The Computer Wore Pigtails is a series that appeared in the British girls' comic Mandy in 1967, featuring Transy, the “the first computer to look and act like a twelve-year-old schoolgirl” and who is also extremely trans. Her name is Transy, like.
I do not know how many stories there were but Girls Comics of Yesterday suggests that the series was reprinted in 1975 under the title of Electra the Sister with the Transistors between Mandy #462 and Mandy #470 which suggests that there were at least nine. The Bournemouth University UK Comic Database has three stories archived. I have been unable to find any other extant Transy stories, but I would love to read the rest.
Transy lives with Sally Gleade, whose father works at Imperial Transistor Machines (I.T.M.) where Transy was made and is presumably named after. They also attend Leewood School together. In the first story Transy has a problem: She sucks at rounders.
Transy and Sally are taking part in a school-wide competition for the best recorder duet and as such Transy has been a on a diet of music programmes, which are depicted as small circuit boards that she eats.
She wants some more variety, though.
The the third and last issue that I know is extant, Transy faces a problem many of us are familiar with: being singled out for her voice. The music teacher agrees and asks Transy to leave the choir.
Transy is really upset about this and starts getting in trouble in class for not paying attention. A professor at I.T.M. starts working on a new vocal modification unit for Transy but it’s going to take a while before it's ready.
In the meanwhile Boffet fits her with a tape recorder as a stopgap, so that she can at least record the choir singing and play it back.
Transy is really happy about this and while listening to some records at home decides to test out her new recorder with them.
Transy still misses the choir contest, but the school wins and there’s a party at Jane’s house to celebrate. Unfortunately someone immediately breaks Jane’s new record player.
But Transy is able to save the party by singing back the records she recorded.
Unfortunately, those are the only three Transy comics that the archive has, but I’m glad that I was able to share them.
