Bea (Dennis the Menace character)

Beano strip


strip_name=Bea
artist=Nigel Parkinson
start_issue=2935
start_date=October 17 1998
finish=Ongoing
characters=Bea, Dennis, Mum, Dad, Gnasher, Gnipper, Rasher

Bea, is a fictional character in the UK comic strip "Dennis the Menace and Gnasher", from "The Beano". She is Dennis' baby sister, born in issue 2931, dated 19 September 1998. She was part of a major storyline which had been going on in the strip for the last few weeks, as part of the comic's 60th birthday. Strange things had been happening, like Dennis' mother feeling sick all the time, and Dennis' father in an unusually happy mood. After his parents refused to tell him what was going on, he refused to appear in the next week's Beano. After various Beano characters tried to take the place of Dennis, he came back and his parents told him of the new arrival. These were the first strips drawn by the new artist David Parkins, who had taken over from the previous artist, David Sutherland.

Parkins had always intended that the character would be called "Bea" (short for Beatrice), taken partly from the comic's name and evidenced in the yellow and black striped romper suit she was seen wearing in her first appearance. However, the comic staff decided to put the name up for vote. The readers seemed to agree with Parkins, as "Bea" won the vote by a nearly two-thirds majority.Dennis' Mum regularly shouts, "Bea! No!" when she does something naughty, the two words evidently making the word "Beano".

In issue 2935 (17 October 1998) her own strip started, called Beaginnings. In this issue she said her first word, "MUD" From issue 3099 onward (8 December 2001) the title has been Dennis's Little Sister Bea - the Mini-Menace (sometimes abbreviated to Bea - the Mini-Menace, or just Bea) a title it still has today. But for five isolated examples, the strip has always been drawn by Nigel Parkinson, who also frequently draws the main Dennis strip. Bea was voted naughtiest baby in Beanotown when she was only a week old, has Gnipper as her dog, and loves playing with Rasher. Issue 2942 (5 December 1998) was a special issue dedicated to her, where she appeared in every strip in the comic. She shares notable similarities with fellow "Beano" character, Ivy the Terrible, who, from August 2008, joined Bea in her strip, renamed Bea and Ivy.