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For other uses, see Dennis the Menace (disambiguation).


“Result!”
―Dennis's catchphrase in Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
“Genius wears a striped jumper!”
―Dennis's other catchphrase in the second series of Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
“This is going to be BLAM!”
―Dennis's current catchphrase

Dennis the Menace, "The World's Wildest Boy", is the most famous character in The Beano, debuting in the comic in his own strip in 1951. With his trademark spiky hair and red and black jumper, Dennis is a badly behaved schoolboy, and treats others around him badly.

Dennis is often seen with his pet dog, an Abyssinian Wire-Haired Tripe Hound named Gnasher, who made his debut in 1968.

Dennis's family includes his father, his mother, his little sister named Bea, and his grandmother.

Other than Gnasher, Dennis has two main friends named Curly and Pie Face, who are collectively called "The Menaces"; as well as band called Dennis and the Dinmakers.

Dennis's arch-rival is Walter, a boy who while originally portrayed as a "softy" who Dennis would pick on, Walter would eventually be portrayed as a snobby rich boy who is "boring," and does not like having fun.

As of 2017, Dennis's surname is 'Menace', he is cousins with his female counterpart Minnie the Minx, and Dennis has two female friends named Rubi and JJ, replacing Curly's role in Dennis's core friend group.

Dennis the Menace is the name of three Menaces; as of 2015, it has been confirmed that the 2012 redesign of Dennis's Dad was the Dennis from the 1980s. In 2021, it was confirmed that the Dennis from 1951 is the current grandfather of Dennis. Because of this, the 1951 Dennis is referred to as Grandad Menace, the 1980s Dennis is referred to as Dennis Menace Sr., and the current Dennis is referred to as Dennis Menace Jr..

Biography[]

Background[]

See: Baby Dennis the Menace

The Beano[]

David Law strips (1951-1970)[]

Dennis was introduced to The Beano as a "a new pal you'll enjoy," and that "He's the world's wildest boy!" In the first strip, Dennis is walking into the park with his father and his dog, where a signs are planted informing visitors that 'All Dogs Must Be Led', and they should 'Keep Off the Grass'. Dennis makes many attempts to get onto the grass, including doing a handstand and hanging off the branch of a tree. Dennis's father gets annoyed, and he takes the lead off the dog and puts it on Dennis, much to his annoyance.[7] Many of Law's strips ended with Dennis being punished for his troublemaking with corporal punishment, such as a slippering or use of a cane. In Dennis's first few appearances, he wore a shirt and tie, but weeks later, he was given a black-and-white-striped jersey, and a few months later, Dennis was given his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey. Dennis also started showing his devilish grin.[8] In 1953, Walter was introduced as a well-behaved boy in contrast with Dennis being a badly behaved boy. Throughout the years, Law's Dennis grew taller. It is unknown why Law did this, but it could been due to due to Law's perfectionist nature. In 1954, Dennis has replaced Big Eggo as the character next to The Beano title, and the following year in 1955, he became one of the few DC Thomson comic characters to be featured in his own annual, which was published until 2011.

In The Beano No. 1362 (dated 31 August 1968), a strip consisted of Dennis being informed by his father that "people always own dogs that look like themselves." Dennis dismisses this as being "a load of rot!" and goes outside. Upon seeing many different owners looking just like their dogs, he begins to consider that it may be true. Upon being informed by Walter of a dog show at the town hall, Dennis decides to enter but needs a dog to do so. This was when he found an Abyssinian wire-haired tripehound roaming the streets of Beanotown and quickly named him Gnasher. Menacing the dog show rather than attempting to win it, a dog fight breaks out, and the duo are eventually caught by Dennis's father, who had brought a retriever with him. Dennis's father punishes Dennis, and tells Gnasher to "better go and join Pup Parade." Gnasher returned the next week and he became Dennis's best friend.

David Sutherland strips (1970-1998)[]

In David Sutherland's strips, Dennis is

As time went on, Dennis would become larger, with a bigger chin too, and would resemble a thuggish teenager rather than the naughty boy. One day, Dennis and Gnasher were walking by a farm and notice the farmer's pig used its trough to prank him. Dennis is intrigued and successfully takes the pig off the relieved farmer's hands, naming him Rasher.[9]

Dennis and Gnasher (1996 TV series)[]

In the 1996 television series, Dennis and Gnasher, Dennis gets up to his old tricks, but he only uses his catapult once in the series. He is portrayed as being more heroic than in The Beano, often saving the day.

