Community / Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab! Shetland features in Oor Wullie
SHETLAND has received a visit from long-running Scottish cartoon character Oor Wullie.
The spikey-haired boy headed to the isles in a cartoon strip published in the Sunday Post newspaper at the weekend (13 July) – with Shetland language also getting a starring role.
The storyline saw Wullie, who lives in the fictional town of Auchenshoogle, get the boat from Aberdeen to meet up with distant relatives in Shetland and go on the look-out for wildlife.
It is a two-parter, however, with this coming weekend’s (20 July) Sunday Post also set to feature the conclusion of Wullie’s trip to Shetland.
Oor Wullie writer Gerry Dignan said he was keen to include Shetland in the weekly comic strip after spotting a Facebook post from an old friend who moved to the isles temporarily but ended up staying.
The Dundonian had also previously written a story a little while back about Wullie’s mum’s cousin visiting from Chicago, with the boy entertaining her two children.
Dignan said the Facebook post “gave me idea for a visit to Shetland to visit more of his family”.
“This way you can have new locations and situations away from Auchenshoogle,” he added.
Dignan also collaborated with Roy Mullay, of local linguistics group I Hear Dee, on including Shetland language into the story.
“Wullie is read all over the world, whether in the Sunday Post or in the annuals and what people love is the Scots language in it,” Dignan told Shetland News.
“If it was written in standard English, the comics, in my opinion, would not have survived. It reminds them of their roots, whether here in Scotland or far from home.
“So, if it was translated to standard English the Scots would be up furious.
“Therefore, if he visited Shetland, I needed to include the Shaetlan language where possible otherwise Shetlanders would feel their culture was being ignored.”
He said the collaboration with Mullay “worked out great”.
“I was especially happy with Wullie breaking the fourth wall, to tell the readers, ‘Noo ah ken hoo the English feel when they read ma stories!’” Dignan added.
The comic book enthusiast has been writing Oor Wullie since 2023 – as well as The Broons, Wee Harry (Wullie’s dog) and the PC Murdoch Mysteries.
When Shetland ‘part two’ is printed, Dignan will have written 190 stories in total so far.
Oor Wullie, which is illustrated by Mike Donaldson and features in the Sunday Post every week alongside The Broons, has been on the go since the 1930s and is closely associated with the Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson.
There is another Shetland link given that Tom Morton had a stint writing the scripts for Oor Wullie and The Broons in the mid-2000s.
Wullie has been described as “Scotland’s favourite mischief maker”, while he is also well known for promoting Scots language – with the saying ‘jings, crivvens, help ma Boab’ a favourite phrase.
So what gives Wullie his long-lasting appeal?
“Wullie either reminds us of our childhood or how we wish our childhood could have been if we had the chance,” Dignan said.
“He never grows old, he’s cheeky, mischievous, clever, adventurous, confident, sneaky, daft, but has a good heart and always does the right thing in the end. It’s a trait I’ve been told comes through a lot in my stories.
“He has a bunch of good friends who he can trust and this gang has grown over the years.
“Similarly, The Broons have a very large, unique family which fosters strong family ties.
“Long may they all continue and I’ll do my best to ensure that happens.”
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