Dennis the Menace (U.S.)

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This article is about the American comic strip. For other uses, see Dennis the Menace.
Dennis the Menace
Image:Dennis menace.jpg
Author(s) Hank Ketcham
Marcus Hamilton
Ron Ferdinand
Launch date March 12, 1951
End Date present
Syndicate(s) Daily Ink
Publisher(s) Fantagraphics Books

Dennis the Menace, known in some countries as just "'Dennis'"is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written and illustrated by the late Hank Ketcham since March 12, 1951, which made its debut in only 16 newspapers. It is now written and drawn by Ketcham's former assistants, Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, and distributed to more than at least 10,000 newspapers in 48 countries and 19 languages by King Features Syndicate.[1] The comic strip usually runs for a single panel on weekdays and a full strip on Sundays.

Dennis was so successful that he was later made into many kinds of popular media, including a 1960s live-action television sitcom, a 1980s animated television series, a 1987 made-for-TV live-action movie, a 1993 theatrical live-action film and another animated series based on that film, and there is also a 1981 animated prime-time television special, a 1998 direct-to-video live-action sequel that followed the 1993 live-action film and a 2002 animated television movie, and a 2007 Christmas special film, with a 2008 Halloween special film in already in development.

Contents

[edit] Characters

  • Dennis Mitchell - a bumbling but lovable blond-haired, angel-faced little devil, five-year-old boy with a penchant for mischief. Everywhere he goes, Dennis's wide-eyed curiosity, well-meaning attempts to help out and his youthful nature always seem to lead to trouble.
  • George Everett Wilson - a retired postal carrier, Dennis's next-door neighbor. Dennis worships Mr. Wilson but often annoys him as he regularly disrupts Mr. Wilson's attempts at a serene, quiet life. As a result, the gruff old man overtly displays a less-than-cordial attitude towards the young boy, though Dennis continues his well-meaning intrusions unabated.
  • Martha Wilson - Mr. Wilson's engaging wife, Martha, coddles Mr. Wilson, adores Dennis and sees him as a surrogate grandson, since the Wilsons never had any children.
  • Henry Mitchell & Alice Mitchell - Dennis's father, an aerospace engineer and Dennis's stay-at-home mother. His long-suffering parents can only shake their heads and try to explain their son's antics to others. Despite this, and the many times his mother sends Dennis to the corner chair, they really do love him very much. Henry seems to understand Dennis a lot more in affairs of the heart. One example was when a furious Dennis stormed in saying,"Wimmin can say some of the stupidest things!" and his father knowingly said to his wife, Margaret. Another time was when Dennis and Gina were having a fun time together, and his mother wondered if Dennis would realize that he really likes Gina, and his father said knowingly again, "I think he will". His mother, however, is usually the shelter where Dennis can run to when things get too overwhelming for him; and she is there with a warm hug and protection.
  • Ruff - Dennis's dog. Ruff is always eagerly following him around, accompanying him running, riding his bike or his skateboard.
  • Joey McDonald - Dennis's friend, loyal and not-too-bright, he usually plays the sidekick to Dennis. Also he appeared in Colton Parrot.
  • Margaret Wade - Dennis's friend and somewhat arch-foil, whose cloying and self-important demeanor is always getting on Dennis’s nerves. She is attracted to Dennis, but he will have none of it. She always tries to improve Dennis and his manners, but only succeeds in annoying him. She has a certain amount of dislike for Gina, whom she sees as her competition. Gina gains Dennis's respect and admiration by just being herself and Margaret's pretensions fail to even make a mark on him.
  • Gina Gillotti - Dennis's friend, a tomboy. She is a fiercely independent young Italian girl, whom Dennis secretly has a crush on. He likes her because she is as independent minded as he is; and she enjoys the same things that he does. Gina is also highly aware that she is a girl, and woe betide anyone who doesn't think so. This earns her Dennis' respect and admiration.
  • Grampa Johnson, Alice's father who spoils Dennis often. He evokes the unintentional jealousy of Mr. Wilson, for he gets to see him only on occasion, but Wilson sees him all the time. Because they are so much alike, Dennis and Grampa Johnson get along beautifully. Wilson also thinks that Johnson should act his age, but this advice is often ignored. To Grampa, life is worth living, and he encourages Dennis to live it to the full.
  • Hot Dog - Dennis's rarely-seen cat who usually commiserates with him whilst he sits in the corner and reflects on his sins.

