The Perishers
Encyclopedia
The Perishers was a British
comic strip
about a group of urban children and a dog. It began in the Daily Mirror on 19th October 1959 and was written for most of its life by Maurice Dodd
(October 25, 1922 – December 31, 2005). It was drawn by Dennis Collins until his retirement in 1983, after which it was drawn by Dodd and later by Bill Mevin. After Dodd's death the strip continued with several weeks' backlog of strips and some reprints until June 10, 2006. The strip returned, again as reprints, on February 22, 2010, replacing Pooch Café
.
Its elements of eccentric British sense of humour, combined with its detailed art style (in its heyday, Collins produced some of the most finely detailed artwork ever seen in a daily strip), sets it apart from many other strips.
Many Perishers strips are polyptych
s - a single continuous background image is divided into three or four panels and the characters move across it from panel to panel. The story is set in the fairly drab fictional town of Croynge (sometimes spelled Crunge), which is apparently a south London
borough - the name is derived from Croydon
and Penge
. However, visually the location often resembles an industrial Northern town and may have its roots in how Croydon, Penge and the towns between them appeared in the 1950s. Collins's artwork in particular gives the town detailed, realistic architecture and a consistent geography.
Thematically, the strip draws upon nostalgic
childhood experiences, and often has a static, almost limbo-like atmosphere, in a similar manner to its companion strip, Andy Capp
. The main characters largely exist independently of 'the real world', and adults are rarely seen; for example, every year the Perishers go on holiday
but always get thrown off the train home, forcing them to walk and arrive home several weeks late (a joke on how a short scene in comic book time
can take several weeks when told in daily installments), yet with seemingly no repercussions.
pipe section in a seemingly abandoned builder's yard. In 1966 he and Boot moved into a small railway station
that had been closed by the Beeching Axe
, and they have lived there ever since.
Wellington is quite an intellectual and given to philosophical trains of thought. He can also be quite resourceful - he appears to support himself by selling hand made wooden buggies
and pilfering food from sympathetic local shops, or convoluted schemes to create sudden crowds
in order to celebrate his birthday on October 25 (which also happens to be Maurice Dodd's Birthday). Wellington can also be something of a worrier, always concerned that the world is going to rack an' rooney (rack and ruin). Over the years he has worried that the world is becoming clogged up with dirt, that people might get crushed by the weight of air above their heads, and that each new year might be the same old year recycled to save money. Actually there might be something in that; Wellington (unlike the majority of comic characters) has noticed that he and his friends never seem to get any older. On those rare occasions when he cheers up a small raincloud usually appears to dampen his spirits.
who lives with his boy, Wellington. Boot is a generally affable and mellow character, given to flights of fancy and daydreaming. Boot is also convinced that he is in fact an 18th century English lord enchanted into a dog by a gypsy wench (as he puts it, I knew I should have bought those damn clothespegs!) - the strip gives occasional hints that this is actually true as opposed to another fantasy. As a lord, he demands to be treated with respect, and often tells Wellington so to his face. Unfortunately Wellington only hears barking. Wellington thinks Boot is lazy and should help out with the household chores, but Boot usually manages to find some way to "accidentally" mess things up in the hope that he won't be asked again. He hates taking baths, and his bathtime struggles with Wellington usually turn into epic battles.
Boot was originally drawn with a short tail (on one occasion he met a bob-tailed sheepdog, and on hearing the name decided to call his own tail Fred), but Maurice Dodd later discovered that real Old English Sheepdogs' tails are docked, and so over the course of several years Collins drew his tail shorter and shorter until it vanished altogether - Boot still appears completely white, rare for the breed.
"Who is the Mother of Boot?" was a long-running mystery until a reader informed Wellington that Boot's dam was named "Cherry Blossom." ("Cherry Blossom" happens to be a brand of boot polish).
, the wheel
, the horse and cart
and so forth - had already been invented by someone else did not deter him, because he felt he was slowly catching up. One of his culinary inventions did make a splash - literally: the inch-thick ketchup
sandwich
(subsequently renamed the 2.5cm-thick ketchup sandwich when Marlon decided to go metric). The splash in question occurred whenever he bit into one, caused by a huge dollop of ketchup hitting whoever happened to be standing nearby. The sandwich is used as a recurring gag, occasionally replaced with other types of filling for variety.
