Remembering Whacky

Posted by Traditional School Discipline January 30, 2021

Remembering Whacky

Whacky was the schoolboy star of a strip in the British comic Cor! that was published from 1970 to 1973. As his name suggests he was always being whacked (that’s slang for beating; as in “six whacks of the slipper”.) Just to make sure the reader understood the title there was the tagline: “He’s always getting whacked.”

Most of the stories took place at school and Whacky’s archenemy was his teacher Mr. Thwackery. The schoolmaster, dressed, of course, in mortar-board cap and black gown and carrying the regulation curve-handled, whippy rattan cane, was always punishing Whacky; even when he hadn’t done anything wrong.

So, it was six-of-the-best with the cane for Whacky, except for the times when inexplicably the cane wasn’t to hand. Then an array of different items might be used as a weapon, including an umbrella, slipper, plank, tree branch, walking stick, plimsoll, stick of rock, belt and book.

It sounds sadistic, but by the nineteen-seventies school stories had become humorous. Unlike fifty years earlier characters were not being birched or publicly flogged half to death. The kids in these stories were mostly young scamps, who played tricks on figures of authority. A lot of fun was also poked at teachers.

Cor! Which was published by International Publishing Corporation was not a commercial success and in 1974 merged with another of the company’s comics, Buster.

The Whacky series was given a proper ending of sorts: Mr. Thwackery announced his retirement. The class presented him with an inscribed cane and Whacky thought his misery was over but he immediately got into trouble with his new neighbour who proved to be no one other than old Mr. Thwackery.

There are a number of websites and blogs with examples of Cor!, including Comic Vine and British Comics.

In the example below, Mr. Thwackery goes to his study to visit his “companions” – two swishy canes he calls “Sid” and “Harry”. He takes them from their class cabinet and lovingly polishes them. He returns later that day and they have been stolen! Whacky and his pal have taken them to use as runners on their new sledge. Mr Thwackery gives chase, the boys pelt him with snowballs and crash the sledge into a tree. As was typical of comic stories of that time the final frame shows the boy bent over touching toes while the schoolmaster thwacks the cane across the seat of his short trousers.