Mandy (comics)

First issue of Mandy, 21 January 1967

Mandy was a British comic for girls, published weekly by D. C. Thomson & Co. from 21 January 1967 (#1) to 11 May 1991 (#1,269),^[1] with annuals appearing from 1972^[2] until 2007.^[3]

From 1991 until the 30 December 1995 issue, it was published as a merged comic with Judy. The two then merged with Bunty before ceasing publication completely in 2001.

Mandy's content, like many other girls comics from the time, appeared primarily in picture-story format. The majority of the stories were serialized, with typically 2-3 pages of a particular story appearing in each issue, and most stories lasting for 8-12 instalments. Some recurring theme elements of "Mandy" stories were:

• orphans forced to live with cruel or uncaring relatives;
• girls enduring blackmail, hardship, or unpopularity to protect a secret (often on behalf of their family);
• girls slaving for cruel employers or criminals;
• Saving animals from cruelty;
• Cruel factories, shops, boarding schools or workhouses;
• Heroines adopting masked identities to secretly help people;
• spiteful girls causing trouble for an unsuspecting cousin, foster-sister or classmate;
• girls becoming unpopular because events keep conspiring to make them appear jealous or selfish;
• blundering girls getting into one scrape after another;
• girls pretending to be disabled in order to take advantage of people;
• girls who were put under a curse or came into possession of apparently supernatural objects which adversely affected their lives, but of which they were unable to rid themselves until they worked out how;
• boyfriend-themed stories (by the 1980s).

Stories were generally moralistic in tone, with long-suffering heroines finally achieving happiness, while villainous relatives or girls who were liars, cheats and bullies received their comeuppance.

Two of the longest-running and most popular picture stories, which also featured in almost every annual, were "Angel" and "Valda". "Angel" centred on Angela Hamilton, a young, wealthy Victorian girl who discovers she has only a year to live and decides to devote her remaining time to caring for orphaned and unwanted children in the slums of the East End of London. "Valda" stories are set in many different times and places and follow the adventures of a girl with extraordinary abilities and apparently indefinite lifespan. Valda, who draws her physical strength from energy or light passing through a mysterious 'Crystal of Life' that she carries, travels the world coming to the aid of the oppressed and those threatened by dark or supernatural forces.

Mandy also ran text stories, usually serialized in the same manner as the picture-stories, of which the most popular was "The Guardian Tree". This followed the trials and tribulations of the Shaw family, when the five children are orphaned in Victorian times. The children, under the leadership of the eldest sister, Rose, escape the dreaded poorhouse by living on the moors in a cave beneath the roots of a vast tree they christen the "Guardian Tree", which appears to have mysterious and benevolent powers. The most popular text stories were often reworked and published as picture stories, including "The Guardian Tree" and "The Sad Star."

List of strips

• Glenda the Guide - Girl Guide Glenda Gardner's attempts at winning badges always land her in the soup.
• Skeleton Corner - Spooky stories told a skeleton. Since the storyteller was a skeleton, his stories often had an edge to them, similar to Misty.
• The Sorrows of Laughing Anne - When Anne Foster unknowingly laughs at a witch, the witch retaliates with a spell that gives Anne a loud, hideous, uncontrollable witch's cackle that gets her into increasing trouble. When it reaches the point where Anne's father decides to send her away, Anne must do something fast to get the spell lifted.
• The Songs Of Melody Jones - Melody Jones is a talented singer, dancer and ventriloquist. When her grandfather goes to hospital, Melody reluctantly joins with the Clarkson family group. The Clarksons only want to use Melody to make money, so Melody is left with only one “friend” – Danny her dummy.
• Very Important Pupil - Lynne Williams had been the most insignificant pupil at Cramley House Boarding School, until she was caught in the rays of an exploding meteorite!
• Hockey Hannah - The adventures of a schoolgirl, Hannah and her hockey stick. Sometimes her stick causes trouble, other times it's very useful.
• The Girls of Knock-Out Academy
• Friend of the Lonely - Susan Holmes helps lonely people.
• Father Must Go Free! - Set around 1746 two children help their father find freedom after being arrested by the Redcoats.
• Jenna on the Run - Jenna the gypsy girl is being trained in athletics by the blind Duchess.
• No Pity for Paula - Crippled Paula Travis is being forced to beg for her cruel relatives - who are very far from poverty-stricken.
• No Friends for Freda - Freda Wilson accidentally falls foul of an old gypsy woman, who tells her from than on she will bring only harm to her friends. The curse seems to be working and Freda feels she has to avoid her friends, for their own sake.
• Wendy Won’t Win! - Wendy Moore is a professional tennis player but is cursed by a gipsy woman Zara to never win another match. Although she doubts the truth of the curse a string of defeats increases her nerves.
• Rose Among The Thorns - Rose is delighted when her new foster family the Thorns want to adopt her. However, a fellow student makes her worry that the family’s happy-go-lucky way of life might not be favourable with the adoption authorities. She tries to fix this but ends up making things worse.
