Cartoonist Hank Ketcham created one of the most enduringly irresistible imps in the world. Dennis the Menace first began to plague his next-door neighbour, Mr. Wilson, in 1950.

This little bundle of energy has remained five years old since then, too young to be in school and too old for the playpen. He is an energetic, tireless, quick thinker who is hard to catch.  He is also very curious and inquisitive and is always looking for adventures and experience that often puts him in situations that he can’t control.

With a mischievous smile on his face he is sometimes honest and direct.  Dennis is never consciously mean but he poses a constant threat to fragile items, important grown-ups and quiet weekends.

Today the comic panel appears in more than 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and in 19 languages.  This brainchild has been the subject of a hit network TV series that still appears on stations in many countries. More than 50 million "Dennis" books have been sold.

Dennis’ social-mindedness has turned him into an important spokesperson for a number of non-profit organisations such as The Boy Scouts of America, Unicef and Red Cross International.

In 1993, Warner Bros. produced a movie on Dennis the Menace, starring Walther Matthau as Mr. Wilson and Mason Gamble as Dennis.  A video launch in 1998 quickly found a broad audience.