Marlon also dreams of becoming either a brain surgeon
(which he pronounces brane surgeon), or a bloke wot goes down sewer
s in big rubber boots - he considers either career to be equally prestigious. In the meantime he spends his pocket money on Wellington's buggies, which usually results in a battle between Wellington's persuasive skills and Maisie's desire for him to spend the money on her.
. She is scared of insect
s and spider
s; on one occasion when Wellington tells her that the field they are walking through may contain thousands of hidden insects she is too terrified to move. She is in love with Marlon and continues to pursue him despite his continual resistance - their relationship has been described as a one sided love triangle. She imagines herself and Marlon as the heroine and hero of a romantic novel - he bold as a hawk, she soft as a dove. In reality, of course, she is as tough as nails and he is as thick as a plank.
. In the early days of the strip he did not speak, because he knew that once he started he would be expected to keep talking all the time. When he finally began to speak he did so in lower case letters. In the early days of the strip he was not related to the other characters, but was later revealed to be Maisie's little brother (a retcon
- in an earlier strip Maisie had referred to Baby Grumpling's parents as if they were not her own). He enjoys causing mischief by digging holes in the garden (which he always blames on worm
s or mole
s) and by putting insects into Maisie's underwear drawer. He used to think that school
was a kind of prison
from which the older Perishers were temporarily released each evening. He often discusses philosophy with the new baby (an unseen character
in a pram).
's final Peanuts strip.
A paragraph headed "Imperishable" in the editorial "Voice of the Mirror" column reads: "ON Page 46 of today's Mirror we bid a fond farewell to Britain's oldest schoolchildren, The Perishers. Written and drawn by the late Maurice Dodd, the cartoon strip characters Boot, Wellington, Maisie, Marlon and Baby Grumplin' have been delighting the young at heart in the Mirror since 1957. But as Boot would say: Cripes, it's all over now." http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/voiceofthemirror/tm_objectid=17208078%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
The strip was initially replaced by the short-lived Ronaldinho
, during the then-ongoing World Cup
. After the tournament ended, a more permanent replacement appeared in the form of American import Pooch Cafe
which, while being better received overall than Ronaldinho, was felt by some to be too American-orientated in its humour, and left readers missing the typically British humour of Perishers.
Additionally, over the years there have been a number of cheaply-printed reprint collections in paperback, all of which went out of print quickly. Given the quality of Collins' artwork, and the strip's extreme longevity, it is perhaps unfortunate that there are no archive collections available.
version of The Perishers appeared on BBC1. Leonard Rossiter
provided the voice of Boot.
, and also credits Nicky James
and Barbara Sexton with vocals.
1. Ole Boot and Me (Wellington) 2. Battle of Vindaloo (B.H. Calcutta)* 3. Pervided I Get My Way (Maisie) 4. Eyeballs in the Sky (the Crabs)* 5. Dreaming (Wellington)
Side 2:
1. Boot (Boot)* 2. At Least We've Got Each Other (Wellington) 3. Speed Demon (Marlon) 4. Für Adolf (Adolf Kilroy)
5. It's Great to be a Kid (all the kids)
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 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....
about a group of urban children and a dog. It began in the Daily Mirror on 19th October 1959 and was written for most of its life by Maurice Dodd
Maurice Dodd
Maurice Dodd was an English writer and cartoonist most notable for his years spent working on The Perishers comic strip published in The Daily Mirror.-Biography:...
(October 25, 1922 – December 31, 2005). It was drawn by Dennis Collins until his retirement in 1983, after which it was drawn by Dodd and later by Bill Mevin. After Dodd's death the strip continued with several weeks' backlog of strips and some reprints until June 10, 2006. The strip returned, again as reprints, on February 22, 2010, replacing Pooch Café
Pooch Café
Pooch Café is a Canadian and American comic strip written and illustrated by Paul Gilligan.- Overview :Pooch Café is a comic strip that follows the humorous antics of a self-serving, squirrel-fearing, food-obsessed, toilet-drinking mutt named Poncho....
.
Its elements of eccentric British sense of humour, combined with its detailed art style (in its heyday, Collins produced some of the most finely detailed artwork ever seen in a daily strip), sets it apart from many other strips.
Many Perishers strips are polyptych
Polyptych
A polyptych generally refers to a painting which is divided into sections, or panels. The terminology that follows is in relevance to the number of panels integrated into a particular piece of work: "diptych" describes a two-part work of art; "triptych" describes a three-part work; "tetraptych"...
s - a single continuous background image is divided into three or four panels and the characters move across it from panel to panel. The story is set in the fairly drab fictional town of Croynge (sometimes spelled Crunge), which is apparently a south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
borough - the name is derived from Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and Penge
Penge
Penge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...
