Bunty facts for kids

Bunty was a very popular British comic magazine for girls. It was published by D. C. Thomson & Co. in the United Kingdom. Bunty started in 1958 and ran until 2001.

Each issue was packed with many short comic stories. These stories were usually three to five pages long. Besides the weekly comic, special Christmas and summer annuals were also released. Bunty published 2,249 issues in total. In 2001, it became a monthly magazine, but stopped publishing completely after five more months. Bunty was created for girls under 14, especially those from everyday families. It mostly featured exciting fictional stories.

What Was Inside Bunty?

A typical Bunty comic had several short comic-strip stories. These were broken up by fun pages like letters from readers. There were also exciting competitions and puzzle pages. Sometimes, they featured readers or showed previews of next week's comic. The very back page often had a cut-out paper doll with clothes. Later, this changed to a cool wall poster.

Popular Stories in Bunty

Bunty was famous for its regular comic strips. Here are some of the most loved ones:

The Four Marys

The Four Marys was the longest-running story in Bunty. It appeared in every issue from 1958 until 2001. The story was drawn by artist Barrie Mitchell. It was set in a girls' boarding school called St. Elmo's. A boarding school is where students live and study.

The story followed four teenage girls named Mary. They often faced problems with schoolwork or boredom. They also helped (or sometimes got in the way of) other girls and teachers. Two of the Marys were from well-off families. One was the daughter of an Earl, which is a type of noble. The fourth Mary was from a working-class family. She attended the school because she had a scholarship, which means her studies were paid for. This mix of characters showed how different people lived in the 1950s.

The Comp

This comic strip looked a lot like The Four Marys. It was set in a comprehensive school, which is a school for both boys and girls. The Comp first appeared in another comic called Nikki. When Nikki stopped publishing, The Comp moved to Bunty. This story ended shortly before Bunty did. The reason given was that Redvale Comprehensive school closed down. All the students had to go to different schools.

Luv, Lisa

Luv, Lisa was a unique story. It was written like a diary, with real photographs instead of drawings. This was the only regular comic in Bunty to use photos. Lisa would write about her friends, boyfriends, and daily situations. Sometimes, she would have a special adventure, like finding the best Christmas cards. Her friends' names often changed. Only her brother and mother were always the same characters.

Bunty—A Girl Like You

This was a short, one-page comic strip. It featured a blonde girl named Bunty, just like the comic's name. Her friends were Haya and Payal. The strip was very short, so it usually told a quick joke. These jokes were often about normal teenage girl topics. This included boys, family, or school life.

Penny's Place

Penny's Place was drawn in a similar style to The Comp and The Four Marys. It first appeared in a comic called M&J. This comic was a mix of two older comics, Mandy and Judy. When M&J ended, Bunty took over Penny's Place.

The story was about a girl named Penny. Her parents owned a cafe called Penny's Place. Penny had three best friends. They all lived in the same town and went to the same school. Penny's best friend, Donna, came from a large family. She had several brothers and sisters. These siblings often played a part in the storylines. The story finished in the late 1990s. But it was so popular that Bunty started publishing it again from the very beginning! Bunty and Mandy also included Penny's Place in their Christmas annuals.

Moira Kent and Lorna Drake

The Dancing Life of Moira Kent was a story about a girl who wanted to be a ballerina. It appeared in the very first issue of Bunty. Moira Kent was a regular character for many years. She eventually became a famous dancer around the world. When her story ended, it was replaced by Lorna Drake. This story was also about a ballet dancer. Lorna went to the Thelma Mayne Dancing School. Thelma herself was a ballerina. But an accident stopped her from dancing again. This accident was caused by Lorna's father, who was also a dancer. He was going blind and let Thelma Mayne fall during a show. This caused her injury. Even after her story ended, Moira still appeared in the annuals. In these, she had opened her own ballet school.

Bunty in the Spotlight

Bunty comics even inspired a song! The lyrics for "Melody Lee" by the British punk rock band the Damned came directly from Bunty comics. This song was on their 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette.

On March 19, 2012, the Royal Mail in the UK released special stamps. These stamps celebrated Britain's amazing comic book history. Bunty was one of the comics featured on these stamps. Other famous comics included The Beano, The Dandy, Eagle, The Topper, Roy of the Rovers, Buster, Valiant, Twinkle and 2000 AD.