• A Girl Called Rowan - Debbie Dawson’s new friend Rowan has a strange power over plants because she is a dryad – a tree sprite. When Debbie runs away from the relatives she was staying with, Rowan goes with her.
• A Tale of Two Families - Ever since their parents separated, twins Carol and Rona Grant have been plotting to get the family together again, in spite of their own frequent squabbles.
• Aunt Kate’s Household Companion - Prudence and Becky Land are two English orphans working their passage as cooks on a wagon train to San Francisco. Their most treasured possession is a book containing helpful hints which had been left to them by their Aunt Kate.
• Hard Hearted Harriet - Orphaned Harriet Bond is caring for her younger brothers and sisters in Victorian England. She discovers she has only months to live, so she must find homes for her charges. To make them want to leave her, she pretends to be hard and unloving.
• Heartbreak School - Jo Sanders is sent to the Hartbrook boarding school, where she finds harsh teachers and an enemy in another student, named Paula.
• Here Come the Mini-Mounties! - Joyce Ingram and Rona Parnell are two young policewomen, that join the Mounted Section of the Police Force.
• Our Very Own Princess! - Zelda Smith works with her cruel uncle and aunt in a fake mind-reading act and is billed as Princess Zelda. She runs away and is befriended by some urchins who take her for a real princess. She maintains the pretence to keep herself in hiding.
• Who is Judy Parker? - Judy Parker senses that the cruel matron of "the Towers" orphanage, Miss Kent, knows something about her mysterious past. It soon becomes apparent that Judy is facing some kind of danger as well.
• Saucepan Cindy - Cindy works in her father’s cafe washing dishes but she wants to be able to cook. Her attempts usually turn out disastrous though!
• She’s My Friend! - When Sarah Warner and Jane Mills start secondary school, Sarah is afraid their long friendship will be lost if Jane makes new friends and becomes more involved in different activities.
• Smash-Hit Cindy - Cindy Burnett wants to be a tennis champion but she lives with her grandmother who cannot afford to pay for tennis fees and equipment. When Cindy saves a baby’s life, the grateful parents pay her membership for the exclusive Sterling Club. Of course there are some people who don’t want her in the club.
• The Children Came Too! - When Jenny Smith’s father falls ill while abroad, Mrs. Smith flies out to look after him, leaving the children in the care of their Aunt Ivy. Jenny is a keen athlete but finds it hard to train properly as Ivy refuses to look after the children when Jenny is not at school. So Jenny ends up having to take her younger siblings to training with her.
• The Double Life of Sad Sarah - Debbie Walters father gets commissioned to draw a picture story, “Sad Sarah” – about a girl who patiently endures ill treatment from cruel relatives rather than worry her sick mother. Unknown to Mr. Walters, Sarah can come to life and is not as nice as her story counterpart, as she keeps making trouble for Debbie.
• I Can't Stand my Sister! - Jan and Chris can't stand each other - and now they find they're sisters!
• The Double Life of Dolly Brown - Victorian girl Dolly Brown is being blackmailed into participating in a fraudulent sideshow.
• The Girl Who Can’t Cry! - On the way to her new boarding school, Linda Laker sees a spaceship and overhears an invasion plan. The aliens place a girl, who is made to look and sound human, in the school. The alien has one defect - it cannot cry. So Linda sets out to find the imposter by making anyone she suspects cry.
• The Lying Eyes of Linda Lee - Alison Payne and Linda Lee are being fostered on trial basis for adoption. Alison has looked after Linda ever since she was blinded in an accident. But Linda has secretly regained her sight and is keeping it that way until she gets rid of Alison, because she wants to be adopted alone. And Linda is going as far as animal cruelty in her tricks to get rid of Alison.
• The Sad Spells of Fay Martin - On her twelfth birthday Fay Martin is told by Aggie an old witch, that Fay is a changeling brought up to as a mortal. Fay can cast spells – but each one she uses means she is a day closer to be taken back to the Underworld.
• Wanda’s Weather Stone - When Wanda Williams captures a small cloud, a shadow speaks to her from the mist, asking her to release his little one. As a reward Wanda is given a special pendant with the promise “Hold the stone within your hand, and find the climes at your command”. But the weather stone doesn't bring her much luck.
• Polly's Perfect Mum - Polly Gordon persuades her slapdash, happy-go-lucky mother to enter a "Perfect Mum" contest, only to regret it. When Mrs Gordon wins, life becomes difficult for the rest of the family as not only is Mrs. Gordon determined to live up to her new title, but she becomes determined to turn them into the "perfect" family.
• Lucy's Loving Cake - Lucy Davis makes a cake from bewitching flour and whoever eats a slice from it becomes extra "loving" - at least, for a time.
• The Truth About Wendy - Wendy Ware is to all appearances a sweet-natured, popular girl. However, there is always someone in the background who knows differently. In flashback, the person of the week recounts how they have fallen foul of this sneaky schemer. Wendy has hurt them, used them, blackened their names, in order to get her own way "but who will believe me? Only I know the truth about Wendy" they always conclude bitterly.
