Dennis the Menace (UK) Turns 75
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While Americans are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Hank Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace our British cousins are celebrating their own Dennis the Menace—a comic that by happenstance launched on the same day with the same title.
According to Wikipedia, the US comic’s title was inspired by Ketcham’s wife’s exasperated cry “Your son is a menace!” after struggling to get the toddler to take a nap. The UK Dennis was a collaboration creation by Beano editor George Moonie, artists David Law and Ian Chishol. Moonie was inspired by the chorus of the British hall song, “I’m Dennis the Menace from Venice” (scroll to bottom to listen to the song).
The comic has gone through several name changes since its launch. After 1970, Dennis’ friend Gnasher, who appeared two years after the strip’s debut, became a title character too.
- Dennis the Menace, 1951-1970
- Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, 1970-2009, 2012-2016, 2025-present
- Dennis and Gnasher, 2009-2012, 2016-2021
- Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed, 2021-2025
Like all legacy comics, there’s a stable of cartoonists who have worked on the feature. Here’s the list of artists who have worked on the strip and below a sample of cartoons produced during their tenure.
- David Law – 1951–1970
- David Sutherland – 1970–1998
- David Parkins – 1998–2003
- Nigel Parkinson, Jimmy Hansen, Tom Paterson – 2004–2009
- Barrie Appleby – 2011–2012
- Nigel Parkinson – 2012–present
The comic character has also been adapted into several TV shows and a musical.
The “Dennis the Menace from Venice” song that inspired the UK Dennis the Menace comic character.
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