Every Beano Annual EVER! Part 2 – 1950-1959. What’s YOUR birthday Beano Annual?

To celebrate Beano’s 80th birthday, we dug out every Beano Annual from our amazing archive. In Part 2 of this series, you can see the last Magic-Beano Book cover AND the first time Dennis the Menace appeared!

1950

The Beano Annual for 1950 was the last in a series of the Magic-Beano Books, as the two comics had joined together due to paper rationing for the wartime annuals.

1951

This was the year when Dennis the Menace was launched in the weekly Beano comic, but it would be a while until he appeared on the cover of a Beano Annual. In the meantime, Biffo the Bear was still top dog – long before Gnasher showed up!

1952

By now, the weekly Beano was tearing up the rule book with Dennis the Menace in full effect and Minnie the Minx about to join him. The Beano Annual for 1952 was a much more conservative affair…

1953

Queen Elizabeth II came to throne in 1953, but can you spot the king of comics making his first appearance on the cover of the Beano Annual? CLUE: He’s got his favourite weapon in his hand…

1954

Here’s the cover of the Beano Annual for 1955…

1955

The Beano Annual for 1955 looked like this, so if you turn 63 in 2018, then this is your birthday Beano annual!

1956

Minnie the Minx and Roger the Dodger make their first cover appearances on the Beano Annual for 1956. But… while Dennis the Menace appears in his iconic red and black stripes, Minnie’s stripes are blue and yellow, and Roger’s checked shirt is red and yellow!The reason is that in the 1950s most Beano pages were printed using just one colour – black. It was only later that red and black would be chosen for these super-cool jumpers!

1957

The Beano Annual for 1957 has a footy theme to the cover, and we’ll be lucky so see a more spectacular goal in the World Cup – let’s see if Neymar. Messi, Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah or Harry Kane can do it!