Plug (comic)
Plug was a British
comic which ran for 76 issues from
1977 to
1979. It was based around the
Bash Street Kids character
Plug. He was accompanied by his dog,
Pug, from
The Bash Street Pups, and a new character, Chunkee the Monkey, who was Plug's pet
monkey. Chunkee the Monkey was ugly and wore the same yellow Plug hat that Plug wore.
Other strips in this comic included:
- Gnoo Faces - strip about "three screwball Gnoos, trying to break into showbiz!". The judging panel was made up of Mickie Musk - the skunk, Lionel Bear, Arthur Aardvark and Tony Scratch - the tiger.
- Sporting Life - starring Elvis - Plug's little brother, looking at different football team each week. The first ever was Arsenal.
- The Bandshees - Fresh from their successful tour of Mars, honey monster like creatures playing in a band. Readers were invited to send in funny songs that they had written.
- The Games Gang - Meltem John, Bee-Bop, Fuzz, Rocky, Modriel, Magnus Spike and Rollerball - they're game for anything.
- Ava Banana - this character was as strong as an ox, gentle as a lamb. Her trainer was Charlton Veston (cf. Ava Gardiner and Charlton Heston).
- Sea Urchin - an Amphibious boy having underwater adventures with his friend Roger - the flying fish. Main enemy was Silas Sharke - the underwater rotter.
- Digby the Human Mole - very odd looking boy with a large mole like nose, likes digging tunnels and eating.
- First Ada - always willing to practice her first aid on any unsuspecting passer by. Ada also had a St.Bernard dog as her companion.
- Tony Jackpot
- Hugh's Zoo - the adventures of Hugh and his backyard menagerie.
- Antchester United - the adventures of an insect football team.
- Eebagoom and Uncle Albert - the ancient British settlement of Liverpool is invaded by Julius Sneezer [sic] and his Roman legions.
- Lumpy Gibbon - starred Lumpy Gibbon (a huge gibbon), Colonel Podgy Whiner (a hunter), Little Gibbon and Man Eating Tiger Moth.
Plug was never a big hit. This may be because: 1. It was too expensive, far more so than it's parent comic. 2. Its humour was less sophisticated that the Beano and was more suited to a preschool/infants-school audience. It's initial readership (inevitably drawn from The
Beano) soon tired of its puerile storylines, while younger children (who may have appreciated its jokes more) never discovered it. 3. Although Plug himself was a popular character from the Bash Street Kids, he was no more than a front-page mascot in the comic that bore his name.
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