This would it was hoped result in a publication palatable to both British and continental readers, and see Fleetway replace two struggling comics with a single strong seller — halving the high production costs of the titles into the bargain.

Due to the need to appease Fleetway's European partners (particularly Dutch publishers Spaarnestad, who were printing 100,000 copies of Tina a week as the title became the Netherlands' best selling comic) the merge was asymmetrical.

In addition to the ballet pages, the comic contained two other prestige features — "Famous Royal Daughters" detailed the likes of Helen of Troy and Letizia Bonaparte with painted illustrations by John Millar Watt, while Eric Tansley regaled readers with information on "Nature's Oddities".

The standard churn saw a makeover as the comic approached six months and reader feedback began to filter in; "Dawn of the Islands" finished and was replaced by the girl tycoon "Chairman Cherry" while "Milly the Merry Mermaid" joined Willy in the humour department.

[2] With continuing good business overseas, Princess Tina was in better health than its forebears, though to keep costs down in May 1968 "Anna at the Court of Siam" began a series of reprints from the archives of Girl.

[2] Later in the year the comic also debuted "Cooking with Cookie", where the namesake character dispensed recipes for French cheese pudding, raspberry surprise, stuffed savoury eggs and other culinary delights.

With the twin flops of Joe 90 and The Secret Service signalling the end of the sixties puppet craze there was little of the comic left to be incorporated, and only strip "Penny on Her Own" would continue into what would be named Princess Tina and Penelope until May 1970.

Autumn saw another move towards magazine territory with the addition of "Meet the Stars", a succession of features on glitterati including Susan Hampshire, Derren Nesbitt, Eric Flynn, Judas Jump and Blue Mink.

The freckled 13-year old Patty — forever in the shadow of good-looking best friend Sharon, squabbling with date-crazy big sister Carol and failing to land a date with crush Johnny Vowden — struck a cord with readers for her candid, down-to-earth personality.

Wittily written by Phillip Douglas and illustrated by Purita Campos (a talented artist who painted many of Princess Tina's covers), "Patty's World" rapidly overhauled "The Happy Days" as a reader favourite.

"The Trolls" was retired; Patty, Sue Day and still-learning Janet Ross continued but were joined by a more contemporary group of characters — including fashion designer Briony Andrews, modern school drama "No Swimming Allowed!

The last survivor of the Tina intake — "Willy the Wily Wolf" — ended in May 1972, to be replaced by "Just Jenny", while a succession of plucky heroines and domestic dramas joined the comic — including "Doomed Village", "Candy's No Lady!