. However, visually the location often resembles an industrial Northern town and may have its roots in how Croydon, Penge and the towns between them appeared in the 1950s. Collins's artwork in particular gives the town detailed, realistic architecture and a consistent geography.
Thematically, the strip draws upon nostalgic
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
childhood experiences, and often has a static, almost limbo-like atmosphere, in a similar manner to its companion strip, Andy Capp
Andy Capp
Andy Capp is a British comic strip created by cartoonist Reg Smythe , seen in The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Mirror newspapers since 5 August 1957. Originally a single-panel cartoon, Smyth later expanded it to four panels....
. The main characters largely exist independently of 'the real world', and adults are rarely seen; for example, every year the Perishers go on holiday
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
but always get thrown off the train home, forcing them to walk and arrive home several weeks late (a joke on how a short scene in comic book time
Floating timeline
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.A...
can take several weeks when told in daily installments), yet with seemingly no repercussions.
Wellington
An impoverished orphan boy who lives with his dog, Boot. In the early days of the strip they lived in an approximately 10-foot (3 m) diameter concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
pipe section in a seemingly abandoned builder's yard. In 1966 he and Boot moved into a small railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
that had been closed by the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, and they have lived there ever since.
Wellington is quite an intellectual and given to philosophical trains of thought. He can also be quite resourceful - he appears to support himself by selling hand made wooden buggies
Soapbox (car)
A gravity racer is a motorless vehicle capable of holding a driver built for the purpose of racing or recreation. They are propelled by gravity and can achieve speeds upwards of 112 km/h .-Soapbox cars:...
and pilfering food from sympathetic local shops, or convoluted schemes to create sudden crowds
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
in order to celebrate his birthday on October 25 (which also happens to be Maurice Dodd's Birthday). Wellington can also be something of a worrier, always concerned that the world is going to rack an' rooney (rack and ruin). Over the years he has worried that the world is becoming clogged up with dirt, that people might get crushed by the weight of air above their heads, and that each new year might be the same old year recycled to save money. Actually there might be something in that; Wellington (unlike the majority of comic characters) has noticed that he and his friends never seem to get any older. On those rare occasions when he cheers up a small raincloud usually appears to dampen his spirits.
Boot
An Old English SheepdogOld English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog which was developed in England from early herding types of dog. The Old English Sheepdog has very long fur covering the face and eyes...
who lives with his boy, Wellington. Boot is a generally affable and mellow character, given to flights of fancy and daydreaming. Boot is also convinced that he is in fact an 18th century English lord enchanted into a dog by a gypsy wench (as he puts it, I knew I should have bought those damn clothespegs!) - the strip gives occasional hints that this is actually true as opposed to another fantasy. As a lord, he demands to be treated with respect, and often tells Wellington so to his face. Unfortunately Wellington only hears barking. Wellington thinks Boot is lazy and should help out with the household chores, but Boot usually manages to find some way to "accidentally" mess things up in the hope that he won't be asked again. He hates taking baths, and his bathtime struggles with Wellington usually turn into epic battles.
Boot was originally drawn with a short tail (on one occasion he met a bob-tailed sheepdog, and on hearing the name decided to call his own tail Fred), but Maurice Dodd later discovered that real Old English Sheepdogs' tails are docked, and so over the course of several years Collins drew his tail shorter and shorter until it vanished altogether - Boot still appears completely white, rare for the breed.
"Who is the Mother of Boot?" was a long-running mystery until a reader informed Wellington that Boot's dam was named "Cherry Blossom." ("Cherry Blossom" happens to be a brand of boot polish).
Marlon
Marlon is not very bright, but this has not dampened his ambitions. He once tried his hand at inventing. The fact that all of his inventions - fireFire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, the wheel
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
, the horse and cart
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
and so forth - had already been invented by someone else did not deter him, because he felt he was slowly catching up. One of his culinary inventions did make a splash - literally: the inch-thick ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
(subsequently renamed the 2.5cm-thick ketchup sandwich when Marlon decided to go metric). The splash in question occurred whenever he bit into one, caused by a huge dollop of ketchup hitting whoever happened to be standing nearby. The sandwich is used as a recurring gag, occasionally replaced with other types of filling for variety.