• The Doll of Doom – Debbie Soames receives a doll which can tell the future – the very ominous future.
• The Guardian Tree – In Victorian times Rose Shaw must take care of her siblings after her parents die of influenza. The nasty workhouse beadle, Matthew Crowe, is eager to snap up the younger Shaws, but the family finds a new home in a cave under what they call “The Guardian Tree.” Naturally, Crowe mustn’t find out.
• Eyes for Mary – Mary Tremayne is going blind, and is training her dog, Shep, to be her guide. This is unheard of in Victorian times and Mary is meeting strong opposition.
• Elsie's Elephant - Elsie Carter has a very unusual pet - a baby elephant named Hortense. And wherever Hortense goes, trouble follows!
• Little Miss Icicle – Joanne Blake loses three loved ones in one week. She vows to freeze her heart into ice so it will never feel such pain again.
• Lucky – The adventures of Lucky the Cat.
• The Secret Song of Kate Darby – Kate Darby is searching for her long-lost brother, Ted, and earns her living by playing the accordion while she searches.
• Simon – Three-year-old Simon is having strange, destructive fits, and Tania is getting the blame for everything he does.
• Slaves of the Mill – Jane March works in a horrible mill, but does her best to make life easier for the others. But there is a secret in Jane’s past, and once the overseer suspects it, Jane’s life is in danger.
• Space Dog U2 – Robot dog U2 escapes from a starship during an exploration of Earth. He takes a liking to an earthgirl and ignores the starship orders to return.
• The Truth About Sandy Starr – Stand-in Sandy Starr arranges the accident of the leading actress in a new film, and takes her place. But now Sandy’s accomplice is blackmailing her, and added to that, she is being harassed by anonymous letters.
• With Love from Lindy - Lindy Hughes lives with her widowed mother and 4 younger siblings. Money is often tight, so Lindy does a paper route to help out.
• A Horse for Holly – Holly Reed must win a big race or lose ownership of her horse.
• “Beware of Beryl!” – Scheming Beryl pretends to lose her memory to get in with a film star.
• April Fool – Talented scholarship pupil April Matthews is being blackmailed into helping nasty Shirley Kingsley be the star of their stage school – at April’s expense. To ensure April's compliance, wealthy Mr Kingsley is threatening to withdraw the money he invested in April's fathers business, which would cause the family to be unable to afford vital sight-saving operations for April's little sister.
• A Switch in Time – Kyra from the year 2084 goes to 1884 as part of a school project. But she has an accident and ends up stranded in 1984. How can she get back?
• Aunts at War! – Jill Marsden finds herself in the middle of a battlefield between her feuding great-aunts.
• Bad Luck Barbara – When Barbara Petty and her parents move to Wavertree, she becomes persecuted by the villagers who believe she is descended from an old witch, Grandmother Petty, and blame her for any bad luck in the village. Barbara is finding it difficult to escape the situation because her parents refuse to listen and the family depends on Mr Petty’s job in the village.
• Best Friends! - Terri Ford and Joanna Bain have always hated each other and aren’t happy when Joanna’s family move next door to Terri. It turns out that their Mums used to be best friends in school and plan to pick up where they left off. They also expect Joanna and Terri to become best friends too.
• Birds of a Feather - Jenny Barnes is happy with her foster family the Finches and their other foster children, Robin, Polly and Jay. One day a mysterious girl appears in their garden. The newcomer can’t remember her name, so they nickname her Birdie. Jenny notices something strange about Birdie, and she seems to be causing trouble for the other children.
• Can’t Help Dancing - Margaret Simpson is a young nurse at Oaklands, an old mansion converted into a country hospital. Margaret keeps hearing strange music, played by a mysterious piper. Whenever she hears it, she – and anyone who touched her – find they oan’t help dancing!
• Double Trouble - Mr Carter was stranded on a desert island for eleven years. When he returns his wife has died in a train crash and his baby daughter was given to Sunnydale Orphanage. He finds that two girls with red hair survived the crash and were raised in the orphanage. He has taken both girls Rose and Jenny, now 13, on holiday to try and figure out which one is his daughter.
• Ellen of Elmwood Farm - Ellen Shaw has lived all her life in an orphanage until 1870, when she is sent to work on Elmwood Farm for Jonah Fleming and his sister Martha. When she arrives, it seems the Flemings are surprised, as they had requested a boy. Ellen hopes to prove she can work as hard as a boy so she can stay on the farm.
• Gwen’s Goats - As part of a publicity event, Gwen takes a herd of goats across country. The five goats are Gruff, Nanny, Gus, Gertie and Billy the Kid.
• Beth and Boy Georgie – Georgie Hope Foster enters a pairs skating competition under a boy’s name with Beth Dawson. This was just for a laugh, but things get complicated when they are forced to carry on the deception when their deception gets them to the next heat.
• Big Bad Sister! – Jane Walker and her siblings have been fostered, but Jane feels that her talented new foster sister is taking over from her and supplanting her in the affections of her siblings.