Dennis and Gnasher (2009 TV series)[]

Dennis Menace II[]

The Beano[]

The second incarnation of Dennis the Menace is the son of the first incarnation of Dennis. Like his father, he has Gnasher with him, he is friends with Curly and Pieface, and he torments Walter the Softy.

According to the Side B on the audiobook of Dennis the Menace - A Sackful of Trouble, when he was born, his first menacing act was to bite the doctor's finger, as he tried to tickle the newborn menace's chin. At the age of one month, Dennis was regularly beating his toy teddy bear in the all pram wrestling championships of the world. Already very fashion conscious, his red and black striped nappies could be seen flattering from his mum's washing line. Dennis got his tooth when he knocked out one of his dad's front chompers, with a well-aimed blow from his rattle, as his dad bent over Dennis's cot to sing him a lullaby. Dennis took his first steps when he crawled off with the window cleaners ladder. Dennis's first word was daddy, his second word was wet, as he emptied a bowl of baby food over his long-suffering parents head. His next two words were wet daddy. When his mum entered him into a bonnie baby competition, Dennis came last, and everyone agreed he was lucky to do that well. At the age of two, he was very close to Walter the Softy. But fortunately, the garden fence prevented him from getting within menacing distance. His favourite food, were worms, but his mum changed his diet by serving him spaghetti, and telling him it was Italian worms in tomato sauce. Dennis's first babysitter only began beginning to respond to therapy when Dennis was ten.

Unlike his father, who started off as a naughty boy in the comics, this Dennis started off as the larger, bigger chin, thuggish teenager that his father would look like in later years. One of this Dennis's first story arcs (and one of Dennis's first story arcs in general) was about Gnasher, his faithful companion, had gone missing. Distraught, Dennis asked readers to join him on a "Gnational Gnasher Search". At first, Dennis's Dad (the first incarnation of Dennis) was far happier without the tripehound, but as the week wore on, he found himself missing the dog. Eventually, Gnasher returned by a father with his six daughters and son, Gnipper. On The Beano's 50th anniversary, Dennis had to try and save The Beano's birthday cake, which had begun to float away after the rope in which the sailor was pulling it along with was cut by a nearby crab. For a brief time, Dennis changed his image. Dennis's new attire consisted of a blue tracksuit, sunglasses and headphones connected to a walkman. However, the tracksuit bottoms ripped due to Dennis's knobbly knees and he ditched the jacket as his father could catch him easier after he had menaced. Dennis returning in his trademark jersey and shorts and pea-shooting his nemesis Walter. On the cover of The Beano no. 2674, Dennis is seen spraying other famous Beano characters with a hose of paint. This was done to show that The Beano was turning full colour. Eventually, Dennis became shorter and he gained smaller chin. He retained his familiar outfit but started to wear trainers.

One day, Dennis was menacing The Colonel and Sergeant Slipper, and they along with Walter plan to tell his father. However, his father does mind as happily says that "boys will be boys!". Dennis wonders what has gotten into him.[10]

Personality[]

Dennis is an uncontrollable schoolboy who takes pride in causing chaos and mayhem to those around him due to his intolerance for rules and order. Such traits have caused some artists and writers to consider him a villain, as in such strips, Dennis would often prove himself to be selfish and greedy, tending to disregard his friends in favour for treasures. His misbehaviour stems from what The Beano explains as an attempt to add excitement to an otherwise dull day. Additionally, Dennis is often considered to be a loner, seeking no solace in anyone's company aside from his faithful pet dog Gnasher and his friends Curly, Pieface, Rubi and JJ. Feature-length strips in The Beano reveal that Dennis actually has a rivalling nature with The Bash Street Kids, often brawling and attempting to outwit them. Most notably, he seems to have a particular dislike for Danny the leader. He has, however, been shown to have a fairly stable friendship with Roger the Dodger and Minnie the Minx, enough so that the three have been seen to work together often. However, in the early days, Dennis seem to dislike Minnie for her gender. Dennis has also been shown to be very heroic, having saved his town on occasion from potential disaster. The Beano Annual 2001–2002, both exemplified this in their stories in which Dennis defeated a race of 'Beanobots'. Even though many strips depict Dennis as being fairly academically challenged, he is in fact extremely inventive and clever when it comes to mechanics. On occasion, it has been shown that Dennis can make from scratch his very own vehicles including a Menace Dune-Buggy, a working rocket, and other such things.

