Longest Running Strips in IPC/Fleetway

[DavidKW]

I was just wondering what were the longest running weekly regular strips from the girls comics published by IPC/Fleetway? Is there a top ten list published somewhere?

My money's on that Bessie Bunter was the longest from the early 60s to 1981, from Schoolfriend to June then Tammy (became a semi-regular after '81 I believe, following the Jinty merger).

I thoguht of this as my photographic memory remembered Richard Stilgoe singing a homage to Bessie's longevity on a late 70s edition of Nationwide. Don't know if anyone might remember that...?

I know that "The 4 Marys" is the longest ever from DCT's "Bunty", and some toher DCT girls' strips ran a long time too such as "The Comp". (don't know why, never can warm to most of DCT's girls strips)

I think some other contenders for IPC/Fleetway's longest running strips could be Sue Day/The Happy Days (1960? - early 1973) and Lucky's Living Doll (1963-ish -1974).

Am a bit stat happy today.

[helsbels]

There's also "Patty's World" of course, starting in July 1971 in Princess Tina, running through Pink 1974 - 1980 then onto mates from 1980 -81 and then starting over as reworkings in Girl comic form 1981 - 88. Seventeen years in total and still running in Spain (hope I got my facts and figures right, Ruth!

[RuthB]

Yes you did!

[DavidKW]

Of course! I forgot all about Patty's World - I've read the stuff on this site about it.

A contender for the top ten of longest running IPC/Fleetway girls' strips - about the third longest running?

[DavidKW]

I've noticed other long-runners inc:

Jill Cruesoe (1951-59 SchoolFriend)
Wee Sue (Sandie/Tammy 1971-1980?)
Bella (Tammy/Bella 1971-ish -83-ish)
The Stangest Stories Ever Told (early 60s-1980? - started in Schoolfriend, disappeared for a bit 64-sish, before re-starting in the new June & SF 1965, ending as a regular in Tammy in 1980, I think).

Just realized Bessie Bunter ended as a regular in 1980, following the Misty merger (like to get my facts right!).

[Marionette]

I've noticed other long-runners inc:

Jill Cruesoe (1951-59 SchoolFriend)
Wee Sue (Sandie/Tammy 1971-1980?)
Bella (Tammy/Bella 1971-ish -83-ish)
The Stangest Stories Ever Told (early 60s-1980? - started in Schoolfriend, disappeared for a bit 64-sish, before re-starting in the new June & SF 1965, ending as a regular in Tammy in 1980, I think).

Just realized Bessie Bunter ended as a regular in 1980, following the Misty merger (like to get my facts right!).

Wee Sue and Molly Mills were the only regulars in Tammy from the first issue who also appeared in every issue (as far as I can tell) until they were dropped completely.

The latest issue of Tammy I currently have access to is from 1983 and it doesn't feature Wee Sue or Molly, but it does have Bella. But I just noticed it does have credits. Excellent.

Bella was one of the most popular series, but it wasn't featured in every issue, there being long gaps between individual serials.

Tammy's twist-ending shorts were entitled "A Strange Story" and later "Another Strange Story", featuring a host called The Storyteller. I haven't seen any titled "The Strangest Stories ever Told", but I have very few later Tammys.

I'll be able to add more next week when I can consult the final issue of Tammy.

[RuthB]

Those strange stories featured too in girls comics in Spain. I must have hundreds of them. There they were called The extraordinary stories of Uncle Arthur and all of them featured a man smoking a pipe in the first and last frame.
Some of those stories appear in Jinty?? too "presended" by Rose the Gypsy.

[DavidKW]

Thanks for the info, I'll process it for the list.

Got me thinking over which strip had the longest continuous run in "Jinty"...

I think the "Strangest Stories" did start in Schoolfriend in the 60s, then was rested and re-started a few months into the now amalgamated June & SF and stayed through the Tammy merger into the early 80s.