DENNIS AN EVERYDAY REBEL FOR 70 YEARS
70, As Dennis the Menace turns of the story behind the star comic Britain’s longest-running (and biggest-selling annual) on – plus top children’s authors the secrets of their success
Generations of us have got into the habit of reading for fun thanks to the Beano, so ahead of World Book Day on Thursday, who better to celebrate than the comic’s star Dennis the Menace. And guess what, the lovable little rascal reaches the ripe old age of 70 in March.
With his spiky black hair, shorts and red-andblack stripey jumper, Dennis is instantly recognisable. And although he’s been through 70 years of mischief and mayhem, he will forever be ten years old.
‘We support World Book Day and think it’s great,’ says Beano editorial director Mike Stirling. ‘One of the Beano’s missions and ambitions is to show everyone that reading can be fun, and that matches up with World Book Day perfectly. The Beano has always done that – it’s a pathway into reading and shows kids, and sometimes reluctant readers, they can have a lot of enjoyment through reading.’
Dennis won’t be short of well-wishers on his birthday. Celebrity fans and erstwhile guest editors of the Beano include comedian and children’s author Harry Hill and David Walliams (see feature pages 48-49), who says he wouldn’t have become a children’s author were it not for the comic. ‘What I always loved about the Beano was that it felt naughty,’ David wrote in his editor’s letter. ‘It was a comic you should read under the duvet with a torch. I don’t think I’d have got into writing my books without the Beano.’
It’s no surprise either that Dennis’s rebellious nature struck a chord with musicians. The Cure’s Robert Smith is a fan, Kurt Cobain wore the red-andblack striped jumper, and Eric Clapton is reading a copy of the comic on the cover of his Blues Breakers album. David Bowie even included the Beano on a list of his 100 favourite reads that he posted on Facebook in 2013, alongside weightier books by George Orwell, DH Lawrence and Vladimir Nabokov.
‘Dennis has always been about having a laugh,’ says Mike Stirling. ‘Especially now, that’s become essential in terms of getting through the day and looking at the funny side of things if possible... Dennis is also resilient. He gets his comeuppance but is never beaten down, and each week he comes back for more. All our characters get up again, they never lose faith, they always think something amazing’s just round the corner. And that’s a brilliant attitude to have in life.’
Over the years Dennis, his trusty sidekick Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and the Bash Street Kids have been joined by newer characters such as super-smart scientist Rubi and secret agent Dangerous Dan. They now reach 87 countries thanks to the comic, the Beano website and a TV show, currently on Netflix.
Dennis has certainly come a long way since March 1951 when he first appeared. As a new Beano character he was given a trial run in a half-page story to see if the readers enjoyed him.
‘Those half pages were in the section that was black and white,’ explains Mike. ‘With our printing process the next step up was to introduce the colour red, so when Dennis proved popular he moved there and that’s when the red-and-black jumper was born.
‘The lovely thing about our characters is they’re recognisable to different generations in the same family, so everyone can share the joke,’ says Mike. ‘We match our characters to what’s going on in the real world.’
This even reaches as far as politics. Donald Trump appeared in the Beano at Halloween as scary ‘Trumpkin’ – a pumpkin with a blonde wig – and Boris Johnson has also appeared.
And Dennis & Co. now attract around a 50% boys and 50% girls, says Mike, which is certainly bucking his previous boisterous boys-only vibe. Ever rebellious and still transformative.
DENNIS IS RESILIENT, HE GETS HIS COMEUPPANCE BUT HE’S NEVER BEATEN