Lord Snooty

Lord Snooty (or Lord Snooty and his Pals) is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher overtook it. The central character was Lord Marmaduke of Bunkerton, known to his friends as Snooty, a very ordinary boy who just happens to be an Earl.

Lord Snooty
Comic strip character(s) from The Beano
Publication information
Stars inLord Snooty
Other namesLord Snooty and His Pals
Creator(s)Dudley D. Watkins
Other contributorsAlbert Holroyd
Leo Baxendale
Jimmy Glen
Robert Nixon
Current/last artistLew Stringer
First appearanceIssue 1
(30 July 1938)
Last appearanceIssue 2565 (7 September 1991)[1]
Also appeared inThe Beano Annual
The Bash Street Kids
Current statusDiscontinued
ScheduleWeekly, then became limited
Spin-offsThe Legend of Lord Snooty and his Pals
Scrapper Smith[2]
Lord Snooty the Third
Main Character
NameLord Marmaduke of Bunkerton
Alias(es)Lord Snooty
FamilyLord Snooty III (grandson)
Aunt Matilda
FriendsSkinny Lizzie, Hairpin Huggins, Happy Hutton, Gertie the Goat, Scrapper Smith, Rosie, Snitch and Snatch, Joe, Swanky Lanky Liz, Thomas, and Polly
Characters
Type of groupAsh Can Alley gang
MembersSkinny Lizzie, Hairpin Huggins, Happy Hutton, Gertie the Goat, Scrapper Smith, and Rosie
Regular charactersProfessor Screwtop
Other charactersAngus, Snooty's pet stag; Pongo the dog, Cyril, Mary the mule, The Gasworks Gang
Crossover charactersBig Fat Joe, Doubting Thomas, Polly Wolly Doodle and her Great Big Poodle, Contrary Mary

Character history
One of the many title logos for the strip.

Original run (1938–1991)

The strip was mostly drawn by Dudley D. Watkins until his death in 1969,[3] though Leo Baxendale and Albert Holroyd occasionally filled in for Watkins.[1]

The strip had an 18-month hiatus from the comic between June 1949 and December 1950. It was at this point that Snooty's original pals (from Ash Can Alley) were replaced with his new pals who lived in the castle. Some of these had previously appeared in other Beano strips. The strip had another hiatus from 1958 to 1959, before the comic began reprinting older Lord Snooty strips.

Watkins returned to drawing the strip in 1964, before Robert Nixon took over in 1968.[1] Nixon continued to draw it for the next few years, before being succeeded by Jimmy Glen in 1973.[1] Ken H. Harrison took over in 1988, and continued to draw it until the strip discontinued from The Beano in 1991.[1] Lord Snooty was the only remaining strip left from the first issue when it was withdrawn.[4] Editor of the 1990s, Euan Kerr, admitted that he never liked writing stories for the character, mostly because he was an outdated character in a dated mid-20th century world that 1990s' children could never relate to.[4]

Subsequent appearances (2000s)

On 9 September 1998, a book entitled The Legend of Lord Snooty and his Pals was released. This contained history and reprints from the first 30 years of the strip's life.

In 2000, Lord Snooty made a special appearance in the Bash Street Kids Book 2001, along with Snitch and Snatch.[5] Snooty also appeared in issue 3093[6] where a one off strip called 'Lord Snooty's Day Out' appeared (drawn by Ken H. Harrison), and in issue 3185 where as part of the 65th anniversary issue he made a guest appearance alongside The Bash Street Kids.[7] Big Fat Joe also guest appeared in that issue, alongside Billy Whizz.

In 2005 Snooty was revived, briefly, in the Beano serial Are We There Yet? by writer-artist Kev F. Sutherland, in which he goes hip-hop as Snoot Doggy-Dogg. The character was often acknowledged but didn't come to prominence again until he was used as a villain for a feature-length Bash Street Kids story again illustrated and written by Kev F. Sutherland. The plot saw him, and a few other retro Beano characters such as Keyhole Kate and Pansy Potter, trying to take over The Beano and return it to its post-war roots. He failed, and was defeated by The Bash Street Kids.

Re-emergence

In January 2013, Lord Snooty was brought back alongside a number of old Beano characters as a three-panel strip in a new section of the Beano called Funsize Funnies, as well making appearances in subsequent Beano Annuals.[8] Lord Snooty ended in the penultimate issue before the 75th Anniversary Special. He returned in a few comic strips designed by Lew Stringer.[9]

Cameos

Snooty was busy during 2018 (the 80th anniversary of The Beano). He appeared in issue 3945 in a flashback with other characters from 1938 as a part of the 80th anniversary issue.[10] He also appeared in the inner cover artwork of the 2019 Beano Annual with 254 other characters from The Beano's history[11] and was in the time-travelling comic feature "Doctor Whoops!"[12]

Other characters

Regular characters
  • Snooty
  • Aunt Matilda – Snooty's guardian, nicknamed Aunt Mat.
  • Samuel – the castle guard.

