The Bash Street Kids

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The Bash Street Kids is an ongoing comic strip that features in the UK comic The Beano. The strip was created by Leo Baxendale under the title When the Bell Rings, and first appeared in The Beano in issue 604, dated 13 February 1954. It became The Bash Street Kids in 1956, since then it has became a regular in the comic and featured in every issue.

Like many long-running UK comic strips, The Bash Street Kids is anachronistically frozen in the era in which it began. It portrays Class 2B of Bash Street School, Beanotown, where the teacher and headmaster still wear mortar boards and gowns and pupils sit at wooden desks with inkwells. They are taught by a stereotypical teacher, who appears to actually have the name Teacher (his wife is called Mrs Teacher). The characters were inspired by the view from the D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd office windows, overlooking the playground at the High School of Dundee. Leo Baxendale remarks: "In fact the catalyst for my creation of Bash Street was a Giles cartoon of January 1953: kids pouring out of school, heads flying off, and sundry mayhems. Straight away I pencilled a drawing of 'The Kids of Bash Street School' and posted it from my home in Preston to R. D. Low, the managing editor of D.C. Thomson's children's publications in Dundee. I received an offhand response, a dampener. It was only after I'd created Little Plum (April 1953) and Minnie the Minx (September 1953) that the Beano editor George Moonie travelled to Preston on 20th October 1953 and asked me to go ahead with Bash Street (he gave it the provisional title of 'When The Bell Goes; when it appeared in The Beano in February 1954 it was titled 'When The Bell Rings.)"

Characters in the strip

Daniel Deathshead Morgan, nicknamed Danny, is generally depicted in a skull and crossbonesjumper and a floppy red school cap. He became the leader early in the strip, after he gave each kid a wine gum. Danny often devises the kids' pranks and escape routes from school. Although he is clever he does poorly in school, primarily due to his laziness and short attention span. Danny is often described as having the "soul of a pirate", the reason he gets caught up in rebellious schemes and boisterous activities. Like most of the other characters he is usually rude to adults, once asking Smiffy to speak up because he couldn't hear him over Teacher. In later strips Danny has some respect for Teacher, often helping him out of trouble. Although he hates school, like the other children he found it hard to cope when the Bash Street School was closed. As the leader Danny is prone to conceit, and in the 2006 Beano annual he announces that his conker is indestructible in a competition. His swelled head is often deflated by a fellow student. Danny seems especially close to Toots, calling her his second-in-command, and is most annoyed by Smiffy's stupidity and Spotty's sarcasm. He occasionally enjoys making fun of Plug's looks and Fatty's weight. Danny has an intense rivalry with Dennis the Menace, highlighted in a strip where the two compete to find a treasure under The O2 Arena and ending with Danny outwitting Dennis; they often argue in crossover strips. Although Danny also dislikes Roger the Dodger (although he is willing to use him) and Minnie the Minx, their rivalries are not as intense and he once had a crush on Minnie. He is a central character in The Beano Interactive DVD with Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger.

Herbert Henry Hoover, nicknamed 'Erbert, is a short-sighted boy, who struggles to see even with his spectacles. Except for Cuthbert, the rest of the class have fun swapping his thick-rimmed glasses with others and seeing the resultant mayhem. In older strips, the character is sometimes called Herbert instead of 'Erbert. 'Erbert is considered the least-mischievous student, Beano Top Trumps – Erbert is least menacing of all Bash Street Kids and is said to resemble a human mole. His short-sightedness is shared by his parents, who have ended up in different parts of town on many parents' evenings. During an escape, 'Erbert is usually bumping into a wall or running in the opposite direction. Feature-length strips and crossovers brand most of 'Erbert's mischief as accidental or the result of misdirection. His short-sightedness is renowned; in the 2000 Beano Annual the characters take a cruise to Perth, only to reach shore at Perth, Scotland. When they go to the captain's quarters, they discover that 'Erbert has put himself in charge of the ship. Although he is quiet and friendly, 'Erbert can wreak as much havoc as his classmates. He is a source of entertainment for the others; Sidney and Spotty once send him into a field full of cow pats, with misleading directions for getting out. Despite this, they consider him "one of the kids". When he moves to the Bash Street Academy 'Erbert receives contact lenses to improve his sight, discarding them when he returns to his old school.

