Wonder Wellies
    
                             
    Willie's wellies were wonderful, alright. They were living
    wellies, who could move and intreract independently of
    Willie's feet. They could fly off and scoop things up, stretch
    themselves to disproportionate length, and do all sorts
    of marvellous things.

    Which was darned useful, actually, because they helped
    get our Willie out of all sorts of scrapes and happenings.
    But they were also frustratingly tempermental, and they
    were more than able to put the lad in his place when
    they so wished...

  

    Willie's wellingtons weren't at all wonderful until mad
    Professor Krankpot got his hands on them. Willie just
    happened to be passing the Prof's laboratory when he
    was called upon to use his rubber boots as test tubes
    (Krankpot had run out of utensils, you see).

    Anyway, Krankpot had been trying to turn ordinary
    everyday garden apples into solid gold, but to no avail.
    However, the residue from his experiment which was
    left in Willie's wellingtons brought them to life, and Willie
    soon found himself walking upside down across his
    mum's kitchen ceiling!

   

    Actually, Willie's Mum Mabel was a constant nag. She
    hated Willie's wellingtons and regularly niggled him about
    the fact. Why couldn't he just wear shoes or trainers
    like normal kids?

    Trivia Hounds will note how, in those early strips, Willie
    paraded around in checked shorts. These were later adapted
    into a plain black pair - much easier to draw, methinks.
    Willie's wellies were also altered slightly. As the strip
    continued, the rubber highlights on the boots were given
    pupils, creating welly boot eyes, and the illusion of life...

  
  
    Wonder Wellies started in Buster in September 1983. Artist
    Dave Follows held the pen throughout its run. And our Willie
    quickly proved a hit. Dave's loose panelwork coupled with
    some giggly scripts tickled readers' funny bones in just the
    right place. Indeed, in November, a mere two months after
    the strip began, Dave collected a Cartoonist Club of Great
    Britain award for having drawn the most humorous comic
    strip of 1983...