• Bonny and Belinda – identical twins Bonny and Belinda are dismayed when only Bonny is adopted. Bonny smuggles Belinda into the house where they take turns enjoying their new life.
• Caesar and Cleo – Upon her death, elderly Miss Amelia Weston leaves her big fancy house to her three greedy, unprincipled nieces...on the condition that they continue to provide a home for her devoted maid Cleo Payne and Cleo's dog Caesar. The nieces try to get Cleo to leave of her own accord, but Cleo is determined to stay for Caesar's sake, as he is the only friend she has in the world.
• Carol's Cauldron - Carol Carter inherits a cauldron from an old woman who was said to be a witch, and soon discovers that the cauldron causes strange things to happen whenever anything is put inside it.
• Carrie Chase, Girl Reporter! - In Victorian England, Carrie Chase is a junior reporter for the Daily Clarion, and will do ANYTHING to get a story.
• Copy Kate! – Kate Thomas feels that everybody except her has something they are good at. She starts copying more successful people - with hilarious results.
• The Courage of Honour Bright – Honor Bright falls foul of Aunt Betsy, a female Fagin. Aunt Betsy wants to turn Honor into a criminal, but Honor is determined to defend her honour to the last.
• The Double Life of Julie-Ellen – Julie-Ellen Jones can’t decide between two boys so she pretends to be twins to date them both. Chaos ensues as Julie-Ellen tries to keep up her double life.
• The Homecoming – Janey Wellson returns to her real family after learning she had been stolen from them as a baby. But the adopted son, Richard, resents her and is determined to cause trouble for Janey.
• The Singing Hinneys - The 4 Hinney siblings - Helen, Ben, Sandy and Susie - make a living by travelling around the country in Bessie, their minivan, and performing as a pop group. Helen, Ben and Sandy do the singing, while Susie handles the finances (whenever they get any money) and acts as band manager.
• Late Kate - She's always late for something.
• Little Horror! – Dianne Moore has fallen for Paul Peters, and in order to get him to notice her, she concentrates on his little brother Terry. But Terry is a horror, and his tricks always get Dianne into trouble.
• Mary’s Moneybank – Mary Lyall is a spendthrift until she is given a manikin moneybank which seems to have a weird effect on her whenever she puts money into it.
• Meg Among the Slaves – Meg Jackson is an apprentice seamstress at Hamble’s. While Hamble is away, the manager and his sister, the Joneses, ill-treat the apprentices, especially Meg. Meg runs away, but comes back when she learns that the Joneses are cheating Mr Hamble. Can she unmask them?
• Melinda, You're a Marvel - Tilly Parkin works for Comet Cosmetics, a vast cosmetics firm owned by her aunt. Tilly has been given the job of travelling the globe and checking on the firm's international agencies accompanied by her aunt's personal assistant Melinda - a woman who appears to be capable of ANYTHING.
• Mighty Minnie - Minnie Biggs is a tennis ace who supports herself and her grandfather by travelling the country on her bike and competing in competitions for money.
• Mollie the Music Maker - In the 1930s, the Mackies live in the rough Australian mining town of Kallora. The family are poor but Mollie, the eldest, tries to help out her widowed mother by doing odd jobs to earn money. Mollie is a talented musician and has taught herself to read sheet music. The miners of the town help out first by getting her an old piano and then funding her studies.
• My Team’s the Best! - Megan Davis and Tessa Giles have been friends for years and both kept their ponies at the same stables. Then both girls are picked for the pony club horse trials teams – but each for a different team. Only the best team will compete at the arena competition. The girls promise this won’t affect their friendship - but it is proving hard not to get competitive.
• No Dogs Allowed! - Mary Nelson is confined to a wheelchair and lives with her mother on the 14th floor of a block of flats. The Caretaker Mr Henry has a strict “no dogs allowed” policy, but when Mary finds a stray dog she smuggles him into the flat. There are two strange men that are intent on taking the dog for some unknown reason.
• Once Upon a Rhyme - Classic rhymes retold by a fairy.
• Queen of the Caves - While on a trip to some caves, Miss Todd, a teacher and Molly, a pupil, discover a world of Stone Age people. They also find Professor Cronk, an old teacher of Miss Todds’, who disappeared 15 years ago. Molly Jackson is hailed as their Queen because her hockey stick resembles the crooked club - a symbol of tribal leadership.
• The Ring of the Red Witch - Cara Kemp is staying at her Aunt and Uncle’s while her parent’s are abroad. She finds a mysterious ring in the garden and when she tries it on she is unable to get it off again. Then Cara begins to have strange bouts of moodiness and bad temper.
• Mona's Monkey - Mona Harding helps her parents run their farm with the help of her mischievous pet monkey Tiko.
• My Dad Next Door – Karen Walton pretends the dashing next-door neighbour is her father because she thinks her own is boring.
• Perri – Rosanna Lee’s father gives up the gipsy life and becomes a farmhand. But Rosanna finds herself bullied at school and her only friend is a fawn called Perri. But Perri has to be kept hidden.
• Secret Star! – when pop star Jeff Collins loses his voice, his twin sister Jodie agrees to secretly take his place until he recovers.
