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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 30 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Broons, The
Sunday Post. "The Broons" first appeared in a comic supplement of the weekly newspaper, Sunday Post, in March 1936. The family were a regular feature, and celebrated their 70th anniversary in 2006. To mark their 70th anniversary a documentary, narrated by Ewan MacGregor, was broadcast on New Years Eve, 2005.
D.D. Watkins. Dudley Dexter Watkins, was born in 1907, and died in 1969. He became one of the best known comic strip illustrators of all time, working on "The Broons", Oor Wullie, Beano, Dandy, and many other comic strip classics. For years after his death, his works of Oor Wullie and "The Broons", continued to be republished. There is an excellent article on the works of D.D. Watkins, complete with illustrations, at http://www.thatsbraw.co.uk. E.H. Shepard, by the way, was the illustrator of the Winnie the Pooh books, written by A.A. Milne.
Robert Duncan Low. Robert Duncan Low headed the children's publications department of publisher D.C. Thomson, and was the driver behind various long running comics including the classics Dandy and Beano. His mother's maiden name was Brown, and it may be that he based some of "The Broons" characters on her and other members of his own family. His parents bore a strong resemblance to Maw and Paw Broon, and his sister had the good looks of the beautiful Maggie Broon.
Note: information obtained from http://www.thatsbraw.co.uk, where you can find more information about R.D. Low and his comic creations.
| Another comic strip character has made occasional appearances in "The Broons", and some of "The Broons" characters have featured in his own comic strip adventures. Who is this related character? | "The Broons" - Scotland's Favourite Family
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Oor Wullie. "The Broons" and Oor Wullie are both Sunday Post cartoon strips, and both are set in Scotland. The characters live in the same area, and occasionally feature in one another's comic strip adventures. In one sketch, Wullie calls Paw Broon 'uncle', so they may be related. The Oor Wullie and "The Broons" annuals are published in alternative years.
Granpaw Broon. Paw Broon and his father, Granpaw Broon, have similar build, features, and style of dress. The main difference is Granpaw Broon has a full beard, but Paw Broon only has a moustache. In one rare sketch, Granpaw Broon shaves off his beard and dyes his hair. He and Paw Broon then fool the family into believing that Granpaw is Paw's long lost twin brother. Only the bairn is able to recognise this new uncle is really her beloved Granpaw! Paw Broon's character is said to based on the editor of the publishing company where "The Broons" creator, Robert Duncan Low, was employed.
| Two of "The Broons" family daughters, though still living at home, are adults. One is blonde haired and glamorous, the other being somewhat overweight and frumpy. Which sister is the frumpy one? | "The Broons" - Scotland's Favourite Family
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Daphne Broon. Daphne is overweight, and somewhat lacking in fashion sense. She often tries to diet, but to no effect as she enjoys her food too much. She has a strange taste in hats, and often buys unusual creations, much to the amusement of other family members. Despite their considerable difference in both physical appearance and dress style, the two older sisters get on well and frequently go out together, occasionally getting their respective dates mixed up. In one amusing episode both Daphne and Hen have blind dates, only to find they are dating each other!
Horace Broon. Horace is the nerd of the family, ever studious and often trying to concentrate on his homework amid the family chaos around him. The 2006 edition of the Broons Annual, has a sketch in which Horace is mistaken for Harry Potter.
Both are boys. Apart from the bairn, the twins are the youngest members of the family. They are invariably cheerful, and have identical features and clothes. They are rarely seen apart, and are often up to mischief or even fighting. Their names aren't given, though some Internet sources claim that one of them is called Eck, but the wording of these claims is almost identical and no episode reference is ever given. Scotland's national newspaper, The Scotsman, in a 70th anniversary tribute to "The Broons" dated 30th December 2005, referred to them as "the never-named twins".
Maggie. Maw Broon's name is rarely mentioned, but in an early edition of "The Broons", she is called Maggie by her brother who asks her to lend him his taxi fare. She is also named as Maggie in 'Maw Broon's Cookbook', which was published in 2007.
