The Resume

(March 14, 1920-June 1, 2001)
Created the cartoon strip 'Dennis the Menace' based on the antics of his 4-year-old son
Debuted on March 12, 1951 in 16 newspapers and became an instant hit
Won the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society as 'Cartoonist of the Year' (1952)
Strip inspired a TV show (1959-63), a musical and a 1993 movie
Retired from cartooning in 1994 to concentrate on oil and watercolor painting
Died of heart disease and cancer at age 81

Why he might be annoying:

He dropped out of the University of Washington after one year.
He was thrice married.
He moved to Switzerland in 1960 because he felt overwhelmed by the U.S. and remained there for 17 years.
He kept up with the way America looked by studying Sears & Roebuck catalogues.
He became estranged from his son and the inspiration for his strip.

Why he might not be annoying:

He did cartooning for both Walter Lantz and Walt Disney studios.
He served in the U.S. Navy drawing cartoons for Naval posters and training manuals.
He named a girl in the strip Gina, a friend of Dennis, in honor of actress Gina Lollobrigida.
He lived to see 'Dennis the Menace' reach its 50 year anniversary, appearing in over 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and in 19 languages.
Fame didn't make him pompous. He stated of his creation, 'I'm not in it for posterity. People look at it for 30 seconds ... then it gets used to wrap fish.'

Credit: Scar Tactics

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Cartoonists
• College Drop Outs
• Huge Eye Wear
• I Died in 2001 (Ranked: 81)
• I Have A Well-Rounded Birthday: Born On Pi Day (March 14) (Ranked: 1920)
• I was Estranged From My Child
• Look at Me, I'm Reading
• Look at Me, I've Been Caught Smoking
• Male Pipe Smokers
• Newspaper Journalists/Editors/Publishers
• Phi Delta Theta Fraternity
• Pig Names
• Profiles 19001-19250 (Ranked: 19053)
• Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year Winners (Ranked: 1952)
• Scar Tactics' Profiles [Series 05]
• Scarecrows [Tall Thin People]
• Snaggle Tooth

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 8 Votes: 12.50% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 12 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 12 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 17 Votes: 35.29% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 26 Votes: 46.15% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 51 Votes: 37.25% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 40 Votes: 42.50% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 140 Votes: 44.29% Annoying
In 2006, Out of 131 Votes: 40.46% Annoying