The Dandy Annual is the current name of the book that has been published every year since 1938, to tie in with the children's comic The Dandy. there have been 78 editions. The Dandy Annual still continues to be published, even though the weekly comic ended in 2013. The annuals are traditionally published in July or August, in time for Christmas, and since 1965 they have had the date of the following year on the cover. Before then no date was given.
From 1938 to 1951 the annual was called The Dandy Monster Comic. The name changed to The Dandy Book in 1952 and continued, the year changing for each subsequent annual, until the release of the 2003 book in 2002 when it was renamed The Dandy Annual. Despite the comic's relaunch as Dandy Xtreme in 2007, the annual was still known as The Dandy Annual. This is likely because the annuals of the time were mostly made up of Dandy Comix, due to the topical nature of the magazine's Xtreme content.
In unison with the comic at the time, the front cover usually featured Korky the Cat. After Desperate Dan took over the front page in 1984, the annual cover reflected this by featuring both Korky and Dan until the release of the 1991 book in 1990 – which was the first ever Dandy Annual to not feature Korky on the front cover in any way. He has made several appearances since then, despite the main focus shifting to Dan.
In 2006, the original 1939 Monster Comic was reprinted as a facsimile edition in a collector's slipcase.
List of annuals
This information is necessary to identify older annuals which are not dated. If an annual is dated 1940, it would have been published in August 1939. Prices are in shillings and pence with one shilling equal to 5p.
The Dandy Monster Comic
1939: Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Keyhole Kate, and the Bamboo Town monkeys are holding up the letter "Y" of "Dandy". Price 2/6 1940: Korky the Cat is hanging from a trapeze, and Freddy the Fearless Fly is sitting upon his tail as he swings on it. Price 2/6 1941: Korky the Cat is leading the other then-current Dandy characters (with Freddy the Fly upon his baton), in a band. Price 3/- 1942: Desperate Dan is towing a rowing boat (which is carrying the other then-current Dandy characters) with his teeth. Price 3/6 1943: All the then-current Dandy characters are taking part in a bike race, and Korky is in the lead of all the others. Price 5/- 1944: Korky the Cat has been hit by a flying football (given that it has been kicked through his net by Desperate Dan). Price 6/- 1945: Korky the Cat on skis passed by Desperate Dan, who is using logs (with other characters sitting on them) as skis. Price 6/- 1946: Korky the Cat and other then-current Dandy characters are displayed in stars (and the Bellboy is aiming at them). Price 6/- 1947: Korky the Cat flies up into the air after landing on a blanket (which is held by all the other Dandy characters). Price 6/- 1948: Korky the Cat is operating all the other then-current Dandy characters (who are all portrayed as string puppets). Price 6/- 1949: Korky the Cat in a top hat and a bow tie while smoking a cigar, as he walks down a red carpet with Desperate Dan. Price 6/- 1950: Korky the Cat pours a kettle of boiling water into the sea upon a beach, with other characters in the background. Price 6/- 1951: Korky the Cat is the ringmaster of a circus, for which Desperate Dan is holding up an elephant in the background. Price 6/- 1952: "Korky's Toy Shop", with a mechanical Desperate Dan pushing a tin of red paint (on a shelf above Korky) onto him. Price 6/-