A MULTIGENERATIONAL EVERGREEN Beano is one of Britain’s most iconic and best-loved brands. Dennis the Menace’s 75th Anniversary over 2026 is a cultural moment that has unleashed a wave of love and momentum for Beano. For every generation, Dennis the Menace embodies the fun, carefree childhood everyone remembers. Our mission for the 2026 Year of Mischief campaign was to celebrate with kids and families, but also with the vast number of grown-ups who want to bring their favourite childhood brand into their lives. We have teamed up with top-tier designers including Paul Smith and Mains London by Skepta, fashion forward brands like Skinnydip and expert craftsmen from Mr Jones Watches to the Royal Mint to create brand-new quirky gifts, and collectables.
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We have seen huge media pickup over the campaign with over 500M editorial reach ranging from BBC News at Six to Mel B’s socials, and we have met thousands of families with events at over 40 venues including Tower of London. It has been fantastic to see the interest grow our retail footprint over the year with new listings including Next, HMV and Urban Outfitters. We are really excited to be building the momentum towards our next big moment - Beano’s 90th Anniversary in 2028.
ROB GLENNY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BEANO STUDIOS
BEANO IN NUMBERS A BEANO COMIC IS SOLD
EVERY 8 SECONDS
OVER 28M PEOPLE OF
TODAY’S UK POPULATION HAVE ENJOYED BEANO
THE
NO. 1
ANNUAL SOLD EVERY YEAR
98%
PARENT AWARENESS
84%
KIDS AWARENESS
TOP 10 TV SHOW ON BBC LINEAR
TOP 10
CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING BRAND
100%
GRANDPARENT AWARENESS
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YEAR OF MISCHIEF
75 YEARS OF MISCHIEF To mark Dennis turning ten for the 75th time, Beano celebrated the Year of Mischief in 2026, teaming up with an amazing breadth of iconic brands, venues, designers, charities and artists throughout the year.
A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER To celebrate the official day, Beano created a star-studded special edition featuring 75 of the world’s most mischievous people. The campaign generated over 421M of editorial reach across 280 media articles, and 1M social reach that included Mel B and Lidl.
A ROYAL LAUNCH Beano partnered with the National Year of Reading to launch the Year of Mischief with Her Majesty The Queen. The launch got amazing coverage across national TV, radio and press, with Queen Camillia even learning how to draw Gnasher and getting pranked by Dennis.
Above: The 75th birthday edition celebrated 75 of the funniest mischief-makers including Rowan Atkinson, Mr Beast and Jack Black. Above: Queen Camilla launched the Year of Mischief with the National Year of Reading.
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YEAR OF MISCHIEF
BRITAIN’S FUNNIEST CLASS CAMPAIGN
Building on the Beano-for-Schools lesson plans programme that helps teachers engage pupils through laughter, this year’s campaign generated over 280 million editorial reach with TV coverage syndicated across over 80 news bulletins.
421M+ EDITORIAL REACH
1M+
Above: Bo yc Primary Sc e Class from Joy La ne hool in W hitstable, the funnie Kent is st class in Britain.
PUTTING COMICS INTO KIDS’ HANDS As part of our ambition to get every child reading, we partnered with TG Jones to distribute 48,000 special edition comics across more than 430 stores nationwide.
SOCIAL REACH Special edition comic in TG Jones.
3.5M+
YOUTUBE IMPRESSIONS
MEDIA EXCITEMENT INCLUDED PRINT, ONLINE AND TV, INCLUDING BBC NEWS!
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TAKING BEANO ON TOUR
ANNIVERSARY EVENTS
Meeting fans in real life is a huge part of the Beano world. This year there has been over 40 events across Britain INCLUDING GRAND SCALE LBE, HANDS-oN ACTIVITIES AND INTERACTIVE GAMES, BOOK READINGS AND CHARACTER VISITS as the country celebrates Dennis’s 75th anniversary.
