Welcome to the Cheeky Weekly blog!


Welcome to the Cheeky Weekly blog!
Cheeky Weekly ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED was a British children's comic with cover dates spanning 22 October 1977 to 02 February 1980.

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*** ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Used with permission. ***
*** CHEEKY WEEKLY, KRAZY, WHOOPEE!, WHOOPEE, WOW!, WHIZZER AND CHIPS and BUSTER ARE ™ REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, COPYRIGHT ©  REBELLION PUBLISHING LTD, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ***
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Wednesday, 7 October 2020

The Whoopee Years - Cheeky Weekly Characters in the Popularity Polls - part 13

11 weeks after the 21 July 1984 poll results, Whoopee and Wow! readers leafing through the 06 October 1984 edition were again presented with a Top Ten voting coupon, and the next set of results appeared in the comic dated 05 January 1985.

What features had come to an end between 21 July 1984 and 05 January 1985?...

START_DATE END_DATE CE_ELEMENT
02-JUL-83 28-JUL-84 Letterbox
02-JUL-83 04-AUG-84 Spare-Part Kit
22-SEP-84 13-OCT-84 Comic Turns Booklet
01-NOV-80 27-OCT-84 Guy Fawkes Mask
03-NOV-84 24-NOV-84 Sweeny Toddler's Baby Comic
31-DEC-83 29-DEC-84 We wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas

Letterbox was the readers' letters page. Spare-Part Kit was a dull tale with a preordained termination date resulting from its premise - a lad with set of mechanical limbs which he wore over his own, and the spies intent on stealing his performance-enhancing equipment in order that their country could win medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

No features had begun between the same two dates, so we'll move straight on to examine the ongoing strips/features of the time...

START_DATE END_DATE CE_ELEMENT
09-FEB-80 12-JAN-85 Cover Feature
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Bookworm
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Bumpkin Billionaires
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Calculator Kid
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Frankie Stein
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Lolly Pop
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Mustapha Million
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Paddywack
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Stage School
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Sweeny Toddler
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Toy Boy
16-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Chip
01-MAR-80 19-JAN-85 Top Ten voting coupon
10-MAY-80 09-MAR-85 Top Ten Results
23-OCT-82 30-MAR-85 Snack-Man
27-NOV-82 23-MAR-85 Calculator Corner
12-FEB-83 26-JAN-85 Freaky Frankie
02-JUL-83 23-MAR-85 Team Mates
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Bleep
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Boy Boss
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Cheeky (Quick Strip)
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Comic Turns
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Creepy Comix
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Family Trees
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Gran's Gang
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Here Is The News
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Kid Comic
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Ossie
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Shipwreck School
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 TV Quiz Kids
14-JAN-84 30-MAR-85 Animalad

Here are the results as presented in the 05 January 1984 edition...

Ossie Art: Robert Nixon

Mustapha Million makes a surprise re-entry into the top ten, having failed to register in the previous 3 polls.

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Mustapha Million 1
15/11/80 Mustapha Million 1
20/06/81 Mustapha Million 1
20/02/82 Mustapha Million 3
07/08/82 Mustapha Million 4
21/08/82 Mustapha Million 4
02/10/82 Mustapha Million 4
06/11/82 Mustapha Million 7
04/12/82 Mustapha Million 4
22/01/83 Mustapha Million 7
02/04/83 Mustapha Million 9
19/11/83 Mustapha Million Not placed
31/03/84 Mustapha Million Not placed
21/07/84 Mustapha Million Not placed
05/01/85 Mustapha Million 7

In another shock, Stage School, who have secured a place in all 14 previous polls conducted since Cheeky Weekly merged with Whoopee back in February 1980, are for the first time marked as being absent.

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Stage School 8
15/11/80 Stage School 6
20/06/81 Stage School 10
20/02/82 Stage School 7
07/08/82 Stage School 8
21/08/82 Stage School 10
02/10/82 Stage School 5
06/11/82 Stage School 3
04/12/82 Stage School 8
22/01/83 Stage School 4
02/04/83 Stage School 1
19/11/83 Stage School 5
31/03/84 Stage School 4
21/07/84 Stage School 4
05/01/85 Stage School Not placed

Calculator Kid fails to make it into the poll results for the fourth consecutive time - evidently Calc's batteries were running low by this stage.

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Calculator Kid 4
15/11/80 Calculator Kid 2
20/06/81 Calculator Kid 5
20/02/82 Calculator Kid 4
07/08/82 Calculator Kid 6
21/08/82 Calculator Kid 5
02/10/82 Calculator Kid 6
06/11/82 Calculator Kid 8
04/12/82 Calculator Kid 6
22/01/83 Calculator Kid 3
02/04/83 Calculator Kid 5
19/11/83 Calculator Kid Not placed
31/03/84 Calculator Kid Not placed
21/07/84 Calculator Kid Not placed
05/01/85 Calculator Kid Not placed

Gran has again failed to secure a placing, maintaining a curiously sporadic record.

10/05/80 $6,000,000 Gran 7
15/11/80 $6,000,000 Gran Not placed
20/06/81 Robot Granny Not placed
20/02/82 Robot Granny Not placed
07/08/82 Robot Granny Not placed
20/02/82 Robot Granny Not placed
02/10/82 Robot Granny Not placed
06/11/82 Robot Granny 10
04/12/82 Robot Granny Not placed
22/01/83 Robot Granny Not placed
02/04/83 Robot Granny Not placed
19/11/83 Gran’s Gang 7
31/03/84 Gran’s Gang Not placed
21/07/84 Gran’s Gang Not placed
05/01/85 Gran’s Gang Not placed

Cheeky and Paddywack continue to have zero presence among the most popular features.

