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Showing posts with label The Beano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Beano. Show all posts

25 December 2025

UPDATED: undated annuals

As it's Christmas time it must be time to look at undated annuals, I  recently picked up my second undated Eagle annual as I know they're pretty uncommon - either as a mis-print or as a deliberate act. 

And now with some further examples...

c/o Paul Richardson

c/o Simon Werrett

c/o Alan Marshall

Care of friend of the blog Michael Carroll I can add this undated 1977 
Action annual to the listing...

and c/o Wayne Harris I can add my first example of an undated Battle annual

Now (c/o Scott Bartlett on the '77-2000AD Facebook group) I can add a 2000AD annual to this listing... 

Previously I just has an undated Eagle annual for 1972 (below) - the front cover and spine are undated...


Here's what it should have looked like...

The Eagle annuals of 1971/2/3/5 all seem particularly set-up to have the date removed (if necessary) as it's a different colour to the rest of the cover...

...and now I have an undated 1971 annual too
The date has also been removed from the spine

...and now I have an undated 1975 annual too

So now I'm just after undated annuals for 1973 - if you can help me out with these just let me know...


I've read a theory that it was done so that the annuals could be shipped overseas where, because of the time taken to get them there by boat, they'd need a longer shelf-life to sell and if the annual was dated people wouldn't buy it as the year was already well under way.

Here are some other examples - anyone else got any other examples or theories about undated annuals? 











and now, c/o Chris |Young...

6 July 2025

Hairy Dan by Basil Blackaller

Friend of the blog Ewan Brownlow consistently finds the most wonderful comics things - check out his ebay store here and save him as a seller. 

I've saved for posterity these images from a recent listing relating to the Hairy Dan character who appeared in the early years of The Beano (from issue #1 in 1938, to issue #297 in 1946). Lovely art by the artist Basil Blackaller.





25 December 2024

UPDATED: undated annuals

As it's Christmas time it must be time to look at undated annuals, I  recently picked up my second undated Eagle annual as I know they're pretty uncommon - either as a mis-print or as a deliberate act. 

Care of friend of the blog Michael Carroll I can add this undated 1977 Action annual to the listing...

and c/o Wayne Harris I can add my first example of an undated Battle annual

Now (c/o Scott Bartlett on the '77-2000AD Facebook group) I can add a 2000AD annual to this listing... 

Previously I just has an undated Eagle annual for 1972 (below) - the front cover and spine are undated...


Here's what it should have looked like...

The Eagle annuals of 1971/2/3/5 all seem particularly set-up to have the date removed (if necessary) as it's a different colour to the rest of the cover...

...and now I have an undated 1971 annual too
The date has also been removed from the spine

...and now I have an undated 1975 annual too

So now I'm just after undated annuals for 1973 - if you can help me out with these just let me know...


I've read a theory that it was done so that the annuals could be shipped overseas where, because of the time taken to get them there by boat, they'd need a longer shelf-life to sell and if the annual was dated people wouldn't buy it as the year was already well under way.

Here are some other examples - anyone else got any other examples or theories about undated annuals? 











and now, c/o Chris |Young...


21 October 2024

UPDATED: Beano and Dandy calendars

Following on from a previous post (here) about Oor Wullie calendars I realised that there must be other DC Thomson calendars out there so I set off to google Beano calendars - so here's my guide to collecting them...

Don't forget you can review Commando calendars here and Judge Dredd calendars here

New material (2025 calendar) is highlighted in red but the summary of where I'm up to now is that I have images for calendars for 1986-2025 apart from 2013 and a 'skinny' 2005 calendar (assuming it exists). Of course there could be more out there so if I missed anything just let me know.

Beano calendar 1986

Beano calendar 1987

Beano calendar 1988

Beano calendar 1989

Beano calendar 1990

Beano calendar 1991

Interestingly the 1992 edition has a reference that says "Number 7" in the top right cover - indicating that this is the 7th edition of the calendar...

...hmmm, and the 1993 calendar says "Number 8"...

...hmmm, and the 1994 calendar says "Number 9"...

There was also a Beano and Dandy calendar for 1994



...think the 1995 one says 'number 10' in the top right corner

Finally found an image of the 1996 calendar (number 11 in the top right corner)...

Here's the 1997 calendar - you'll see from the back cover picture that this is (helpfully) number as number 12 so there must have been a calendar for 1996 (to be number 11)


The 1998 calendar

The 1999 calendar (left) and the envelope it came in (right)


The 2000 calendar (right) and the envelope it came in (left)


Finally the 2001 calendars have been identified - yay!




Here's the 2002 calendar


Another 2002 calendar

2003 calendar


Then 2004...


No 2005 calendar (I think!) so here's the 2006 edition... 

Hmmm, so for 2004 and 2006 it seems there were 2 calendars for Beano fans...

Here's a great collection of calendars...
The top row shows (in order) 2015, 2016, 2012 and 2014.
The bottom row shows (in order) Dandy Beano 2013 and then Beano 2017, 2011 and 2010.
So that's 2010-2017 in total


Here are some better images for that 2010 calendar


...a slightly better look at the 2012 calendar


The 'skinny' 2013 calendar available from Marks & Spencer...


The 2015 calendar...


The 2016 calendar


The 2017 calendar...

...And then the Beano 2018 calendar...


...and here we are for 2019...


...and here's the Beano calendar offering for 2020...

and now here is the Beano calendar for 2021...


and now the Beano calendar for 2022...

and now the Beano calendar for 2023...


and now the Beano calendar for 2024...



and now the Beano calendar for 2025...


In 2001 Beanobooks put out (at least) 3 calendars related to other characters...



Beano books also produced a Dandy calendar for 2002...


The Minnie the Minx and Dennis the Menace calendars at the bottom of the next image are new to me...



If you're interested in comic calendars then here are the links to the other calendar themes that I've covered...
1). Beano & Dandy calendars are here
2). Commando calendars are here
3). Judge Dredd calendars are here
4). Broons calendars are above
5). Oor Wullie is here
6). Dan Dare calendar is here
7). Miscellaneous calendars are here
8). Viz calendars are here
9). Asterix calendars are here
10). Andy Capp calendars are here
11). Tintin calendars are here