The Beano to Stop Using the Nickname Fatty for Bash Street Kids Character Freddy
There's been a slight change at The Beano with the nickname of a certain character.
From this week Frederick Brown, one of the Bash Street Kids, will be referred to as Freddy - Frederick if he's being told off by his mother (I know that feeling, growing up as a Ben and only getting called Benjamin when I was getting told off) - instead of his usual nickname of 'Fatty'.
Mike Stirling, editorial director of Beano Studios, told the Daily Telegraph they want to ‘celebrate’ that ‘kids come in all shapes and sizes’.
Milke Stirling said Britain's longest-running children's comic had recently received a number of letters asking why Frederick Brown was called Fatty. He said: "Kids come in all shapes and sizes, and we absolutely celebrate that. We don’t want to risk someone using it in a mean way. The time is right to revert back to Freddy.
"Although it’s always been used affectionately, and never pejoratively, we agreed it’s time it changed.
"Freddy’s mum – and teacher – may still sometimes address him as ‘Frederick’, whenever he’s in trouble, which for a Bash Street Kid is not uncommon."
There will be no change to how Freddy is drawn.
Oddly, this has caused an uproar in some comics groups and forums, with some referring to this change as "another nail in the coffin of our childhood". Personally, it does nothing of the sort, the old comics will still be the same. Nothing that has previously been written will be rewritten. The history of the character hasn't changed. The reasons for the change should be commended. Let's not say it's okay to call children fatty when there are many reasons why they could be overweight and how that affects the child. It changes nothing of the past but going forward it shows kids reading it that you shouldn't refer to the overweight kid as Fatty. Seriously, what's to hate about that?