• Shed No Tears for Tammy – Cindy Brown learns that her friend Tammy North has a fatal illness.
• Sleeping Beauty from the Stars – Banished to the penal Planet Peutridd because of her mischievous ways, an alien beauty queen instead lands on Earth, and is awakened from deep sleep by a kiss. She becomes a model, “Stella Saturn”, but danger looms when her home planet, Xerox, discovers her whereabouts.
• That Bad Bettina! – The Carrs foster Bettina Dickson, who was once accused of shoplifting. But their daughter, Susie, resents Bettina and is trying to get rid of her – even going as far as to start a fire in her own bedroom.
• The Many Faces of Moppet – Janette Johnson rescues a doll, Moppet, from the river. But Janette does not realise that whatever facial expressions or poses Moppet is put into cause her to act in that exact manner, which gets her into trouble.
• The Posy Princess – Jill Bailey is treated like a servant by her relatives. She enters a competition to win a trip to New Zealand, and find her Aunt Kate. But her nasty cousin Marilyn is in the contest as well, and will do anything to make sure Jill doesn’t win.
• The Tribe at Number Ten – Carol Rogers vows not to let her widowed mother get too involved with a widower and his five children.
• The Truth About Mum – When Mrs Morris returns home after an accident, she starts telling tall tales, then losing the memory of them. Her daughter Lucy covers up for her because she does not want to be separated from her mother again – but this causes problems for Lucy.
• Too Many Mums! - Julia Casson has a problem with her mother, stepmother and Aunt Joyce.
• Topsy Turvey – Topsy Turvey is sent an aborigine witch doctor’s pendant, and finds that the pendant can turn upside-down the personality of anyone else who looked at it e.g. make a lying cheat tell the truth.
• Very Important Person! – Jill Jordan takes second place to her sister Mandy. Then a great aunt dies, and leaves a fortune – but with the stipulation that any expenditure be approved by Jill. Now the family treats Jill like a VIP - but there is scheming afoot.
• Wedding of the Week – Kay Harper runs a feature, “Wedding of the Week” for the local newspaper.
• Daughter of the House - When Sharon Welch's parents die, she finds there has been a mix up at the hospital, and now comes to live with her real parents, the Gowers. However, Janice Gower, the other mixed up baby, is convinced Sharon is trying to push her out.
• Roll-along Roma - the story of a roller skater.
• The Whispering Shell - Dawn Fenton finds a mysterious sea shell that whispers messages in rhyme to her.
• A Home for Helen - Helen Grant is staying with her grandmother after her parents are killed.
• Cat! - A cat exerts an evil influence over Livvie Clarke.
• Frankie from the Film - Is a screen figure actually coming to life?
• Malice in Wonderland - an amusement park turns into a nightmare for Becky Shaw.
• My Cousin Quacker - A witch turns Kate into a duck in retaliation for an insult. High jinks ensue as Cousin Sally and her friend track down the witch to remove the spell.
• Pam of Pet Parade - Pam Bruce is keeping animals in secret to save them from being put down.
• Rita - Rita Barraclough is determined to break a record at any cost.
• Selfish Susan - Susan Smith has been temporarily deaf after an illness. When her hearing returns, she keeps it a secret so as to continue getting preferential treatment.
• Susan’s Secret - Twelve-year-old Susan Riley and her family have just moved to a new town. When Susan was younger her parents were part of a travelling fair, so she didn’t get much schooling. They decided to settle down so their children could get a proper education, but then Susan fell ill for years. So even though she is no longer ill, she never learned to read and write. She wants to keep this a secret from her new friends, and knows she won’t be able to hide it school, but in the meantime she wants to enjoy the Summer holidays.
• Swim, Sally – Swim! - Sally King has been brought up in Silverdale Orphanage, where she helps look after the younger children. She is a keen swimmer and wants to become a world championship. The assistant Matron finds Sally a coach in the form of ex-army sergeant, Carol Cannon, whose training methods are tough going!
• Swinging Sue - Sue Carter works in the publicity and advertising department of a large London store, Clarrod and Sembridge. She earns the nickname Swinging Sue as she is always so full of life.
• Sharing Starlight - Cousins Patti Mills and Sarah Blake inherit a pony, Starlight. Unfortunately the cousins hate each other due to a family feud, and poor Starlight is caught in the middle.
• Sisters in Secret - Jackie Munroe and Alison Brown are half-sisters, but the trouble is, their mothers hate each other.
• They Must Stay Together - Debbie Smith is trying to save her friend's family from separating.
• A Switch in Time... - a magic sundial causes a girl from 1891 and a girl from 1991 to switch places.
• Baker's Dozen - Louise Baker has to protect her puppies from horrible relatives.
• Behind the Green Door - Maidservant Emily Dove is hiding her siblings in her attic bedroom to save them from a horrible orphanage.
• Copycat! - Chrissie is such a copycat.
• Diary of Despair - Karen Kemp is on a campaign of revenge against the bullying pupils and teachers who made her sister's life a misery.
