Australian production house Sticky Pictures and content producer Red Kite Animations, a subsidiary of global media enterprise August Media Holdings, announced that the new series of Dennis and Gnasher has kicked off production.

Scheduled for delivery in mid 2013, the new series (52 x 12 minutes / 26 X 24 minutes), which sees a renewal of the partnership with rights owner DC Thomson, is based on the much-loved characters from the comic The Beano, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in July 2013.

The Beano, published weekly by Scotland-based publisher DC Thomson, is a British cultural icon, influencing far beyond the traditional comic world. Dennis the Menace, who first appeared in March 1951, is the longest-running strip in the weekly comic. Dennis is the biggest menace in Beanotown, always on the hunt for fun and mischief with his loyal companion Gnasher.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement of the launch of the Beano app, through Apple’s Newsstand service, that enables readers to access an enhanced version of the weekly comic on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The free app has already been downloaded by tens of thousands since launch in December 2011.