Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written, and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. The comic strip made its debut on March 12, 1951 in 16 newspapers and was originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate. The full-color Sunday strip debuted in January 1952. It is now written and drawn by Ketcham's former assistants, Marcus Hamilton (weekdays, since 1995), Ron Ferdinand (Sundays, since 1981), and son Scott Ketcham (since 2010), and distributed to at least 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and in 19 languages by King Features Syndicate. The comic strip usually runs for a single panel on weekdays and a full strip on Sundays.
It has been adapted to other popular media, including several television shows, both live-action and animated, and several feature films, including theatrical and direct-to-video releases.
Coincidentally, a British comic strip of the same name debuted on the same day. The two are not related and change their names subtly in each other's countries of origin to avoid confusion.
Characters and setting Dennis the Menace is set in a middle-class suburban neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas."'Dennis the Menace' creator dies at 81; strip to continue" The Mitchell family lives in a two-story house at the fictional address of 2251 Pine Street.Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2. Christmas Double Feature "I want a..." p. 77. The Wilson family lives next door at 2253 Pine Street.Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2. p. 171. The television series differs, putting the Wilsons at the also-fictional 627 Elm Street.
The Mitchell family
Dennis Roger Mitchell is a freckle-faced five-year-oldDennis the Menace cartoon march-14-2014 boy with a troublesome but soft-hearted and helpful personality. His long-suffering parents, Henry and Alice Mitchell, can only shake their heads and try to explain their son's antics to others, yet they very much love and care for him. The comic efficacy of Dennis's personality lies within how his genuine attempts to help those in need, combined with his youthful energy and enthusiasm, frequently lead to trouble wherever he goes (usually at Mr. Wilson's expense). He wears a black T-shirt with blue stripes, red overalls, and white sneakers. He hates carrots and baths, loves root beer (especially with cookies or brownies), ketchup, sandwiches, water pistols, playing with other boys his age, mud puddles, camping, and Westerns (especially those starring Cowboy Bob, the comic's take on the Lone Ranger), and has occasionally been depicted wearing a cowboy costume.Dennis the Menace comic June 2, 2014 Dennis has a Cowboy Bob Deputy Badge,Dennis the Menace 050 poster, and an autographed picture of Cowboy Bob, as well. Among the running gags: Dennis has a soft spot for animals such as kittens and puppies, which he is always taking home to feed; he loves loud instruments, such as horns and drums, and he ruins Christmas songs with shouts of cowboy songs or annoys adults by shouting out loud.Dennis the Menace Fawcett comic 3 When Dennis is in the local department store trying out toys, such as tricycles, he often ends up breaking them and making his parents buy them. Dennis nearly causes portrait photographers, hairdressers,Dennis the Menace Fawcett Comic #18 kindergarten teachers,Dennis the Menace comic march-27-2014Dennis the Menace 94 bus drivers,Dennis the Menace 25 house heating equipment repairmen,Dennis the Menace 34 the town mayor, barbers,Dennis the Menace # 39 and the local post office workersDennis the Menace Fawcett Comic 61 to have nervous breakdowns when he comes around.For an example of Dennis the Menace chaos in a department store, see "Dennis Goes Christmas Shopping" in Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2. A running gag is that Dennis causes chaos wherever he visits, such as the city park,Dennis the Menace 18 a Marineland Aquarium,Dennis the Menace 165 the US Army,Dennis the Menace 37 and even on vacation trips to MexicoDennis the Menace in Mexico and Hollywood.Dennis the Menace 007 Despite all this, he is a "popular kid" with his peers, having countless friends both at his school and around the neighborhood, who are taken with his fun-loving demeanor. Dennis also believes in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Another running gag is Dennis dreaming that he meets Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and causing chaos for everyone else. Another running gag involves Dennis's ever-changing parade of new babysitters;Dennis the Menace comic June 28, 2019 no one will take the job twice, much to Alice's annoyance.Dennis the Menace comic June 13, 1958Dennis the Menace December 9, 1959Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series 165 Henry Mitchell, age 32,Cast and Crew is Dennis' father, an aeronautical engineer. Henry seems to understand Dennis more than his wife does, especially in affairs of the heart. Like his creator Hank Ketcham, Henry served in the United States Navy; starting position as a quartermaster (helmsman) second class on a US Navy ship,Dennis the Menace # 105 1969 he ended up on an aircraft carrierDennis the Menace 155 and rose to the rank of chief petty officer. Among his hobbies are playing card games such as poker,Dennis the Menace 34 bird watching,Dennis the Menace 43 and playing the ukulele and singing old songs. A running gag is that Henry often plays the straight man dupe—either resulting from Dennis's "helpfulness", or because of his foolishness; once, he tried to save money on a Christmas tree by cutting one down in the country—and ended up paying $20.00 ($10.00 for a fine and $10.00 for the owner charging him for the tree).Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2, "Up a tree" Alice Mitchell, née Aberdeen is Dennis' stay-at-home mother, who is usually the reassuring figure to whom Dennis can run when things get too overwhelming, ready to greet him with a warm hug. Although she grew up among animals on a chicken ranch, a running gag is that Alice is ophidiophobic (she also dislikes mice and white rats, implying she is musiphobic as well).Dennis_the_Menace_050 She is the president of a local bridge club.Dennis the Menace Fawcett Comics 21 Alice is the disciplinarian in the Mitchell household; for example, she punishes Dennis for his misbehavior by having him sit in the corner in a rocking chair for timeout.Dennis the Menace comic february-28-2014Dennis the Menace march-16-2014Dennis the Menace march-18-2014 Ruff is Dennis's dog (a Newfoundland mix) and best friend. He is always eagerly following him around, accompanying him while Dennis is running, or riding his bike or skateboard. Another running gag is that although Ruff chases cats, he is afraid of them.Dennis the Menace 114 Hot Dog is Dennis's rarely seen cat, which usually commiserates with him while he sits in the corner and reflects on his wrongdoings. Dennis gave the cat its name after the cat ate a package of hot dogs.Dennis the Menace No 143 Barney is another cat of the Mitchells. Grandparents Mr. and Mrs. MitchellDennis the Meanace 37 Grampa (Arnold "Swede" Aberdeen) is Alice's father, who spoils Dennis often. He evokes the unintentional jealousy of Mr. Wilson, for he gets to see Dennis occasionally, but Mr. Wilson sees him all the time. Because they are so much alike, Dennis and Grampa Johnson get along well. Mr. Wilson and Grampa have different perspectives on life and how to live it. While Mr. Wilson believes in acting one's age, Grampa encourages Dennis to enjoy life to the fullest. His wife's status is unknown; she is never seen in the comics, although she is mentioned four times—twice when, thanks to Dennis, Alice finds out Henry destroyed his Christmas gift (a tie) from his mother-in-law;Dennis the Menace giant Christmas another time a furious Alice finds out that Henry had thrown his mother-in-law's gift (a tie) into the trash. Another time, Alice wished her mother a Happy Mother's Day by telephone. Grandpa mentions his wife to Dennis, but not her status. Uncle Fred and Aunt MollieDennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2 "Too Many Santas" Uncle Richard and Aunt GinnyDennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #2 Uncle John lives in Florida. The Mitchells visited him once for a vacation.Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #8 Uncle Al lives in Texas and works in the "oil business." He runs a small oil and gas station.Dennis the menace #15 Uncle Charlie Uncle Ernie and Aunt Blanche Aunt Betty Aunt Hetty Aunt Sue
The Wilsons George Everett Wilson Sr. is Dennis's cranky middle-aged next-door neighbor, a retired mail carrier and (at least as far as Dennis is concerned) his best adult friend. Not much is told about his early life except he grew up on a farm, lived through The Great Depression of the 1930s, served in World War II, and is a retired postman. Dennis loves Mr. Wilson, but unintentionally annoys him, as he disrupts Mr. Wilson's attempts at a serene, quiet life; he often interrupts Mr. Wilson's hobbies such as gardening and bird watching, at times accidentally damaging his property. As a result, he displays a less than cordial attitude towards the young boy, though Dennis continues his well-meaning intrusions unabated. He is secretly fond of Dennis and misses him when he is away, although he would never openly admit it. On one occasion when the Mitchells went to Hollywood for two weeks, Mr. Wilson kept seeing Dennis' face everywhere.Dennis the Menace Giant 007 Mr. Wilson is named after a teacher Hank Ketcham knew. Dennis often (especially in the television series) refers to him as "Good Ol' Mr. Wilson." Although a running gag is that Dennis's pranks drive Mr. Wilson crazy, at times Dennis tries to do nice things for Mr. Wilson, such as the time Dennis left Ruff the dog and Hot Dog the cat with Mr. Wilson so he would not be lonely on Father's Day, while Dennis and his father went to a baseball game,"Dennis the Menace" June 20, 2010 or the time Dennis tries to cheer Mr. Wilson up on April Fool's day by placing a fake "Mitchell House for sale" sign up."Dennis the Menace" comic April 2, 2012 Martha Wilson is Mr. Wilson's engaging wife who adores Dennis. Mrs. Wilson freely dotes on him and plies him with freshly baked cookies and milk. Martha sees Dennis as a surrogate grandson. By 1975, George and Martha had been married for 25 years.Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series 142 John Wilson is Mr. Wilson's brother. Eloise Wilson is John's wife and Mr. Wilson's sister-in-law. Earl Wilson is Mr. Wilson's estranged son. Elena Wilson is Earl's wife. Winnie Wilson is Mr. Wilson's granddaughter and Earl's daughter. Walter "Walt" Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson and Earl's son. Keith Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson and Earl's son. Sammy Wilson is Mr. Wilson's grandson and Earl's son. 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 who visited his nephew in 1964.Dennis the Menace Television Special 022 Fawcett comic
Dennis' friends Tommy Anderson is Dennis' best friend (after Mr. Wilson). This character eventually disappeared from the strip, although he does make appearances in the Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun books. Joey McDonald is loyal, timid, and not too bright. He is a year younger than Dennis. He usually plays the sidekick to Dennis's schemes and sees him as a big brother figure. Dennis often gives him naïve advice and gives him little "nuggets" of wisdom and insight.Dennis the Menace 86