the Softy. The website became a continuing success worldwide with over two million visitors per year, and is credited for increasing comic sales by 10% in 2018. A similar approach had been planned for years through the first website Beanotown.com, which DC Thomson hoped would attract an international audience to ''The Beano'', especially the United States. ''The Guardian'' noted ''The Beano'' success in North America was plausible because of '' Chicken Run'',
Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...
, and Benny Hill's American popularity. Soon after the launch announcement, Beano Studios revealed it had a new ''Dennis the Menace'' adaptation in production: a 52-episode 3D-animated cartoon for CBBC co-produced by Jellyfish Pictures and distributed by Jetpack. The new programme, '' Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!'', aired on the
CBBC Channel CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...
in November 2017 and became one of the most popular children's series on the channel. Jetpack sold the cartoon to over 90 territories worldwide in 2018 through television deals and streaming services, and it received an Emmy nomination for Best International Animated Program at the 2019 International Emmy Kids Awards. Chief Creative Officer Mark Talbot explained his plans to look to Hollywood for ''Beano'' branching, noting: "what's been interesting with the Americans, they don't have ''The Beano'' but what they see is the archive with over 2,000 characters and storylines sat in a warehouse in Dundee waiting to be reimagined by new writers and established writers In November 2020, '' Deadline'' reported Talbot was in the midst of pitching another adaptation of ''Dennis the Menace'', rumoured to be about a reckless teenaged Dennis with a pilot script written by former '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' writer Matthew Barry. Beano Studios and Lime Pictures announced a live-action ''Minnie the Minx'' children's programme in 2018 called ''The Magnificent Misadventures of Minnie'', and Fox Entertainment announced a ''Bananaman'' cartoon, the second cartoon adapting the comic strip after the BBC adaptation from 1983.


Reception and legacy

''The Beano'' was an instant success upon release, and became the longest-running, weekly-issued comic of all time in 2018. Although interest in comic magazines dwindled, it survived surrounding setbacks. In the 1950s, it (and ''The Dandy'') were unaffected by DC Thomson's magazine cancellations (selling over 100 million per year) that were caused by both paper rationing and public lack of interest. Alan Digby's attempt to boost sales with the 8-week " Missing Gnasher" plot in ''Dennis the Menace'' failed, but the story featured in newspapers and on radio broadcasts, causing people of all ages to contact ''Beano'' offices to voice their concerns. Roughly 31,000–41,000 copies are sold per week in the present day, but an estimated 2 billion ''Beano'' comic magazines have been sold in its lifetime. A 1997 television poll by the National Comics Awards selected it for the Best British Comic Ever award. Dennis the Menace would represent the comic when
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launched a special stamp collection in 2012, celebrating Britain's rich comic book history. '' The Dandy'', ''
Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
'', '' The Topper'', '' Roy of the Rovers'', '' Bunty'', ''
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'', ''
Valiant Valiant may refer to: People * James Valiant (1884–1917), English cricketer * The Valiant Brothers, a professional wrestling tag team of storyline brothers ** Jerry Valiant, a ring name of professional wrestler John Hill (1941-2010) ** Jimmy ...
'', ''
Twinkle Twinkle may refer to: * Twinkling, the variation of brightness of distant objects People * Twinkle (singer) (1948–2015), born Lynn Annette Ripley, English singer-songwriter * Twinkle Khanna, Indian movie actress * Twinkle Bajpai, female conte ...
'' and '' 2000 AD'' were also featured. Like ''The Dandy'', ''The Beano'' is a definitive part of British pop culture. "It's refreshing to see how the anyprinciples that made it such a hit all those years ago have remained to this day." writes ''Coventry Evening Telegraph''. ''Beano'' annuals are the most popular Christmas annual sold, and old issues sell for thousands at auctions. Lord Snooty is often used as a pejorative in British politics. DC Thomson considers the 1950s ''Beano'' golden age possibly because of many commemorations based on the strips that first appeared from that decade: Dennis became the literal and metaphorical mascot of the magazine, his increasing popularity making him the last consistent cover star and his strips spawning three BBC animated adaptations;
Minnie As a first name, Minnie is a feminine given name. It can be a diminutive (hypocorism) of Minerva, Winifred, Wilhelmina, Hermione, Mary, Miriam, Maria, Marie, Naomi, Miranda, Clementine or Amelia. It may refer to: People with the given name * M ...
and the Bash Street Kids have a statue and a street named after the strip, respectively. The "anarchic" humour is credited as the key to the magazine's longevity, as well as its refusal to be condescending to its readers: "''The Beano'' may have changed since the '30s but has always maintained its anti-authoritarian stance and steadfast refusal to treat children like idiots," theorised Morris Heggie. The magazine is cited as an inspiration to many readers. ''Beano'' artists Emily McGorman-Bruce,
Zoom Rockman Zoom Rockman, born in , is a British cartoonist from England, whose comic strip ''Skanky Pigeon'' first appeared in ''The Beano ''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine c ...
, Jess Bradley, and
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 ' ...
were avid readers of the magazine and/or its annuals before they became creators of its new strips. Meanwhile, ''The Beano'' inspired comic artists Jay Stephens, Carolyn Edwards (
Titan Comics Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and co ...
) and webcomic creator Sarah Millman (''NPC Tea'', ''The Heart of Time'') to either work in the creative industry or create their own stories. Alan Moore theorised the magazine influenced numerous British comic artists into reimagining American comics in the 1980s by pioneering the
Dark Age The ''Dark Ages'' is a term for the Early Middle Ages, or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual and cultural decline. The conce ...
. Guest chief-editors Nick Park, David Walliams,
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 Strictly Come Dancing (s ...
, and Harry Hill are also fans of ''The Beano'', with Park admitting "My dream job was always to work on ''The Beano'' and it's such an honour for me to be Guest Editor Notable famous members of the old Dennis the Menace/Beano Club include Auberon Waugh, Mike Read, and
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 ...
, as well as honorary members
Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...
, and Princes William and Harry. Chris Tarrant cited Dennis as his role model when he was a child, and Paul Rudd revealed ''
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 ...
'' was his favourite strip. Stella McCartney created tribute fashion to both ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy'', explaining they were "a huge part of my childhood" and wanted to celebrate "the next generation of ''Beano'' fans with a sustainable and practical range for kids who still share that ‘Beano’ spirit of these iconic characters". In music pop culture, the album ''
Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton ''Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton'', colloquially known as ''The Beano Album'', is the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Produced by Mike Vernon and released in 1966 by Decca Records (UK) and ...
'' is nicknamed "The Beano Album" because
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
is holding issue 1242 on its cover.


