(As an interesting historical fact on the strip as an addendum to the comment above:)
Ginger was actually named Ginger Smith back when he first appeared in 1921. He wasn’t named Ginger Meggs until he was made the main character of the strip later in the 20’s. The strip was in black and white, so his hair had no colour; (and no grey or black.)
When it came time to run the strip in colour, the creator, Jimmy Bancks, was given the option of three colours for press to colour Ginger’s hair; Yellow, Blue or Red.
He chose red, and thus Ginger became a red-head! Had he chosen yellow, I suspect the parallels with Dennis the Menace may have seen the strip become less popular than it is today.
As a result, for generations any Aussie kid was given the nickname “Meggsie” or “Ginge” when they were growing up. Many fans have emailed to tell me the nickname has stuck through adulthood.
(As an interesting historical fact on the strip as an addendum to the comment above:)
Ginger was actually named Ginger Smith back when he first appeared in 1921. He wasn’t named Ginger Meggs until he was made the main character of the strip later in the 20’s. The strip was in black and white, so his hair had no colour; (and no grey or black.)
When it came time to run the strip in colour, the creator, Jimmy Bancks, was given the option of three colours for press to colour Ginger’s hair; Yellow, Blue or Red.
He chose red, and thus Ginger became a red-head! Had he chosen yellow, I suspect the parallels with Dennis the Menace may have seen the strip become less popular than it is today.
As a result, for generations any Aussie kid was given the nickname “Meggsie” or “Ginge” when they were growing up. Many fans have emailed to tell me the nickname has stuck through adulthood.
Thanks for reading.