• Door to Yesterday - Sally Dean is staying with her aunt for the holidays. Aunt Mabel is a housekeeper to a scientist Mr. Winslow. Sally follows Mr. Winslow through a door in his attic and finds herself lost and alone in London in 1851. Now she must track down Mr. Winslow and return home.
• Fran's Four Friends - What's going to happen to the horses if the stables close down?
• Ghost Writer - Tina Baxter is hopeless at writing until she acquires a strange typewriter.
• The Girls of 3C - flashbacks of school days at Millmead School Reunion.
• The Girl Who Hated Horses! - Why does Tracey Perls have a problem with horses?
• Hannah and Herbie - Amnesic Hannah is trying to find her past.
• Johnnie Who? - Jonnie is really Princess Jonquil - the Sleeping Beauty!
• The Jinx - anything nasty written in a book called "the Jinx" comes true.
• Lady Lucy - Lucy Lamford is determined not to be turned into a lady and starts leading a double life.
• Lonely - Anna Jackson is looking after badgers.
• Mary's Mini Mum - an accident with a chemical formula makes Mrs Myers shrink whenever she gets hot.
• The Mask - Dorinda Lacey has to wear a mask because her face is so ugly - or so her guardians claim.
• My Mum - My Chum! - Becky Brown is trying to snap her mother out of depression after her husband leaves.
• Nola Knows - Problems occur when Nola Handley's powers of precognition develop.
• Our Baby Brother - problems with a newborn brother and his jealous sister.
• The Rescuer - Vikki Brantwood is trying to make amends for neglecting her pony by rescuing others.
• Rosa's New Friend - there is something strange about Rosa Mason's new friend who appears to be her guardian angel.
• Sarah's Secret - Sarah Roberts is determined to be fostered all by herself - by fair means or foul.
• Sorry, Sue - After mistreating foster-girl Sue Grant, Janie Clarke now regrets her actions, but she cannot convince Sue of her good faith - especially since her efforts always end in disaster.
• Strange Neighbours - Tracy Wilson is puzzled with her neighbours.
• Summer of Fear - Is Treetops Boarding School haunted?
• Tessa Goes to Town - Tessa Mercer's separated parents have her alternating between town and country.
• Us - Plus Boys! - Best friends are drifting apart.
• Wendy Out West - Ranch life in America.
• What Lila Wants... - is to get rid of her cousin, Sarah Peterson.
• Between Friends - Best friends fancy the same boy and each is finding it difficult to break the news to the other.
• Classmates - the life of pupils at Tower Hill Comp.
• Cuddles - the adventures of a teddy called Cuddles.
• Cutting Edge - Amy Jackson is trying to get Cheryl Boyd sacked from the hair salon.
• Double Take - Toni Dayley thinks that everything that happens to her is also happening to the Baileys.
• Fast Fido - a computer dog comes to life!
• Hands Off! - A crusade to save the Youth Club.
• Happiness House - Laura Willoughby is determined to find out why Happiness House has become a jinxed cottage.
• Home, Sweet Home - Claire Maxwell is caught in the middle of her separated parents.
• I Hate Boys! - Maria Atwell is annoyed her younger brothers are allowed more privileges than her.
• Neil Next Door - Lisa Norton becomes bored with her boyfriend after he becomes the boy next door.
• Nurses - the saga of first-year nurses.
• Sara's Secret Garden - Sara Stanford can't handle living with a noisy family, until she finds a neglected garden.
• Second Hand Sal - Sal Edwards has to keep the fact that her mother is now running a used clothes stall secret from her friends.
• Stage School - Nicky Carr is accepted into an exclusive stage school, but is peeved that conceited Gavin Mellor has been accepted as well.
• Taking Tara's Place - strange things start happening when Beth Maynard is fostered in the wake of the death of Tara.
• Terry's Troll - Terry Clarke and her friendly, cheeky troll.
• Two Plus One - Katy is Dave's girlfriend, but then she meets Tony.
• All Change! - Twins Lucy and Lisa Clayton have their lives turned upside-down when their parents split.
• Deceived! - Diane Carlton makes the cardinal error of getting involved with her best friend Amy Davis’ boyfriend, Gary. Diane is now caught in a horrible two-timing trap. Can she find a way out of this mess before it destroys her friendship with Amy?
• I Hate You! - Unhappy at her new boarding school, Gail Jenkins writes to her parents begging them to return from abroad. A plane crash leaves Dad dead and Mum comatose. Gail blames herself because of the letter and her sister Sue turns against her for the same reason. The rift between the sisters becomes ever-wider as Gail’s attempts to mend their relationship invariably go wrong.
• I Want Him Back – Zoe Elder is determined to get her boyfriend back (completely ignoring the fact that he dumped her because of her horrible attitude) – and her methods are not very honourable.
• Revenge! - Alison blames her sister Emma for her injured leg because Emma innocently asked Alison to switch places with her in the car moments before it crashed. So Alison secretly causes trouble for Emma.
• Rhona’s Rescue – Rhona Anderson sets up a rescue for sick animals.
