Walter Brown (pejoratively nicknamed "Walter the Softy") is a fictional character that appears in the British comic magazine The Beano. He is the rival and antagonist to Dennis the Menace who is vilified because of his lack of interest in stereotypically masculine activities and attitudes. From his first appearance in 1953, Walter became the target of Dennis' pranks and misbehaviour but would brush it off. Sometime in the 1980s, Walter's characterisation changed after reader backlash and made him a snobbish rich boy foil to his enemies. Character background Walter Brown first appeared in issue 577 of The Beano in Dennis the Menace, two years after the comic strip's debut. He is a seemingly "perfect" child who is adored by his teachers for his hardworking and polite attitude. He enjoys picking flowers, ballet dancing in a tutu, playing with tea sets and Wendy houses, knitting and cross-dressing, with friends that act similar, owning well-behaved pets throughout the years (Fluffy the cat, Foo-Foo the dog, and Clawdius the cat). Walter has neat black hair and wears round-lensed glasses, a red bow tie in his shirt collar, a blue jumper and black shorts. His surname was not revealed until 1994. Characterisation Walter's personality and behaviour fluctuated, depending on the writer: he remained a diligent student and uninterested in playing sports, but would be a spoilt mummy's boy in one story, then a whiny coward who was scared of rain in another. Some stories featured Walter being courageous enough to create pranks and traps to irritate or frame Dennis, and other stories showed Dennis and/or Gnasher intimidating him for their entertainment, with Walter too scared and startled to fight back. When the 1996 Dennis the Menace cartoon adaptation aired on CBBC, Walter became a snob and his friends joined in on the stuck-up attitude towards Dennis' group. The behaviour remained in the comic strips. Personal life The Beano had a notable generation jump with the Dennis the Menace and Minnie the Minx series after Dennis' parents changed into new designs, and his father was revealed as the original Dennis three years later. Despite this, Walter still lives with his mother and father, and his pets. In his original characterisation, a girl named Priscilla made a one-issue appearance and Dennis refers to her as Walter's sister, but she has not appeared since. The 1996 cartoon revealed he had an uncle who was a barber named