Maggie Broon. There are three daughters in "The Broons" family, namely Maggie, Daphne, and the bairn. Maggie is stylish and beautiful, and often seen going out with good looking, well off men. She and her sister Daphne get on well most of the time, and often go out together. In a poll, carried out in 2005, Maggie Broon was voted 'No. 1 sexiest Scot'.
It's never revealed. She's always referred to simply as 'the bairn', and like all "The Broons" characters, never grows up. Sometimes she can be quite mature in the way she speaks, and will often reprimand other family members if she feels indignant.
Hen Broon. Hen Broon, unlike his athletic brother Joe, is tall and lanky. He's not very stylish, and often wears a rather old fashioned double breasted suit. Hen and Joe get on well, and often go out together. 'Hen' is short for Henry, just as 'Joe' is short for Joseph, but he is rarely called anything other than 'Hen' in the books or comic strips. There was a sketch where Hen had been painting the surgery ceiling for the local doctor, and left his overalls behind. The doctor, a lady called Dr. Love, called round with them, and said "Hello, I'm Doctor Love. Is Henry in".
eleven. Ten of "The Broons" live at the flat in Glebe Street, but Granpaw Broon has his own house nearby. Those living at Glebe Street are Paw, Maw, Joe, Hen, Daphne, Maggie, Horace, the twins, and the bairn. 'Broon' is the Scottish colloquial name for Brown, but they are never referred to as "The Browns". The location of Glebe Street wasn't revealed until the 1990s, when it was identified in various sketches as being in the fictional town of Auchenshoogle.
| On the front cover of the 'Seldom Seen Classics' annual, "The Broons" family are seen singing 'For he's a jolly good leerie'. What profession is a 'leerie'? | The Language of "The Broons"
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a lamplighter. This term dates back to when street lamps were lit by gas, rather than electricity. The leerie was the man who every evening went round lighting them with a long taper, and leerie was sometimes used to describe the street lamp itself. In the cover sketch referred to in the question, the leerie is seen lighting a birthday cake celebrating nearly seventy years of "The Broons". The cake is standing on top of a home made lamp post, while the family sings along.
a hat. Bunnet is the word used by "The Broons" to describe a hat or cap, though the female members of the family also use the word 'hat'. Paw and Granpaw Broon have a strong attachment to their old caps, and in one amusing sketch Maw and Daphne replace Granpaw's old cap with a new one while he's asleep. Granpaw doesn't like it at all, and when the new cap is taken over by a local cat as a bed for her kittens, they are forced to give back the old cap! Granpaw says 'Mrs Gow's cat's using the new bunnet as a nest for her kittens', and Daphne responds 'Aw! We cannae evict the puir craiturs!'.
| On seeing a well dressed man approaching, Paw Broon once said 'Get indoors quick man, afore ye fleg the bairns'. What did he mean by 'fleg'? | The Language of "The Broons"
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frighten. The well dressed man was Judge Nabb, and Paw was making fun of the wart on his nose. Soon after this incident, Paw appeared in court before Judge Nabb to answer the charge of insulting behaviour. This type of behaviour wasn't normal for Paw Broon, but a hard bang on the head from the twins' football had caused him to be temporarily outspoken.
| Occasionally one of "The Broons" family members referred to another as 'a foolish person', though they would never have used that particular expression. What would they have said? | The Language of "The Broons"
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daft gowk. When "The Broons" went potato picking (Sunday Post 1 November, 1964), Paw mistook the occasion and dressed in his best Sunday suit. The rest of the family wore their oldest clothes, and Maw Broon said 'Ye daft gowk! What are you dressed up for? We're goin' to the tattie-pickin!'. Gadgie is a word meaning man or older boy, and jannie is Scottish slang for janitor.
