Dennis the Menace

Character

Description

Dennis the Menace is an American comic strip character created by Hank Ketcham. He first appeared on March 12, 1951, in a daily newspaper panel distributed by King Features Syndicate.

Dennis Mitchell is a mischievous five-and-a-half-year-old boy whose well-intentioned but chaotic behavior is a constant source of trouble for his parents, Henry and Alice Mitchell, and especially for their long-suffering neighbor, George Wilson. Dennis is not malicious but simply energetic, curious, and oblivious to the consequences of his actions.

The strip was inspired by Ketcham's own son Dennis, whose antics prompted his wife to declare, "Your son is a menace." At its peak, the strip appeared in over 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries. Dennis has also appeared in comic books published by various companies including Fawcett, Standard, Marvel, and others over the decades.