Frederick Joseph Brown, nicknamed Freddy, previously nicknamed Fatty, is a large, round boy who is always eating, only in later strips is he ridiculed for his weight; he usually reacts by trying to prove the others wrong, but earlier he is indifferent. When Danny tricks Freddy into completing a long assault course to prove his fitness, he breaks the equipment. Although he is usually the only student able to eat school cook Olive's meals without incident, in the 2009 Beano annual her curry makes him ill. Freddy has several stories about him in the Beano Library series. In the academy makeover, he has slimmed down, but regains his former girth after being freed from brainwashing. In mid-May 2021, he was renicknamed from "Fatty", to"Freddy" in an attempt to stop children using the name as an insult for overweight peers.

Percival Proudfoot Plugsley, nicknamed Plug, is a lanky, gangling character with a large overbite, protruding ears, two buck teeth and a wide nose. On the cover of Plug his name is given as Percival Proudfoot Plugsey, although in some earlier strips he is named Claude. Plug's real name is only occasionally used in The Beano, such as in Singled Out when Teacher addresses him by his full name. He is originally known as Pug; according to The Beano, the "l" was added when Smiffy had one to spare after misspelling "silly". Despite, or perhaps because of his appearance Plug is one of the more sympathetic Bash Street Kids, often ready to defend those he feels have been unjustly treated; he once calms Danny down after he loses patience with Smiffy's stupidity. He has on one occasion fainted from seeing his own reflection (after polishing the handles of Teacher's bicycle), and considers himself the most handsome boy in Beanotown. Plug had his own comic, also titled Plug, from 1977 to 1979 featuring him and his two pets (Pug from Pup Parade and Chunkee the Monkey), and was the first Beano character with a spin-off. Plug was later incorporated into The Beezer. He has two sisters, Plugella and Plugena, who closely resemble him. However, in earlier strips his father was shown to be quite handsome (to the confusion of the other kids) and Plug is described as taking after his mother in appearance. In the September 2014 issue of The Beano he is described as Jonah's nephew, implying that he is the son of Jonah's sister Jinx. With Kev F. Sutherland Plug had a more dominant role and was frequently a story's main character. In one he has a girlfriend, making him the first Beano character (except for Walter) to do so. Although Plug received plastic surgery for the Bash Street Academy makeover, he soon returned to his familiar appearance. When he sees his friends brainwashed into behaving, he saves them by installing a virus on the robot teacher's disc drive.

Aristotle John Smiffy, nicknamed Smiffy, is one of the members in the group. When Teacher calls the roll, instead of saying "Present, sir" he says "Gift, miss". Although he is sometimes very kind and intuitive (similar to an idiot savant), most of the time he cannot remember what colour the sky is. In his brief involvement in The Wizard, he is given the name John Smith. Smiffy has appeared in two spin-off strips: the 1971–72 Says Smiffyand the 1985–87 Simply Smiffy (where he appears with his brother, Normal Norman). In 2008 he acquires a pet pebble, Kevin, who has his own feature (Where's Kevin?) in The Beano number 3604. First appearing in a 2008 Singled Out story, Kevin appears in Bash Street Kids stories in 2010 and 2011. In the academy makeover Smiffy has a new brain installed, making him the brightest of the kids.

James Jasper Cameron, nicknamed Spotty, is a short boy who wears a blue collared jersey and an extremely long, striped tie. He is proud and protective of the 976 black spots covering his face, fending off any attempts to remove them.Teacher sees him as the mouthiest of the kids; in Singled Out and feature-length strips, he interrupts the lessons with comments. Spotty is sarcastic, conceited and protective about his masculinity and height. Like Danny he dislikes Dennis the Menace, especially after Dennis menaces him during the latter's 50th-birthday party. In the academy makeover, Spotty's spots and aggressive, sarcastic nature are gone.

Sydney Kate Pye, nicknamed Toots, is Sidney's twin sister. She is a whole three minutes older then Sidney. She was the only girl in Class 2B until mid-May 2021. She is a tomboy who enjoys boys' company. Despite her tomboyish nature, she does not view herself as a tomboy, as she thinks she's better than all the boys and she sometimes gets angry at boys. Toots is amazing at football, which is her favourite thing to do. She's better than all of the boys in her class at football, even when no one is on her team. Toots is a fan of boy bands and has admitted a crush on Dennis the Menace, sending him a valentine. Although most of the kids dislike Dennis, her friendship with Minnie the Minx is also surprising and she is the only kid to show any warmth to either character. Surprisingly tough and as bossy as Danny, Toots is the gang's second-in-command and takes charge in Danny's absence. Her bossiness is exemplified in the feature-length Queen Toots, where she discovers she is connected to royalty. When Toots takes advantage of her power, Dennis announces that she cannot boss him around and she puts him in a makeshift prison tower (quickly populated by other Beanocharacters and the rest of the kids). She loves music, often pulling a "boogie box" (a CD player) behind her or listening to her headphones instead of Teacher. Although Toots enjoys the boys' company, she sometimes exhibits disdain, naivete or exasperation at their more boyish behaviour. In the academy makeover, she wears a frilly dress and her hair and face are made up.

