Jay Weldon is one of Dennis' African-American friend. He appear on Dennis the Menace (1986) series.
He is an African American character whom Ketcham decided to add to the cast in the late 1960s. Ketcham designed Jackson in the tradition of a stereotypical cartoon pickaninny, with huge lips, big white eyes, and just a suggestion of an Afro hair style. A panel from May 13, 1970, depicted Jackson and Dennis playing in the backyard, with Dennis saying to his father, "I'm having some race trouble with Jackson. He runs FASTER than I do!" The character depiction was not received well. Protests erupted in Detroit, Little Rock, Miami, and St. Louis, and debris was thrown at the offices of the Post Dispatch. Taken aback, Ketcham issued a statement explaining that his intentions were innocent, and Jackson was not seen in the comics again. However, another African American character named Jay Weldon appeared in the 1986 animated series to far less controversy, as he was not designed as a stereotype.