Beano: Royal Mail stamps celebrate comic's 70th anniversary
- Published
Six out of the 10 stamps are illustrations taken straight from the comics, and they all reflect important times in Dennis' history. Dennis is recognised by his iconic red and black striped t-shirt, but that wasn't always the case. In the first comic strip, he actually wore a shirt and tie! Very smart!
Dennis first appeared in print way back in 1951, and was created by George Moonie who came up with the idea after listening to a song called 'Dennis the Menace from Venice'. He first arrived in Beano no. 452, which is dated all the way back to 17 March 1951.
Double trouble: It's not just 70 years of Dennis, but also 70 years of his trusted partner-in-crime, Gnasher! The two met in the comic strip when Dennis found Gnasher wandering the streets of Beanotown in 1968. Since then the two have been inseparable!
Dennis met Rasher after spotting him in 1979 on Wurzel Farm. The two became close pals after they bumped into Dennis' arch nemesis, Walter Brown. Rasher knocked him over and broke his piggy bank...poor Walter! Fans loved Rasher so much that he was given his own comic strip which ran until 1988.
Back in 1998, Dennis was in for a shock after a new arrival to the family - little sister Bea. Dennis was hesitant at having a girl in the family, but the the pair soon connected after they realised they have one thing in common... mischief!
In May 2015, both fans and Dennis were in for a shock when they found out that Dennis Senior was in fact... just like his son Dennis, 30 years before! That's right, it turns out that Dennis got his habits for mischief from his Dad!
Also included in the collectible set are special character stamps. Did you know Dennis has fans all over the world - even including some celebs? Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars Franchise is reportedly one of them!
Also included is Minnie the Minx. Minnie was first introduced when they appeared in the same comic strip in 1954 - that's a long time to be friends! George Moonie, who created Dennis, wanted to introduce more rebellious characters and decided the right thing was to come up with the female version of Dennis - no wonder they get on so well!
One you definitely cannot miss, Gnasher! Did you know that Gnasher is an Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound? The artists were asked to take Dennis' face and hair and give it arms and legs, hence why they look so similar! Gnasher had his own comic strip, and at one point even left Dennis to have a family.
Happy families: Dennis and his mum and dad, as well as his little sister Bea. Speaking of family...Dennis' jumper was knitted by his Gran!
- Published17 March 2021
- Published16 March 2022
- Published1 July 2021
- Published1 July 2021