• The Girl for Gareth – Michelle Taylor is trying to match her brother Gareth up with the perfect girl – but the perfect girl is proving elusive.
• The Lonely Pony – Cath Watson’s horse Brantub shares a paddock with Camilla Baxter-Smythe’s pony Desert Sands. Unfortunately Cath can’t stand Camilla because she is such a snob – but things can change.
• Toni’s Troubles – Mum suddenly returns after walking out years before. However her daughter Toni, who has been raising the family since Mum’s departure, is secretly trying to get rid of Mum because she is convinced that Mum is up to something.
• Mystery Boy – Jo Evans and Carol Smart set out to unravel the mystery of new boy John Smith (which may not even be his real name)
• Be Nice to Nikki - Yvonne Baxter is under strict instructions from her father to be "nice" to his employer's daughter. However the girl is a vicious bully, so being "nice" to her is a nightmare. But Yvonne's father won't listen.
• Eye Spy Trouble - a girl fakes blindness while causing trouble for her cousin.
• Here to Stay - A nightmare begins for the Walkers when visiting relatives come to stay. The visitors are soon taking over the house and coming up with devious ways to prolong their stay.
• He's Not For You! - Martin's snobby sister disapproves of his girlfriend and tries to split them up. She even goes as far as having the family swimming pool wrecked and blaming the girl.
• It's a Dog's Life - Lisa Thornley is being blackmailed by nasty Vera Gibson, who is threatening to put her dog in the pound.
• Let Me Be! - Gaynor Wood is caught in the middle of squabbling grandparents.
• Pine Tree Grove - the story of a TV soap.
• Soap Suds - Sally Gibson is exasperated with her relatives who copy everything they see on a TV soap to ridiculous lengths.
• Whodunnit? - Actors in a detective theatrical drama become real detectives after someone wrecks the props.
• Angel - Victorian lady Angela Hamilton has only a year to live. After faking a drowning accident to spare her parents the grief of watching her die slowly, Angela goes to London to dedicate her remaining time to helping the poor waifs of London as the benefactress "Miss Angel." When Angel finally succumbs to her illness, her parents, who have discovered the truth, set up a children's home in her "loving memory.
• Everyone's Perfect Mum - Kay Maxwell, star of TV soap "Garden Square", is the most popular personality in Britain as "everyone's perfect mum." Only her cruelly-treated stepdaughter knows what Kay is like in real life.
• A Slave Called Sandra - Sandra Best lives with her aunt and uncle, who treat her badly and make her do all the work in the house and the laundrette that they own. She believes that her father owed them a debt that she must pay off. One thing she gets enjoyment out of is her talent for sewing and dress making.
• “I’ll Take Care of Tina!” - Elaine Warnock and her father conspire to get Tina Marsden expelled from Fairfield Boarding School in the hope that he will grab Mr Marsden’s job at the company they both work for and keep Elaine on at Fairfield. But just as they are about to succeed in getting Tina expelled, things begin to go wrong when Tina runs away and then returns secretly to the school to prove her innocence.
• Jonny Comet - the Pop Star from Planet X - Jonny Comet comes to earth in search of his sister. Slim Fiddler realizes Jonny could have a great future as a pop-star and appoints himself as Jonny’s manager. Slim’s niece, Mona, helps to keep Jonny’s identity secret.
• Jumpers’ Journey - While escorting two valuable horses to Rome, young grooms Vicky Redman and Paula Page’s plane is hi-jacked and taken to northern Greece. The passengers are safely transported to Athens, but there is no suitable transport for the horses. So the girls decide to stay with the horses and ride to Athens themselves. They have a difficult time when they encounter bandits, and also when the horses go missing.
• Jumping Jackie – Star on Skates - Canadian Jackie Jasper is a talented young ice skater whose lumberjack father, Red Jasper, had become a millionaire over night. Red is determined Jackie will become a world champion with the help of Arnold Gottlieb, an Olympic coach.
• Lanky Liz - Liz Dixon is always in trouble because of her clumsiness. She works for her mean Uncle Josh, owner of a travelling fair. Harry Brent, the coach of a local sports club, had seen Liz jump and suggests that she has the making of a champion. But her Uncle Josh refuses to let her join the club.
• Lily’s Pink Drink - Lily Millar wants to get rid of her freckles, so she enlists the help of Professor Gudge. He makes different potions but they don’t have the desired effect. They do have other temporary side effects, though, such as giving her super-strength.
• Hateful Hattie - Hattie Taylor is despised by the other girls of a cruel orphanage because she curries favour with the staff to get preferential treatment. They are unaware that it is Hattie's cover for her other persona - "The Angel Ghost," a mysterious benefactor who helps alleviate their hard life.
• The Jealousy of Jemma - Julie believes she is being terrorised by the spirit of her twin sister, Jemma.
• Picture-Book Polly - Polly is an avid reader of the girls' comic "Candy". Polly's attempts to copy the antics of the characters in Candy always ends in disaster, but she finally learns it is better to be herself.