In tone, Dennis is most like an escapee from a 1930s movie, such as an Our Gang film, and can be seen as a derivative of another mischievous comic strip creation, The Katzenjammer Kids. Dennis the Menace also serves as a prototype for other cartoon troublemakers, such as Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes),Bart Simpson, Little Lulu, Buster Brown and Curious George.

[edit] History

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[edit] Inspiration

The inspiration for the comic strip came from Dennis Ketcham, the real life son of Hank Ketcham,[2] who was only 4 years old when he refused to take a nap and somehow messed up his whole room. Hank tried many possible kid names for the character he was drawing in his desktop in his home at Carmel, and translated them into some his rough pencil sketches, but they seem unsuitable for a character of such immense depiction, until his studio door flew open and his then-wife Alice, in utter exasperation, exclaimed, "Your son is a menace!" Thus the "Dennis the Menace" name was used, the "menace" epithet and the image of the tornado stuck. The character of Henry Mitchell even bore a striking resemblance to Ketcham himself, who also became a fixture in the strip. Many people feel the characters hold remarkable resemblence to jamie and the magic torch.

According to Hank Ketcham's biography in the Internet Movie Database, Ketcham said that Dennis the Menace was set in Wichita, Kansas.

[edit] Debut

Dennis the Menace comic strip made its debut on March 12, 1951,[3] in the following year in 16 newspapers across the US for the first time.

Coincidentally, another cartoon strip titled Dennis the menace was published in the British comic The Beano on March 15 (cover dated March 17 - the "off sale" date) of the same year.[citation needed]. Like the American character, the UK one remains popular to this day and has made the transition to television cartoons. As a result, any product of the US character, including the TV series, was billed simply as "Dennis" in the UK.

[edit] Award

Ketcham received the Reuben Award for the strip in 1953.[4]. He also was made honorary mayor of Wichita. He was quoted saying "I set the whole thing in Wichita, Kansas, and as a result I got made an honorary mayor of Wichita."[5]

[edit] Publishers

Dennis the Menace has been published in comic books and comic digests from the 1950s through at least the 1980s by a variety of publishers, including Standard/Pines (1953-58), Fawcett Comics (during their only return to comics after losing the Captain Marvel lawsuit) (1958-80), and Marvel Comics (1981-82). These were produced by others, in particular Al Wiseman in the 1950s and 60s, who was one of Ketcham's assistants and Ron Fredinand in the 1980s, a Sunday page artist who drew several of the Dennis stories of the Marvel books, including the cover for issue #11. There have also been paperback book collections of the comic strips and comic books during the same time period from Avon Books, Gold Medal, Crest, and others.

Ketcham gradually turned the production of the strip over to his assistants Ron Ferdinand and Marcus Hamilton,[6] who continued it after his death in 2001,[7] due to a heart attack at age 81.[citation needed] In 2005, Dennis appeared as a guest for Blondie and Dagwood's 75th anniversary party in the comic strip Blondie.[verification needed]

[edit] Comic book

Dennis had been produced in comic book format for many years. The first issue of Dennis the Menace was published in August, 1953 by Standand/Pines, the original series ran for a total of 155 issues until January, 1978. Meanwhile, Fawcett Comics purchased the half of the comic book rights to the character and Dennis made his only return to the comics after Fawcett lost the Captain Marvel lawsuit in 1958. At that point, Fawcett Comics and Hallden Publishing became a subsidiary of CBS Consumer Publishing (A publishing imprint of CBS Corporation) and the Dennis the Menace comic book title became The Dennis the Menace Fun Fest series, the comic books continued through the issue #166, published in November, 1979.

