Dennis the Menace (UK)
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| Beano strip | |
 |
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| Dennis the Menace and Gnasher | |
|---|---|
| Current/last artist | Nigel Parkinson, Jimmy Hansen |
| First appearance | Issue 452 (March 17, 1951) |
| Last appearance | Ongoing |
| Regular characters | Dennis, Gnasher, Mum, Dad, Curly, Pie Face, Walter the Softy, Sgt. Slipper, the Colonel, Matilda, Bea, Granny, Foo Foo |
- For the American comic strip of the same name, see Dennis the Menace (US).
Dennis the Menace (known as Dennis the Menace and Gnasher since 1970) is a long-running comic strip featured in The Beano children's comic, published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Dundee, Scotland, in the United Kingdom. The strip first appeared in issue 452, released on 15 March 1951 (cover dated for the off-sale date of 17 March), and is the longest running strip in the comic. From issue 1678 onwards (dated 14 September 1974) Dennis managed to grab the front cover, replacing Biffo the Bear, and has been there ever since.
Coincidentally three days earlier another Dennis the Menace debuted in the United States. The two strips should not be confused — as a result of this the US series has been retitled Dennis for UK consumption.
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher was first drawn by David Law (1951 – 1970), then David Sutherland (1970 – 1998). David Parkins took over in 1998, but due to his other work commitments, Nigel Parkinson and increasingly Jimmy Hansen have drawn the lion's share of the strips for some years. Barrie Appleby did the artwork for the Beano Superstars series, which, towards the end of its run, resorted exclusively to strips based on the TV series (see below).
The main recurring storyline throughout the years features Dennis’s campaign of terror against a gang of 'softies' (effeminate, well-behaved boys), particularly Walter. Bad things tend to happen to Walter quite regularly, although he often gets the "last laugh".
Dennis usually used to get away with his mischief for a while before ending up getting a spanking from his father, for which Dennis’s father used a slipper. Dennis’s best defence involved sticking a thick book down his shorts. His dad never noticed. Dennis’s grandma also had a slipper, except it was made of elephant skin and called 'The Demon Whacker'. Since the 1980s, however - owing to the burgeoning tide of opinion against corporal punishment of children in the UK - the slipper is no longer used.
Dennis started wearing a striped red-and-black jumper a couple of months after his debut, in May 1951, knitted by his granny for him, which along with his spiky hair has become his trademark. It is notable that another Beano character, Minnie the Minx, also wears this colour jumper. He uses his faithful pea shooter, catapult and water pistol.
A Dennis the Menace fan club was set up in 1976. By the time it was replaced with The Beano Club in 1998, it had reached over a million members (the millionth occurring in 1988, (Simon Palmer, who "met" Dennis (a man in a suit), met Beano editor Euan Kerr, and was treated to a traditional slap up comic meal of bangers and mash), including Mark Hamill in 1979. The Beano Club was launched to coincide with the comic's revamp, including its logo.
Dennis celebrated his 40th anniversary in March 1991. A special pull out poster supplement (including a story featuring Dennis appearing on This is Your Life, looking back at the last 40 years of menacing) for the comic was produced to celebrate this. Also, for the same reason, an Italian designer was called in to give Dennis a makeover. He now wore a tracksuit, sported a pair of shades, and had a personal stereo on him. However, this revamp lasted only one story - since the strips are written and drawn months in advance of printing, it seems this was a publicity stunt, like when The Bash Street Kids were briefly given similar modernisation for their 40th anniversary in 1994, and when Desperate Dan in The Dandy 'left' the comic on his 60th anniversary in 1997.
A Dennis the Menace animated cartoon began airing on BBC One (as part of CBBC) in 1996, with another series following in 1998. Originally called Dennis the Menace in the UK, for international broadcast, the series was renamed Dennis and Gnasher. The show has ceased production, although repeats are frequently shown still.
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[edit] Characters
Over the years a variety of subsidiary characters have arisen.
[edit] Family
Dad, along with Dennis himself, appeared in the first strip. His hair loss is down to Dennis’s menacing, and his real name has never been given. He also appears in both Bea and Gnasher and Gnipper. The real name of his wife, Mum, has also never been given. According to the letters page of an early 1990s Beano, he was christened " Dad". In his twenties he met a girl named Mum, and they knew they were made for each other.
