Big Eggo

The Beano's cover star from 1938 to 1947 was Big Eggo, an ostrich. Drawn by Reg Carter, a postcard artist, he would spend his early adventures searching for his lost egg. When war broke out in 1939, he would start fighting Nazi scum on occasion, and other strips showed him giving an important message to the readers, not to copy his behaviour. In one strip, to get revenge on a man, he put lights up outside the man's house... thus breaking the blackout. Of course, the hapless man got arrested by a police officer, a timely warning to readers not to use lights outside in the blackout as it attracts the enemy bombers.

In January 1948, it was decided that readers couldn't relate to Eggo as he wasn't humanoid, didn't have two arms and two legs like a human, just hands on the ends of his wings. So he was relegated from the colour front cover to a black and white two-line strip inside. There he stayed until 1949, when Reg Carter died. This ended the strip in The Beano, although that wasn't the end for him forever. He remained next to the Beano logo until 1954, when Dennis the Menace replaced him. He wasn't forgotten when the comic celebrated 2000 issues (in 1980) and 60 years (1998), as the issue 1 cover was shown on the back page on those two issues, the second time showing Gnasher in place of the crocodile that hatched from the egg! In a 1980s Beano Summer Special, he was shown at Beano Retirement Home alongside Lord Snooty, Jack Flash, and Jonah. And in 1986, he appeared in a single line full colour strip in Hoot comic. Here's the page from issue 49, which also features Big Uggy from the Topper, Desperate Dan from The Dandy, and a strip called Flip 'n' Flop, which I've not seen anywhere else. I don't know who drew these.