Oh, Fiddlesticks! So you think you know everything there is to know about Dennis the Menace? Think again. In March 1951, the comic strip by Hank Ketcham debuted. Featuring the exploits of young Dennis, his friends, parents, and of course, his neighbor Mr. Wilson, Dennis the Menace was an instant hit and grew in popularity to be featured in newspapers across the country.
But it didn’t just win fans over in print. In 1959, based on the popularity of the comic, CBS aired the Dennis the Menace television series. The weekly program also featured Dennis’s antics and Mr. Wilson’s temper and is considered a classic. Read on to take a look back at Dennis the Menace.
How it All Began
Dennis the Menace, the TV series, was adapted from a different medium altogether: a comic strip by the same name. The comic version of Dennis the Menace was created by Hank Ketcham. The idea for the character came about when his wife had told his real-life son, named Dennis also, to take a nap. Instead, she later found Dennis had made a huge mess. She told Hank, “your son is a menace!”
Ketcham was born in Seattle, Washington, and realized he wanted to draw at a very early age. He created Dennis the Menace in 1951 and continued the strip for several decades after.