• Terry and her Trike - Terry Ward has a bicycle of her own - an old-fashioned trike.
• The Quiet One - Danni is a vicious bully, but pretends to be nice and shy while bullying in secret.
• They Call it Aggro-batics! - The Cluffs and the Martins are feuding families. The daughters from each family are compelled to work with each other at their acrobatics class - then find they work well together. But can they work equally well to end the family feud?
• Valda - Valda is a mystery super-girl whose Crystal of Life gives her eternal life and strength. Valda uses her powers to come to the aid of others.
• Wendy's Web - Carol is determined to help her friends, who are being blackmailed (with false information) by Wendy Allen.
• Who Hates Steve? - Nicola is investigating who is playing tricks on her boyfriend, Steve.
• Collector Katie - She's always collecting something.
• The Millpark Mystery! - Three friends Ruth, Anne and Teri are starting a new school after their old school closes down. Their first day does not start out well, until they meet a nice teacher named Miss. Brown. But when they discover that no other students or teachers seem to like her, and see a different side to her, they decide they have to solve this mystery.
• Nobody Knows My Face! - Millie Mason is a budding actress with dreams of becoming a star. It seems she’s on her way to fame when she gets spotted by an agent, Eddie Tanner. Unfortunately every role she gets cast in she ends up in a costume, mask or in the shadows, so nobody sees what she looks like. Her agent also thinks keeping the mystery of what she looks like will make her an even bigger star, with a big reveal.
• Slave to Love! - Gail Somers gets a crush on a boy named Justin. Justin has a horrible lazy sister, Andrea, who decides to take advantage of Gail’s crush. She makes a deal to get Gail and Justin together if Gail becomes her slave for a month and a day.
• The Simpsons in the Sky - Tina Simpsons' life changes when her father walks out on the family, then their mother loses her job and abandons them. Tina and her siblings move to a shelter on the roof top of their tower-block, where they can hopefully stay together until they get their mother back. Tina manages to get some part-time jobs, but for different reasons she ends up losing them. She also believes she sees her mother at times, but she never manages to catch up to her.
• The Third Wish - While on a pony trekking holiday, Becky accidentally stumbles across a pool and makes three wishes, one of which is that annoying know-it-all Nella gets what she deserves. After her first two wishes come true Becky starts to worry about her third wish so she begins looking out for Nella as it seems disaster could fall on her at any point.
• The Girl With No Name - A nameless young girl on a remote island lives with a woman, Megan who has raised the girl to prove her theories that a human can be raised to reach their full potential and use all their brain’s processing power. One day Megan is confronted by a Dr. Lee, which causes her to leave the island with the girl. They are separated in a storm and the girl is found by a fisherman. When she meets Doctor Lee again, she remembers that Megan had taken her from an orphanage, and decides to run off and find out who she could have been.
• That Girl’s Me! - Margie is a nice girl but a bit of an underachiever. For a school project about local superstitions and legends, she researches a legend of Old Mother Wily a witch and goes to the ruins of her cottage, where she finds the magic book which releases her other self - the Hyde to her Jekyll, the part of her that dares to do what Margie won’t.Her double starts taking Margie’s place and making trouble, which Margie gets the blame for.
• Toys! - Jan buys some material to make stuffed toys, only for the toys to mysteriously come to life.
• Stella Starr - Stella Starr is an alien that usually gets into some trouble while adjusting to earth life. Luckily in the end, her powers usually helps the situation.
• Hilary of the Happy Bus - Hilary helps out at a mobile playgroup.
• You Little Monkey! - Jenny’s brother Rex turns into a monkey and she spends her time trying to hide this from her parents.
• Love Thy Neighbour! - The Greys and Browns live next door and are constantly arguing because of their different interests. Two of their children, Brian and Carol do get along and decide to try to bring their families together.
• Little Frankie - A girl replaces her mother in a stage comedy duo, while she is sick. She can’t let anyone know that she is pretending to be her mother though.
• Little Stranger - Clare is shocked to wake up one morning to find a young girl in her house that everyone claims is her sister, Darla.
• Lucknow Lucy - In 1857 in India, the British governor’s residency at Lucknow is besieged by native soldiers. Among the people trapped in the grounds are the girls of Miss Phillimore’s school for soldier’s daughters.
• Mary and Her Marvellous Machine - In the early 19th century, Mary Elliot lives with her widowed father. Mr Elliot invents a machine he hopes will make them a fortune – one of the very first sewing machines. Mary sets out to sell this “marvel” machine, but meets with many difficulties through fear and ignorance.
• Mini-Mum! - Pat Purdy has big problems after her Mum gets shrunk down to doll size by a weird washing powder, invented by Jeff Watson, the boy next door.
• My Awful Sister! - Robyn West has a happy life with her kind well-off parents, who adopted her when she was very young. Then cruel spiteful Kate Baker, a new girl at school, discovers they are sisters who were separated as babies. Robyn fears Kate will tell the Wests she is one of the family.

References

External links

• Mandy: characters (26pigs.com)
• Read Mandy Issue 246 in Full