Why does Dennis the Menace have two birthdays, on the same day?
Dennis the Menace is getting a special coin to celebrate his birthday
- Published
It's a big year for Beano fans as Dennis the Menace is turning 75!
The children's comic is celebrating with a whole Year of Mischief to honour the trouble-making ten-year-old.
But did you know there's a second Dennis the Menace with exactly the same birthday?
Dennis has been ten years old for 75 years
In one of the weirdest coincidences of all time, on 12 March 1951, two identical characters with exactly the same name were published in cartoon strips - one in America, and one in the UK.
The Dennis the Menace you know and love in the UK wears red and black and has messy black hair, but the American version is blonde and wears red dungarees.
But both of them share one key thing in common - they both LOVE pranks.
They were developed independently, with no known collab or influence between the two creators. Weird!
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What's the difference between the American and US Dennises?
Dennis has not only been to Buckingham Palace but has also had some of the Royal Family appear in his comic!
The UK's Dennis is a ten-year-old prankster, sometimes dubbed 'the world's naughtiest boy'.
His favourite tool of choice is a slingshot and he's got a dog called Gnasher who he found in 1968 wandering the streets of Beanotown.
It was the Beano's editor George Moonie who got the idea for his character, after listening to a song that had the lyric: "I'm Dennis the Menace from Venice".
He was then brought to life by illustrator David Law.
The American Dennis gets into trouble more by accident than on purpose
American Dennis on the other hand, is five and a half, and while he never intentionally sets out to cause trouble, he manages to find himself in lots of scrapes all the same.
He also has dog called Ruff, as well as a more rarely seen cat called Hot Dog.
He was created by illustrator Hank Ketcham, who based his character on his son who, would you believe, was called Dennis!
The British Dennis the Menace, created for The Beano, is officially dated 17 March 1951 as the comic's cover date, but copies were on sale from 12 March 1951 - the same day Ketcham's strip appeared.
How is his birthday being celebrated?
Beano have announced a Year of Mischief to celebrate Dennis' birthday, which include's a competition to find the country's funniest class.
The Royal Mint, which is the place where the UK's physical money is printed, is also collaborating with Beano to release a special 50p coin featuring Dennis and Gnasher.
The special coin will be in colour, meaning Dennis' signature red and black striped top will be in all its glory
Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said: "There's something wonderfully fitting about this legendary mischief-maker finally making his mark on a collectible 50p and I'm sure Dennis himself would see it as his greatest prank yet.
"This coin captures everything we love about him, that unmistakable mischievous grin, his furry pal Gnasher by his side and that irresistible spirit of rebellion that has made him a favourite across generations."