Talking of the characters longevity and changes over the years, Beano editor Michael Stirling stated: 'I'm sure he'll change again over the years, If kids are going around on hoverboards in 10 years’ time, Dennis will definitely have one. It's really up to kids, and I think it's always been that way, and that's why we’re able to appeal to kids today as well as to their parents. He's a great role model. That might sound counterintuitive because he's naughty, but his mischief nowadays is a lot more driven by positive things, and just making sure kids are really listened to.'[11]

However, despite his naughty nature, Dennis has shown to be heroic sometimes: in the recent comics, he even saved Beanotown from boredom after Walter's Dad became the mayor.[12]

In recent years, Dennis has a catchphrase, they being "Blam", which, in his own words, means "awesome".[13]

Physical appearance[]

Dennis is a 10-year-old boy who has scruffy black hair. He wears a red and black jumper, black shorts, and grey shoes. For his appearance over the years, see Dennis/Through the Years.

Appearances[]

The Beano[]

Dennis and Gnasher[]

Dennis the Menace and Gnasher[]

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed![]

Reception and legacy[]

BBC News once called Dennis the 'definitive naughty boy'. Matthew Jarron of Dundee University, curator of a Beano exhibition, claimed that the strips 'blatant anti-establishment tone' is what keeps children entertained throughout the decades. Children's author and political columnist Michael Rosen said he enjoyed the prospect that 'In most children's books a bad child gets made good. But the great thing about Dennis is he never gets better'.[14] Nick Newman cited his inspiration for a Private Eye strip based on the Menace due to the fact Dennis is 'relentless' and has 'no learning curve'. Jarron also argued that Dennis offers a sense of escapism in a modern cotton wool wrapped world stating 'Parents are so fearful of letting their children roam around. So Dennis can provide that vicarious pleasure of going out and doing anything. And it's menacing of a pretty benign kind'.[15] Express called Dennis 'the child template for every post-war rebel without a cause'.[16] John McShane, a comic historian further praised the strip calling Dennis 'an original looking character. In the early days it was not in full colour but had a red overlay, but Davy Law, the artist, made a virtue out of this necessity by having the red-and-black striped T-shirt. The mantra in design classes is: 'Black and Red will always be read.' And that spiky hair! Unforgettable. Then that cheeky expression. Cartoonists talk about drawings just 'coming right'; that expression is perfect. Dennis is not actually evil ... Dennis just wants fun and is prepared to accept the consequences'.[17]

Alongside praise from the press, Dennis encountered controversy amongst the media in the late 1990s and early 2000s for being 'homophobic' and a 'bully'. On the criticism, Maurice Heggie, a Dandy editor, stated 'I never saw him as a bully because the characters of the softies were so dreadful, they had no redeeming features either.' He went on to explain that 'if Dennis was bullying them, then there was a punishment. There was never a script out of DC Thomson where a bully succeeded – there was always a punishment – however horrible Dennis was with his water pistol, be sure that round the corner there was an elephant with a trunkful of water for him. He's changed over the years, but he's not changed ... He is essentially out for mischief all the time'. John McShane also defended the strip stating firmly that 'Dennis never got away with his pranks'. On whether the stories of Walter's homosexuality were true McShane affirmed that he didn't know but argued' He certainly needed to stand up for himself. Our sympathies were never with him because he didn't stand up to Dennis. Bullies have to be stood up to; another good lesson for any society.'[18] In an article for the Guardian, Dennis is cited as 'Britain's longest surviving comic villain'.[19]

2009 redesign controversy[]

In 2009, Dennis gained negative media publicity after it was announced that new issues would draw inspiration from the TV series that aired the same year. In the series, Dennis did not use any weapons such as catapult, peashooter and water guns and his personality was re-established as naively troublesome rather than intentionally so. Gnasher was also forbidden to bite people. Their image was drastically revamped, in an attempt to make them more accessible to younger viewers. This was all to discourage violence and weaponry among children. Fans spoke out against The Beano's decision citing that 'Dennis is supposed to be a little bit edgy and a bit of a lovable rogue'.[20] Kev F Sutherland, who wrote for The Beano in the early noughties, also spoke out against the makeover saying it was a 'bad idea' and argued 'if you pander too much to over-sensitive parents you will end with not very funny comedy'.[21] The daughters of Dennis the Menace creator David Law further criticized the makeover, saying their father would be 'horrified' with how he was depicted now and said the new design was 'bland' and 'ordinary'.[22] The change lasted for roughly a year before artist Nigel Parkinson was sought out to return the character to its roots and original design. What is more, the series aired but was considerably altered during its second series to suit the tone of the comics, making Dennis closer to his comic book age and personality.

