A CONTROVERSIAL UK Government poster that claimed Dennis the Menace was “created in London” has been amended.
The original poster featured the iconic Dundonian character on the shoulder of an executive from Beano Studios – based in London — which produces the Dennis and Gnasher TV series.
But the claim on the poster that Dennis the Menace was “created in London” was seen as misleading, as Dennis was first created in 1951 in Dundee on the back of a cigarette packet by Scottish cartoonist David Law for DC Thomson, which is still based in the city.
SNP president Michael Russell called it “mental” while Ruth Watson, who founded the Keep Scotland The Brand campaign, said it was “disrespectful” to Beano publishers DC Thomson and the city of Dundee.
SNP MP for Dundee West Chris Law added: "Utter garbage from the [UK Government]. Dundee city created Dennis the Menace and Gnasher by publishers DC Thomsons. Cultural appropriation is a desperate measure to claim credibility."
Now, a different version of the advert has appeared in the Dundee-based Sunday Post, with the slogan “Created in Dundee”.
The Department for Business and Trade confirmed to The Times that there was more than one version of the advert, including an amended version stating “Animated in London” rather than “Created”.
Correcting a stupid wrong by the Tories 👉 Dennis the Menace is Dundonian again after London’s spot of mischiefhttps://t.co/k80LZswEcC
— Chris Law MP (@ChrisLawSNP) October 10, 2023
Law welcomed the change, writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Correcting a stupid wrong by the Tories. Dennis the Menace is Dundonian again after London’s spot of mischief."
The posters are part of the "Made in the UK, Sold to the World" campaign run by the UK Government since 2021.
A government spokesperson said at the time: “The Dennis and Gnasher animated series was created in London, based on the brilliant Beano cartoon that originated in Dundee.
"In this way it is the perfect representation of the ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ campaign, which seeks to highlight success stories from across our great Union of nations.”
