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The Beano's Dennis, Gnasher and Walter Join Minecraft The Beano's Dennis, Gnasher and Walter join Minecraft By Emily Thomas Newsbeat reporter Minecraft players must look out for "softy" Walter and his stinky pants. Walter, Dennis the Menace and his dog Gnasher, from The Beano, can now be added to PC versions of the game. Gnasher can be transformed into an ointment by players and all of Dennis his tricks, including catapults and stink bombs can be used. It's part of Beano's larger plans to expand into digital. The mod was created as a collaboration between the cartoonist and Frima Studios, which is a Canadian multiplatform game creator. Mark Cotton, who is leading digital changes at Beano, told Newsbeat that Minecraft is "their biggest passion and their greatest love" Mark says that the game is an "extension" of The Beano comic and an attempt to make The Beano "a more overall experience" for children. "Roughly 32,000 comics are sold every week in the Beano which is an extremely healthy amount," he says. It's still a lot from the two million copies sold at the height of the magazines. Mark says, "We are very conscious that today's kids are passionate about digital." "We must make The Beano an all-encompassing brand, where Dennis and Gnasher are everywhere children are, instead of waiting for them to visit our store. "So we're putting together complete a series of videos over the next three to six month." Some of these initiatives include puzzle-based apps, an interactive comic, and an "action 3D game for kids". DC Thompson, The Beano's publisher has already expanded The Beano brand to a television show and a photo-sharing application and YouTube channel. Grand Theft Auto? The comic has been in existence since 1938 and has a lot of adult fans. The Beano characters may also make an an appearance in adult games, like Dennis the Menace in Grand Theft Auto. "No. We don't have anything to focus on at the moment," says Mark. "We are focussing on the 7-11 year old digital product. At the moment digital is all about connecting with children and understanding their passions. In order to accomplish this, they've been working with a group of 10 seven to 11-year-old Beano and Minecraft fans throughout the development process. Minnie the Minx? "We basically asked kids"If you were to put Beano into Minecraft what would you imagine?' "This was the beginning of what they imagined. Evidently, their imaginations go a lot further than we can possibly do for the moment. "But they wanted pranks They wanted Walter they wanted Gnasher, they wanted to dress up as Dennis and that's exactly the thing we've given them. Servers "We'll continue to talk to them. We want to expand this and create Beanotown so that kids can be creative. "Minecraft is so popular because it gives children the ability to make decisions. If we try to restrict the kids and tell them what to do, they'd be unable to accept it." Are there any other characters that might be allowed to see in? "We certainly want to extend it," says Mark. "Minnie the Minx is the obvious character and the one that the kids have been asking about, so that's what I'd probably take a look at next."
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