Gnasher and Gnipper
Encyclopedia
Gnasher is the pet dog of Dennis the Menace
in the British comic strip Dennis the Menace from The Beano
. First introduced in 1968, in issue 1363 dated 31st August 1968 , seventeen years after Dennis the Menace started in The Beano. Dennis first strip also featured a dog but this was dog was unnamed and looked very different to Gnasher.
Gnasher was created by Ian Gray
(writer) and Davey Law (artist). Ian was just a young writer for the Beano when he and Davey Law came up with Dennis the Menace's famous canine sidekick. As Davey struggled to picture the dog, Ian suggested he simply draw Dennis's hair and "put a leg on each corner and two eyeballs at that end" The result was one of the most enduring images for publishers DC Thomson. Soon after his introduction Gnasher's appearance changed from looking like Dennis' hair on legs to the more dog like recognisable character he is today.
The G on the beginning of both Gnasher and his son Gnipper's names is pronounced silently. Most of their speech bubbles also consist of normal English words beginning with the letter 'n' with a silent G added to the beginning (e.g. Gnight, Gnight).
in the UK
comic
The Beano
that the fictional character
Gnasher used to star in. It ran from issue 1818 (21 May 1977) to 1986, and was drawn by David Sutherland
. In the strip, Gnasher would tell stories from when he was a puppy
.
Although Gnasher's Tale officially ended in 1986, occasional new episodes by Barry Glennard, the artist for Gnasher and Gnipper since 1993, can be seen in annuals (namely the 2001 and 2007 ones).
1990 as a 16 page story entitled Who's Gnicked Gnasher, Gnipper (alongside a whole litter of Gnasher's puppies) was introduced to the comic the character first appeared in issue 2286, dated 10 May 1986. During this story arc the Gnasher's tale strip was replaced with Foo Foo's Fairy Story, Foo Foo being the pet poodle
of Walter the Softy (another character from the Dennis strip). After Gnipper's introduction Gnasher's tale was replaced by a new strip entitled Gnasher and Gnipper. This story arc also introduced Gnasher's daughters: Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, Gnorah and Gnancy, although these are rarely seen. Gnatasha had her own strip in The Beezer
and Topper
, and appeared in the Beezer Book 1994.
Gnasher and Gnipper was a comic strip
in The Beano
starring the dog
Gnasher (from Dennis the Menace
), his son Gnipper, Dennis' Father and Dennis' Mother. It does not always feature Dennis himself, or his sister Bea
. However Dennis was the owner of both dogs. The strip first appeared on November 1, 1986, replacing Gnasher's Tale. It was originally drawn by Dennis artist David Sutherland
, but was later taken up by Barry Glennard
around 1993, who drew the vast majority of subsequent stories.
Gnipper has one long triangular tooth and otherwise looks almost exactly like his father. He loves to chase cat
s. The dogs get up to lots of mischief. They are both Abyssinia
n Wire Haired Tripe hounds. Gnasher also has five daughters, Gnancy, Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, and Gnora, all of whom resemble smaller versions of Gnasher with white fur. They rarely appear in the strip, and it has been suggested they live with their unnamed mother. The two dogs share a common canine enemy, in the form of Walter the Softy
's pet poodle Foo Foo
, who they are very commonly seen menacing.
In 2008, Dennis the Menace received a second strip in the comic, appearing on the inside back pages in most issues as well as on the front each week. As a result, Gnasher and Gnipper began to make less frequent appearances in the comic, although in 2009 they made a brief return as several reprints of earlier 1990s Barry Glennard strips appeared in the comic. The strip did not appear after Dennis the Menace was revamped for his 2009 CBBC TV series, as Gnipper's backstory was changed so that he now lived with Dennis's Granny.
Dennis 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...
in the British comic strip Dennis the Menace from 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...
. First introduced in 1968, in issue 1363 dated 31st August 1968 , seventeen years after Dennis the Menace started in The Beano. Dennis first strip also featured a dog but this was dog was unnamed and looked very different to Gnasher.
Gnasher was created by Ian Gray
Ian Gray
Ian James Gray is an English former professional footballer, who made 163 appearances in the Football League as a goalkeeper playing for Rochdale, Stockport County, Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town....
(writer) and Davey Law (artist). Ian was just a young writer for the Beano when he and Davey Law came up with Dennis the Menace's famous canine sidekick. As Davey struggled to picture the dog, Ian suggested he simply draw Dennis's hair and "put a leg on each corner and two eyeballs at that end" The result was one of the most enduring images for publishers DC Thomson. Soon after his introduction Gnasher's appearance changed from looking like Dennis' hair on legs to the more dog like recognisable character he is today.
