Playtime Fontayne

Playtime Fontayne is a fictional Bank manager who appears in the cult comic, "Viz". He is a balding middle-aged bank manager, who is at least 50 years old, but behaves like a child of primary-school age. Most of the strip's action is centred around his behaviour and that of other bank employees, who behave in a juvenile manner (even though they are often of a similar age to Fontayne). The strip is a parody of British school fiction and cartoons such as The Bash Street Kids and Tom Brown's Schooldays, which satirises office politics and lampoons the trivialisation of masculinity (females seldom appear, except as mothers or customers). Most of the other staff are stock character types which are common in school fiction, such as the bully.

The strange choice of name "Playtime Fontayne" would appear to be inspired by the English actor/director [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285012/ Fine Time Fontayne]

Bully

For example, in one strip, Fontayne's mother comes into his bedroom to find he's still in bed and covered in spots. She finds out it's lipstick, but he tells her he's being bullied. At work, the bullies (Tilsley and his gang) trip him up, callously asking Fontayne whether he "enjoyed his trip". While this is a cliched plot and narrative convention of school fiction, the strip subverts it by having people who make decisions about people's futures act in a juvenile manner.

On the other hand, the only "really" adult characters are senior bank executives. Their maturity is signified by acting like teachers, both in their language and manner. For instance, on strip shows Fontayne preparing the quarterly audit returns. After Tilsley plagiarises Fontayne's work, he tears up the sheet of paper and the district manager enters, asking:

"What's all this noise? I thought you were supposed to be working quietly."

With the paper scattered on the floor, he asks Fontayne:

"What on Earth? Fontayne - Would you make a mess like this at home?"

Tilsley sycophantically gives Podmore the plagiarised quarterly audit returns, receiving praise. Though Action taken against Fontayne is left to the reader's imagination.

A dinner party

The only one who acts like a bank executive, Rumbold, is (in another strip) invited to a dinner party on Fontayne's Birthday. He tells him about a big promotion, asking him in a macho manner:

"Are you man enough to deal with that, Fontayne?"

Throughout this scene, Fontayne behaves in an almost infantile manner. He asks his mother what's for pudding. She replies that it's a Raspberry Coulis. Fontayne says, disgusted:

"I want Jelly Wobble. You only made Raspberry Coulis so you can show off to smelly pants Rumbold!"

Rumbold angrily tells him that he's had enough of Fontaine's behavior, declaring to him:

"You are not fast-track material... "

Ironically, the strip ends with the arrival of Rumbold's mother (Who has come to take him home). This triggers his regression into infantilism, especially when he says:

"Aw mum, we were going to play Sleeping lions."

His mother clutches his coat, telling him to put it on, then Rumbold throws a tantrum on the dining room floor.

In subverting the conventions of school fiction, the strip is a satire on office politics and the competitive nature of the financial services industry. It is also very much an expanded version of The Frost Report sketch of three high court judges who exit the courtroom and act like school children in a playground.

Fontayne made his first appearance in the comic along with a short-lived "opposite" character, "Little Old Man", a schoolboy who behaved like a stereotypical elderly gentleman.