Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. It debuted on March 12, 1951 in 16 newspapers and was originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate. It is now written and drawn by Ketcham's former assistants, Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, and distributed to at least 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and 19 languages by King Features Syndicate. The comic strip usually runs for a single panel on weekdays and a full strip on Sundays.
The comic strip became so successful that it was adapted to many other kinds of popular media, including several television shows, both live-action and animated; and several feature films, including theatrical and direct-to-video releases.
Characters
The Mitchell family
- Dennis Mitchell - a bumbling but lovable blond-haired seven-year-old boy with a penchant for mischief. Everywhere he goes, Dennis' wide-eyed curiosity, his well-meaning attempts to help out and his youthful nature always seem to lead to trouble. Wears a blue/black striped shirt, red overalls and tennis shoes. He loves Westerns, and has occasionally been depicted wearing a cowboy costume.
- Henry and Alice Mitchell - Dennis' father, an aerospace engineer, and Dennis' 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, they really do love him very much. Henry seems to understand Dennis more in affairs of the heart. One example was when a furious Dennis stormed in saying, "Wimmin can say some of the stupidest things!" ; Henry knowingly said to Alice, "Margaret." Also, while on an outing with Dennis' friend Gina, Alice asked if Dennis would eventually come to know that he likes Gina; Henry, again knowingly, said, "I think he already does." Like his creator Hank Ketcham, Henry Mitchell served in the US Navy. His wife Alice is usually the reassuring figure Dennis can run to when things get too overwhelming, ready to greet him with a warm hug. As a running gag, Alice Mitchell has a phobia of snakes. She is also known for punishing Dennis' misbehavior by having him sit in the corner in a rocking chair for timeout.
- Grampa Johnson (Carleton "Swede" Johnson) - Alice's father who spoils Dennis often. He evokes the unintentional jealousy of Mr. Wilson, for he gets to see Dennis 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 fullest.
- Ruff - Dennis' faithful dog. Ruff is always eagerly following him around, accompanying him running, riding his bike or his skateboard.
- Hot Dog - Dennis' rarely-seen cat who usually commiserates with him whilst he sits in the corner and reflects on his wrongdoings.
The Wilsons
- George Everett Wilson - a retired postal carrier and Dennis' next-door neighbor. Dennis likes Mr. Wilson but he often annoys him as he regularly disrupts Mr. Wilson's attempts at a serene, quiet life. Often, Dennis interrupts Mr. Wilson's hobbies such as gardening, as well as coin and stamp collecting, at times damaging his property. As a result, the gruff old retiree displays a less-than-cordial attitude towards the young boy, though Dennis continues his well-meaning intrusions unabated. Despite this, he is secretly fond of Dennis, although he'd never admit it. Mr. Wilson is named after a teacher Hank Ketcham knew.
- Martha Wilson - Mr. Wilson's engaging wife, Martha coddles him and adores Dennis. She sees him as a surrogate grandson, since the Wilsons never had any children.
Dennis' friends
- Thomas "Tommy" Anderson - Dennis' best friend. The character eventually disappeared.
- Joseph "Joey" McDonald - loyal, a bit timid, and not too bright, he usually plays the sidekick to Dennis.
- Maggie "Margaret" Wade - a red-haired, glasses-wearing know-it-all whose cloying and self-important demeanor is always getting on Dennis’ nerves. She is attracted to Dennis, and is stubbornly confident in the belief that she will marry him when they are adults, 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, who she sees as her competition. Gina gains Dennis' respect and admiration by just being herself and Margaret's pretensions fail to make a mark on him.
- Gina Gillotti - a fiercely independent young Italian girl, who Dennis secretly has a crush on. Gina is tomboyish yet still feminine in appearance. 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.
Criticism of another character
In the late 1960s, Ketcham decided to add an African American character to the cast named Jackson. Ketcham designed Jackson in the tradition of Little Black Sambo with huge lips, big white eyes, and just a suggestion of an Afro hair style. In one cartoon that featured Jackson, he and Dennis were playing in the backyard, whom Dennis said to his mother, "I've got a race problem with Jackson. He can run faster than me." The attempt to integrate the feature did not go over well. Protests erupted in Detroit, Little Rock, Miami, and St. Louis, and debris were thrown at the offices of the Post Dispatch. Ketcham issued a statement explaining that his intentions were innocent and Jackson went back into the ink bottle. However, a similar African American character named Jay Weldon appeared in the 1986 animated series to far less controversy.
History
Inspiration
The inspiration for the comic strip came from Dennis Ketcham, the real life son of Hank Ketcham, who was only four years old when he refused to take a nap and somehow messed up his whole room. Hank tried many possible names for the character, and translated them into rough pencil sketches. But when his studio door flew open and his then-wife Alice, in utter exasperation, exclaimed, "Your son is a menace!", the "Dennis the Menace" name stuck. The character of Henry Mitchell bore a striking resemblance to Ketcham. The Mitchell family of Dennis, Hank/Henry and Alice were all named after the Ketchams.
Visuals
Ketcham's linework has been highly praised over the years. A review on comicbookbin.com states: "...a growing legion of cartoonists, scholars, aficionados, etc. have come to appreciate the artistry of Dennis’ creator, Hank Ketcham. Ketcham’s beautiful artwork defines cartooning elegance. The design, the composition, and the line: it’s all too, too beautiful." AV Club reviewer Noel Murray wrote: "Ketcham also experimented with his line a little early on, tightening and thickening without losing the looseness and spontaneity that remains the strip's best aspect even now."
Awards
Ketcham received the Reuben Award for the strip in 1953. 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."
UK counterpart
Main article: Dennis the Menace (UK)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) 1951.. Like the American character, the UK one remains popular to this day and has made the transition to television cartoons. Ketcham's comic strip was dubbed Just Dennis or The Pickle there to avoid confusion with the native UK version of Dennis the Menace. The television version screened in the UK simply as Dennis .
Ketcham retires
Hank Ketcham retired from the comic strip in 1994, turning the production of the strip over to his assistants Ron Ferdinand and Marcus Hamilton. They continued it after Ketcham's death in 2001, and they still produce it to this day.
Comic books
Dennis the Menace has been published in comic books and comic digests from the 1950s through the 1980s by a variety of publishers, including Standard/Pines (1953–58), Fawcett Comics (1958–80, during their only return to comics after losing the Captain Marvel lawsuit), and Marvel Comics (1981–82). These included comic strip reprints and Dennis the Menace comics produced by others besides Ketcham. Al Wiseman, one of Ketcham's assistants in the 1950s and 60s, worked on many of them. Ron Ferdinand, Ketcham's Sunday page artist, drew several of the Dennis stories in the Marvel books, including the cover for issue #11.
Giant series
The main comic book series (simply named Dennis the Menace ) ran in tandem with the “Giant” series. The Dennis the Menace Giant Vacation Special and Dennis the Menace Christmas Issue were published by Standard in 1955. Those issues inaugurated the Giants series, which was published by Pines for issues 2-6, and continued by Hallden/Fawcett for issues 6-75. The Giant series was later
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