[edit] Specials series

The comic book series (Drawn by Ketcham's assistant Al Wiseman, until the mid 60s) was running in tandem with the “Specials” series. First, there was The Dennis the Menace Winter Special, then The Dennis the Menace Spring Special, The Dennis the Menace Summer Special and then finally The Dennis the Menace Christmas Special. To continue this tandem, Fawcett published an anthology series of his previous adventures called The Best of Dennis the Menace, which ran from 1959 to 1961 in a total of 5 issues. This was followed with The Giant Dennis the Menace series, and concluded the specials series with their most-famous of their Dennis the Menace titles, The Dennis the Menace Travel Special Series. These Travel issues included Dennis and his family going to places like Mexico or camp in Yosemite Park and the most popular issue "Dennis Goes To Hollywood" which has him wreaking havoc on various movie sets and encountering assorted movie stars.

The specials series was then later re-christened as the Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series forerunners, the series, which bore the title Bonus Magazine, started with issue #78 in March 1970 and continued through issue #173 in February 1978. CBS and Hallden later retitled the series as The Dennis the Menace Big Bonus Series, which it ran through issue #194 in October 1979.

[edit] Other series

By October 1979, Fawcett began publishing a separate series of 36 issues entitled Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson, which involved the simple adventures of Dennis and Mr. Wilson going into all sorts of mischievous capers. By the second issue, the Dennis and Mr. Wilson series was re-christened as Dennis the Menace and His Friends which now involved the adventures of Dennis, Mr. Wilson and friends, Joey, Margaret and dog, Ruff going to cause more troublesome mishaps. Because of this, the Mr. Wilson stories were alternated with the three characters as Ruff, Joey and Margaret who each shared a #1 issue with Dennis.

There were also other series of Dennis the Menace comic books published in 1961, first there was Dennis the Menace and His Dog, Ruff and Dennis the Menace and His Pal, Joey published the summer and the last but not least was Dennis the Menace and Margaret published in the winter of 1969.

[edit] Bible kids series

In 1977, Word Books, Inc. commissioned Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc. to produce a series of ten comic books under the title of Dennis and the Bible Kids, with the usual cast of characters reading (and sometimes partly acting out) the stories of Joseph, Moses, David, Esther, Jesus, and other Biblical characters. These were sold through Christian bookstores and related outlets. Each issue contained several inspirational renderings by Hank Ketcham himself.

[edit] Marvel series

For some unknown reason, the Dennis the Menace Fun Fest and the Dennis the Menace Big Bonus Series were revived for a short issue run in 1980. The numbering system was even more of a mystery.

  • January: The Dennis the Menace Fun Fest #16
  • February: The Dennis the Menace Big Bonus #10
  • March: The Dennis the Menace Fun Fest #17
  • April: The Dennis the Menace Big Bonus #11

After this revival series, the Hallden and CBS comics run came to an end in 1980. Fortunately, Ketcham had the half of the comic book rights purchased by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics, they were able to produce a new series of Dennis the Menace comic books. The Marvel series started in December, 1981 and ended in November, 1982. The seventh issue in the Marvel Comics adaptation featured a Spider-Man spoof story called “Spider-Kid”, the story featured Dennis imagining himself as a pint-sized Spider-Man fighting crime with Mr. Wilson as J. Jonah Jameson, Gina Gillotti as his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson and Joey, Margaret and Ruff being themselves, the cover even displayed Dennis is Spider-Kid jumping from a cloud and unmasking himself revealing to be Dennis! The smaller Dennis the Menace comic digests were published continually by Fawcett and Hallden between 1969 and 1980 and they were briefly resurrected in reprints by Marvel in 1982 for a run of three issues.

[edit] Book-length series

Several special issues also appeared in the 1970s, with book-length stories of Dennis and his parents visiting the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California, the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Mexico via cruise ship, and also Washington, D.C.

[edit] Book compilations

Dennis the Menace has also even been published in paperback book collects of the comic strips and comic books during the same time period, they are consisted of reprints of the previous comic strip adventures from the past decades. Avon Books, Gold Medal, Crest, Pocket Books, Corgi (UK) and Fawcett Books were all responsible for the publication of these books. This is a list of all the Dennis the Menace book compilations published so far (Note: All of the books carry the name ‘Dennis the Menace’ in their title.):

