France 2011

My holiday weblog – http://dsugdenholidays.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/nord-et-picardy-2011/

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Feeling just Dandy

I was ironing this morning (the sun was up bright and early and I couldn’t sleep), and I somehow drifted back to my childhood and the days of ‘real’ comics.  How many readers can remember The Beano, The Dandy and the like?

I used to eagerly await my weekly copy of The Beano and occasionally (probably when my mum felt flush or I had saved up enough ha’pennies) The Dandy too. I loved all of the characters, many of whom would no longer suit these times of political correctness. Little Plum [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Plum], the Red Indian (Native American) child who had a variety of adventures and caused havoc for ‘Chiefy’. Biffo the Bear [http://www.beano.com/retro-beano/biffo-the-bear] featured on the front page for all the time I read the comic as a child; Minnie the Minx, Dennis the Menace and Rodger the Dodger were all firm favourites, eagerly awaited each Thursday. I must have been quite young when I was first introduced to the comics as I remember accompanying my mum to the Post Office to buy copies during the day.

Characters and format changed slightly over the 50s and early 60s (I was far too old for comics by the time Ten Years After were playing at Woodstock) but The Bash Street Kids were always my favourite centrefold.

I used to take my comics down to Gordon Cliff’s house where he collected The Topper and The Beezer and we used to read each other’s comics, neither of us ever relinquishing our own comic overnight though! we occasionally got hold of the big boys comics like The Eagle, with Dan Dare, and The Lion but they were far too sophisticated for us.

I often think of Lord Snooty now, whenever David Cameron is seen and heard speaking on T.V.  If only he were as much fun!

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