The Beano Top 100.

[Kashgar]

Little Plum (1912) With a strip subtitled 'Your Redskin Chum' Plum first entered um Beano's ha-ha happy hunting ground ( as opposed to the one upstairs) in Oct 1953 (the first Beano strip drawn by Leo Baxendale) and survived not only a first series of some 33 years (1953-1986) but also everything tribal leader Chiefy and a host of other prairie dwellers heaped on his one-feathered head with a blend of guile and good-natured innocence. Further adventures with the little pot-bellied not so brave followed in 1989, 1998 and (2002-2007).
Artwork Leo Baxendale, Ron Spencer, Gordon Bell, Tom Paterson, Hunt Emerson etc.

Only the 'Magnificent Seven', those strips that have clocked up appearances in 2000 issues and more, to go. The seven consisting of three boys, a girl, two gangs and a bear, although not necessarily in that order.

[Kashgar]

7) Billy Whizz (2240) The only character in the Top 10 to have begun life in the 1960's (1964) and the only comic character, as far as I'm aware, who has had the dubious honour of having a controlled substance named after him. I personally have a particular fondness for Billy, who has zoomed his way across page after page of the Beano for 44 years with his antenna-like haircut arriving at a given destination a micro-second before he does, because he was new to the comic when it was also new to me.
Artwork Mal Judge, Steven Horrocks, Barrie Appleby, David Parkins, Trevor Metcalfe, Vic Neill, G. Hall, Wayne Thompson etc.

[Kashgar]

6) Biffo the Bear (2288) Biffo first arrived in the Beano in Jan 1948 and was the cover star from the start. Perpetually sporting his red shorts and braces and accompanied by his friend Buster from 1953 he would remain the comics 'Master of Ceremonies' for over a quarter of a century until ousted from the cover spot by Dennis the Menace in Sept 1974. In total his first series of strips lasted for nearly 39 years (1948-1986) and this was followed in turn by a second series lasting on and off for a decade (1989-1999).
In the 1970's Biffo also made regular appearances in the nursery comic 'Magic' in a strip devoted to his two nephews Cuddly and Dudley.
Beano artwork Dudley Watkins, Gordon Bell, Dave Sutherland, Jimmy Glen, Sid Burgon etc.

[felneymike]

Maybe it's worth mentioning that the second series of Biffo was completley silent (aside from sound effects and a wicket-keeper shouting "Out!" once), and he did things on his own. After those "60 years" hardack reprint annuals started, somebody wrote in to ask why Biffo never talked any more. Dennis apparently asked him and the reply was " "

[AndyB]

Sid Burgon was right at home with that second series of Biffo - the timing was perfect, and you couldn't quite imagine anyone else realising the scripts in that way.

Just as last week's Minnie strip would never have worked quite the way it did in Tom Paterson's hand, but it was perfect for Ken.

[MikeC]

Kashgar,

Billy is not the only one to have an illicit substance named after him. I remember Dennis the Menace pills being... er, in the news... back in the nineties' ecstasy days.

HTH
Mike

[Kashgar]

Thanks for that piece of 90's social history Mike.

5) Lord Snooty (2356) The only original Beano character to make it into the Top 10, indeed into the Top 20. The lad from Bunkerton and his original Ash Can Alley Pals have the unassailable distinction of appearing in the most consecutive issues from No1 (367) in a first series that lasted for eleven years (1938-1949). A second series followed in (1950-1958) and then the third and longest in (1959-1991).
Artwork Dudley Watkins, Leo Baxendale, Robert Nixon, Jimmy Glen, Ken Harrison etc
(The above entry doesn't take into accont the current Snooty spin-off strip 'Lord Snooty the Third' illustrated by Nigel Parkinson as it stars an entirely different character i.e the original Snooty's grandson)

[Kashgar]

4) Roger the Dodger (2832) The kid who prides himself on having a ruse for getting himself into and out of any situation has been putting his 'dodge books' to good use in the Beano since 1953. Firstly in a series that ran from 1953 to 1960 and then the second, current one which began in 1961. Artwork Ken Reid, Bob McGrath, Robert Nixon, Tom Lavery, Frank Mac Diarmid, Barrie Appleby etc.