Bea is Dennis’s little sister, born in issue 2931, dated 19 September 1998. She has her own strip (Bea, originally Beaginnings) and sometimes appears in Dennis the Menace and Gnasher. it may be noted the title "beginnings" caused many readers to think Dennis the menaces family's name was ginnings. They were never corrected by the comic.
Granny is Dad's mother. She owned the Demon Whacker, as above, but in the late 1980s/early 1990s, she got her own strip - Go, Granny, Go! drawn by Brian Walker. As a result, she transformed from the indulgent Granny who used the Demon Whacker when necessary to a very active elderly lady who enjoyed her motorbikes. This was also partly because by this time, The Beano no longer punished its characters with the slipper.
[edit] Pets
Gnasher is a black dog who first appeared in issue 1363, dated 31 August 1968. He is supposedly an Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound, although sceptics have suggested that he looks more like a mop of Dennis’s hair, with eyes, and teeth gone for a walk on their own. He has extremely strong teeth that can leave teethmarks in seemingly anything, and is usually called upon by Dennis to 'gnash' their way out of situations; however, he usually prefers to bite the postman.
Since 1986 Gnasher has had a son, Gnipper, who appears with him in the separate strip. Gnipper is not owed by Dennis the Menace. Gnasher and Gnipper. He first appeared in issue 2286, dated 10 May 1986. Gnasher also has several daughters, their names being Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, Gnorah and Gnancy, though these tend not to be seen much. Gnatasha had her own strip in The Beezer and Topper, and appeared in the Beezer Book 1994. Gnasher also used to have another strip, Gnasher's Tale, which began in 1977 and continued for another nine years. (It is rather unusual for cartoon animals to have children; usually they just have nephews e.g. Mickey Mouse, Scooby Doo.)
Rasher is a pig (hence the name) and is Dennis’s other loyal pet, first seen in issue 1920, dated 5 May 1979. He loves to eat swill and was rescued by Dennis. Rasher also has children, their names being Oink, Snort, Grunt, Squeal, and Squeak. He also used to have his own strip called Rasher, which started in 1984 and continued for another four years, with a few one off appearances after that.
Dennis has also been seen with his pet spider called Dasher. He first appeared in about 1987, as a tool to scare Softy Walter, and was the mascot of the Beano website when it launched in 1997. Originally the spider was all black, but when it reappeared in 1997, it was red and black, matching Dennis's jersey.
He also has a new fish named Splasher. He appeared first in 2006.
[edit] Friends
Dennis also has two main friends. Curly was the first to appear, appearing a few months after the strip started in 1951. He has a lot of blonde, curly hair, hence his name. In a 1996 episode of the animated TV series entitled 'The Bath-Night Club', we learnt he has a little brother named Spiky. He has spiky hair, and, according to Curly, could not escape and was put in the bath. The next day he started smelling of soap and began prancing about with Softies and girls. The episode was reprinted in print form in 1998 as Number 81 of The Beano Super Stars.
Pieface (Real name Kevin) is the second. His favourite food is pies, hence the name. It was revealed in the cartoon series that his real name is never used on the account the Kevins were not what he ate. He does enjoy a good meal.
[edit] The Softies
Together, Dennis, Curly and Pie-Face battle the Softies, a group of children who enjoy things such as teddy bears, dolls and flowers. The most famous, Dennis’s greatest sworn enemy, is a character called Walter. He has a pet poodle called Foo-Foo and a cat named Fluffy. The two most other frequently seen Softies are Algernon 'Spotty' Perkins and Bertie Blenkinsop, who are usually seen playing with him. Walter, Spotty and Bertie once had a competition to decide who had the cutest teddy, but they agreed that they were all lovely. In a 1984 strip both their pets were seen, two dogs called Yorkie and Papillon, although it did not state which pet belong to which Softy. Other softies include Sweet William, Dudley Nightshirt, Jeremy Snodgrass and Nervous Rex, a character who is scared of everything and everyone.
[edit] Television series airing history
- UK
- CBBC (1996-Present)
- The Children's Channel
- Fox Kids/Jetix
[edit] Influence on popular culture
Darts player Dennis Priestley is known as "The Menace" and wears a shirt with the familiar red and black horizontal bands.