One further set of poll results was published before Whoopee joined the burgeoning number of titles in the comics graveyard, and the fate of our ex-Cheeky Weekly chums in that ultimate vote comes under examination here.

Back to part 12

Wednesday, 23 September 2020

The Whoopee Years - Cheeky Weekly Characters in the Popularity Polls - part 12

The Whoopee and Wow! editor solicited another batch of readers votes with a coupon printed in the 19 May 1984 edition, just 7 weeks after the previous set of results had been published in the comic dated 31 March 1984. The next set of results appeared in the 21 July 1984 issue.

No features had ended between 31 March and 21 July, and the only features to begin during that time were the Creepy Comix booklet which ran for four weeks between 12 May and 02 June, and the Whoopee TV booklet which occupied the issues from 16 June to 07 July. In fact by 21 July 1984, the only strip to have been jettisoned since Wow! merged into Whoopee as of the 02 July 1983 edition was the citizens' band radio inspired KBR, which signed off after a 5-month Whoopee run in the 03 December 1983 issue. KBR was eventually replaced by the tedious transformations of the lacklustre Animalad whose strip began in the comic dated 14 January 1984. Aside from this adjustment, the editor seems to have decided to leave the lineup of strips unchanged from that which was initiated as of the Wow! merge, but to introduce some variety by means of  an increased number of cut-out booklets, as documented by Irmantas in the links above.

The ongoing features contending for readers' votes were...

START_DATE END_DATE CE_ELEMENT
09-FEB-80 12-JAN-85 Cover Feature
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Bookworm
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Bumpkin Billionaires
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Calculator Kid
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Frankie Stein
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Lolly Pop
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Mustapha Million
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Paddywack
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Stage School
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Sweeny Toddler
09-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Toy Boy
16-FEB-80 30-MAR-85 Chip
01-MAR-80 19-JAN-85 Top Ten voting coupon
10-MAY-80 09-MAR-85 Top Ten Results
01-NOV-80 27-OCT-84 Guy Fawkes Mask
23-OCT-82 30-MAR-85 Snack-Man
27-NOV-82 23-MAR-85 Calculator Corner
12-FEB-83 26-JAN-85 Freaky Frankie
02-JUL-83 28-JUL-84 Letterbox
02-JUL-83 04-AUG-84 Spare-Part Kit
02-JUL-83 23-MAR-85 Team Mates
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Bleep
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Boy Boss
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Cheeky (Quick Strip)
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Comic Turns
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Creepy Comix
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Family Trees
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Gran's Gang
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Here Is The News
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Kid Comic
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Ossie
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 Shipwreck School
02-JUL-83 30-MAR-85 TV Quiz Kids
31-DEC-83 29-DEC-84 We wish all of our readers a very merry Christmas
14-JAN-84 30-MAR-85 Animalad

These were the poll results announced in Whoopee and Wow! dated 21 July 1984...


Stage School retains a creditable 4th position and is the only ex-Cheeky Weekly feature to have been placed in all 14 polls conducted since the toothy funster's former comic was absorbed into Whoopee in February 1982.

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Stage School 8
15/11/80 Stage School 6
20/06/81 Stage School 10
20/02/82 Stage School 7
07/08/82 Stage School 8
21/08/82 Stage School 10
02/10/82 Stage School 5
06/11/82 Stage School 3
04/12/82 Stage School 8
22/01/83 Stage School 4
02/04/83 Stage School 1
19/11/83 Stage School 5
31/03/84 Stage School 4
21/07/84 Stage School 4

Mustapha Million and Calculator Kid have clearly fallen out of favour since the adoption of the survivors of Wow!, both failing to secure a place in the 3 post-merge polls...

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Mustapha Million 1
15/11/80 Mustapha Million 1
20/06/81 Mustapha Million 1
20/02/82 Mustapha Million 3
07/08/82 Mustapha Million 4
21/08/82 Mustapha Million 4
02/10/82 Mustapha Million 4
06/11/82 Mustapha Million 7
04/12/82 Mustapha Million 4
22/01/83 Mustapha Million 7
02/04/83 Mustapha Million 9
19/11/83 Mustapha Million Not placed
31/03/84 Mustapha Million Not placed
21/07/84 Mustapha Million Not placed

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 Calculator Kid 4
15/11/80 Calculator Kid 2
20/06/81 Calculator Kid 5
20/02/82 Calculator Kid 4
07/08/82 Calculator Kid 6
21/08/82 Calculator Kid 5
02/10/82 Calculator Kid 6
06/11/82 Calculator Kid 8
04/12/82 Calculator Kid 6
22/01/83 Calculator Kid 3
02/04/83 Calculator Kid 5
19/11/83 Calculator Kid Not placed
31/03/84 Calculator Kid Not placed
21/07/84 Calculator Kid Not placed

Gran is again absent from the top ten...

Poll Date Feature Position
10/05/80 $6,000,000 Gran 7
15/11/80 $6,000,000 Gran Not placed
20/06/81 Robot Granny Not placed
20/02/82 Robot Granny Not placed
07/08/82 Robot Granny Not placed
20/02/82 Robot Granny Not placed
02/10/82 Robot Granny Not placed
06/11/82 Robot Granny 10
04/12/82 Robot Granny Not placed
22/01/83 Robot Granny Not placed
02/04/83 Robot Granny Not placed
19/11/83 Gran’s Gang 7
31/03/84 Gran’s Gang Not placed
21/07/84 Gran’s Gang Not placed

Cheeky and Paddywack are nowhere to be seen among the most popular strips, but that's no surprise as neither have ever appeared in any of the poll results.

What will be the fate of our ex-Cheeky Weekly chums be in the next vote? The answer can be found here.

Back to part 11