Any or all of these (Jings, Crivvens, Help, ma boab). Jings, 'help, ma boab', and crivvens are all expressions commonly used by members of "The Broons" family in order to express surprise. There are claims that these expressions derive from religious expletives, crivvens meaning 'Christ', 'help, ma boab' meaning 'help my God', and jings meaning 'Jesus', but "The Broons" use them simply in the everyday sense of crikey, my goodness, etc.
| If Maggie or Daphne Broon were fed up with complaints from Paw Broon about their spending habits, what might they have said about him? | The Language of "The Broons"
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Paw's aye moanin'. Aye, pronounced as in 'eye', can mean either yes or always, so Paw's aye moanin' translates as 'Paw is always moaning'. Fecht means fight, drookit means soaked, and yin means one, so the incorrect alternative answers are meaningless.
big or much. In one of "The Broons" wartime sketches, dated 19 September 1943, two soldier companions of Hen and Joe arrived unexpectedly at the flat in Glebe Street, asking to be put up for the night. There are already two friends of Maw Broon staying, and Daphne's WRAC friend also arrives. The bairn then wants two of her friends to stay overnight. Paw wants some of them to go to Granpaw's house, but Maw says 'They'll no tak' up muckle room, they can stay'. In another sketch, where Paw Broon gets a false nose firmly stuck on his face, Granpaw Broon says 'Jings, I've never laughed sae muckle for a lang time'.
| One of the expressions commonly used by various members of "The Broons" family is 'whit a scunner'. What did they mean by 'scunner'? | The Language of "The Broons"
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a nuisance. 'Jings, whit a scunner' is an expression used by "The Broons" to indicate something has gone wrong, as was frequently the case in their family escapaes. Other expressions they have used to indicate surprise or displeasure are 'crivvens' and 'help, ma boab'.
the lum. 'Lang may your lum reek' is a popular Scottish toast, literally meaning 'long may your chimney smoke'. In other words 'may you always be able to heat your house'. To keek means to have a look, and dreich means 'miserable' as applied to the weather. Reekie means smokey, and the city of Edinburgh is affectionately nicknamed 'Auld Reekie'. This stems from the days when the only fuel readily available was coal, which created a lot of smoke throughout the city. Edinburgh now has strict clean air regulations, and is one of the most beautiful cities in Britain.
| In an amusing sketch in the 2001 "The Broons" annual, Maggie Broon told Paw to light the fire because the house was so cold. What unusual expression did she use to say how cold it was? | The Language of "The Broons"
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It's Baltic in here. Her expression was unusual, and came after Paw Broon insisted the central heating be turned off to save money. Everyone except Paw had to put on warm clothing, including pullovers, coats and hats, but the glamorous Maggie Broon donned her fashionable one piece ski suit. Paw was eventually prevailed upon to light the fire, but this led to even more problems.
the country cottage owned by "The Broons". Many of "The Broons" family escapades have taken place at the But an' Ben, which is the holiday retreat of the family. The location of the But an' Ben has never been revealed, but it's in a very scenic area of Scotland.
don't cry.. In "The Broons" Scottish dialect, to 'greet' doesn't mean to meet or welcome someone as it does in English. It means to weep or cry, so Maw Broon might have said this to the bairn to console her. There was an amusing sketch where Daphne inadvertently got hold of Paw's flower bulbs, mistaking them for onions, and while peeling them said 'Queer, these onions dinnae mak' me greet'.
trousers. Breeks is the Scottish word for breeches, or trousers. The male members of "The Broons" family often lost, tore, or got their breeks soaked in some amusing incident.
She's a beautiful girl. Braw can mean beautiful, splendid, or good, and can refer to virtually anything which is pleasant. In one sketch, Hen Broon says 'jings, the seafood on this cookery programme looks braw'. In another sketch, Daphne says 'It'll be braw tae get awa' for a wee while'.
child. The bairn is the youngest member of "The Broons" family, but in spite of her tender age she often exhibits considerable wisdom. Bairn can also refer to the youngest member of a family, irrespective of age. Occasionally the twins have been called bairns, such as when Granpaw said to them 'hey you bairns, get aff the roof', when they were using the But an' Ben roof as a slide.
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