Lord Snooty
Encyclopedia
Lord Snooty was a fictional character
in a comic strip
in the UK
comic
The Beano
, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
overtook it. The central character was Lord Marmaduke of Bunkerton, known to his friends as Snooty, a very ordinary boy who just happens to be an Earl
.
The strip was mostly drawn by Dudley D. Watkins
until his death in 1969, though Leo Baxendale
and Albert Holroyd occasionally filled in for Watkins. The strip had an 18 month hiatus from the comic between June 1949 and December 1950. It was at this point that Snooty's original pals (from Ash Can Alley) were replaced with his new pals who lived in the castle. Some of these had previously appeared in other Beano strips. Robert Nixon
then drew it for the next few years, before being succeeded by Jimmy Glen in 1973. Ken H. Harrison
took over in 1988, and continued to draw it until the strip disappeared from The Beano in 1990. Lord Snooty was the only remaining strip left from the first issue when it was cancelled.
In 2000, Lord Snooty made a special appearance in the Bash Street Kids Book 2001, along with Snitch and Snatch.
In 2005 Snooty was revived, briefly, in the Beano serial Are We There Yet? by writer-artist Kev F Sutherland, in which he goes hip-hop as Snoot Doggy-Dogg.
Over the years, the strip featured the following characters:
He and his friends have featured in the comic every now and again since the strip was retired, usually in minor cameos. Major appearances include issue 3093 (dated 27 October 2001) where a one off strip called 'Lord Snooty's Day Out' appeared (drawn again by Ken H. Harrison), and in issue 3185 (dated 2 August 2003) where as part of the 65th anniversary issue he made a guest appearance alongside The Bash Street Kids
. Big Fat Joe also guest appeared in that issue, alongside Billy Whizz
.
On 9 September 1998, a book entitled The Legend of Lord Snooty and his Pals (ISBN 0-85116-691-1) was released. This contained a history and reprints from the first 30 years of the strip's life.
The strip inspired Dave Snooty and his Pals, a Private Eye
strip which mocks David Cameron
and the alleged "Eton
Mafia".
Lord Snooty is most likely deceased, as his grandson Lord Snooty the Third has inherited his fortune.
.
Snooty III also has a long-suffering and sarcastic butler named Parkinson. He has also formed his own gang, consisting of an adolescent named Naz, a young Black girl named Frankie, Emo
, and One and Three the triplets (who claim that two does not 'hang out' with them much).
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...
in 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 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...
, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
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...
overtook it. The central character was Lord Marmaduke of Bunkerton, known to his friends as Snooty, a very ordinary boy who just happens to be an Earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
.
The strip was mostly drawn by Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley Dexter Watkins was a British cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie and The Broons; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post since 1936, along with annual compilations...
until his death in 1969, though Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum , Minnie the Minx , The Bash Street Kids and The Three Bears .Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he...
and Albert Holroyd occasionally filled in for Watkins. The strip had an 18 month hiatus from the comic between June 1949 and December 1950. It was at this point that Snooty's original pals (from Ash Can Alley) were replaced with his new pals who lived in the castle. Some of these had previously appeared in other Beano strips. Robert Nixon
Robert Nixon (artist)
Robert Nixon was an artist who worked on several British comics.Bob was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire on July 7, 1939. He was the fifth of six children born to Arthur Nixon and Phylis Thompson. Robert's mother Phylis worked as a housewife while his father worked locally...
then drew it for the next few years, before being succeeded by Jimmy Glen in 1973. Ken H. Harrison
Ken H. Harrison
Ken H. Harrison is an artist at DC Thomson, who drew Robbie Rebel, Big Brad Wolf and Lord Snooty for The Beano, The Hoot Squad for Hoot , The Broons and Oor Wullie for the Sunday Post, Skookum Skool, Spookum Skool and The Snookums for Buzz and Cracker comics.He drew Desperate Dan for The Dandy...
took over in 1988, and continued to draw it until the strip disappeared from The Beano in 1990. Lord Snooty was the only remaining strip left from the first issue when it was cancelled.
In 2000, Lord Snooty made a special appearance in the Bash Street Kids Book 2001, along with Snitch and Snatch.
In 2005 Snooty was revived, briefly, in the Beano serial Are We There Yet? by writer-artist Kev F Sutherland, in which he goes hip-hop as Snoot Doggy-Dogg.
Over the years, the strip featured the following characters:
- Snooty
- Aunt Matilda - Snooty's guardian, nicknamed Aunt Mat.
