The All-New Dennis the Menace

Lore & Background

The series was produced by DIC Animation City and Reteitalia, S.p.A., in association with Spanish network Telecinco, and was sponsored by General Mills. The voice cast included Adam Wylie as Dennis Mitchell, Greg Burson as George Wilson, Jeannie Elias as Margaret Wade and Peebee Kappa, June Foray as Martha Wilson, Dan Gilvezan as Henry Mitchell and Ruff, Katie Leigh as Gina Gillotti and Joey McDonald, and Anna Mathias as Alice Mitchell. Additional voices were provided by a large ensemble including Jack Angel, Allyce Beasley, Bob Bergen, Gregg Berger, Eileen Brennan, Rodger Bumpass, and many others.

Reader's Guide

The All-New Dennis the Menace represents a brief revival of the classic comic strip character in animated form, airing for only 13 episodes in late 1993. Its production was tied to the contemporaneous live-action film, and it was sponsored by General Mills. The series is notable for its use of classical music adaptations, with the opening theme taken from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro and the score drawing from overtures such as Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Home video releases were limited: Buena Vista Home Video issued two single-episode VHS tapes in the United States in 1994, while Australian and British releases followed in the mid-2000s. The series is also connected to the later television film Dennis the Menace: Cruise Control (2002), which used character designs from the 1986 series rather than this one.

Did You Know?

• Its opening theme was adapted from the overture to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro.
• Buena Vista Home Video released two single-episode VHS tapes in 1994, featuring 'It's a Guy Thing' and 'Hospitality'.
• The 2002 television film Dennis the Menace: Cruise Control used character designs from the 1986 series, not this one.

A Cigarette Packet and a Menace

The idea for Dennis sprang from an unlikely source: editor George Moonie hearing a British music hall song whose chorus declared "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice." Developing the character proved difficult for artist David Law and chief sub Ian Chisholm. Chisholm described the boy he wanted, but Law was unsatisfied with every sketch he produced. In a moment of frustration, Chisholm grabbed a pencil and doodled the character himself in the back of his cigarette packet — capturing the messy hair, knobbly knees, and scowl that would become iconic. Law adapted this rough drawing into the strip that debuted in issue 452, dated 17 March 1951. The very first strip showed Dennis walking in a park with his father and dog, repeatedly trying to step on the grass despite a "keep off" sign. His father ultimately put the dog's lead on Dennis himself. These early strips occupied only half a page; Dennis wasn't deemed popular enough for a full page until around 1954. Two months after the debut, Law added the red-and-black striped jersey, outsized shoes, and devilish grin.

The Softies and the Tripe Hound

Dennis is the archetypal badly behaved schoolboy, and his primary nemesis is a gang of well-mannered boys the comic calls "softies," led by Walter. Their rivalry forms the backbone of the strip's recurring narrative: Dennis schemes, Walter suffers, and occasionally Walter lands the last laugh. Author Michael Rosen has noted that unlike most children's literature, where a misbehaving child is eventually reformed, Dennis never improves — he simply keeps being Dennis. His loyal companion Gnasher, an "Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound," arrived in 1968. In that strip, Dennis's father tells him people own dogs that resemble them. After seeing examples around town, Dennis enters a dog show with a stray he names Gnasher, only to provoke a full-scale dog fight. His father catches them and orders Gnasher to "go and join Pup Parade." The dog returned the following week and has remained Dennis's best friend ever since.

A Long Line of Artists

The strip has passed through numerous hands over seven decades. David Law drew Dennis from 1951 until his ill health forced retirement in 1971. David Sutherland, already responsible for Biffo the Bear and The Bash Street Kids, took over and held the role until 1998. David Parkins then drew the character from 1998 to 2006, though Nigel Parkinson handled most strips after 2002, with Jimmy Hansen alternating in 2005–06. Tom Paterson contributed second Dennis strips for rear pages, and Barrie Appleby handled artwork for the Beano Superstars series before becoming Dennis's main artist in 2011. In 2012, Nigel Parkinson was named the sole official Dennis artist, and the character was returned to his earlier appearance and personality. Writer Nigel Auchterlounie joined a month later, broadening the personalities of Dennis and the supporting cast, and quickly became a fan favourite. This succession of artists reflects both the strip's longevity and the evolving visual identity of a character who has remained central to The Beano throughout.

Cover Star, Stamp, and Legacy

Dennis's cultural footprint extends well beyond the pages of The Beano. In 1974, issue 1678 saw him replace Biffo the Bear on the front cover, a position he held until issue 3961 in November 2018. The character's creation in the 1950s sent The Beano's sales soaring, and he became one of DC Thomson's first characters to receive his own annual, a tradition running from 1956 to 2011. A naming quirk persists internationally: because a separate American comic strip also debuted as "Dennis the Menace" on 12 March 1951, the US series was retitled simply "Dennis" for British readers, while the Scottish character's strips are often branded "Dennis and Gnasher" outside the UK. In 2021, Royal Mail issued a set of UK postage stamps featuring Dennis and Gnasher to celebrate the character's 70th anniversary. Dennis and Gnasher continue to serve as the mascots of The Beano, the longest-running strip in the comic's history.

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