  • Babysitter’s Guide by Dennis the Menace (1954)
  • Wanted: Dennis the Menace (1955)
  • Dennis the Menace Rides Again (1956)
  • Dennis the Menace vs. Everybody (1957)
  • Dennis the Menace: Household Hurricane (1958)
  • The 100 Adventures of the Pickle (1958, UK)
  • In this corner… Dennis the Menace (1959)
  • Dennis the Menace …Teacher’s Threat (1960)
  • Dennis the Menace Voted Most Likely (1960)
  • Dennis the Menace A.M.* *Ambassador of Mischief (1961)
  • Babysitter’s Guide by Dennis the Menace (1961, reprint)
  • Dennis the Menace: Happy Half-Pint (1962)
  • Dennis the Menace …Who Me? (1963)
  • Dennis the Menace: Household Hurricane (1963, reprint)
  • Dennis the Menace: Make-Believe Angel (1964)
  • Dennis the Menace …Here Comes Trouble (1966)
  • Dennis the Menace and Poor Ol’ Mr. Wilson (1967)
  • Dennis the Menace: All-American Kid (1968)
  • Dennis the Menace and his pal Joey (1968)
  • Dennis the Menace: Your Friendly Neighborhood Kid (1969)
  • Dennis the Menace: Perpetual Motion (1969)
  • Dennis the Menace …Everybody’s Little Helper (1970)
  • Dennis the Menace: Non-Stop Nuisance (1970)
  • Dennis the Menace Rides Again (1971, reprint)
  • Dennis the Menace: Surprise Package (1971)
  • Dennis the Menace: Short ‘n Snappy (1971)
  • Dennis the Menace: Where the Action Is (1971)
  • Dennis the Menace: Dennis Power (1972)
  • Dennis the Menace: Just for Fun (1973)
  • Dennis the Menace: The Kid Next Door (1973)
  • Dennis the Menace: Busybody (1974)
  • Dennis the Menace: Little Pip-Squeak (1974)
  • Dennis the Menace: Play it Again, Dennis (1975)
  • Dennis the Menace: To the Core (1975)
  • Dennis the Menace: Little Man in a Big Hurry (1976)
  • Dennis the Menace: Short Swinger (1976)
  • Dennis the Menace and His Girls (1977)
  • Dennis the Menace: “Your Mother’s Calling!” (1978)
  • Dennis the Menace: Ol’ Droopy Drawers (1978)
  • Dennis the Menace: Driving Mother Up the Wall (1979)
  • Dennis the Menace: I Done It MY Way (1979)
  • Dennis the Menace: Short in the Saddle (1979)
  • Dennis the Menace: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1980)
  • Dennis the Menace: The Way I Look at It… (1982)
  • Dennis the Menace: Dog’s Best Friend (1982)
  • Dennis the Menace: Supercharged and Ever Ready (1983)
  • Dennis the Menace: Sunrise Express (1983)

In 2005, comics publisher Fantagraphics began to reprint Ketcham's entire run on Dennis the Menace in a 25-volume series over eleven years.[8]

  1. Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace (1951-52) ISBN 1-56097-680-2
  2. Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace (1953-54) ISBN 1-56097-725-6
  3. Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace (1955-56) ISBN 1-56097-770-1
  4. Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace (1957-58) ISBN 1-56097-806-7

[edit] Worldwide success

  • For some years, Dennis the Menace was the "spokestoon" for ice cream restaurant chain Dairy Queen; he has since been supplanted by other cartoon characters. Many of the characters appeared on their packaging and in advertising.
  • 1952 saw the construction of the Dennis the Menace Playground, spearheaded by Hank Ketcham, assisted Arch Garner and his two children. It opened at Monterey, California, US in 1956.[citation needed] The playground features a bronze statue of Dennis sculpted by Wah Ming Chang. On October 25 - October 26, 2006, the 125-lb statue which reported worth as much as $30,000 was stolen during the night.[9]

[edit] Animated TV series

Main article: Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)

[edit] Films and TV sitcoms

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Please update the article to reflect recent events / newly available information, and remove this template when finished.

Dennis has been the subject of a number of animated adaptations, as well as a CBS sitcom from 1959 to 1963 starring Jay North as Dennis[10] and both Joseph Kearns[11] and Gale Gordon, successively, as Mr. (George and John) Wilson. A 1993 live-action film starred Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson.[12] This was followed up with Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! in 1998 starring Don Rickles as Mr. Wilson.