Audience participation

Interaction with the audience is a historic practice in ''The Beano'' history. Excluding fan clubs and merchandise, ''
Comic Idol Comic Idol is a competition held in The Beano every few years. In it, 3 to 6 new strips (or old strips brought back), run as guest strips in Beano for a few weeks, and the most popular, determined by votes, gets a permanent place in the Beano (a ...
'' is a sporadic election in which readers vote for their favourite strips to keep in the magazine. Cancelled strips with the least votes include ''
Little Plum Little Plum (full name revealed to be Little Plum Stealing Varmint) is a British humoristic western comics series about a little Native American, originally created by Leo Baxendale and published in the magazine ''The Beano''. Concept The epon ...
'', ''
Baby Face Finlayson Baby Face Finlayson is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic ''The Beano'', first appearing in issue 1553, dated 22 April 1972. Baby Face Finlayson "The Cutest Bandit in the West" is an outlaw from the American Old West, an ...
'', ''
Les Pretend Lesley Presley Pretend is a fictional character in a comic strip (Les Pretend) in the UK comic ''The Beano'' with the byline "the Little kid with the big imagination". Originally drawn by John Sherwood, he first appeared in issue 2493, dated ...
'', ''
Calamity James Calamity James is a comic strip in the UK comic ''The Beano''. It is about a boy, named Calamity James (a pun on Calamity Jane), who has disastrous luck. He first appeared on 1 November 1986, in issue no. 2311. A copy of his first strip is view ...
'', ''
Crazy for Daisy Crazy for Daisy was a British comic strip published in the magazine ''The Beano ''The Beano'' (formerly ''The Beano Comic'', also known as ''Beano'') is a British anthology comic magazine created by Scottish publishing company DC Thomso ...
'', and ''Lord Snooty''. ''
Super School Super School is a comic strip, which started in November 2008 and is drawn by Lew Stringer. This strip was stated in the book The History of The Beano: The Story So Far as originally having the name ''The Ultras'' in the planning stages, and was ...
'' and ''
Meebo and Zuky Meebo and Zuky is a comic strip in the British children's comic strip magazine The Beano. It was introduced as one of three new strips in the Beano's Comic Idol competition, in June 2010, where the winner gets a permanent place in the comic. I ...
'' were nominees who won polls and became official strips in the following issues. Readers would find a voting slip covered with the candidates printed in an issue that they would fill out and mail to DC Thomson, but the creation of ''Beano'' websites would allow real-time opinions from readers. ''Pets' Picture Gallery'' invited readers to send drawings of their pets to feature in the following issue. Readers participated in the magazine's record-breaking stunts. In 1988, 100 children helped Euan Kerr and ''Beano'' scriptwriter Al Bernard recreate the front cover of issue 2396 on Scarborough Beach with Hann-Made Productions. It was awarded the Largest Comic Strip at 39950 square feet. ''Beano'' 2018 comic competition to celebrate the opening of
V&A Dundee V&A Dundee is a design museum in Dundee, Scotland, which opened on 15 September 2018. The V&A Dundee is the first design museum in Scotland and the first Victoria and Albert museum outside London. The V&A Dundee is also the first building in the ...
was awarded the biggest competition to finish a comic strip with 650 participants. Along with Nick Park's guest editor issue, the 70th anniversary coincided with Gnashional Menace Day, a CLIC Sargent-partnered event where readers could be sponsored "behaving like Dennis" for charity.


