Wicked Willie is a humorous British cartoon character personified as a talking penis, created by Gray Jolliffe (illustrator) and Peter Mayle (writer). He first appeared in the book Man's Best Friend, published in 1984.Peter Mayle, Man's Best Friend: Introducing Wicked Willie in the Title Role, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Crown (New York, NY), 1984. He has subsequently appeared in Wicked Willie – The Movie,Wicked Willie – The Movie & Comes again.. and again – The Complete Wicked Willie [ 2010 ], Bob Godfrey (Director). 83 minutes and the board game, The Wicked Willie Game.The Wicked Willie Game by Paul Lamond Games Jolliffe has said that the idea for Wicked Willie came to him one day, while he was in the bath."Wicked Willie" at www.grayjolliffe.com, retrieved 12 January 2012 A more detailed history of Wicked Willie is found in the book Wicked Willie Reloaded."News", Wicked Willie Official website, retrieved 12 January 2012Gray Joliffe, Wicked Willie: Reloaded, Publisher: Prion Books Ltd, Sept 2004, , . 64 pages.
Journalist Peter Silverton described it thus: "...comic books about a man and his Wicked Willie. It was a dialogue—mostly about women, of course—between the two. Its irony is that the 'dreadful little trouser mole' is by far the sharper of the two brains".Peter Silverton, Filthy English: The How, Why, When and What of Everyday Swearing, Publisher Portobello Books, 2011, , 9781846274527, 256 pages, page
Personification Author Peter Mayle describes Wicked Willie as "a rampant penis"."Encore Provence", The Nation, 6 July 1997. Page C8, column 2. In her book Communicating Gender, Suzanne Romaine notes: "The personification metaphor suggests that the penis leads a life of its own. It has been popularized in Britain in the form of the Wicked Willie books, where Willie is referred to as "Man's Best Friend".Suzanne Romaine, Communicating genderPublisher Psychology Press, 1999, , , 406 pages. (page 244)
Scottish feminist linguist Deborah Cameron notes that: "In England, there is a popular cartoon character called "Wicked Willie" [...] The underlying conceit is that men secretly regard their penis as an individual in its own right (and one to whom they are deeply attached). Though the cartoon is a joke, it presumably speaks to a widely recognized, culturally constructed experience of the penis as an uncontrollable Other, with a life of its own".Deborah Cameron, "Naming of Parts: Gender, Culture, and terms for the penis among American college students (1995)", in The Routledge language and cultural theory reader, edited by Lucy Burke, Tony Crowley, Publisher Routledge, 2000, , , 511 pages (page 207)
The character also contributed to the permissiveness and acceptance of sex on the high street. British journalist Libby Purves writes: "High street shops no longer bother to put their hopping penises on a high shelf, and nor do bookshops selling Wicked Willie and the like."Libby Purves, A Little Learning: Broodings from the Back of the Class, Publisher Routledge, 2007, , , 249 pages. (page 51)
Reception In March 1987, the book Wicked Willie's Guide to Women was in the number seven position in the paperback nonfiction section of the month's bestsellers."Month's Bestsellers", Illustrated London News, London, 31 January 1987, Issue 7064, page 69 Almost a year later, Wicked Willie's Low-down on Men had reached number 6 in the same chart.Illustrated London News, London, Saturday, 27 February 1988, Issue 7075, page 70
References
Bibliography Man's Best Friend: Introducing Wicked Willie in the Title Role, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Crown (New York, NY), 1984. Wicked Willie's Guide to Women: A Worm's-Eye View of the Fair Sex, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Pan Books (London, England), 1986, Crown (New York, NY), 1987. Wicked Willie's Low-down on Men by Peter Mayle, Gray Jolliff, , . 64 pages. 1987 Wicked Willie's Guide to Women: The Further Adventures of Man's Best Friend, illustrated by Gray Jolliffe, Crown (New York, NY), 1988. The World According to Wicked Willie by Peter Mayle, Gray Jolliffe, , . 64 pages (1988) Wicked Willie Stand Up Comic Book, by Peter Mayle, Gray Jolliffe and Peter May (Hardcover - Aug 1990), , 16 pages Wicked Willie Does Stand Up, by Gray Jolliffe, (30 Aug 2002), 7 pages Wicked Willie: Reloaded, by Gray Joliffe, publisher: Prion Books Ltd, Sept 2004, , . 64 pages.
DVDs Wicked Willie – The Movie & Comes again... and again – The Complete Wicked Willie , Bob Godfrey (director). 83 minutes
External links
Gray Jolliffe official website