THE BROONS...BANNED! "JINGS, CRIVVENS, HELP MA BOAB!"

All images copyright DC Thomson & Co., Ltd.

Here is THE BROONS strip that was "banned" and never saw print until its appearance in THE SUNDAY POST, March 13th, 2011. (Yesterday.)

It's thought that it was vetoed because of the word "lover" in the second panel, considered far too racy for a kids' strip in a family newspaper in 1936. Morris Heggie, comics expert and current writer of THE BROONS and OOR WULLIE, thinks that not only is it one of the earliest Broons strips in existence, but may even be the first one that artist DUDLEY D. WATKINS ever drew - the "pilot" episode, in effect.

THE BROONS and OOR WULLIE (The Browns and Our William) celebrated their 75th anniversary in yesterday's SUNDAY POST, with a special pull-out souvenir section devoted to Scotland's lovable and long-running comic characters.

Created by ROBERT DUNCAN LOW (Managing Editor of DC THOMSON'S children's publications) and DUDLEY DEXTER WATKINS, both strips first appeared in THE SUNDAY POST FUN SECTION on March 8th, 1936. For many years Dudley was the only Thomson's artist who was allowed to sign his work, such was the regard in which his employers held him. The policy of other artists' enforced anonymity was only relaxed long after Dudley's death in 1969.

Original Broons and Oor Wullie artist, Dudley D. Watkins

For those that missed it, back issues of the paper are no doubt available from DC THOMSON & Co., Ltd. Get on the trail of that collectors' item classic while you can. THE BROONS and OOR WULLIE books continue to appear on alternate years on the run-up to Christmas, and a special hardback book reprinting classic episodes of both strips as drawn by DUDLEY D. WATKINS is published every year, and has been since 1996.

Above, the FIRST APPEARANCE of Oor Wullie and The Broons, and below, for completists, the covers of the VERY FIRST Broons and Oor Wullie books.

Click on images to enlarge - then click again to enlarge further.