Korky the Cat

Korky the Cat is a classic British comic-strip character who first appeared on the front cover of The Dandy when the comic launched in December 1937. A black-and-white cat drawn in a lively, rubber-limbed style, Korky held pride of place as the paper's cover star for decades, his slapstick adventures greeting readers week after week.

Korky's stories were pure visual comedy — schemes, chases, pratfalls and the odd well-earned comeuppance — in the knockabout tradition of British children's comics. His long tenure on the front page made him one of the most recognisable characters in the history of UK comics, alongside stablemates like Desperate Dan.

As tastes changed, Korky eventually gave up the cover but continued to appear inside the comic, a familiar face to generations of British children. When The Dandy ended its print run in 2012 after 75 years — one of the longest-running comics in the world — Korky's story drew to a close with it, but he remains a fondly remembered piece of British popular culture and a reminder of the golden age of the comic-strip cat.