Marlon also dreams of becoming either a brain surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
(which he pronounces brane surgeon), or a bloke wot goes down sewer
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
s in big rubber boots - he considers either career to be equally prestigious. In the meantime he spends his pocket money on Wellington's buggies, which usually results in a battle between Wellington's persuasive skills and Maisie's desire for him to spend the money on her.
Maisie
An adorable little girl - at least according to her. In fact she is somewhat unfeminine and has a tendency to become violent if she doesn't get her own way, with a scream that can stun woodwormWoodworm
A woodworm is not a specific species. It is the larval stage of certain woodboring beetles including:*Ambrosia beetles *Bark borer beetle / Waney edge borer *Common furniture beetle...
. She is scared of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s; on one occasion when Wellington tells her that the field they are walking through may contain thousands of hidden insects she is too terrified to move. She is in love with Marlon and continues to pursue him despite his continual resistance - their relationship has been described as a one sided love triangle. She imagines herself and Marlon as the heroine and hero of a romantic novel - he bold as a hawk, she soft as a dove. In reality, of course, she is as tough as nails and he is as thick as a plank.
Baby Grumpling
A toddler, possibly named after the "Baby Dumpling" character in the US Blondie (comic strip)Blondie (comic strip)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
. In the early days of the strip he did not speak, because he knew that once he started he would be expected to keep talking all the time. When he finally began to speak he did so in lower case letters. In the early days of the strip he was not related to the other characters, but was later revealed to be Maisie's little brother (a retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
- in an earlier strip Maisie had referred to Baby Grumpling's parents as if they were not her own). He enjoys causing mischief by digging holes in the garden (which he always blames on worm
Worm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
s or mole
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
s) and by putting insects into Maisie's underwear drawer. He used to think that school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
was a kind of prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
from which the older Perishers were temporarily released each evening. He often discusses philosophy with the new baby (an unseen character
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
in a pram).
Recurring characters
Not all of these characters appeared during the same time periods- The CrabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s: The crustacean inhabitants of a seaside rock pool, visited by Boot every year during the Perishers' summer holiday. Some of the crabs believe that Boot's eyes peering down at them are a mystical visitation - "The Eyeballs in the Sky" - and this belief is exploited by a preacher crab who uses their appearance as an excuse to extort money from his congregation. His efforts are always opposed by a scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
crab who continually attempts to invent a device to break through the surface and see what the Eyeballs really are, despite the preacher's protests that he will rend the fabric of the pooliverse. The conflict usually ends up in a full-scale crab fight, and Boot is left none the wiser as to crustacean behaviour. Usually, one of the crabs claims that something is "bad fer y'r 'ealth". - Plain Jane: a friend of Maisie's, often seen selling potions and tonics from a home-made stall.
- Fiscal Yere: a millionaire's son who always complains about the problems of being rich.
- Fred BeetleBeetleColeoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
and the CaterpillarCaterpillarCaterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
: a pair of insects often encountered by Boot. Fred is a socialist who seems to be modelled on Fred Kite from I'm All Right JackI'm All Right JackI'm All Right Jack is a 1959 British comedy film directed and produced by John and Roy Boulting from a script by Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney, based on the novel Private Life by Hackney...
. The Caterpillar's chain-smokingTobacco smokingTobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
habit has stunted his growth and prevented his metamorphosis into a butterflyButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
. This is just as well since he doesn't like heights. - Adolf KilroyKilroy was hereKilroy was here is an American popular culture expression, often seen in graffiti. Its origins are debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle—a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with the fingers of each hand clutching the wall—is widely known among U.S...
: a tortoiseTortoiseTortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
shaped like a World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
helmet. He thinks he is the reincarnation of Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and speaks in FrakturFraktur (typeface)Fraktur is a calligraphic hand and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. The word derives from the past participle fractus of Latin frangere...
. He often teams up with Fred Beetle and Caterpillar in an attempt to overthrow Boot, but the fact that Boot is much bigger always defeats them. - B. H. (Calcutta) Failed: an IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n bloodhoundBloodhoundThe Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
who lost his sense of smell in an unfortunate incident involving an elephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
filled with curryCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
- which exploded in the noonday sun. B. H. literally bumped into Boot one day, and they have been friends ever since despite B. H.'s frequent attempts to steal Boot's meat bones. One of the strip's odder elements is B.H.'s claim to be a reporter for "The West Crunge Clarion and Dubious Advertiser", a low budget and downmarket local newspaper. He has a journalist's ear for an attention-grabbing headline, but his career may be held back by his inability to remember how to make the letter "b". - Tatty Oldbitt (the Sailors' Friend): an amorous female basset houndBasset HoundThe Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits and hare by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound....
