Simple question when i grew up in the 70's and 80's I never heard one person ever refer to the mags as the toon. Did sky invent it in 1992?
It was invented by viz magazine when they created the character Biffa Bacon. As it was an accurate representation of the average mag people began to refer to them as cartoons. Unfortunately many mags struggle with words of two syllables or more so it was shortened to toon. Easier for their meagre brains to chant ad infinitum. So I hear.
The first mention of "The Toon" or "Za doonlike", is first seen in the writings of the great prophet and sheep worrier, Herbert the Hun in 1894AD. Herbert was a shepherd who roamed the fields around Berwick and was the raid by Scott's who came, pillaged, raped(the woman where willing" and ran back home, a tradition still enacted every weekend in The Big Market. It is said that the words, za doonlike was a common phrase used by northern shepherds at night when tending sheep, they would select a Ewe and say,"Get ya knickers za doonlike", before a night of passion on the hills. I read a lot. Over the years the phrase became za toonlike then the toonlike and now simply the toon.
The first mention of "The Toon" or "Za doonlike", is first seen in the writings of the great prophet and sheep worrier, Herbert the Hun in 1894AD. Herbert was a shepherd who roamed the fields around Berwick and was the raid by Scott's who came, pillaged, raped(the woman where willing" and ran back home, a tradition still enacted every weekend in The Big Market. It is said that the words, za doonlike was a common phrase used by northern shepherds at night when tending sheep, they would select a Ewe and say,"Get ya knickers za doonlike", before a night of passion on the hills. Over the years the phrase became za toonlike then the toonlike and now simply the toon. I read a lot.
It's always been used to describe the city itself but I suspect Sky played their part in bringing it to the wider audience
Remember 1974 picking a hitcher up on Tyne bride, going to watch N/C v Spurs, and he said he was going to watch the toon.