Happy birthday tae Oor Wullie and The Broons, cartoon strips that appear every week in Scotland’s Sunday Post newspaper.
Created by Robert Duncan Low and Dudley D Watkins, currently written by Daniel McGachey and drawn by Mike Donaldson, “Oor Wullie” and “The Broons” first began creating chaos across the pages of DC Thomson’s Sunday Post in March 1936.
The paper included a celebratory supplement this weekend, in its edition available in Scotland, to mark the anniversary of both strip’s debut on 8th March 1936, and an interview with both strips longtime Morris Heggie features on the Sunday Post website here.
To find out how get a physical copy of the special supplement, email letters@sundaypost.com
“Oor Wullie” is the iconic wee Scottish laddie from the fictional town of Auchenshoogle. The image of Wullie sitting on his upturned bucket, wearing his famous black dungarees is as familiar to Scots as Edinburgh Castle.
Wullie wages a constant war against boredom, and includes attending school in his list of boring things to do. He is a great righter of wrongs and will bravely tackle bullies to protect his lifelong pals Fat Bob, Soapy Soutar and Wee Eck. His occasional girlfriend, Primrose Patterson, is the only one allowed to call him William.
Wullie loves life, fun and laughter and even the figures of authority in his world; Ma, Pa and long-suffering PC Murdoch have to smile at his energetic pranks. He speaks a unique brand of Scots language which includes his famous sayings ‘Jings!’, ‘Crivvens!’ and ‘Help Ma Boab!’
“The Broons” appears alongside “Oor Wullie” every week in the Sunday Post, the family known as being “the happy family that makes every family happy” and this phrase sums them up perfectly. Although ten in number, the family – Paw and Maw Broon, and their eight children – enjoy staying together in the small tenement flat of 10 Glebe Street, Auchentogle.
The Broons family features two older sons, Hen and Joe, and two grown-up daughters, Daphne and Maggie. The younger children are Horace, who is the brains of the family, and the Twins (identical boys) plus the Bairn, a cut down version of Maw and wiser than her years.
Last, but by no means least, is the roguish Granpaw Broon. Granpaw and the Bairn form a formidable partnership that can usually outsmart the other members of the family.
Marking the occasion, former “Oor Wullie” and “The Broons” artist Stephen White, aka Stref, also creator of Tara Togs and a fantastic Peter Pan graphic novel, posted some fantastic artwork featuring the characters from both strips, with nods to RD Low and Dudley D Watkins, and Morris Heggie, too.
“It was my pleasure to work with Morris and these beloved characters, who have been with me since childhood,” he said.
As always, The Broons enjoy family life and laughs at 10 Glebe Street, around Auchentogle, and on occasional trips to the But an’ Ben – all with a sense of humour delivered in true Scots style.
In their historic run, Scotland’s Favourite Son and Happy Family That Make Every Family Happy have never shied away from a party, so we hope 10 Glebe Street, Auchentogle, was suitably riotous this weekend, with no need for a special call out from PC Murdoch to call for quiet!
After all, be it Christmas, Hogmanay, weddings, birthdays, special anniversaries, or just a good old-fashioned ceilidh, these comic characters are never afraid tae gie it laldy!
• Nuthin’ better than a sit doon wi’ a The Sunday Post – hae ye got yer copy? Ye can keep up wi’ The Broons and Oor Wullie wi’ a Sunday Post Subscription here
Head downthetubes for…
• To find out how get a physical copy of the 90th anniversary Sunday Post special supplement, email letters@sundaypost.com
• The Broons articles on The Sunday Post website
• Oor Wullie articles on The Sunday Post website
• BBC News: Oor Wullie and The Broons celebrate 90 years of mischief and family fun
• National Museum of Scotland: Meet Oor Wullie
• Wikipedia: Dudley D. Watkins
• Follow Mike Donaldson on Instagram
• Stephen White aka Stref Official Website
• BBC News: Real-life “Oor Wullie” PC revealed
Back in 2008, a photograph showing the policeman on whom Oor Wullie character Pc Murdoch was based has been unveiled in Fife. Sandy Marnoch worked as a reserve constable in Kincardine along with cartoonist Dudley D Watkins, who also features in a police line-up. Police Scotland Fife has more information here on Facebook
• Did You Know? Dundee, home of publisher DC Thomson, once had a Glebe Street, but it no longer exists, cleared for Glebelands Primary School playgrounds
• Oor Wullie’s Baby Brother featured in early strips, but only in the first two stories
Oor Wullie at 80
Back in 2016 downthetubes marked the celebrations around Oor Wullie’s 80th birthday in grander fashion thanks to Jeremy Briggs and the late Colin Noble
• downthetubes – Comics Dundee: Oor Wullie’s Bucket Trail (2016) by Jeremy Briggs (the trail went national for Summer 2019)
• downthetubes – On The Trail of the Lonesome Bucket in Dundee (2016) – article by Colin Noble
• downthetubes – Comics Dundee: Beyond The Bucket Trail (2016) by Jeremy Briggs
The Broons and Oor Wullie are ©️ DC Thomson
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Current British Publishers, British Comics - Newspaper Strips, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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