Twikker was the Rag Mag of Sheffield University Rag. The name is a corruption of The Wicker

Wicker (Sheffield)

The Wicker is an arterial street in Sheffield, England, noted for its history and the Grade II* listed Wicker Arches viaduct that crosses it. It runs in a north-east to south-westerly direction between Lady's Bridge and Wicker Arches...

, a well-known street in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 crossed at one end by the Wicker Arches

Wicker Arches

The Wicker Arches form a long railway viaduct across the Don Valley in the City of Sheffield, England. They take their name from the thoroughfare The Wicker, which passes through the main arch of the viaduct and was, until the completion of the Sheffield Parkway, the main route eastwards from the...

(a railway viaduct).

('Twikker' is also the name of a rock climb in Derbyshire, first climbed (and therefore named) by a member of the Sheffield University Mountaineering Club .)

Sheffield Rag first produced a magazine in 1926, named "The Star", and by 1928, 85,000 copies were sold. It was renamed Twikker in 1930,. Rag itself was banned in 1942 until the war ended, although the 1943 Twikker was written by torchlight in a bomb shelter! Publication of Twikker resumed in 1947. It is thought to be the longest-lasting example of the genre, although there are other claimants.

It is possible to follow the taste, or lack of it, of humour over the years through its content. Many jokes from the 1930s to 1950s were lacking in sexual innuendo but were casually racist and sexist by today's standards. Since the 1960s jokes were much 'nearer the knuckle'. In the 1980s racism and sexism were dropped or bowdlerised (e.g. Irish jokes became jokes about Mechanical Engineers). A particular example from 1939 is notable: "Advice to Hitler - Don't be vague, ask for Prague" (a reference to the Munich agreement and the advertising tagline for Haig scotch). Present-day inclusion of Adolf Hitler in humour is widely considered beyond the pale, and was notably absent from post-war Twikkers.

The intention was generally to make the content as racy as possible, to boost sales, but at the risk of being banned: Twikker 1938 was withdrawn after leading churchmen complained of its 'obscenity'.There are reports of the 1949 edition changing hands for £1 after its ban by the University

University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...

 for "offensive" material, It upset the Lord Mayor of Sheffield

Lord Mayor of Sheffield

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. They are elected annually by the council. The post originated in 1843, with the appointment of William Jeffcock as the first Mayor of Sheffield...

, who traditionally bought the first copy, and was debated in the City Council

Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...

, who labelled it "a disgrace to education" and the 1950 edition was banned comprehensively - no copy exists today - and its editor was sent down from University. The students published an alternative called 'Ragout' to raise funds that year. Twikker 1959 provoked complaints from the public and later editions courted controversy from Women's Liberation

Feminist movement

The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...

 groups, ceasing its pin-ups in 1975 following a protest.
The Lord Mayor again condemned Twikker in 1987, and the Student Union

University of Sheffield Union of Students

-Aims:Its mission is to act in the interests of all our members and has a vision to be the outstanding student-led organisation in the UK. It was also voted best Higher Education Students' Union in the country at the first ever NUS awards ceremony in 2008....

 (SUSU) itself imposed a ban which was debated by the largest ever SUSU meeting (approximately 1500 attended and voted 900:600 to overturn the ban).

Notable contributors

Hans Kornberg

Hans Kornberg

Professor Sir Hans Leo Kornberg, FRS is a British biochemist.-Early Life, Education and Career:Kornberg was born in 1928 in Germany of Jewish parents. In 1939 he left Nazi Germany , and moved to the care of an uncle in Yorkshire...

 was the editor in 1947.

The 1991 cover was created by D'Israeli

D'Israeli

Matt Brooker, whose work most often appears under the pseudonym D'Israeli , is a British comic artist, colorist, writer and letterer. Other pseudonyms he uses include "Molly Eyre" , for his writing, and "Harry V...

.

Forewords have been written by Michael Palin

Michael Palin

Michael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....

, Andy Hamilton

Andy Hamilton

Andrew Neil Hamilton is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter and radio dramatist.-Early life:...

 and Miles Kington

Miles Kington

Miles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...

in addition to the traditional Lord Mayor's foreword.