The Beano Appears on Shelves 85 Years Ago Today

Eighty-five years ago today, a worried-looking ostrich turned up at the newsagents. On 30 July 1938, The Beano made its debut, published out of Dundee by DC Thomson. Big Eggo was the cover star, frantic over a missing egg. The artwork was bold and the humour was fast, but it wasn’t just the illustrations that stood out.

Inside, the comic did something few others dared. It poked fun at grown-ups, ignored classroom rules, and let its characters run wild. One strip saw a boy attempt to steal a fish using a string of sausages; another featured kids dodging authority at every turn. Children got it immediately. This wasn’t another tidy lesson in good behaviour. It was cheeky, energetic, and entirely on their side.

Dennis the Menace arrived in 1951, scowling beneath his fringe in a red and black jumper. Gnasher followed seventeen years later. Together they became the face of the comic, but never its whole story. The Beano kept evolving. It brought in Minnie the Minx, who regularly outfoxed adults with a grin and a catapult, and The Bash Street Kids, whose classroom chaos became a weekly ritual. Each new addition pushed the idea of childhood mischief just a little further.

At its peak, The Beano sold nearly two million copies a week. Wartime rationing didn’t stop it. Changing tastes didn’t derail it. The comic adapted when it needed to, but always kept its spark. Even today, in an age of apps and algorithms, it remains in print. Still loud. Still fast. Still made in Dundee.

For those visiting the city, a short walk through City Square brings you face-to-face with Desperate Dan and Minnie the Minx in bronze. Behind them stands the former DC Thomson headquarters, the building where it all began. There is no official tour, but the landmarks remain.

From a lost ostrich to a national institution, The Beano never asked to be taken seriously. It just kept making trouble, and readers never stopped laughing.