who likes to chase sailorSailorA sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s - although just what she intends to do if she catches one is probably best left unexplored. She also chases Boot from time to time, but since he considers himself a lord she never gets very far with him, and often ends up going off with B. H. instead. - Dirty McSquirty: the dirtiest boy in town, always accompanied by a cloud of fliesFlyTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
. - Cousin Worsoff: an unseen characterUnseen characterIn fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
. Dirty McSquirty's cousin, he is the proverbProverbA proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
ial "person who is worse off than you". He lives in the sewer, and Dirty speaks to him through drain covers. - Poor girl: a girl who harasses Wellington with constant tales of poverty, despite wearing a furFurFur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
coat and claiming to have a household full of equally impoverished staff. - Beryl Bogey: a large girl, or possibly gorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
, whose presence on Maisie's netballNetballNetball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
team gives them the ability to break down the opposition...literally. Her idol is King KongKing KongKing Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
. - The catCatThe 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...
: an unnamed cat recently adopted by Wellington, much to Boot's annoyance. The cat and Boot are engaged in a permanent battle of wits. - The goldfishGoldfishThe goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
: another new pet of Wellington's. Contemplates philosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
while swimming around in his tiny bowl. - The water-snailSnailSnail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
: the most recent arrival, bought by Wellington to clean the goldfish's bowl. The snail considers this a demeaning job.
Catch phrases
This is a partial list of the phrases coined or made popular by the Perishers.- "Go-faster stripesGo-faster stripesThe original racing stripes were stripes applied to the Cunningham team of racing cars to identify them in the field during races. Another purpose is to make it easier for a driver to align a spun out car with the circuit.- Cunningham racing stripes :...
" (chevrons) — Wellington's big selling-point on the buggies he tries to persuade Marlon to buy. It has become a way of describing any useless or frivolous addition to a product. - "GRONFF!!" — The sound of Boot gobbling up something tasty, often something meant for another character, once the contents of a bird table. Also used sometimes when other characters eat.
- " Parasite ! Trotskyite ! Marmite !" — Insults hurled at each other by the Beetle and the Caterpillar whenever they brawl, which is frequently. MarmiteMarmiteMarmite is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa, and a version produced in New Zealand...
is, of course, not exactly a valid insult. - "Vilson Kepple und Betty!" — Kilroy the Tortoise's favourite exclamation. It derives from the stage act Wilson, Keppel and BettyWilson, Keppel and BettyWilson, Keppel and Betty were a popular British music hall act in the middle decades of the 20th century who capitalised on the trend for Egyptian imagery following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Their stage act, called the "sand dance", was a parody of Egyptian postures, combined with...
. - "Need any help with that paper bag ?" — Maisie can detect the opening of a bag of crisps from far away, appearing almost instantly to help with the consumption, uttering this phrase as soon as she arrives.
- "Yeuk!!" — Marlon's reaction to Maisie's perennial romantic advances. He responds to her in this way so often that Maisie has actually asked Marlon, "Is 'yeuk' the only word you know?"
- "Ratbag" — The kids' favorite insult. Absent from the very early days of the strip, it quickly became a staple. Maisie is particularly fond of the word, and constantly uses it to refer to Marlon.
Final strip and editorial comment
A final, specially-drawn strip appeared on the Daily Mirror's comic page on Saturday June 10 2006. The strip depicts the silhouetted figures of Maisie, Baby Grumpling, Wellington, Boot and Marlon walking down a street into the sunset. Wellington says, "Well, dear readers, it's taken almost fifty years for you to see the back of us. In sayin' goodbye we hope that you remember us with the affecshun we feel for you." The tone of the strip is reminiscent of Charles M. SchulzCharles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
's final Peanuts strip.
A paragraph headed "Imperishable" in the editorial "Voice of the Mirror" column reads: "ON Page 46 of today's Mirror we bid a fond farewell to Britain's oldest schoolchildren, The Perishers. Written and drawn by the late Maurice Dodd, the cartoon strip characters Boot, Wellington, Maisie, Marlon and Baby Grumplin' have been delighting the young at heart in the Mirror since 1957. But as Boot would say: Cripes, it's all over now." http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/voiceofthemirror/tm_objectid=17208078%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
The strip was initially replaced by the short-lived Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
, during the then-ongoing World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. After the tournament ended, a more permanent replacement appeared in the form of American import Pooch Cafe
Pooch Café
Pooch Café is a Canadian and American comic strip written and illustrated by Paul Gilligan.- Overview :Pooch Café is a comic strip that follows the humorous antics of a self-serving, squirrel-fearing, food-obsessed, toilet-drinking mutt named Poncho....
which, while being better received overall than Ronaldinho, was felt by some to be too American-orientated in its humour, and left readers missing the typically British humour of Perishers.
