Dennis the Menace (US)
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The United States version of Dennis the Menace is a comic strip (single panel on weekdays, full strip on Sundays) originally drawn by Hank Ketcham. Ketcham's Dennis, who originally appeared as "The Pickle", was later made into a live-action 1960s television sitcom, a 1980s television cartoon, a 1993 live-action film, and another animated series based on that film. Originally, Dennis spent most of his time making life miserable for his parents. In recent years he has spent nearly all his time disturbing the serenity of the grumpy Mr. Wilson, and being coddled by Wilson's engaging wife Martha. In tone, Dennis is most like an escapee from a 1930s movie, such as an Our Gang film.
On March 12, 1951 the Dennis the Menace comic strip appeared in newspapers across the country for the first time. Coincidentally, another cartoon strip titled Dennis the Menace was published in the United Kingdom on March 15 (cover dated March 17 - the "off sale" date) of the same year. In the UK, the US cartoon series is known simply as Dennis.
Ketcham gradually turned the production of the strip over to his assistants, who continued it after his death in 2001.
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. A 1993 film starred Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson.
Dennis the Menace was the "spokestoon" for Dairy Queen for many years until recently being supplanted by other cartoon characters.
List of characters
- Dennis Mitchell
- Mom (Alice Mitchell)
- Dad (Henry Mitchell) - works at Trask Engineering
- Grandpa
- Ruff the dog
- Hotdog the cat
- Mr. (George) Wilson
- Mrs. (Martha) Wilson
- Joey
- Margaret
- Gina
- Peebee
- Jay (TV Show)
- Tommy (TV Show)
See also
External links
- Dennis the Menace at King Features (http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/dennis/about.htm)
- List and short bios of the strip's characters (http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/dennis/charactMaina.htm)
- Toonopedia: Dennis the Menace (http://www.toonopedia.com/dennis.htm)