Cheeky Weekly cover date 10 February 1979

After last week's larger-than-normal-page-size issue, this week's comic reverts to its usual dimensions. Like the previous issue, the paper is of a marginally better quality than normal, with a slight sheen that's not usually evident.

Watery peril threatens Mystery Boy on Cheeky Weekly's front cover for a second time (see also 07 October 1978) and, as in his previous cover appearance, the artwork is lifted from a panel of the story inside. Cheeky and Baby Burpo share liquorice laughs in the Cheeky's Week…Sunday cover strip, before Yikky-Boo's customary exclamation brings the front page fun to a cacophonous conclusion.

For some reason the Sunday element on page 2 is missing the What did YOU do today? diary section that usually occupies the foot of the page. This is the first time Barrie Appleby has drawn an internal Cheeky's Week page since the 26 August 1978 issue and, as What did YOU do today? was introduced in the comic dated 30 September 1978, it may be that Barrie wasn't aware of the need to leave space for it. The presence of Cheeky's ugly mug at the bottom of the page meant WDYDT couldn't be shoehorned in. However, WDYDT is present where expected on all other Cheeky's Week pages this issue.

Art: Barrie Appleby

Joke-Box Jury enjoys a bumper 2-page spread, with the usual mix of old, bad and (from a 21st Century perspective) inappropriate material provided by readers who have won £2 for getting their funnies (and not-so-funnies) into print. The panel of judges seem untroubled by the dubious quality of some of the gags on offer.

Caution: some of the 'humour' on display here may offend.
I present it as a document of less enlightened times.

Also anticipating a £2 boost to their pocket money are the 3 readers whose winning witticisms appear on Paddywack's page. The jokes here aren't offensive, but the Paddywack character clearly exhibits national stereotyping that wouldn't be acceptable today.

Art: Jack Clayton

There's more questionable 'humour' as Cheeky meets Uncle Hamish on Wednesday...

Art: Barrie Appleby

 

Jokes of this type, while shocking to our 21st century sensibilities, were common in the media and in the playgrounds and workplaces of Britain of the late 1970s.

The Tub story on the Mystery Comic's cover is the source of the main pic on Cheeky Weekly issue 64's front page that 2 weeks ago left readers confused as to its relevance.

Reg Parlett and Joe McCaffrey continue to divide the artwork duties on Mustapha Million between themselves - this week Reg does the honours after a 4 week absence, providing the inks for what appears as a curious, partially-coloured strip. I suspect that the colouring was done this way as it was felt that to colour all the cards in the card shop would have overwhelmed the rest of the artwork. Maybe it would have been easier to colour this week's Elephant On The Run instead.

It's not just the readers of Cheeky Weekly who can provide bad jokes, as the final panel of Mustapha's story proves...

This week's Burpo Special focuses on dire dinner-lady Auntie Daisy's shortcomings in the culinary field. Burpo interviews diners as they emerge, reeling, from the school canteen. Even Yikky-Boo can only manage a feeble Yukky-Boo in reply.

Art: Frank McDiarmid

After the Saturday elements bring Cheeky's Week to a close (with the toothy funster and pals biking around Krazy Town), the comic rounds off with another back-page Pin-Up Pal. This time the poster features Baker's Boy, in a rather basic rendition.

Barrie Appleby provides 9 Cheeky's Week elements in this issue (this is the first time he's drawn the Cheeky's Week…Sunday cover strip), with Frank McDiarmid delivering a single Cheeky's Week element (The Burpo Special) plus the back cover poster (which I don't include as a Cheeky's Week element). This is the second consecutive week to break the rule of 'Cheeky's Week elements are to be drawn by only one artist (or artist/penciller team) in each issue', that seems to have been established as of the 30 September 1978 revamp issue (apart from 06 January 1979's standby issue which was probably compiled in a hurry).

Cheeky Weekly	Cover Date: 10-Feb-1979, Issue 66 of 117
Page	Details
1	Cover Feature 'Mystery Boy' 2 of 2 - Art John Richardson (final art on feature)\Cheeky's Week - Art Barrie Appleby (first art on feature)
2	Sunday - Art Barrie Appleby
3	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
4	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
5	6 Million Dollar Gran - Art Ian Knox
6	Joke-Box Jury
7	Joke-Box Jury
8	Monday - Art Barrie Appleby
9	Calculator Kid - Art Terry Bave
10	Tuesday - Art Barrie Appleby
11	Paddywack - Art Jack Clayton
12	Wednesday - Art Barrie Appleby
13	Tub 'Mystery Comic' 15 of 34 - Art Nigel Edwards
14	Why, Dad, Why? 'Mystery Comic' 12 of 28 - Art John K. Geering
15	Mystery Boy reprint from Whizzer and Chips 'Mystery Comic' 17 of 37 - Art John Richardson
16	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 16 of 34 - Art Reg Parlett
17	Mustapha Million 'Mystery Comic' 16 of 34 - Art Reg Parlett
18	Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 16 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon
19	Elephant On The Run 'Mystery Comic' 16 of 34 - Art Robert Nixon
20	Disaster Des 'Mystery Comic' 16 of 30 - Art Mike Lacey
21	Your chance to vote\Ad: IPC 'Mickey Mouse' 10 of 18
22	What's New, Kids
23	Thursday - Art Barrie Appleby
24	Skateboard Squad - Art Jimmy Hansen
25	Friday - Art Barrie Appleby
26	Eagle Eye reprint from Shiver and Shake
27	Eagle Eye reprint from Shiver and Shake
28	Chit-Chat
29	The Burpo Special 'Auntie Daisy' - Art Frank McDiarmid
30	Saturday - Art Barrie Appleby
31	Saturday - Art Barrie Appleby
32	Pin-up pal 'Baker's Boy' - Art Frank McDiarmid

Cheeky's Week Artists Cover Date 10-Feb-1979

Artist	Elements
Barrie Appleby	9
Frank McDiarmid	1