Leo Baxendale, who has died aged 86, was the cartoonist who created “Minnie the Minx” and “The Bash Street Kids” for the Beano comic; in the 1950s and 1960s he was the most influential and imitated comic strip artist of his day.

He was born on October 27 1930 in Whittle-le-Woods, near Chorley in Lancashire, and educated at Preston Catholic College, a Jesuit grammar school for boys. He was self-taught as an artist. His first job after leaving school was at the Leyland Paint and Varnishing Company, designing labels for paint pots.

After National Service as a catering clerk in the RAF, he joined the art department of the Lancashire Evening Post in 1950. While there, he wrote short humorous articles which he illustrated with his own drawings; he also drew the occasional comic strip and numerous sports cartoons.

At the age of 21 Baxendale submitted some of his comic strips to DC Thomson of Dundee, publishers of the Beano, and was soon busy working for the firm on a freelance basis. His first original character was “Little Plum, Your Redskin Chum”, a trouble-prone brave of the Smellyfeet tribe, who made his debut in the comic on October 19 1953.