Dennis the Menace, Navy Sailor

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You remember those Navy Chow posters I posted on earlier? The ones that advised Sailors not to get too much food? Guess whose signature popped on one? Look at the bottom corner of the poster:

Hank Ketcham, Navy Sailor, Dennis the Menace cartoon creator

Hank Ketcham, the Dennis the Menace creator was a Navy Sailor! In the Reserves:

Ketcham started in the business as an animator for Walter Lantz and eventually Walt Disney, where he worked on Fantasia, Bambi and Pinocchio. During World War II, Ketcham was a photographic specialist with the US Navy Reserve. Also while in the Navy he began a camp newspaper strip. Half Hitch, which ran in The Saturday Evening Post beginning in 1943.

I wonder if Dennis was modeled after a Sailor he knew. I could think of several.

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2 thoughts on “Dennis the Menace, Navy Sailor”

  1. I remember some of the pre-bootcamp literature (what to expect cartoon books) looked really familiar, and saw the it was drawn by Hank. Back in the early `80′s.

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