A CARTOONIST has looked back over a 40-year career creating some of the country's best-loved characters.

Ken Harrison, of Barton, is the pen behind the Beano's notorious hell-raiser Minnie the Minx.

The freelance artist, of Fleetgate, has been drawing Minnie's strip in The Beano comic since March 2008.

But for 25 years, Ken, 69, was best-known as the illustrator for Desperate Dan in The Dandy, who he was responsible for drawing until last year.

He recalled: "The publishers cut back the Dan strip from three pages to one, and his appearances to every two or three weeks, with the use of lots of reprints.

"So I accepted the invitation to draw Minnie the Minx.

"Minnie The Minx – the name sums her up," said Ken. "She's a horror."

Ken said he has adapted Minnie from her original appearance to make her look less harsh.

He said: "I think I have managed to make her look cuter – but I still would not want her as a daughter."

"She used to look grotesque with big teeth and a maniac expression, but she still remains the most mischievous eight-year-old in the world.

For more than 40 years father-of-two Ken has entertained millions of fans around the world with his cartoon characters.

For eight years he was the artist for the iconic Oor Wullie and The Broons comic strips in The Sunday Post newspaper, in Scotland.

Ken has also worked on a host of other characters like Korky The Kat, Harry and his Hippo, The Wild Rovers and Sir Coward De Custard.

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