Dandy, The

One of the most popular children’s comics of all time, The Dandy was launched on 4 December 1937 by DC Thomson of Dundee, Scotland – a family firm of Victorian values and presbyterian morality.

For 2d, you got a free gift, adventure stories and cartoon strips with speech bubbles – all part of a bold new format.

The first Dandy annual appeared in time for Christmas 1938 as The Dandy Monster Comic. ‘Korky the Cat’ – who walked on two legs and talked – appeared on the front page from the first issue until 1984 (when he was ousted by ‘Desperate Dan’).

Regular strips included:

• Ali Ha-Ha and The 40 Thieves
• Barney Boko
• Big Head and Thick Head
• Black Bob – a Lassie-like collie from the Scottish borders who assisted his master in solving sundry rural mysteries
• Brassneck – a robot schoolboy (pictured) and his best mate Charley Brand
• Bully Beef and Chips
• Charlie the Chimp
• Claude Hopper
• Corporal Clott
• Desperate Dan – a big whiskery and freakishly strong cowboy who lived with his Aunt Aggie in Cactusville and used to break things constantly due to his size and strength. Dan had a naughty nephew and a naughty (and very ugly) niece who invariably had the last laugh which would make up for the belting Dan always gave them
• Desperate Dawg
• Dinah Mite
• Dirty Dick
• Freddy the Fearless Fly
• Greedy Pigg – a food-obsessed school teacher
• Hungry Horace
• Iron Hands
• Jack Silver
• The Jocks and The Geordies
• Jolly Roger
• Keyhole Kate
• Korky The Cat – the original cover star
• Mr Mutt
• Our Gang
• Pansy Potter
• PC Big Ears
• Screwy Driver
• The Smasher
• Tom Tum
• Whacko! – a tale of an armour-suited teacher set in mediaeval times where everyone said “ye” this and “ye” that. His class contained a witch and a wizard (and a roundhead). The teacher in the armour was called simply “Teacher” and it was actually quite a violent strip (especially for The Dandy)
• Wig and Wam
• Winker Watson – a pupil at Greytwoers School and the world’s wiliest wangler. Winkers’ best pal is Tim Trott (“Trotty”)

DC Thomson realised early on that they had a hit on their hands with The Dandy, and had to come up with another similar product. Just 35 weeks after the launch of The Dandy, Thomson debuted The Beano.

At the end of 2012, on its 75th anniversary, The Dandy was cancelled as a print publication, and relaunched in a new online format.