Beano Studios
Beano Studios is the children’s entertainment and content-production business created by DC Thomson to develop the Beano franchise across television, digital media and other formats.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Beano Studios is a British children’s entertainment and content-production company established by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd in 2016. It was created to extend the Beano franchise beyond its long-running comic publication and to develop a broader media business around characters including Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and Bananaman. The company operates from Dundee, Scotland, the historic home of DC Thomson, and London, England. The studio’s creation represented a strategic expansion of Beano from a comic title into a multi-platform children’s brand. At launch, DC Thomson refreshed the Beano comic’s cover and logo and introduced a new beano.com website. The digital service combined games, videos, articles and celebrity-related news, with the stated aim of providing children with an entertaining but trusted online destination. The site reportedly attracted more than two million visitors per year and was credited with helping increase comic sales by 10% in 2018. Beano Studios’ most prominent early production was Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!, a three-dimensional animated television series made for CBBC. The programme premiered in November 2017 and translated the comic’s irreverent humour and central characters into a contemporary animated format. International distribution was handled by Jetpack, and the series was sold into more than 90 territories. It received an Emmy nomination in 2019, giving the studio recognition beyond the United Kingdom. The company has also explored adaptations and extensions involving other Beano properties. In 2018, it announced The Magnificent Misadventures of Minnie, a planned live-action series centred on Minnie the Minx. In 2021, Fox Entertainment announced a cartoon project based on Bananaman, another character associated with the Beano publishing universe. These projects illustrate the studio’s effort to develop multiple forms of screen entertainment rather than rely on a single flagship production. Beano Studios remains closely connected to DC Thomson and the Beano publishing operation. Its activities encompass television production, short-form content, digital publishing, games and franchise development. The business is positioned around family-friendly entertainment that combines established British comic characters with newer digital and audiovisual formats. Because publicly available information about its financial performance, staffing and current production slate is limited, its scale and present commercial performance cannot be fully assessed from the available reference material.
History
Beano Studios was launched by DC Thomson & Co. Ltd in June 2016 as a dedicated business for expanding the Beano franchise beyond its traditional comic format. Beano, a major British children’s comic property, had accumulated a large library of characters and stories, but the establishment of a separate studio created an organisational base for television, digital publishing, games and other forms of entertainment. The company was established with operations in Dundee and London, linking it to DC Thomson’s Scottish publishing heritage while also giving it a presence in the UK media market. The 2016 launch included a redesign of the Beano comic’s cover and logo and the introduction of beano.com. The website offered games, videos, articles and celebrity-related news. Mike Stirling, then Head of Beano Studios Scotland, described the service as intended to be an entertaining yet trusted online destination for children. The digital platform was part of a wider attempt to make Beano relevant to audiences consuming content through websites and online video as well as through printed comics. It reportedly attracted more than two million visitors annually, and its growth was associated with a 10% rise in comic sales in 2018. Beano Studios’ first major television expansion focused on Dennis and Gnasher, two of the franchise’s best-known characters. The studio produced Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!, a three-dimensional animated series for CBBC. It premiered in November 2017 and reinterpreted the comic’s mischievous central character and his dog for episodic television. The series was distributed internationally by Jetpack and sold in more than 90 territories. Its Emmy nomination in 2019 provided evidence that the production had achieved recognition outside its domestic market. The studio subsequently pursued projects involving additional Beano properties. In 2018, it announced The Magnificent Misadventures of Minnie, a proposed live-action series featuring Minnie the Minx. In 2021, Fox Entertainment announced a cartoon project based on Bananaman. These announcements showed that Beano Studios was seeking to develop a portfolio of adaptations rather than treating Dennis & Gnasher as the sole screen expression of the brand. Management also changed during the company’s early development. Nigel Pickard joined as a non-executive director at launch. Emma Scott served as chief executive until 2020, when David Guppy succeeded her. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the studio’s later releases, financial results, workforce and current slate. Its documented role, however, is clear: Beano Studios functions as DC Thomson’s principal vehicle for transforming the Beano intellectual property into a modern, multi-platform children’s entertainment business, with activity spanning online services, television production, short films and international distribution.
- 2021
Bananaman cartoon announced
[1]Fox Entertainment announces a cartoon project based on the Bananaman character.
- 2020
Chief executive succession
[1]David Guppy succeeds Emma Scott as chief executive.
- 2019
Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! receives an Emmy nomination
[1]The animated production receives an Emmy nomination.
- 2018
Beano.com is associated with increased comic sales
[1]The website is reported to attract more than two million visitors per year and is credited with contributing to a 10% increase in comic sales.
- 2017
Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! premieres
[1]The studio’s three-dimensional animated series premieres on CBBC in November.
- 2016
Beano Studios is established
[1]DC Thomson launches Beano Studios in June as a business dedicated to extending the Beano franchise into digital media, television and other entertainment formats.
- 2016
Beano.com launches
[1]The Beano website launches with games, videos, articles and celebrity-related news, alongside a refresh of the comic’s cover and logo.
Products and positioning
A multi-platform children’s entertainment studio that modernizes the Beano comic franchise through television, digital publishing, games and international character licensing.
Animated television series · 2017
Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!
A three-dimensional animated children’s television series produced for CBBC and based on Beano’s Dennis and Gnasher characters. The programme premiered in November 2017 and was distributed internationally by Jetpack, with sales reported in more than 90 territories. Its Emmy nomination in 2019 made it one of Beano Studios’ most visible productions.
Children’s digital platform · 2016
beano.com
The Beano franchise’s website, launched as part of the studio’s 2016 formation. It provides games, videos, articles and celebrity-related news, and was designed to give children an entertainment destination that combined playful content with a trusted editorial environment.
Live-action television project
The Magnificent Misadventures of Minnie
A planned live-action series announced in 2018 and centred on Minnie the Minx, one of the principal characters in the Beano universe. The available reference material records the announcement but does not establish a release date or final production status.
Animated television project
Bananaman cartoon
A cartoon project based on Bananaman announced by Fox Entertainment in 2021. Bananaman is a character associated with the wider Beano publishing universe. The available material does not provide confirmed details about release, format or current status.
Brand decisions
2017
Develop Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!Product launchBackground
The studio needed a major screen production capable of translating a long-running comic property into contemporary children’s television.
Action taken
Beano Studios produced a three-dimensional animated series for CBBC and arranged international distribution through Jetpack.
Aftermath
The programme was sold in more than 90 territories and received an Emmy nomination in 2019.
2016
Create a dedicated studio for Beano franchise expansionStrategyBackground
DC Thomson sought to broaden Beano from a printed comic into a multi-platform children’s entertainment property.
Action taken
It launched Beano Studios and paired the new business with a refreshed comic identity and a digital platform.
Aftermath
The studio developed television, digital and adaptation projects, including Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! and later announced projects involving Minnie the Minx and Bananaman.
Recent events
Beano Studios partners with Prickly Thistle on Dennis tartan[2]
Reported:
Beano Studios announced a partnership with Scottish company Prickly Thistle to create a birthday tartan for Dennis. The tartan is planned to launch on March 17, 2021.
Sources2 sources
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