First Season Gang

Snooty's original pals (who appeared to live with him in Bunkerton Castle):

  • Skinny Lizzie – thin girl, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
  • Hairpin Huggins – tall thin boy, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
  • Happy Hutton – unhappy boy, part of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
  • Gertie the Goat – a goat, member of Ash Can Alley gang (1938–1950)
  • Scrapper Smith – loves to fight; original member of Ash Can Alley gang; stayed on to live in the castle. The character gained his own strip in 1955 which lasted until 1959.[2] (1938–1990)
  • Rosie – short blonde girl loves to cook, originally part of Ash Can Alley gang, and stayed on to live in the castle (1938–1990)
  • Snitch and Snatch – identical twins who cause mischief and mayhem. They did not appear in the first issue but joined Snooty's pals later on in 1938. (1938–1990)
A few members of the Ash Can Alley Gang, represented in the 2019 Beano Annual.[11] Left to right: Doubting Thomas, Lanky Liz (with Snitch in front), Rosie on Scrapper's shoulders, Snooty, and Big Fat Joe (with Snatch in front of him).

New Gang

Snooty's later pals (who became his pals in the strip's second series):[1]

  • Joe – very fat and greedy. (a.k.a. Big Fat Joe) First appeared in Beano no 1, had his own strip, joined Snooty in 1950 (1950–1990)[13]
  • Liz – a very tall girl. (a.k.a. Swanky Lanky Liz) Joined Snooty in 1950. Previously had her own strip from 1948 to 1949. In this strip the character was shown as a swanky stuck-up (with a nose which literally stuck up) snob these traits were lessened when she became one of Lord Snooty's pals.(1948–1990)[14]
  • Thomas – an indecisive boy, (Doubting Thomas) whose hair was shaped like a question mark (1950–1990)[15]
  • Polly – a black girl. She originally had her own strip entitled Polly Wolly Doodle and her Great Big Poodle.[16] (1946–1947, 1950–1985)

Other characters
  • Professor Screwtop, inventor who appears sometimes to help out the gang. He occasionally appeared in other Beano strips such as the Bash Street Kids. Since 2017, he has appeared in the TV series Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! along with his daughter, Rubidium "Rubi".
  • Angus, Snooty's pet stag.
  • Pongo, a dog originally from the strip Polly Wolly Doodle and her Great Big Poodle.[16]
  • Cyril, The Castle Jackdaw.
  • Mary, A mule originally had her own strip called Contrary Mary which was in the Beano's first issue, she joined Snooty's gang in 1950.[13][17]
  • The Gasworks Gang, sworn enemies of Snooty and his pals.

Lord Snooty the Third
Lord Snooty the Third, with butler Parkinson in the background (right).

5 July 2008 issue of The Beano, number 3439, included a new version of the strip drawn by Nigel Parkinson. It is about a mischievous boy who lives in a castle, the first strip showing Snooty jetskiing on Lake Snooty. Although it was originally entered as part of the New Bash Street Kid competition, the following issue, number 3440, establishes that this character is indeed Marmaduke's grandson, showing a distinctive and recognisable "Grandad" in the family portrait gallery. Later on, Snooty the Third became a spy, parodying James Bond.

Snooty III also has a long-suffering and sarcastic butler named Parkinson. He has also formed his own gang, consisting of an adolescent named Naz, a young girl named Frankie, Emo, and One and Three the triplets (who claim that two does not 'hang out' with them much). The strip did not prove popular among readers and the comic series officially ended in 2011 after making less frequent appearances.

Reception and popularity

Lord Snooty is often regarded as part of the golden age of comic characters[18] and has become one of few to earn his own collection of strips.[19] Lord Snooty was name checked on the 1967 Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band recording, "The Intro and the Outro." In 2009, The Telegraph, a British broadsheet, compared then-Leader of the Opposition David Cameron to Lord Snooty, a "toff" befriending the poor. The article went on to ponder whether Cameron was more similar to the first incarnation of the character, a well-meaning and friendly figure, or to Lord Snooty the Third, a "repulsive" boy who laughs at those less fortunate.[20]

References

Book sources
  • Riches, Christopher, ed. (2008). The History of The Beano: The Story So Far. D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-902407-73-9.
  • The Legend of Lord Snooty and His Pals. D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. 1998. ISBN 0-85116-691-1.

Footnotes
  1. History of The Beano 2008, p. 316.
  2. History of The Beano 2008, p. 322.
  3. History of The Beano 2008, p. 66.
  4. History of The Beano 2008, p. 252.
  5. Kerr, Euan, ed. (2001). The Bash Street Kids Book 2001. DC Thomson.
  6. Kerr, Euan, ed. (27 October 2001). "The Beano". No. 3093. DC Thomson. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. Kerr, Euan, ed. (2 August 2003). "The Beano". No. 3185. DC Thomson. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. Beano January 2013 Issues
  9. "Beano No.3751 preview". Blogspot. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  10. Walliams, David, ed. (25 July 2018). "The Beano". No. 3495. DC Thomson. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Annual 2019 Beano. DC Thomson.
  12. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Annual 2019 Beano. DC Thomson. p. 31.
  13. History of The Beano 2008, p. 305.
  14. History of The Beano 2008, p. 313.
  15. History of The Beano, p. 308.
  16. History of The Beano 2008, p. 311.
  17. "Contrary Mary". The Beano.
  18. History of The Beano 2008.
  19. The Legend of Lord Snooty 1998.
  20. Why Lord Snooty is the ideal role model for David Cameron at the Daily Telegraph; by Charles Moore; published 4 December 2009; retrieved 27 May 2013
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