TOWER OF LONDON
For February half term, Beanotown arrived at one of Britain’s most famous landmarks. Historic Royal Palaces welcomed 70k visitors to a Beano takeover of the Tower of London, transforming history into a funny, interactive family adventure with sets, actors and red-andblack themed café offerings, all accompanied by a witty media campaign leading to a 15% increase on prior year numbers.
SUMMER AT HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES
Following on from the successful takeover at the Tower of London in February, two more Historic Royal Palaces venues – Hampton Court Palace in London and Hillsborough castle in Belfast – welcomed Beano over the summer holidays. Visitors of all ages could go on a time-twisting trail, searching for clues, taking part in interactive games and meeting costumed characters. Beano havoc at Hampton Court Palace (right) and Beano hijinks at Hillsborough Castle (far right).
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Above: The Beano take over at the Tower of London included inte ractive sets, live-perfor mances and themed food serv ed in the on-site cafe s.
TAKING BEANO ON TOUR
ROYAL MINT EXPERIENCE Laugh-out-loud challenges met creative shenanigans and hands-on silliness, as visitors to the Royal Mint Experience explored the attraction to uncover the Ten Secret Rules of Mischief, helping Dennis track down Gnasher along the way. The Art of Mischief combined an exhibition for grownup fans with hands-on activities for children. The event was a huge success, driving footfall for nostalgic fans and attracting families looking for a memorable day out. The activation will go on tour through 2027/2028.
Above: Lo ts of laug hs at the Ro yal Mint Ex perience.
MEETING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MISCHIEF MAKERS Beano is appearing at over 40 events and festivals across the country this year including comic conventions, festivals, events at schools, museums and libraries as well as instore events including Waterstones. Beano’s artists and writers meet thousands of families every year, inspiring creativity and building a life-long love for the brand.
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EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
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COLLABORATIONS
ANNIVERSARY COLLABORATIONS For every generation, Dennis embodies the fun, carefree childhood everyone remembers. This year, Beano’s partners have pulled out all the stops for the 75th anniversary to deliver an unmatched, cross-generational brand experience.
MR JONES WATCHES
Created by the Mr Jones Watches team, this limitededition watch looks like it’s leapt straight out of a Beano page, where Dennis and Gnasher are tumbling through the air and handily showing the time. A true collector’s piece and a brilliant example of how Beano can move into premium design spaces. The launch featured a store takeover alongside rave reviews from influencers and watch experts. 8
DUCK WORLD
Duckworld brings Dennis and Gnasher to life as collectable rubber ducks, complete with unique comic-strip packaging and store takeovers.
LIMITED-EDITION DENNIS AND GNASHER DUCKS FROM DUCK WORLD
Left: o Bean W x MJ h c wat een s ha b d name g amon p o T the tch 10 wa es s relea 6 2 of 20 ff u by St ine. z Maga
ANGEL & ROCKET The stylish kids clothing brand debuts a witty Dennis-themed collection including tee-shirts, PJs and sweatshirts across its stores including Westfield, London. Beanoinspired kidswear from Angel & Rocket.
COLLABORATIONS
PAUL SMITH Above: Tote bag and wool jumper from Paul Smith+ Beano A/W26 8-piece capsule collection
THE ROYAL MINT Britain’s oldest company has created a striking collection of silver, coloured and gold 50p coins, gift collections and a unique 1kg sterling silver proof coin featuring the UK’s favourite mischief-maker Dennis.
Longtime fan of Beano, Paul Smith has designed a premium capsule collection for stylish men, featuring graphic tee-shirts, luxurious knitwear, accessories and jacket lining for his stores.
SKINNYDIP Trend-setter Skinnydip, has created a fashionforward collection of clothing and accessories for the millennials who are now embracing the brand.
Right: Skinnydip puts its own twist on Beano’s artwork.
WEIRD FISH 1kg silver coin with Gnasher’s bite marks (top) and limited-edition 50p coins (above)
A uniquely British collaboration with lifestyle brand Weird Fish features a collection of gag-filled tee-shirts rolling out across Weird Fish stores.