Sidney Mason Pye is Toots's twin brother. He is a whole three minutes younger than Toots. He is whose spiked haircut resembles a chimney-sweeping brush. He is a trickster, with Smiffy a frequent target. When the kids rehearse a nativity play, Smiffy asks what sound a sheep makes. Sidney replies "Woof", and he and Wilfred go into hysterics when Smiffy ruins the rehearsal. He makes pithy remarks about the other kids, to the amusement of those around him; he and Spotty fight several times when the latter is a target. Sidney loves animals and has a wide variety of pets, from elephants to mice. His mouse is often part of the kids' plans. During the academy makeover, his chimney-brush hair is shaved off and he is apparently hypnotised.

Wilfrid John Wimble is the smallest and quietest of the Bash Street Kids, and has social anxiety, his thoughts hidden behind a green jumper going up to his nose. He loves turtles, and resembles a tortoise; his neck is never seen, because when he removes his jumper his vest is just as high. He is often simply present in the stories, speaking only occasionally. Unlike 'Erbert, most of Wilfrid's mischief is intentional. He hangs around most often with Spotty and 'Erbert and, occasionally, Sidney. In the academy storyline Wilfrid apparently has a large chin under his jersey, but it is prosthetic and he pulls it off.

Cuthbert Jason Cringeworthy is the brightest student in the class, is a teacher's pet and has a name for every letter of the alphabet. First appearing in 1972, he resembles a miniature Teacher (a play on the D. C. Thomson comic tradition that pets resemble their owners, like Dennis the Menace and Gnasher) and Walter the Softy from Dennis the Menace. The first thing Danny said about Cuthbert was, "He reminds me of someone I don't particularly like". His character has evolved slightly; although he still swots and is as bright as ever, particularly in longer strips by Mike Pearse and Kev F. Sutherland he is one of the gang (unlike earlier strips, where he seemed to dislike the other kids) and sometimes comes up with intelligent ideas to help their cause or save the school. Cuthbert wants to be like the other kids, but although he is liked he does not quite fit in. The school janitor observes that he will never make any friends. Cuthbert is the only kid who wears the school uniform and turns in homework. A school-dance strip hints at a crush on Toots, but she quickly rejects him. Cuthbert appears in the fewest strips of all the characters.

• Wayne - Following a competition held by BBC's Blue Peter to find a new Bash Street Kid, the winning entry was announced on 14 March 2007 and revealed to be "Wayne's 'in' pain". Wayne has fat, puffy cheeks, hair like a dandelion and a problem with standing. He is also said to be very talkative. He constantly wears a plaster cast and sling, and is supposed to suffer a lot of comic misfortunes not unlike Calamity James. So far, however, his lack of involvement since his inception has been widely noted. Cuthbert and Wayne have only once appeared in the same strip. After a year, Wayne disappeared. But then made a triumphant return in the Beano Annual 2009.

• Harsha Chandra joined Class 2B in mid-May 2021. She already appeared in another strip, Har Har's Joke Shop, which is about her family and the joke shop her father Hari "Har Har" Chandra owns. She's a prankster similar to Tricky Dicky.

Mandira Sharma, nicknamed Mandi also joined Class 2B in June 2021. She previously had her own occasional strip that dealt with mental health issues to promote a charity, and as such her main trait is that she worries about things.

Other characters of the strip include:

• Teacher - Class 2B's long-suffering teacher, who appears to be actually called Teacher. However, in the 1978 Beano Summer Special the Kids were thrilled to find out that their teacher's first name was Algernon! He always wears a mortar board and has a domineering wife, Mrs Teacher.

• Head (Headward Headington-Hail/Chocilus Bicius) - The pompous and portly school headmaster. He is very fond of tea and biscuits, and permanently wears his academic gown and mortar board. Teacher spends much of his career toadying to Head.

