Handmade screen print on cotton paper.
Signed and numbered out of 200 in pencil by the printer, John Patrick Reynolds.
Standard size: 26cm x 19cm
Medium size: 48cm x 38cm
Large size: 76cm x 56cm
A bear watches telly. Brilliant. Biffo the Bear is one of The Beano’s most famous characters – or at least was when I was a child. He’s an anthropomorphic bear who kind of looks like Mickey Mouse who starred on the front cover of The Beano from January 1948, replacing an ostrich character called Big Eggo.
The comic-draughtsman giant Dudley D. Watkins drew Biffo from the character’s debut until he died on 20 August 1969, after which the versatile David Sutherland replaced him. Biffo the Bear remained on the front cover until issue 1677, dated 7 September 1974. Dennis the Menace took over as the front cover star.
His strip was retired in the 1980s (with his final appearance coming in issue no 2310, dated 25 October 1986).
This is selected, like many of my panels and images, from the 1960s and 1970s, and should make a great gift to anybody who is into retro, vintage, old school design. I tend to choose material from this era because it was the time I was growing up and my tastes and preferences were being formed. But also it’s a pre-digital age, and the drawings are all made by hand rather than computer aided. Obviously, as I’m a screenprinter, I’m biased in favour of the handmade, so this style is right up my street. I hope it is yours.
The Beano is of course also home to those other icons of British children's comic humour Dennis the Menace and Gnasher.
Incidentally, the word beano is apparently short for "bean-feast" and means a feast, a celebration and a good time.
This screenprint has been officially approved by DC Thomson. I am the first and only screenprinter with permission to use the images of Dennis The Menace and Gnasher in my work.
These are all original screenprints. An original print is a work of art printed by hand, from a plate, block, stone, or stencil (which is the case here - screenprints are made using screen stencils) that has been created by the artist for the purpose of producing the image.
© D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.