UK: Dennis No Longer A Menace

An animated British version of Dennis the Menace has been tweaked so that Dennis no longer tortures Walter the Softie. The changes come after producers became concerned that Dennis' behavior was too much like homophobic bullying.

Walter the Softie was usually seen being tormented by Dennis for peaceful pastimes such as picking flowers and holding tea parties for his teddybears but this will now change. Last year, former Beano editor Euan Kerr said he was concerned children could be led to copy Dennis' bullying. He said: "The relationship between Dennis and Walter was always one that worried me. There were accusations from certain quarters that it was a little like gay-bashing - this obviously wasn't the way we intended it to be perceived. We decided the best way to approach it was to make sure that even though he and Dennis didn't get along, Walter was completely happy about who he was and a confident, likeable character in his own right."

The British and American versions of Dennis the Menace debuted three days apart in 1951. They are unrelated.