A Dennis the Menace Christmas is scheduled for release on DVD November 17, 2007. The Warner Brothers film stars Robert Wagner as Mr. Wilson, Louise Fletcher as Mrs. Wilson, and Maxwell Perry-Cotton as Dennis. For the first time, Dennis is being played by a real, live six-year-old actor. The film was shot in Montreal, Canada, and features a number of young Canadian actors.

See the separate entries for more detailed information on the film and TV adaptations

[edit] Dennis the Menace in other languages

The animated television series and the comic book series have been translated into 19 languages since the invention of the character, and whom they have made and are famous worldwide.

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The Sugar Bowl, the ice cream counter Dennis frequents, is based on a real ice cream counter of the same name in Scottsdale, Arizona, frequented by cartoonist Bil Keane, as well as Arthur creator Marc Brown.[citation needed]
  • Mr. Wilson was named after a teacher Hank Ketcham had known.
  • The working title for the 1993 live-action film before the simple name stuck was The Real Dennis the Menace.
  • In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dennis the Menace was licensed by Dairy Queen as their official mascot, appearing in many commercials and on the chain's cups, bags, and other promotional items. The Dennis incarnation used was the one from the 1986 animated series, as the promotions started in the middle of that series' run.

[edit] See also

v • d • e
King Features Syndicate Comics
Current
The Amazing Spider-Man  • Apartment 3-G  • Arctic Circle  • Baby Blues  • Barney Google and Snuffy Smith  • Beetle Bailey  • The Better Half  • Between Friends  • Bizarro  • Blondie  • The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee  • Buckles  • Crankshaft  • Crock  • Curtis  • Dennis the Menace  • Edge City  • The Family Circus  • Felix the Cat  • Flash Gordon  • Funky Winkerbean  • Grin and Bear It  • Hägar the Horrible  • Hazel  • Heaven's Love Thrift Shop  • Henry  • Hi and Lois  • Hubert  • Judge Parker  • Katzenjammer Kids  • A Lawyer, A Doctor & A Cop  • The Lockhorns  • Mallard Fillmore  • Mandrake the Magician  • Mark Trail  • Marvin  • Mary Worth  • Moose & Molly  • Mother Goose and Grimm  • Mutts  • My Cage  • On the Fastrack  • The Pajama Diaries  • Pardon My Planet  • The Phantom  • Piranha Club  • Popeye  • Prince Valiant  • Redeye  • Retail  • Rex Morgan, M.D.  • Rhymes with Orange  • Safe Havens  • Sally Forth  • Sam and Silo  • Sherman's Lagoon  • Six Chix  • Slylock Fox and Comics for Kids  • Tiger  • Tina's Groove  • Todd the Dinosaur  • Zippy the Pinhead  • Zits
Historical

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes and References

  1. ^ "Hank Ketcham, Father of Dennis the Menace, Dies at 81", The New York Times, 2001-06-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-24. 
  2. ^ Weinraub, Judith. "Dennis's' Dear Old Dad", The Washington Post, 1990-05-05. 
  3. ^ Dennis the Menace Website
  4. ^ The Reuben Award 1946 - 1974 (HTML). The National Cartoonists Society. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  5. ^ Biography for Hank Ketcham. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  6. ^ "'DENNIS THE MENACE' CREATOR TO RETIRE", The Buffalo News, 1994-10-24. 
  7. ^ VAN GELDER, LAWRENCE. "Hank Ketcham, Father of Dennis the Menace, Dies at 81", The New York Times, 2001-06-02. Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  8. ^ ESTRADA, GEORGE. "Antics of "Dennis the Menace" back in print", The Seattle Times Company, 2005-08-08. Retrieved on 2008-09-18. 
  9. ^ Statue of Dennis the Menace Stolen (HTML). The Associated Press (2006-10-28). Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
  10. ^ KORMAN, SEYMOUR. "DENNIS THE MENACE Goes on TV", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1959-09-26. Retrieved on 2008-09-18. 
  11. ^ "JOSEPH KEARNS, 55, TV ACTOR, IS DEAD; Played Mr. Wilson of 'Dennis the Menace' on C.B.S.", The Seattle Times Company, 1962-02-18. Retrieved on 2008-09-18. 
  12. ^ Staff and wire reports. "Actor Walter Matthau dies at 79", Cable News Network, 2000-07-01. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.