MAINS LONDON
BY SKEPTA
Above: Dennis and Gnasher get a brilliantly fishy makeover from Weird Fish.
The British luxury streetwear brand founded by music producer/rapper Skepta, has designed a 10-piece collection inspired by Dennis’s style, attitude and iconic red-and-black jumper. 9
LICENSEE FOCUS
MISCHIEF ON THE HIGH STREET BLUES GROUP Sarah Salmon, sales and design manager “Dennis was one of our best sellers for 2026 and we will continue to stock throughout 2027 along with adding a Minnie the Minx to the range. Nostalgic brands have become a popular trend, and we have seen uplift in sales due to this especially with adults. Beano ticks all the boxes fun and classic which consumers love.” Right: Children’s Dress-up from Blues.
FARSHORE
Zoe Masters, publishing director – brands and licensing “At Farshore we love to entertain, engage and make reading fun, something we very much have in common with Beano. We are very proud to publish such a loved heritage brand with huge multi-generational appeal. This year we launched a fresh new look for our Dennis the Menace fiction titles, with super cool neon pantone covers to celebrate 75 years of Dennis. And in 2027 we will be continuing to expand our Dennis the Menace range with his very own graphic novel series.” Above: New fiction series from Farshore.
DANILO
Dan Grant, licensing director “Beano is such a classic property and part of British culture for kids and adults alike. I’m sure a lot of people, like me, will remember signing up to be part of the Dennis fan club and receiving the membership wallet and two badges. This connection with the brand continues to live on with both new and long-time fans, and we love bringing that to life through the products we create. Left: Father’s Day card from Danilo.
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ODDBALLS Matthew Gibson, head of partnerships and licensing
“Beano is rooted in family time, story time, mischievous behaviour and happiness. The brand resonates so well with the core OddBalls customer and because we can have fun with the designs, we always bring something new and full of character each launch. We have a new range of underwear and PJ’s coming this Q4 that combines the new adult style guide, OddBalls design influence and of course captures the mischievous characterises of the Beano characters.” New design from OddBalls.
KAP TOYS
Nathaniel Southworth, managing director “It is exceptionally rare to find a brand you can discuss with children and grandparents. Every single age category has a memory and opinion about Beano. We are creating an everyday toy range delivering Beano toy sales wherever a Beano is sold. This will be achieved through the expansion of the range from pocket money toys to everyday gifting.”
Right: Unleash your inner prankster with this Box of Tricks from Kap Toys.
MORE FUN TO COME
LOOKING AHEAD
At the centre of our ambitions are our fans. Our strategy is all about connecting and engaging with our fanbase; building fresh new ways for kids and families to connect with Beano through the weekly comic, online and a slate of LBE, events and appearances across the country. As well as the weekly comic, we’ll also be launching two first-ever graphic novel series for megastars Dennis the Menace and Bananaman, as well as new entries in our ever-expanding range of Dennis the Menace fiction books. For licensing, this year has showcased how Beano’s iconography and humour translates brilliantly into stylish clothing, witty gifts and iconic collectibles for grown-up fans. As momentum builds towards Beano’s 90th in 2028, a core focus of the licensing programme will be giving everyone from style-conscious dads to millennial women fresh ways to enjoy the brand. Our upcoming 90th year anniversary will allow us to go even bigger, using the full range of iconic characters to bring Beano fun to the whole of Britain. Beano is a brand that is always-on with a brand-new joke-filled comic dropping every week, and an eco-system of TV, YouTube, books and IRL events. Connection, community and authenticity are the keys to succeeding as a brand in the modern world, and with our expertise of keeping kids entertained, we’re excited by our next phase of growth and creating the next generation of mischief makers.
Following the exceptional response to The Year of Mischief, Beano is planning to go even bigger for its 90th anniversary in 2028. The celebrations will reach beyond London, with venues and experiences planned in ways the brand has never done before, ensuring that people of all ages across the UK can join in. The 90th anniversary will also be a key campaign for Beano’s licensees, as the brand continues to expand its relationships and build new opportunities over the coming year.
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