Controversy

''The Beano'' has had a few controversies throughout its lifetime, but aspects have either been discontinued or changed to not cause offence. Its infamous changes are the removal of corporal punishment (e.g. Dennis the Menace often depicted receiving bottom
spank Spanking is a form of corporal punishment involving the act of striking, with either the palm of the hand or an implement, the buttocks of a person to cause physical pain. The term spanking broadly encompasses the use of either the hand or im ...
s with a slipper by his furious father) and misbehaving characters abandoning
slingshots A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the proj ...
—the latter irritating former readers for being a " politically correct" notion, usually highlighted with claim "Dennis has lost his menace". Racist depictions and terminology have been removed through the years as well. ''
Little Plum Little Plum (full name revealed to be Little Plum Stealing Varmint) is a British humoristic western comics series about a little Native American, originally created by Leo Baxendale and published in the magazine ''The Beano''. Concept The epon ...
'' sub-title "Your
redskin Redskin is a slang term for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada. The term ''redskin'' underwent pejoration through the 19th to early 20th centuries and in contemporary dictionaries of American English it is labe ...
chum" was not included in its 2002 revival. The first
masthead Masthead may refer to: * Nameplate (publishing), the banner name on the front page of a newspaper or periodical (UK "masthead") * Masthead (American publishing), details of the owners, publisher, departments, officers, contributors and address d ...
character was a caricatured design of a
black boy ''Black Boy'' (1945) is a memoir by American author Richard Wright, detailing his upbringing. Wright describes his youth in the South: Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, and his eventual move to Chicago, where he establishes his writing care ...
named Peanut, mascot of the ''Little Peanut's Page of Fun'' joke page (appeared from issues 1 to 112), usually eating watermelon. His last masthead feature was in December 1947, but subsequent reprints of the first issues have removed him. ''Hard-Nut the Nigger'' and ''Mussolini the Wop'' have not had reprints since their last appearances. Some changes were to not convince readers bullying was acceptable. Dennis and Gnasher's constant targeting of passive, diligent Walter "the Softy" (who was also a knitting and flower-picking hobbyist) was accused of encouraging playground
homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...
, so it was toned down. Walter was also rewritten to be a bit less soft, becoming more antagonistic and stood up to Dennis sometimes, eventually having his first girlfriend. Fatty from the Bash Street Kids was renamed Freddy (his real name) in 2021, causing backlash from former readers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg who accused the change of being "publicity-seeking". Former chief-editor Mike Stirling explained it was due to fan letters from young readers asking why he was nicknamed so: "although it's always been used affectionately, and never pejoratively, we agreed it's time it changed." A ''
News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' report contained accusations of ''Uh Oh, Si Co!'' encouraging readers to mock children with anger issues or mental illness, which caused the strip to be cancelled.


See also

* '' The Beano Summer Special'' * ''
The Beano Annual ''The Beano Annual'' is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1939, to tie in with the children's comic ''The Beano''. there have been 84 editions. The annuals are traditionally published in July or August, in t ...
'' * List of magazines published in Scotland * MAD magazine *
British comics A British comic is a periodical published in the United Kingdom that contains comic strips. It is generally referred to as a comic or a comic magazine, and historically as a comic paper. British comics are usually Comics anthology, comics antho ...
* List of ''Beano'' comic strips * List of ''Beano'' comic strips by annual * ''The Beano'' timeline


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * *


External links


Official website

Official Beano shop
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beano, The 1938 comics debuts 1938 establishments in the United Kingdom British humour comics Children's magazines published in the United Kingdom Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom DC Thomson Comics titles Magazines established in 1938 Scottish brands Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom