Dennis the Menace (U.S. comics) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dennis the Menace
Author(s)	Hank Ketcham Marcus Hamilton Ron Ferdinand Scott Ketcham
Current status/schedule	Still running
Launch date	March 12, 1951; 74 years ago (March 12, 1951)
Syndicate(s)	King Features Syndicate
Publisher(s)	Fantagraphics Books
Genre(s)	Gag cartoon

Dennis the Menace is a popular newspaper comic strip that started on March 12, 1951. It was created by Hank Ketcham. The comic strip first appeared in 16 newspapers. Now, it's drawn and written by Ketcham's former helpers, Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, and his son Scott Ketcham. It appears in over 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and 19 languages!

The comic usually shows a single picture on weekdays. On Sundays, it's a longer strip. This comic has also been made into TV shows (both live-action and animated) and movies. Interestingly, another comic strip called "Dennis the Menace" also started in the United Kingdom on the very same day! But they are not connected. They even changed their names slightly in each other's countries to avoid confusion.

Meet the Characters and Setting

Dennis the Menace takes place in a normal suburb neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas. The Mitchell family lives in a two-story house at 2251 Pine Street. Their neighbors, the Wilsons, live right next door at 2253 Pine Street.

The Mitchell Family

• Dennis Roger Mitchell is a 5-year-old boy with freckles. He's often troublesome but has a kind heart and likes to help. His parents, Henry and Alice Mitchell, love him very much. Dennis often tries to help people, but his energy usually leads to funny trouble. This often happens to Mr. Wilson! Dennis wears a black T-shirt with blue stripes, red overalls, and white sneakers. He doesn't like carrots or baths. He loves root beer with cookies, ketchup, and sandwiches. He also enjoys playing with water pistols, mud puddles, and watching Westerns. Dennis loves animals like kittens and puppies. He often brings them home to feed. He also likes loud instruments like horns and drums. Sometimes, he ruins Christmas songs by shouting cowboy tunes. Dennis can cause chaos wherever he goes. This includes department stores, parks, and even on vacation! Despite all this, he's a popular kid with many friends. He also believes in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus.
• Henry Mitchell is Dennis's father, age 32. He's an engineer. Henry seems to understand Dennis better than his wife, Alice. He enjoys playing card games, bird watching, and playing the ukulele. A funny thing is that Henry often gets into trouble because of Dennis's "helpfulness."
• Alice Mitchell, née Aberdeen is Dennis's mother. She stays at home and is usually the one Dennis runs to for a warm hug. Alice grew up on a chicken ranch. But she's afraid of snakes and also dislikes mice and white rats. Alice is the one who usually gives Dennis punishments. For example, she makes him sit in a rocking chair for timeout.
• Ruff Mitchell is Dennis's pet dog. He's a Newfoundland mix and Dennis's best friend. Ruff always follows Dennis everywhere. He joins Dennis when he's running or riding his bike or skateboard. Even though Ruff chases cats, he's actually afraid of them!
• Hot Dog is Dennis's cat, who isn't seen very often. He usually keeps Dennis company when Dennis is in trouble. Dennis named him Hot Dog because the cat ate a package of hot dogs.
• Barney is another cat the Mitchells own.
• Grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are Henry's parents.
• Grampa (Arnold "Swede" Aberdeen) is Alice's father. He often spoils Dennis. Grampa and Dennis get along very well because they are so much alike. Grampa encourages Dennis to enjoy life to the fullest.
• Uncle Fred and Aunt Mollie
• Uncle Richard and Aunt Ginny
• Uncle John lives in Florida.
• Uncle Al lives in Texas and works in the "oil business."
• Uncle Charlie
• Uncle Ernie and Aunt Blanche
• Aunt Betty
• Aunt Hetty
• Aunt Sue

The Wilsons

• George Everett Wilson Sr. is Dennis's grumpy next-door neighbor. He's a retired mail carrier. Dennis thinks Mr. Wilson is his best adult friend. Mr. Wilson loves a quiet life. But Dennis often interrupts his hobbies like gardening and bird watching. Sometimes, Dennis even accidentally damages his property. Because of this, Mr. Wilson often seems annoyed with Dennis. But deep down, he's secretly fond of Dennis. He even misses Dennis when he's away! Mr. Wilson was named after one of Hank Ketcham's teachers.
• Martha Wilson is Mr. Wilson's kind wife. She loves Dennis and treats him like a grandson. Mrs. Wilson often gives Dennis freshly baked cookies and milk.
• John Wilson is Mr. Wilson's brother.
• Eloise Wilson is John's wife.
• Earl Wilson is Mr. Wilson's son.
• Elena Wilson is Earl's wife.
• Winnie Wilson is Mr. Wilson's granddaughter.
• Walter "Walt" Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson.
• Keith Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson.
• Sammy Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson.
• George Wilson Jr. is Mr. Wilson's son.
• Edna Wilson is George Jr.'s wife.
• Tammy Wilson is Mr. Wilson's daughter.
• George Wilson III is Mr. Wilson's grandson.
• Will Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson.
• Helga Wilson is Mr. Wilson's granddaughter.
• Uncle Ned is Mr. Wilson's 70-year-old uncle.

Dennis's Friends

• Tommy Anderson was Dennis's best friend for a while.
• Joey McDonald is loyal and a bit shy. He's a year younger than Dennis. Joey often acts as Dennis's sidekick in his plans. He looks up to Dennis like a big brother.
• Margaret Wade has freckles and red hair. She wears glasses and acts like a know-it-all. Her bossy attitude often annoys Dennis. Margaret likes Dennis and thinks she will marry him when they grow up. But Dennis isn't interested in her. She always tries to make Dennis behave better, but she usually just annoys him. Margaret is two years older than Dennis. She is very ambitious. She enjoys gymnastics, ballet, and singing Christmas carols. Margaret often becomes a victim of Dennis's practical jokes.
• Gina Gillotti is a very independent Italian-American girl. Dennis doesn't quite realize he has a crush on her. Gina is a bit of a tomboy but still looks feminine. She also likes Dennis. Dennis enjoys Gina's company because she is independent and they share common interests.
• Jackson is an African American character who was added to the comic in the late 1960s.
• Ben is a Jewish friend of Dennis.
• Cowboy Bob is a movie cowboy whom Dennis admires. Dennis watches his Western films, but he doesn't realize these movies are old reruns.

The History of Dennis

How the Idea Started

The idea for the comic strip came from Hank Ketcham's real-life son, Dennis. When his son was four years old, he refused to take a nap and made a huge mess in his room. Hank's wife, Alice, exclaimed, "Your son is a menace!" And that's how the name "Dennis the Menace" stuck. The characters Dennis, Henry, and Alice Mitchell were all named after the Ketcham family.

The Art Style

Hank Ketcham's drawing style has been highly praised. People say his artwork is very elegant and beautiful. He used clear lines and good designs.

Awards for the Comic

Hank Ketcham received the Reuben Award for the comic strip in 1953. He was also made an honorary mayor of Wichita, Kansas. He said he set the comic in Wichita, which led to this honor.

Ketcham Retires

Ron Ferdinand in 2013

Hank Ketcham stopped drawing the comic strip in 1994. His assistants, Ron Ferdinand and Marcus Hamilton, took over. They continued the strip even after Ketcham passed away in 2001. Scott Ketcham, Hank's son, joined them in 2010.

Dennis in Advertising

Dennis the Menace appeared in ads for A&W Restaurants in the 1960s. Then, he was part of Dairy Queen's marketing from 1971 until 2001. He also appeared in the Sears Roebuck Wish Book Christmas catalog in the 1970s.

Dennis in Comic Books

Dennis the Menace has been published in many comic books and digests from the 1950s to the 1980s. Different publishers, like Standard, Fawcett Comics, and Marvel Comics, printed them. These comic books included reprints of the newspaper strips and new Dennis the Menace stories.

Bible Kids Series

In 1977, a company called Word Books asked Hank Ketcham Enterprises to create a series of 10 comic books. These were called Dennis and the Bible Kids. In these comics, the characters read and sometimes acted out stories from the Bible, like those about Joseph, Moses, David, and Jesus. These books were sold in Christian bookstores.

Book Collections

Many collections of Dennis the Menace newspaper strips have been published as paperback books. These books allowed fans to read many of the comic strips together.

In 1990, Hank Ketcham wrote his autobiography, The Merchant of Dennis, which included illustrations.

Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace

Starting in 2005, a publisher called Fantagraphics began reprinting all of Ketcham's Dennis the Menace daily strips. They planned to release 25 volumes over 11 years. These books are published in hardcover and paperback.

• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1951–1952 (2005)
• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1953–1954 (2006)
• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1955–1956 (2006)
• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1957–1958 (2007)
• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1959–1960 (2008)
• Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace, 1961–1962 (2009)

Dennis Around the World

Film and Television Shows

Dennis the Menace has been made into many movies and TV shows.

The first TV show was a live-action comedy series on CBS. It aired from 1959 to 1963. Jay North played Dennis.

In 1993, a live-action Dennis the Menace movie was released in theaters. It starred Walter Matthau as Mr. Wilson and Mason Gamble as Dennis. Later, a direct-to-video movie called Dennis the Menace Strikes Again came out in 1998. The most recent film, A Dennis the Menace Christmas, was released on DVD in 2007.

Animated Shows

Dennis the Menace was also made into an animated special in 1981. A daily animated series was produced in 1986. Another animated series, All-New Dennis the Menace, aired in 1993. An animated movie, Dennis the Menace in Cruise Control, came out in 2002.

List of Film and TV Adaptations

Films

• Dennis the Menace: Dinosaur Hunter (1987, live-action TV film)
• Dennis the Menace (1993, live-action)
• Dennis the Menace Strikes Again (1998, live-action direct-to-video)
• Dennis the Menace in Cruise Control (2002, animated TV film)
• A Dennis the Menace Christmas (2007, live-action direct-to-video)

Television Shows and Specials

• Dennis the Menace (1959, live-action)
• Dennis the Menace in Mayday for Mother (1981, animated TV special)
• Dennis the Menace (1986, animated)
• The All-New Dennis the Menace (1993, animated)

Playgrounds

Monterey, California

In 1952, Hank Ketcham helped build the Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey, California. It opened on November 17, 1956. The playground had a bronze statue of Dennis. This statue was stolen in 2006 but was later found in Florida in 2015 and returned.

Midland, Texas

Another Dennis the Menace Park opened in Midland, Texas, on July 11, 1959. It was designed like the park in Monterey. The city of Midland has updated the park several times, adding new play equipment and a splash pad.

Video Games

• Dennis the Menace is a video game based on the 1993 movie. It was released in the same year for systems like the Super NES and Game Boy.

Dennis the Menace in Other Languages

The comic strip has been translated into many languages, making the characters famous all over the world.