The character was created in 1972 by Barry Fantoni, who wrote the poems until 2010, when he was succeeded by other staff members.
[1] Thribb's poems are usually about recently deceased famous people, and titled "In Memoriam", with the first line almost invariably reading: "So.
Thribb's poetry is characterised by deadpan delivery and a stream of consciousness which is broken up into short lines seemingly at random, and has very little rhyme, rhythm or reason.
In the first issue after the death of Peter Cook, comedian and longtime proprietor and financial supporter of Private Eye, the magazine's cover consisted simply of a photograph of Cook beneath, in large print, the phrase "So.
[3] Original writer Barry Fantoni stopped writing Thribb in December 2010, upon his retirement from the Eye.