- Samuel - the castle guard.
- Snooty's original pals (who appeared to live with him in Bunkerton Castle):
- Skinny Lizzie - thin girl, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
- Hairpin Huggins - tall thin boy, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
- Happy Hutton - unhappy boy, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
- Gertie the Goat - a goat, member of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
- Scrapper Smith - loves to fight, originally member of Ash Can Alley gang, stayed on to live in castle. The character gained his own strip in 1955 which lasted until 1959. (1938–1990)
- Rosie - short blonde girl loves to cook, originally part of Ash Can Alley gang, and stayed on to live in castle (1938–1990)
- Snitch and Snatch - identical twins who cause mischief and mayhem. They did not appear in the first issue but joined Snooty's pals later on in 1938. (1938–1990)
- Snooty's later pals (who became his pals in the strip's second series):
- Joe - very fat and greedy. (a.k.a. Big Fat Joe) First appeared in Beano no 1, had his own strip, joined Snooty in 1950 (1938,1950–1990)
- Liz - a very tall girl. (a.k.a. Swanky Lanky Liz) Joined Snooty in 1950. Previously had her own strip from 1948 to 1949. In this strip the character was shown as a swanky stuck up (with a nose which literally stuck up) snobSnobA snob is someone who believes that some people are inherently inferior to him or her for any one of a variety of reasons, including real or supposed intellect, wealth, education, ancestry, taste, beauty, nationality, et cetera. Often, the form of snobbery reflects the snob's personal attributes...
these traits were lessened when she became one of Lordy Snooty's pals.(1948-1990) - Thomas - an indecisive boy, whose hair was shaped like a question mark, he originally had his own strip entitled Doubting ThomasDoubting ThomasA Doubting Thomas is someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; a skeptic.-Origin:The term is based on the Biblical account of Thomas the Apostle, a disciple of Jesus who doubted Jesus' resurrection and demanded to feel Jesus' wounds before being...
(1949–1990) - Polly - a black girl. (1950s-1985)
- Other characters:
- Professor Screwtop, inventor who appears sometimes to help out the gang. He occasionally appeared in other Beano strips such as the Bash Street Kids.
- Angus, Snooty's pet stagSTAGSTAG: A Test of Love is a reality TV show hosted by Tommy Habeeb. Each episode profiles an engaged couple a week or two before their wedding. The cameras then follow the groom on his bachelor party...
. - Pongo, a dog originally from the strip Polly Wolly Doodle and her Great Big Poodle.
- Cyril, The Castle JackdawJackdawThe Jackdaw , sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or Western Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly sedentary, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter. Four subspecies are...
. - Mary, A mule originally had her own strip called Contrary Mary which was in the Beano's first issue, she joined Snooty's gang in 1950.
- The Gasworks Gang, sworn enemies of Snooty and his pals.
He and his friends have featured in the comic every now and again since the strip was retired, usually in minor cameos. Major appearances include issue 3093 (dated 27 October 2001) where a one off strip called 'Lord Snooty's Day Out' appeared (drawn again by Ken H. Harrison), and in issue 3185 (dated 2 August 2003) where as part of the 65th anniversary issue he made a guest appearance alongside The Bash Street Kids
The Bash Street Kids
The 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...
. Big Fat Joe also guest appeared in that issue, alongside Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz
Billy 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...
.
On 9 September 1998, a book entitled The Legend of Lord Snooty and his Pals (ISBN 0-85116-691-1) was released. This contained a history and reprints from the first 30 years of the strip's life.
The strip inspired Dave Snooty and his Pals, a Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
strip which mocks David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and the alleged "Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
Mafia".
Lord Snooty is most likely deceased, as his grandson Lord Snooty the Third has inherited his fortune.
Lord Snooty the Third
The 5 July 2008 issue of The Beano, number 3439, included a new version of the strip drawn by Nigel Parkinson. It is about a mischievous boy who lives in a castle, the first strip showing Snooty jetskiing on Lake Snooty. Although it was originally entered as part of the New Bash Street Kid competition, the following issue, number 3440, establishes that this character is indeed Marmaduke's grandson, showing a distinctive and recognisable "Grandad" in the family portrait gallery. Later on, Snooty the Third became a spy, parodying James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
.
Snooty III also has a long-suffering and sarcastic butler named Parkinson. He has also formed his own gang, consisting of an adolescent named Naz, a young Black girl named Frankie, Emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
, and One and Three the triplets (who claim that two does not 'hang out' with them much).