Next week’s BEANO will see the addition of two new Bash Street Kids to the strip’s long-established line-up, adding to a core cast that hasn’t changed that much since the series began as “When the Bell Rings“, back in 1955, created by Leo Baxendale.
Joining the Class 2B on a permanent basis will be Mandira Sharma , who first arrived in the weekly humour comic as the star of “Mandi and her Mobile“, as part of the title’s 80th anniversary celebrations; and prankster Harsha Chandra, who’s fairly new to the comic’s cast of characters.
The new class members join Danny, ‘Erbert, Freddy (who, as we reported, is no longer to be called “Fatty”), Plug, Sidney, Smiffy, Spotty, Toots, Wilfrid, Cuthbert in BEANO No. 4088, on sale next Wednesday, 2nd June 2021.
The addition is long overdue – the last addition to Class 2B on a permanent basis was Cuthbert in 1972, who is, readers have noticed, missing from the strip header, and an accident-prone character called Wayne, no longer at Bash Street. Of course, other BEANO characters have guest starred in the strip, including Dennis and Minnie. I’m sure Toots – the only girl in the class for decades – will welcome the company, too!
• For the latest BEANO news visit Beano.com
• Responding to criticism of recent changes, and support of Pride Month; and, in particular, an abysmal parody of the Bash Street Kids by the Daily Mail, the BEANO has responded by saying it has always been led in what it does by its readers. “They tell us what they want to see and ask us to do better when we don’t get it right.” The response on social media implied action could be taken, but instead they decided to donate to the charity Young Minds (presumably rather than pay lawyers to sue) – and urged readers to do the same
With thanks to Lew Stringer
Bash Street Kids © Beano Studios / DC Thomson Media
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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, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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I guess the arrangement they had with the charity that sponsored Mandi’s solo strips ended, and this is a way to reuse the character. Plus both her and Harsha are ethnic minorities, which helps bring BSK up to date. But why was Cuthbert omitted from the title header?
Toots will need to show off more of her character now that she’s lost her “only girl” gimmick.
Strange, as Cuthbert does appear in the strip…