Happy Families
   
                             
    The Happies of Wimble Walk included Mum, Dad, Grandad,
    big sister Sharon, and the twins Vikki and Dicky, and as their
    surname suggests they were one great big splendid typical
    'happy' family. Not. But they were typical. I mean, they were
    always rowing. Constantly. This lot never gave each other a
    moment's peace. Nor anyone else when ever they went out.
    Of course they tried to stop it, really they did, but they just
    failed miserably. Sharon would upset Grandad, Mum would
    upset Dad, blah-blah-blah, and the whole thing would escalate
    into a frantic family row. Their rowing was so renowned even
    the police would avoid them. Tch. The police avoiding trouble
   - typical, eh?

    Happy Families seemed to be a spin on an old Buster comic
    strip from 1969, called The Happy Family, which was drawn
    by Reg Parlett. That one starred Mum, Dad and the twins
    Spike and Flo. There were precious few rows between this
    jolly quartet, who directed most of their energy towards
    young Tommy and his bothersome Father and Mother over
    the garden fence. Those three were constantly noseying in on
    the jolly foursome's garden games - it was quite similar in tone
    to the later Jackpot strip It's a Nice Life, also drawn by Mr
    Parlett.

    

    Interesting to see how times changed between the publication
    of the two Happy strips. How the "niceness" was dropped in
    favour of the more realistic "dysfunctional family" of the remake.

    Artist Dick Millington also brought us Ray Presto, Jolly Roger,
    Hover Boots and many more Fleetway stars through the 70s
    and 80s. He's also familiar as the man who drew TV Comic
    star Mighty Moth.

    Trivia Hounds will note that those Happys actually fought their
    way on to the cover of the 1980 Whizzer & Chips annual,
    which is quite a feat when you remember that this particular
    space was normally reserved for Sid, Slippy and Shiner
    each year...