Line #27 WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace1996


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8	''Dennis the Menace'' was an AnimatedAdaptation of the ''[[ComicBook/TheBeano Beano]]'' [[ComicStrip/{{Dennis the Menace\|UK}} character]], which launched in 1996, and would be the first animated version of the character. It was produced by Creator/CollingwoodAndCo.
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10	Airing on Creator/{{CBBC}} between 1996-1998 in UsefulNotes/TheUnitedKingdom it ran for two seasons, taking a hiatus in 1997.
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12	Outside the United Kingdom it was known as ''Dennis and Gnasher'' to avoid confusion with the other ''[[ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS Dennis the Menace]]''. As such, this series is not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/DennisTheMenace the 1986 cartoon of the American version by]] Creator/DiCEntertainment.
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14	!!Tropes present in Dennis the Menace (1996):
15	* ADayInTheLimelight: "Dennis and the Grown-Ups" focuses on the adults of Beanotown and how Dennis's antics have affected them.
16	* AdaptationalHeroism: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]]. He's still the same menacing character, but saves Beanotown from the VillainOfTheWeek every so often. He also behaves more like a rebellious prankster rather than an outright bully.
17	* AdaptationalJerkass: Walter is much more snobbish and less sympathetic here than his depiction in the comics, making him a genuine rival to Dennis. This would pave the way for his later appearances.
18	* ArtEvolution: The series had a wishy-washy, traditionally animated style akin to the comics in the first season, but switched to digital ink-and-paint for the second, resulting in a much brighter and cleaner look.
19	%% * CaptainErsatz: Genghis Kong is this show's version of DC Comics' Gorilla Grodd, only with the violence toned down and no psychic powers.
20	* CloudCuckoolander: The Colonel. Is he a genuine military man or just a local eccentric in a uniform who goes around barking orders at everybody? The series really loves to play with this fact.
21	* CoolOldLady: Dennis's mischevious, motorcycle riding Granny, whom he looks up to very much.
22	* TheDitz: Pie-Face. Mum also has her moments.
23	* FracturedFairyTale: "Dennis and the Beanstalk" is an episode-long spoof of Jack and the Beanstalk.
24	* {{Hypocrite}}: Sir Fitz-Patrick Flush, an EccentricMillionaire, offers a million-pound cheque to Beanotown residents if they can live without television for a whole week, but he breaks it by watching a telenovela.
25	* LanternJawOfJustice: Sgt Slipper has a rather prominent one.
26	* LoopholeAbuse: In "The Competition", Dennis wins a ''Series/BluePeter'' art contest and is invited onto the set. When "his" winning drawing is revealed on air, however, it turns out to be a bunch of splodges that Gnasher made, with the judge apparently oblivious to Dennis' actual drawing on the other side of the page. Once this has been explained, the presenters decide there ain't no rule saying a dog can't win - since Gnasher's under the age limit, he's still eligible.
27	* LostAesop: The moral of "The Day TV Was Banned" was supposed to be "Television is a pleasure, but not ''the only'' pleasure", but it ended up being "What was the moral in the episode?" due to the over-the-top challenge for a cheque and the EccentricMillionaire breaking his own challenge to watch a telenovela.
28	* LoveableRogue: For perhaps the first time, Dennis is presented this way. He's still a prankster, and at times a malicious one, but is equally capable of heroics and ''way'' less of a {{Jerkass}} than in the comics.
29	* KillerGorilla: Genghis Kong, an escaped circus gorilla who appears only in the episode "Gorilla Warfare" is an example of this trope.
30	* MenaceDecay: Averted in this adaptation, but he is a lot less malicious and more like a rebellious prankster. Later adaptations would tone it down.
31	* MeaningfulName: Sgt Slipper, the local police officer. In earlier Beano comics, when corporal punishment was considered acceptable, Dennis would often be disciplined with a slipper by his father.
32	* MoreDakka: In one episode, Dennis and Gnasher got a pair of HumongousMecha which happened to look like them; Gnasher's had an enormous gun pop out of its "nose". Then more guns. Then some more. Then some '''''[[SerialEscalation more]]'''''. [[spoiler:[[DeconstructedTrope Then it fell over]].]]
33	* MorphicResonance: No matter what the aliens in "Unidentified Funny Object" shapeshift into, their eyes will always be misplaced and often the antenna on their head will appear, as shown by when they shapeshifted into Dennis' dad.
34	* MythologyGag: Dennis's favourite TV show, ''Nick Kelly'', is based on another DC Thomson strip, ''Send For Kelly'' from ''The Beezer''.
35	* NotMeThisTime: In "The Day TV Was Banned", an eccentric millionaire challenges Beanotown to go a week without TV, with the promise of £1 million if they succeed. Dennis spends the whole week trying to power his family's TV back up in spite of the challenge, only to be thwarted time and again. On the final day, the TV in Dennis' house is suddenly switched on, and the townspeople immediately assume Dennis is responsible and chase him down. It's only when they reach his house that they realise he ''can't'' be responsible because he's ''not in the house''.[[note]]It turns out to have been the millionaire himself, who just couldn't miss his favourite soap opera; since the townspeople made it that far, he gives them the £1 million anyway.[[/note]]
36	* OnlySaneMan: Dennis's dad, in spades.
37	* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: It's a very campy and wacky take on the comic, which is why [[RuleOfFun it's so much fun]]. Later adaptations would be far more down to earth.
38	* SpecialGuest: Katy Hill of ''Series/BluePeter'' fame appeared in "The Competition" as an InkSuitActor version of herself AdamWesting.
39	** Every other episode features a character played by an established British actor or comedian, including Creator/HughLaurie, Creator/KenDodd, Creator/BernardCribbins, and even Creator/BrianBlessed.
40	* StatusQuoIsGod: Dennis may cause damage or even blow a place up, but everything is back to normal by next episode with no mention of what happens.
41	* TheDreaded: Most of Beanotown are frightened of Dennis, ''even his own family''.

Context WesternAnimation / DennisTheMenace1996