cap and scuffed shoes) to hide from his family and the castle staff until story 6. Despite his uninterest in taking charge so young, stories are usually about Snooty using his connections to humble adults of authority that use rules to boss him or his friends around (e.g. the mayor, his staff, teachers, police). Aunt Matilda – Snooty's strict guardian who means well, nicknamed Aunt Mat. She meets Snooty's friends in story 5 believing they rescued him after he collapsed in a wooded area and allows them to visit him at Bunkerton Castle. Bunkerton staff's appearances diminish throughout the stories so Matilda frequently relies on her nephew and his friends to help her with repairs, decorating and cleaning the castle. Samuel – the castle guard. Ash Can Alley kids First described as "the Beezer kids of Ash-Can Alley", Snooty's friends lived in Bunkerton Castle's nearby working-class neighbourhood of Ash Can and attended Ash Can Council School. From 1938 to the story's first hiatus, (excluding Snooty) there were six members, including a goat, and then identical toddlers joined the group later. When Lord Snooty and His Pals returned in 1950, the only remaining original members were the identical twins, Scrapper and Rosie, whilst the rest of Snooty's friends would leave and be replaced by other characters who had already been established in their own Beano comic strips. Original friends Skinny Lizzie – thin girl with a dark, messy bob hairstyle, who wears a bobble hat Hairpin Huggins – a skinny boy almost as tall as some of the adults. "Happy" Hutton – a boy with light-coloured hair (later revealed in coloured Beano issues) whose resting face looks tired, wrinkled and sulky. Seemingly nicknamed "happy" for irony, Hutton has often been shown in panels smiling or laughing with the rest of his friends. Gertie the Goat – a goat the children use for transport or as an honorary human who helps them in sports or with chores. Scrapper Smith – boy with a shaggy side-part with dimpled cheeks who loves fighting; stayed on to live in the castle. He received a two-series spin-off in 1955. Rosie – short girl with curly blonde hair who loves cooking Snitch and Snatch – identical twins in babygrows who cause mischief and mayhem. They were the last members to join, first appearing in issue 18. The new friends from 1950 onwards Joe – the dapper, overweight