Kid Kong
   
                             
    Son of mighty King Kong, Kid Kong was a 'nana-stuffing
    Fleetway fun classic. He was a big dumb, lovable ape with a
    heart of gold and a child's view of the world. Kid  lived with
    Granny Smith, a shortsighted, half-deaf biddy who mistook
    the lad for an overgrown child and treated him as such - she
    even referred to him as "son"!

    Poor old Kid! - His hunt for 'nanas regularly left him in hot
    water with Gran. He'd crush buildings, flatten buses and
    such, which would leave her threatening to take away
    his 'nanas and THAT would leave Kid blubbing great
    tidalwaves of tears on the front lawn...      

       

    Kid was actually an escapee from a travelling fun fair, whose
    owners had treated him badly. In those first strips and covers
    he was depicted as being rather gormless with the accent
    on his single side tooth and Neanderthal brow. Artist Robert
    Nixon later softened the look and scaled him down a tad.
    Here he is talking about Kid's creation in a Golden Fun
    interview from 1981:

   "Bob Paynter (Fleetway editor) telephoned me
    with an ideaof what he wanted to see and I did
    preliminary drawings and sent them off for
    approval. I did him a bit too big at first and
    later toned him down a bit. But my version
    of Kid (and Gran) is the one that's always
    been used..."

    Actually, Golden Fun was a fabulous 80s fanzine all about
    British comic artists, and my copies have come courtesy
    of the very generous Paul Ailey, of Adam & Eva
    fame - thanks Paul!....


    Juxtaposing the incredibly large Kid with little old Gran
    would have  been a headache for many, but not for the late
    great Mr Nixon who would skilfully depicted Kid's great
    form, stooping into each frame...
    
      

    Kid Kong was a big hit strip, starring on the front cover of the
    very first Monster Fun. He remained the star strip right up
    until the comic's demise, and beyond, because his tales
    continued each week in the pages of Buster & Monster Fun.

    Kid and Gran remained regulars and intermittent cover stars of
    the Monster Fun Annuals as well as the Buster & Monster Fun
    Holiday Specials and they also slipped into several Buster
    Annuals. In later years Rob Lee took over the strip, sticking
    very closely to Mr Nixon's original designs. Robert Nixon said
    that Kid Kong was one of his two favourite strips to draw (the
    other being Frankie Stein), and it shows. Kid Kong was and is
    still a Great Grape Ape...