Beano Studios marks 70 years of Dennis with Royal Mail stamp collection

Beano Studios is celebrating the 70th year of the iconic British comic character, Dennis the Menace, with the launch of a new stamp collection in partnership with Royal Mail.

The new series of six stamps will look back at Dennis through the ages, from the character’s first black and white comic strip in 1951, through important events in his life, including meeting his baby sister, Bea, adopting Gnasher, and finding out that his dad is a grown-up version of Dennis from the 1980s.

A further four stamps, exclusively illustrated by the current Dennis artist, Nigel Parkinson, show the culmination of an exclusive comic strip. The strip, written especially for Royal Mail, is featured in the Presentation Pack as it tells a story focused on Dennis’ birthday celebrations and includes a brief ‘history of Menaces.’

Vanessa Andre is, franchise planning and partnerships director, Beano Studios said: “Dennis has stamped his spirit on generations of kids for the last 70 years and continues to spread smiles and laughs between kids, parents and grandparents. Having Royal Mail join our licensing programme to mark this incredible year is very special and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on this latest piece of Dennis history.”

Charlie Donaldson, joint managing director, Rocket Licensing, added: “We are delighted to be celebrating the birthday of this national treasure in partnership with this quintessentially British institution, Royal Mail. The bespoke artwork is so fun and eye-catching, it’s a very special collection for Beano that we are excited to see shared.”

For more than 50 years, Royal Mail’s Special Stamp programme has commemorated anniversaries and celebrated events relevant to UK heritage and life. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gift givers in the UK and millions worldwide.

Natasha Ayivor, Royal Mail, said: “For seven decades Dennis has been entertaining children by getting into all manner of mischief fand mayhem. Generations have experienced the excitement and anticipation of reading about Dennis’s latest prank. Royal Mail is delighted to be honouring Dennis and Gnasher with a set of stamps as the ultimate birthday present.”

The full set of 10 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £13.65. The stamps and range of collectible products are available today (1 July) from www.royalmail.com/dennisandgnasher.