Reprints
After a gap of nearly four years, the original cartoon strip returned to the Daily Mirror as reprints, on February 22, 2010.Additionally, over the years there have been a number of cheaply-printed reprint collections in paperback, all of which went out of print quickly. Given the quality of Collins' artwork, and the strip's extreme longevity, it is perhaps unfortunate that there are no archive collections available.
Animated version
In the 1970s, an animatedAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
version of The Perishers appeared on BBC1. Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
provided the voice of Boot.
Cast
- Maisie/Baby Grumpling: Judy Bennett
- Wellington: Sheila SteafelSheila SteafelSheila Steafel is a South African-born actress who has lived all her adult life in the United Kingdom.Steafel, who was born in Johannesburg, appeared in many classic television series, including: The Frost Report, Z-Cars, Sykes, The Kenny Everett Television Show, Minder, The Ghosts of Motley Hall,...
- Marlon/Narrator/BH: Peter HawkinsPeter HawkinsPeter John Hawkins was an English actor and voice artist.- Career :Born in London and a native of Brixton, Hawkins' long association with British children's television began in 1952 when he voiced both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men. In 1955–1956, He voiced Big Ears & Mr. Plod from The...
- Boot: Leonard RossiterLeonard RossiterLeonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
Episode Listing
- Magic Mirror
- In the Cart
- A Life from the Ocean Wave
- A-Camping We Will Go
- A Fool and his Money Aren't as Easily Parted as You Think
- Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Bath
- How to Train the Family Dog
- The Ugly Duckling
- Spring Fever
- Look Before it Leaps
- The Skateboard Champion
- The Wheeling and Dealing
- She May or She May Not
- Noblesse Oblige
- The War Games
- Well Blow Me Down
- Bone Champions
- The Rehabilitation of BH (Calcutta) Failed
- The Eye Balls in the Sky
- The Inch-thick Ketchup Sandwich
Credits
- Music: Trevor Evan Jones
- Animation: Geoff Loynes, Ron Murdoch, Janet Nunn, Colin White
- Layout: Gordon Harrison, Ted Pettengel
- Backgrounds: Dean Spille
- Production: Lucinda Ash, Tony Cooper
- Checking: Roland Carter, Caroline Neale
- Coordinator: Michael Hayes
- Camera: Gary Knowelden, Nick Boisson
- Editing: John Farrow
- Produced by: Graeme Spurway
- Directed by: Dick Horn
- Presentation: FilmFair
- Executive Producer: Graham Clutterbuck
LP Record Album
Around 1980 an LP record album entitled THE PERISHERS SING! (WELL SORT OF) was issued by Response Records. The lyrics written by Maurice Dodd and the music by Trevor Evan Jones. An instrumental version of the final track "It's Great to be a Kid" was also the theme music for the Animated TV version. Dodd's official website claims 12 songs were penned, but the finished album album only contained 10 tracks. It featured narration by Bernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
, and also credits Nicky James
Nicky James
Nicky James was a British musician and songwriter.-Biography:Nicky James was born Michael Clifford Nicholls in Tipton, Staffordshire, England on 2 April 1943. He attended Park Lane School, and at age sixteen moved to Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire...
and Barbara Sexton with vocals.
Song Listing
Side 1:1. Ole Boot and Me (Wellington) 2. Battle of Vindaloo (B.H. Calcutta)* 3. Pervided I Get My Way (Maisie) 4. Eyeballs in the Sky (the Crabs)* 5. Dreaming (Wellington)
Side 2:
1. Boot (Boot)* 2. At Least We've Got Each Other (Wellington) 3. Speed Demon (Marlon) 4. Für Adolf (Adolf Kilroy)
5. It's Great to be a Kid (all the kids)
- lyrics for the three (*) noted songs can be found on Dodd's official website under "The Battle of Vindaloo", "A Crabby Lament" and "The song of Boot"
External links
- An unofficial Perishers page - This has some useful descriptive material, but poor quality images.
- Web page about the BBC animated version