The G on the beginning of both Gnasher and his son Gnipper's names is pronounced silently. Most of their speech bubbles also consist of normal English words beginning with the letter 'n' with a silent G added to the beginning (e.g. Gnight, Gnight).
Gnasher's Tale
After being in the Dennis strip for nine years Gnasher eventually gained his own strip entitled Gnasher's Tale. Gnasher's Tale was a comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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...
that the fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Gnasher used to star in. It ran from issue 1818 (21 May 1977) to 1986, and was drawn by David Sutherland
David Sutherland
David Sutherland is an artist with DC Thomson, responsible for The Bash Street Kids , Dennis the Menace for The Beano, Fred's Bed and the second version of Jak for The Dandy in the early 2000s...
. In the strip, Gnasher would tell stories from when he was a puppy
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
.
Although Gnasher's Tale officially ended in 1986, occasional new episodes by Barry Glennard, the artist for Gnasher and Gnipper since 1993, can be seen in annuals (namely the 2001 and 2007 ones).
Gnasher and Gnipper
Following a story arc in 1986 which was reprinted in the Dennis the Menace AnnualDennis the Menace Annual
The Dennis and Gnasher Annual is the current name of the book that has been published since 1955 to tie in with the children's comic The Beano, specifically the Dennis the Menace comic strip. there have been 39 over the years...
1990 as a 16 page story entitled Who's Gnicked Gnasher, Gnipper (alongside a whole litter of Gnasher's puppies) was introduced to the comic the character first appeared in issue 2286, dated 10 May 1986. During this story arc the Gnasher's tale strip was replaced with Foo Foo's Fairy Story, Foo Foo being the pet poodle
Poodle
The Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
of Walter the Softy (another character from the Dennis strip). After Gnipper's introduction Gnasher's tale was replaced by a new strip entitled Gnasher and Gnipper. This story arc also introduced Gnasher's daughters: Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, Gnorah and Gnancy, although these are rarely seen. Gnatasha had her own strip in The Beezer
Beezer
The Beezer was a British comic that ran from 21 January 1956 to 21 August 1993,...
and Topper
Topper (comic book)
The Topper was a UK comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer....
, and appeared in the Beezer Book 1994.
Gnasher and Gnipper was a comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
in 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...
starring the dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
Gnasher (from Dennis the Menace
Dennis 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...
), his son Gnipper, Dennis' Father and Dennis' Mother. It does not always feature Dennis himself, or his sister Bea
Bea (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:...
. However Dennis was the owner of both dogs. The strip first appeared on November 1, 1986, replacing Gnasher's Tale. It was originally drawn by Dennis artist David Sutherland
David Sutherland
David Sutherland is an artist with DC Thomson, responsible for The Bash Street Kids , Dennis the Menace for The Beano, Fred's Bed and the second version of Jak for The Dandy in the early 2000s...
, but was later taken up by Barry Glennard
Barry Glennard
Barry Glennard is a British comics artist who works mainly for Scottish publisher D. C. Thomson & Co.. He has drawn a number of strips for The Beano over the years including Pansy Potter, The Beano Birds, Gnasher and Gnipper and The Numskulls. Only one of these four currently remains in The Beano...
around 1993, who drew the vast majority of subsequent stories.
Gnipper has one long triangular tooth and otherwise looks almost exactly like his father. He loves to chase cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s. The dogs get up to lots of mischief. They are both Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
n Wire Haired Tripe hounds. Gnasher also has five daughters, Gnancy, Gnatasha, Gnaomi, Gnanette, and Gnora, all of whom resemble smaller versions of Gnasher with white fur. They rarely appear in the strip, and it has been suggested they live with their unnamed mother. The two dogs share a common canine enemy, in the form of Walter the Softy
Walter The Softy
Walter the Softy, or Softy Walter as he is sometimes called, is the fictional antagonist of Dennis the Menace in the British children's comic The Beano. He made his first appearance in the Beano in 1953. He is a prime target of Dennis and his friends...
's pet poodle Foo Foo
Foo Foo
Foo Foo is a little white/pink pet poodle belonging to fictional comic strip character, Walter the Softy in The Beano. Foo Foo's main enemy in The Beano is Dennis's pet dog Gnasher. His character and personality is much like that of Walter's...
, who they are very commonly seen menacing.
In 2008, Dennis the Menace received a second strip in the comic, appearing on the inside back pages in most issues as well as on the front each week. As a result, Gnasher and Gnipper began to make less frequent appearances in the comic, although in 2009 they made a brief return as several reprints of earlier 1990s Barry Glennard strips appeared in the comic. The strip did not appear after Dennis the Menace was revamped for his 2009 CBBC TV series, as Gnipper's backstory was changed so that he now lived with Dennis's Granny.