• Janitor - The school's fat caretaker. He hates litter and pupils who break the rules. He enjoys bossing Winston about, but is a lazy man himself.

• Winston - The school's cat. Anthropomorphic, he is often seen mopping the floor alongside Janitor. Winston is crafty and often concocts his own schemes when Janitor frustrates him. He is always seen wearing the same hat as Janitor.

In #3432 (May 17 2008), Winston is tidying the rubbish when Teacher buys a car.

• Olive - The school cook (and Beano office tea lady), who first appeared in the strip in 1980 . Everyone hates her food, as the ingredients for it include items such as old books (from the Beano Annual 1998). On the other hand, she has a high opinion of her cuisine, which is a constant source of worry to the school's pupils and staff. Due to the inedible and frequently disgusting meals she serves, industrial-sized boxes of indigestion remedies have occasionally been seen on the canteen tables. However, in a recent edition, she bought the best-quality food from a market and raced off to her kitchen to put it in the freezer to keep it fresh, but she accidentally lost control of her bike and was spinning for 23 days, so when she got to her kitchen, she had rotten food, and was too dizzy to put the food in the right bowls. As her disastrous cooking had an explanation, she was forgiven.

• Mrs Teacher - Teacher's overbearing wife, who bears an uncanny resemblance to him, and is almost always shown to be very assertive, bossing Teacher around while he is at home, and yelling at the Kids during a memorable strip wherein she took over the class as a supply teacher. In another issue, she was seen injuring all the pupils in a break-dancing competition, because they had injured her husband, who was her partner.

• Florence the School Nurse - She appears occasionally when the plot demands that one of the kids attempt to skive class by faking an illness. She is rarely explicitly mentioned as Florence nowadays.

• Techno - A science teacher who appeared in the strip during the mid-1990s and was actually a robot in the form of the cartoon Inspector Gadget with gadgets around his body. Techno proved so popular that he was awarded his own strip for a limited run and appeared in The Beano Book of Amazing Facts. He returns in the Bash Street Kids Annual 2008.

As can be seen, some characters are named after their occupation: Teacher and Head, for example. This is typical of eccentric British humour, and even borders on surrealism. Teacher's wife is called Mrs Teacher, the headmaster's brother's name is Mr Headsbrother, and the children's parents (who look almost exactly the same as their child) are called Plug's Dad and such, even in flashbacks when they are themselves children.

In the earlier years it was not clear how many pupils there were. The maximum ever was 17, including:

• Teddy - A teddy boy.
• Ella - One of only two girls. The other is Toots.
• Jimmy - Who looks like Smiffy but wears a cap.

The same characters also appeared in one page stories (Not comic strip) in "The Wizard" in 1955, entitled "Bash St. School"; and featured in the full-page cover cartoon on 23/7/1955.

Artists

Leo Baxendale drew the strip until 1961, when David Sutherland replaced him, initially using a similar drawing style to Baxendale, but simplifying it later in the decade. Sutherland would draw the majority of the strips for the next six decades, contributing well over 2000 episodes for the weekly comic alone, and would continue to be the main artist until his death in 2023.

The story has had a closely connected visual style with Dennis the Menace since Sutherland took over the latter strip in 1970. During the time period when Sutherland drew both strips, which continued until 1998, The Bash Street Kids were also drawn by a number of ghost artists, including Gordon Bell in the early 1970s, John Sherwood in the late 1970s, Keith Reynolds in the 1980s and Tom Paterson in the early 1990s. In 1999 Nigel Parkinson started contributing a significant number of strips, drawing it in a similar style to David Parkins' version of Dennis the Menace in the same era. However, in 2001 Parkinson moved over to drawing Dennis the Menace and Sutherland returned to being the strip's regular artist.

In the 2000s, Mike Pearse and Kev F. Sutherland (no relation to David Sutherland) have also occasionally drawn extended Bash Street Kids stories.

Other appearances and spinoffs

The strip has had various spin-offs appear in The Beano over the years, including Pup Parade (1967), Simply Smiffy (1985) and Bash Street Kids - Singled Out (2004), in addition to Plug's solo spin-off comic from 1977 to 1979. The Bash Street Kids Annual was originally published bi-annually (It was called The Bash Street Kids Book in those days) but is now out every August, and summer specials used to be printed annually as well during the 1990s. These featured solo stories for the kids, and are therefore a forerunner to the Singled Out strip.