Cheeky Weekly cover date 31 March 1979

Here's something rather unusual for Cheeky Weekly's 73^rd issue – the cover leads with the news that readers can sport their very own facsimile of the cheeky funster's trademark jersey. All that's required is wool, knitting needles (neither of which are supplied) and some proficiency in following the pattern printed inside this issue. So it's over to you, (as the cover announces in a blatant display of late-seventies sexism) 'kind mums, sisters grannies, aunties or big brother's girlfriend'. Good luck with that. Despite her clicking needles, Cheeky's cover co-star Granny Gumdrop is - judging by her skin colour - entering the final stages of hypothermia.

Page 2 wastes no time in establishing the knitting theme which runs throughout Cheeky's Week this issue – Cheeky announces in Sunday's first panel that Krazy Town's notorious knitter Granny Gumdrop is producing replicas of the toothy funster's stylish garb for all his pals. Judging by the attire of Constable Chuckle, Manhole Man, Doctor Braincell and Cheeky's parents, Granny's needles have already seen considerable action.

Art: Barrie Appleby

Art: Nigel Edwards

Cheeky Weekly's other Gran, of the 6 Million Dollar variety, is collecting her pension at the opening of her story this week. Quite how a robot came to be eligible for a pension remains unexplained. The synthetic senior citizen is outraged to discover a fake banknote among her cash, so decides to forge her own notes in order to lure the currency fakers to reveal their identities. It's not long before the aged automaton delivers the genuine forgers (if that's not a contradiction in terms) to the cop shop.

Granny Gumdrop is appropriately this week's source of the Mystery Comic, which makes no mention on its cover of the knitting pattern which is located therein.

Why, Dad, Why? is in colour on page 16 (sharing the centre pages with the colour cover of the cut-out knitting pattern) and the title banner at the top shows son suffering from the tweaked ear he receives at the end of the story, while Dad leers evilly in anticipation of the thrashing he will administer with the aid of a busted inner tube.

Art: John Geering

The instructions for Cheeky's jersey continue from page 17 to page 18, after which the Mystery Comic concludes with another thrilling Mystery Boy episode. Missing from this week's Mystery Comic is Elephant On The Run, bumped from the issue by the knitting pattern.

Returning to Cheeky Weekly, readers with a vacant space on their bedroom wall will be looking forward to loosening the staples in next week's issue after they've read the ad on page 21 – the toothy funster's comic will feature the first section of a Top Ten Poster as part of the Comics Go Pop promotion also appearing in companion titles Whizzer and Chips and Whoopee! Whoopee's Sweeny Toddler and Bumpkin kids are certainly getting excited. Apparently none of the stars of Cheeky Weekly or Whizzer and Chips were available for the ad.

Barrie Appleby, who has drawn all the Cheeky's Week elements thus far this week, hands over artwork duties to Frank McDiarmid as of the Thursday page, but the jersey japes continue.

Art: Frank McDiarmid

Cheeky Weekly's participation as one of the host titles for the 1979 Star Guest run gets under way this issue with a promotional appearance by Whoopee's peerlessly parsimonious pater, Lolly Pop (who will make return Star Guest appearance later in the run) drawn by Sid Burgon. One might have expected the accomplished Sid, who was the regular Lolly Pop artist at the time in Whoopee! and provided weekly strips for most of the IPC humour titles of the period, to be among Cheeky Weekly's band of talented cartoonists. Only two pages of Sid's work appeared in Cheeky Weekly, both of which were part of the Star Guest run. In addition to the Lolly Pop page mentioned above, Sid delivered the Joker page that appeared in the 07 July 1979 issue of the toothy funster's comic.

Art: Frank McDiarmid

The Pin-Up Pal poster on the back page, this week featuring the Skateboard Squad drawn by Mike Lacey, is the final one in the series.

This issue is another nice Cheeky Weekly special edition (see also the skateboard, 60 years into the future and Smurf issues), with the knitwear fun running through Cheeky's Week. It's a pity the theme didn't extend to the Skateboard Squad and Calculator Kid strips.

Other strips not participating in the pullover punfest are 6 Million Dollar Gran, Paddywack and all of the Mystery Comic features. However none of these stories take place in Cheeky's universe, so the lack of knitwear references is understandable. The intrusion of the knitting pattern into the Mystery Comic is purely due to the mechanics of the Cheeky Weekly printing process, so presumably isn't actually to be considered as part of that perplexing publication.

Some loose strands to knit together with this post -

The Chit-Chat page in Cheeky Weekly dated 19 May 1979 contained an admission regarding the jersey pattern...

But 11 August 1979's Chit-Chat proved that some jerseys had been successfully completed...

As mentioned above, Barrie Appleby and Frank McDiarmid share the Cheeky's Week art duties this issue, each contributing 4 elements.

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 31-Mar-1979, Issue 73 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cover Feature 'Cheeky's Jersey' - Art Frank McDiarmid
2	Sunday - Art Barrie Appleby
3	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
4	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
5	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Nigel Edwards
6	Monday - Art Barrie Appleby
7	Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave
8	Tease Break\Ad: IPC 'Battle Action' 2 of 2
9	Tuesday - Art Barrie Appleby
10	Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
11	Skateboard Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
12	Wednesday - Art Barrie Appleby
13	Tub 'Mystery Comic' 22 of 34 - Art Nigel Edwards
14	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 23 of 34 - Art Joe McCaffrey
15	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 23 of 34 - Art Joe McCaffrey
16	Why, Dad, Why? 'Mystery Comic' 19 of 28 - Art John K. Geering
17	Cheeky's Jersey Pattern (single appearance)
18	Cheeky's Jersey Pattern (single appearance)
19	Disaster Des 'Mystery Comic' 21 of 30 - Art Mike Lacey
20	Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips 'Mystery Comic' 24 of 37 - Art John Richardson
21	Ad: IPC 'Comics Go Pop promo next week'Ad: 'Tornado' 1 of 4
22	Thursday - Art Frank McDiarmid
23	Star Guest (first appearance) 'Lolly Pop' 1 of 2 - Art Sid Burgon (first art on feature)
24	Joke-Box Jury
25	Friday - Art Frank McDiarmid
26	Menace of the Alpha Man reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury
27	Menace of the Alpha Man reprint from Shiver and Shake - Art Eric Bradbury
28	Chit-Chat
29	Chit-Chat
30	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid
31	Saturday - Art Frank McDiarmid
32	Pin-up pal (final appearance) 'Skateboard Squad' - Art Jimmy Hansen (single art on feature)

Cheeky's Week Artists Cover Date 31-Mar-1979

Artist	Elements
Frank McDiarmid	4
Barrie Appleby	4