[Kashgar]

The Bash St Kids (2840) Originally appearing in a strip titled 'When the Bell Rings', till Nov 1956, the kids of Class IIB have been a permanent feature of the Beano since Feb 1954.
(Goonish Plug also fronted his own comic for 75 issues in 1977-1978)
Artwork Leo Baxendale, Dave Sutherland, Gordon Bell, John Sherwood, Keith Reynolds, Nigel Parkinson, Mike Pearse, Kev F. Sutherland etc.

[Kashgar]

2) Minnie the Minx (2848) The distaff menace first donned her beret in Dec 1953 and despite losing out on top spot to her male counterpart she can console herself with holding a distinction that he can't match. Namely, since her first appearance in the Beano in 1953, she has never missed a single issue.
Artwork Leo Baxendale, Jim Petrie, Tom Paterson, Alexander Barr, Ken Harrison etc.

[Peter Gray]

[size=200][b]This has been one of the b ... /b][/size]

Wow Dennis hasn't been in every issue since he appeared.......what issue was that..

I wonder who is number 1?

[Kashgar]

I wonder Peter Mmm! Glad you liked the strand, it was certainly fun to put together.
I haven't got the details to hand but Dennis missed an issue in his first year, No 475 I seem to remember but I'll check and make sure.

1) Dennis the Menace (2991) Who else but Dennis could be Number 1? Despite the undoubted success of other Beano characters he is the comics spiky-haired, hooped jumpered, short panted, knobbly-kneed colossus. Not only has he appeared in the weekly comic the most times he has also been the mainstay of much that has appeared in all the Beano spin-off titles over the years. From the evil little gargoyle of the 1950's through to the naughty boy of the noughties Dennis has epitomised 'the bad lad' to generations of kids. So, Well Done Dennis!
Artwork David Law, George Drysdale, Dave Sutherland, David Parkins, Nigel Parkinson, Jimmy Hansen etc.

Oh! and before I forget. Happy Birthday Beano, the comic we've never been without for 70 years!

[AndyB]

2) Minnie the Minx (2848) The distaff menace first donned her beret in Dec 1953 and despite losing out on top spot to her male counterpart she can console herself with holding a distinction that he can't match. Namely, since her first appearance in the Beano in 1953, she has never missed a single issue.
Artwork Leo Baxendale, Jim Petrie, Tom Paterson, Alexander Barr, Ken Harrison etc.

I could have sworn she missed an issue a few weeks ago...

Surely you mean Steve Horrocks or Leslie Reavey rather than Alexander Barr? Per my records (and per correspondence with Euan), they contributed most of the strips between Tom's two runs.

[steven]

Thanks for that piece of 90's social history Mike.

5) Lord Snooty (2356) The only original Beano character to make it into the Top 10, indeed into the Top 20. The lad from Bunkerton and his original Ash Can Alley Pals have the unassailable distinction of appearing in the most consecutive issues from No1 (367) in a first series that lasted for eleven years (1938-1949). A second series followed in (1950-1958) and then the third and longest in (1959-1991).
Artwork Dudley Watkins, Leo Baxendale, Robert Nixon, Jimmy Glen, Ken Harrison etc
(The above entry doesn't take into accont the current Snooty spin-off strip 'Lord Snooty the Third' illustrated by Nigel Parkinson as it stars an entirely different character i.e the original Snooty's grandson)

I think John Dallas was the last artist before they started to have some DDW reprints before the Beano bowed out Snooty from the strips.

[Conor B]

I remember early this year, looking back through my Beano after thinking Minnie wasn´t in it. And I remember clearly that she wasn't.
(No offence Kashgar. Love your work, you genius!)