New stamps mark 70 years of Dennis the Menace

A new set of stamps is being issued marking 70 years of legendary Beano comic character Dennis the Menace.

Six stamps feature images of the perennial naughty schoolboy from a black-and-white comic strip in 1951, meeting his baby sister Bea, adopting his faithful dog Gnasher and finding out that his father is a grown-up version of Dennis from the 1980s.

The stamps are based on original strips from Beano comics of the time.

A further four stamps, exclusively illustrated by the current Dennis artist, Nigel Parkinson, are from a comic strip written especially for Royal Mail focusing on Dennis’s birthday celebrations and including a brief “history of Menaces”.

Natasha Ayivor, of Royal Mail, said: ”For seven decades Dennis has been entertaining children by getting into all manner of mischief and mayhem.

“Generations have experienced the excitement and anticipation of reading about Dennis’s latest prank. Royal Mail is delighted to be honouring Dennis and Gnasher with a set of stamps as the ultimate birthday present.”

Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios, said: “Dennis has stamped his personality across first class laughs and mischief for generations of children.

“We believe everyone has a little bit of the Dennis spirit within them, so can’t wait for fans big and small to take delivery of this amazing piece of Dennis history. This incredible stamp collection really pushes the envelope of philately flattery for our hero.”

Royal Mail collaborated with Beano Studios on selecting all the stamps and associated imagery.

Dennis was first brought to life in a pencil sketch in January 1951, making his debut in the Beano later that year.