Trivia[]

General[]

  • While Dennis is said to be 10 years old, in the 1980s, many readers wrote to Dennis' fan club page asking how old he was. Each time one of these letters was published, Dennis would always find a way to dodge answering the question. Eventually, a strip was published which involved a hardcore fan successfully stealing Dennis' birth certificate only to lose it to a sudden gust of wind:
  • Toots from the Bash Street Kids has a crush on Dennis. She sent him a valentine in The Beano no. 3470.

2009-2012[]

Fact File on the Official Website[24][]

  • Dennis's house address is 51 Gasworks Road, Beanotown.
  • Dennis's prized possessions are his catapult, his red and black stripy jumper, and his skateboard.
  • Dennis's motto is "Totally blam!"
  • Dennis's super skill is that he has an awesome imagination and fronting his band Dennis and the Dinmakers.
  • Dennis's favourite thing about school is the bell that rings at 3.30.

20 Questions with Dennis the Menace[25][]

  • Dennis describes himself as being epic, awesome and blam!
  • Dennis usually keeps his catapult and some treats for Gnasher in his pockets.
  • The first thing Dennis can remember is when he threw a plate of food over his dad when he was a baby.
  • Dennis does not know what he wants to be, but he will figure it out when he is done having fun.
  • Dennis's most embarrassing memory that has happened to him was when one time his Dad said "Gnasher has to go on his lead because he has one of those collars on". Gnasher was in a big huff about it, so he just took him for his walk and tried to ignore him. Dennis walked him right round Beanotown, but when Dennis got home, Dennis realised he'd slipped off the lead before they had even left the garden. And he had taken an empty dog lead for a walk! He does not blame Gnasher at all, he would hate to be on a lead as well.
  • Dennis says that he is an optimist and says that optimism is blam.
  • Dennis does not know what his biggest fear is.
  • Dennis would trust Gnasher with his biggest secret 100%.
  • Dennis's most treasured possession are his catapults. One of which used to be hid Dad's and he says it used to be his Dad's too. Dennis believes he can shoot it better than his dad, though.
  • Dennis has a pet, Gnasher, my Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound.
  • Dennis's favourite food are burgers, especially the ones at Beanotown Burgers.
  • Dennis's least favourite food are Brussels sprouts, especially when they are all grey.
  • What makes Dennis laugh are pranks, jokes and hanging out with his friends. Pieface always makes him laugh.
  • If Dennis had to be stuck in a lift for three hours with one person, it would be Grizzly Griller, the TV extreme survival dude. Dennis thinks that he must have some amazing stories to tell him. And if he does not, he will tell him some of his.
  • If Dennis had insomnia, he would do the same as he fills in his normal time, having fun!
  • Dennis does not know what his greatest strength is. He just likes to get on and do things. He does not worry about strengths.
  • Dennis's greatest weakness according to Rubi is that he does not think about things enough before he does them.
  • Dennis is good at skateboarding, playing guitar and having a laugh.
  • Dennis is bad at school, staying out of trouble and waiting for things.
  • Dennis wants to be remembered for being totally epic.
  • Dennis likes both toast and cereal equally.

Voiced by[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dennis the Menace | Comic Characters on Beano.com
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005173038/https://www.beano.com/posts/beano-superstars-dennis-menace
  3. “We're ten!”
    ―Dennis to Angel Face
  4. https://www.beano.com/posts/beano-superstars-minnie
  5. https://www.beano.com/posts/beano-superstars-minnie
  6. https://www.beano.com/posts/beano-superstars-roger-the-dodger
  7. The Beano no. 452
  8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12770341
  9. The Beano no. 1920
  10. The Beano no. 2925
  11. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/mar/17/beano-hero-dennis-the-menace-turns-70-joe-sugg
  12. The Beano, Issue 3854
  13. https://www.beano.com/posts/the-blamtastic-dennis-dictionary
  14. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12770341
  15. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12770341
  16. https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/235737/Dennis-the-Menace-is-still-a-rebel-even-at-60
  17. https://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/dennis-the-menace-turns-60-1-1531429
  18. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/fiona-mccade-sock-it-style-gurus-1531429
  19. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/mar/14/netnotes.markoliver
  20. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6013115/Dennis-the-Menace-receives-politically-correct-makeover.html
  21. https://web.archive.org/web/20120729202959/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Dennis-menace-bad-idea-says-Beano-illustrator/story-11298289-detail/story.html
  22. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/6076793/Dennis-the-Menace-makeover-angers-family.html
  23. https://youtu.be/7-7Qvd-B08o
  24. https://www.beano.com/posts/beano-superstars-dennis-menace
  25. https://www.beano.com/posts/20-questions-with-dennis-the-menace

External links[]

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