Comics UK

RE: Bessie Bunter:

In France Bessie was renamed Betsy Boule (Billy Bunter was renamed Billy Boule over there).

In the Netherlands Bessie was renamed Bessie Turf. A first series of six anthologies was published between 1966 and 1972. A second series of 11 was published between 1982 and 1986. And then there were a few more in de mid 90's.

I would have to check the exact dates, but I think it was in 1973, 74 and 75 that Bessie appeared in the Dutch edition of Tina. In the beginning almost weekly, later only when they had a spot left in the comic.

Bessie Turf?

Yeah. Turf is a nickname for a fat person. Not a name that could be used nowadays in the political correct world we live in.

Back on the subject track of LLD:

I recently bought a late 1978 edition of Debbie and Spellbound. In it was a strip drawn by Robert MacGillivray called Mollie's Dolly.

It's a very sililar idea to LLD: only this doll called "Maidey" has a switch at the back where she can be turned on and off. Maidey is a bossy doll who is dressed as a Victorian maid.

I don't recall any maid dolls on sale at that time - though I get the felling the thinking might have been a reference to Molly Mills from Tammy - it could have beem Rob MacG having a pop at Tammy over LLD's cancellation in 1974.

Either way Molly's Dolly didn;t catch on and in 1979 Rob MacG debut the more successful Trixie's Treasure Chest which ran until Debbie closed in 1983.

Bet Rob MacG hated mergers - both Trixie's TC and LLD were cancalled as a result of them, plus Maisie's Magic Eye from Sally - only Jeanie and Her Uncle Meanie from Sandie would survive (thoguh LLD did first time with Schoolfriend and June's merger).