Hull's Dinsdales inspires pop-up joke shop in Selfridges

Selfridges' newly opened pop-up store is modelled on joke shops including Dinsdales

A Hull joke shop, believed to be one of the oldest in England, is among five British outlets that has inspired Selfridges' newly opened pop-up store.

Dinsdales felt pranked when they were approached by the renowned London department store for "inspiration".

Bosses of the outlet, which has been in Hepworth's arcade since the 1930s, are due to attend a launch event for Selfridges' reimagined joke shop.

Selfridges said it wanted to celebrate traditional British joke shops.

The company said it wanted to showcase the "unique creativity" of Dinsdales, as well as independent outlets in Cardiff, Glasgow, Scarborough and Southport.

Graham Williams is the manager of Dinsdales, which has been trading since 1930

Manager Graham Williams said he initially thought a phone call from the Oxford Street store, asking if "the team could come up to visit", was a wind-up.

"They said they'd seen a BBC article about the store," he said.

"They were impressed that we'd been here for over 90 years and wanted to know if the two shops could work together."

Mr Williams, along with managers of the other four stores, has been invited to attend the department store's launch event on Thursday evening.

Posting on social media, Dinsdales' bosses said they "can't wait to see what influences and inspiration came from our little joke shop in good old Hull".

"Everywhere I go people ask me about it," said Mr Williams.

"The lady in the bookshop next door is more excited than I am.

"If people see our name down south and think about coming to visit, it can only be a good thing."

Dinsdales, which opened in the 1930s, has remained largely unchanged

The London department store has recreated the eye-catching window displays of traditional joke shops like Dinsdale's as a "pop-up", which is a temporary shop. They have packed it with novelty items, including whoopie cushions, itching powder and other trickster objects.

Laura Weir, Selfridges' executive creative director, said: "The Joke Shop at Selfridges draws inspiration from local joke shops across the country, as well as the tongue-in-cheek aesthetics we've seen and loved this season.

"We're transforming our corner shop into a comedy store, with windows celebrating the best British jokes and larger-than-life art commissions.

"We want to raise a smile and make mischief."

Dinsdales first opened as a record shop in the 1930s, but with the advent of radio the owner switched to jokes and tricks when he realised records were not selling.