Fun Size Comics
Encyclopedia
The Fun Size Beano and Fun Size Dandy were small-format, full-colour children's comics, originally published four times monthly by DC Thomson and Co. Ltd between 1997 and 2010. They replaced the Beano and Dandy Comic Libraries, originally printed in red
, white
and black
and published from 1982 to 1997. The Beano Comic Libraries lasted for 368 issues and their Dandy counterparts lasted for 344 issues. There were also comic library specials, The Beano Comic Library Specials being puzzle books and lasting for 87 issues (1988-1994) and the Dandy Comic Library Specials being cartoon books, featuring a number of single page comic strips and these lasted for 88 issues (1987-1994).
The comics were spin-offs of the weekly comics, The Beano
and The Dandy
. Two of each title would appear each month; they later appeared one Beano and one Dandy Fun Size every fortnight, rather than two of each at a time. This meant there was now two extra issues of each title per year.
As of 2006 two comics a month were reprints from the 1990s, but as of 2007 all four became reprint-only. Fun Size Beano and Fun Size Dandy were both discontinued in November 2010 due to low sales.
, alongside some new strips by Barrie Appleby and Nigel Parkinson. Another two new characters were Stunt Boy drawn by Nick Brennan
and Lester the Jester.
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
, white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
and black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
and published from 1982 to 1997. The Beano Comic Libraries lasted for 368 issues and their Dandy counterparts lasted for 344 issues. There were also comic library specials, The Beano Comic Library Specials being puzzle books and lasting for 87 issues (1988-1994) and the Dandy Comic Library Specials being cartoon books, featuring a number of single page comic strips and these lasted for 88 issues (1987-1994).
The comics were spin-offs of the weekly comics, The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
and The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
. Two of each title would appear each month; they later appeared one Beano and one Dandy Fun Size every fortnight, rather than two of each at a time. This meant there was now two extra issues of each title per year.
As of 2006 two comics a month were reprints from the 1990s, but as of 2007 all four became reprint-only. Fun Size Beano and Fun Size Dandy were both discontinued in November 2010 due to low sales.
Special Version
For a period, if readers joined The Beano Club, subscribers would receive a special version of a Fun Size Beano, called the Beano Club Special. This was originally printed in 1999, and contained some reprints from 1980s annualsThe Beano Annual
The Beano Annual is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1939, to tie in with the children's comic The Beano. there have been 73 editions They are traditionally published in August, in time for Christmas, and since 1965 they have had the date of the following year...
, alongside some new strips by Barrie Appleby and Nigel Parkinson. Another two new characters were Stunt Boy drawn by Nick Brennan
Nick Brennan
Nick Brennan is a British cartoonist who works mainly for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. He started drawing for the company in 1993, drawing a revival of Peter Piper From The Dandy, revived from The Magic Comic, but looking nothing like Watkins' creation, instead sporting an elvis-like hairdo and purple...
and Lester the Jester.
Characters in Fun Size Beano
- Ball Boy
- Dennis the MenaceDennis the Menace (UK)Dennis the Menace, later called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher and now Dennis and Gnasher, is a long-running comic strip in the British children's comic The Beano, published by D. C...
- Ivy the TerribleIvy the TerribleIvy the Terrible is a fictional character featured in The Beano. The strip involves a four-year-old girl whose mischievous antics are a constant annoyance to her parents.-Introduction:...
- Minnie the MinxMinnie the MinxMinnie the Minx is a fictional character in the British comic The Beano. Created and originally drawn by Leo Baxendale, she first appeared in issue 596, dated 19 December 1953 making her the third longest running Beano character, behind only Dennis the Menace and Roger the Dodger...
- The Bash Street KidsThe Bash Street KidsThe Bash Street Kids is an ongoing comic strip featuring in the British comic The Beano. The strip was created by Leo Baxendale under the title When the Bell Rings, and first appeared in The Beano in issue 604, dated 13 February 1954. It became The Bash Street Kids in 1956 and since then, it has...
- Billy WhizzBilly WhizzBilly Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability...
- Roger the DodgerRoger the DodgerThis is the article for The Beano comic strip, for other uses please see Roger the Dodger Roger the Dodger is a fictional character featured regularly in the UK comic The Beano...
- Les PretendLes PretendLesley Presley Pretend is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. Originally drawn by John Sherwood, he first appeared in issue 2493, dated 28 April 1990. In each issue, Les pretends to be something and dresses up like it, beginning with a martian in his debut...
- The NumskullsThe NumskullsThe Numskulls is a comic strip in The Beano, a UK comic. The strip is about some tiny human like creatures that live inside the head of Edd Case , a boy, and control his actions.The Numskulls are:...
- Little PlumLittle PlumLittle Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
- Tim TravellerTim TravellerTim Traveller was a fictional character and comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. He first appeared in issue 2862, dated 24 May 1997, as part of a continuing set of six new comic strips where the one with the most votes would be voted into the comic by readers.The first strip featured Tim looking...
- Bash Street Bugs
- BeaBea (Dennis the Menace character)Bea, is a fictional character in the UK comic strip Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, from The Beano. She is Dennis' baby sister, born in issue 2931, dated 19 September 1998.-Introduction to The Beano:...
occasionally. - BiffoBiffo the BearBiffo the Bear was a fictional character who had his own comic strip in the British comic The Beano. Biffo was an anthropomorphic bear resembling Mickey Mouse who gained the front cover of the comic starting from issue 327, dated January 24, 1948, replacing Big Eggo...
- Stunt Boy
- Lester the Jester
- Erbert from the Bash Street Kids.
Characters in Fun Size Dandy
- Desperate DanDesperate DanDesperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. He first appeared in its first issue, dated 4 December 1937. He is apparently the world's strongest man, able to lift a cow with one hand. Even his beard is so tough he has to shave with a blowtorch.-History:The strip was...
- Puss 'n' BootsPuss 'n' BootsPuss 'n' Boots were a character pair, cat and dog in the Sparky comic. Obviously inspired by Tom and Jerry and other madcap American cartoons, and drawn by John Geering of Bananaman fame, the occasional script was written by the later Dandy editor Morris Heggie...
- Beryl the PerilBeryl the PerilBeryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
- Cuddles and DimplesCuddles and DimplesCuddles and Dimples are fictional characters in the UK comic The Dandy. The stories are based around two toddler brothers who like to cause double the trouble whether they go, much to the dismay of their parents, who in the earlier strips, were referred to as Daddums and Mumsie...
- Owen GoalOwen GoalOwen Goal was a fictional character from the British comic The Dandy. It centres around a schoolboy who plays for a school football team. The comic strip is one page long and features Owen's interaction with his overweight, lazy and incompetent coach...
- BlinkyBlinky (comic strip character)Blinky was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy, about a boy with large, thick glasses and the chaos he always causes, as what he sees through his glasses is a galaxy different from the rest of the world...
- Cowrin Wolf
- Strange Hill School
- Desperate Dawg
Additional characters from other comics
- I Spy (Sparky)
- Dreamy Daniel (Sparky)
- Badd Lads (The Beezer)
- Tiny (Topper)
- Scoopy (NuttyNuttyNutty was a British comic that ran for 292 issues from 16 February 1980 to 14 September 1985, when it merged with The Dandy. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Nutty was an attempt to create a more lively and chaotic comic compared to many on sale at the time. Its strips included:* Bananaman as...
)
Characters who were exclusive to Fun Size comics
- MarzipanMarzipanMarzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. Persipan is a similar, yet less expensive product, in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels...
King of the Jungle, - Salty Sam,
- Luncheon Vulture,