Herer We Go!
Introducing another piece from my Sex Pistols collection!
This time we’re taking a look at the UK original pressing of the single:
Silly Thing / Who Killed Bambi
🧷 Basic Specs
- Title: Silly Thing
- Artist: Sex Pistols
- Format: 7-inch single (45RPM)
- Release Date: 30 March 1979
- Label / Catalogue No.: Virgin VS256
- Sleeve: Picture sleeve
(Condition of the sleeve isn’t great, to be honest 😅)
🧷 Track Listing
- Side A: Silly Thing (Vocals: Steve Jones)
- Side B: Who Killed Bambi (Vocals: Tenpole Tudor)
The album version of Silly Thing features Paul Cook on vocals, but this single version has Steve Jones singing instead.
🧷 Pressing & Variation Info
✔️ Matrix Numbers (Runout Etchings)
- VS-256-A-2 — A PORKY PRIME CUT A
- VS-256-B-2 — IT WUZN’T ME A
✔️ Sleeve
Design by Jamie Reid.
Silly Thing has a pop-art-style sleeve — not very “Pistols”, is it? But very fun. Maybe the popcorn is a nod to the film vibe?
On the Who Killed Bambi side, Bambi has a safety pin through its ear.
A perfect fusion of “cute” and “punk”!
✔️ Labels
- The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle-style full-colour label
- Or a plain purple label (single-colour variant)
✔️ Credits
- Side A: Silly Thing (Produced by Jones/Cook)
- Side B: Who Killed Bambi (Tenpole Tudor / Vivienne Westwood)
🧷 Collector’s Notes
✔️ Rarity & Price (as of July 2025)
The standard UK pressing (VS256) isn’t particularly rare, but there is a dinked (large centre hole) jukebox version which is slightly harder to find.
- Standard copy (small hole): Typically trades for €7–15 (£6–13) depending on condition. Complete copies with picture sleeve can fetch a bit more.
- Dinked copy (large hole): This UK variant was made in smaller numbers, likely for jukebox or promo use. It tends to sell for around €20–40 (£17–35), roughly 2–3 times the price of a regular copy.
So neither is ultra rare, but the dinked one definitely carries a premium due to its relative scarcity.
🧷 Vivienne Westwood, Burberry & Bambi
Did you know that Burberry’s 2019 spring/summer collection included a shirt with the bold slogan “WHY DID THEY KILL BAMBI?”?
It’s actually a direct reference to the Sex Pistols track Who Killed Bambi?, and it was officially acknowledged as such.
At the time, Burberry’s creative director Riccardo Tisci — known to be a huge fan of Vivienne Westwood — was steering the brand.
In fact, in 2018, Burberry and Vivienne Westwood launched an official collaboration, so this Bambi shoutout felt like a perfect continuation of that punk-inspired spirit.
The mix of a cutesy Bambi print with a slightly provocative message had an edge to it — very punk, and very un-Burberry, which was exactly what made it so good.
🔜 Coming Next
Next time, I’ll be featuring another TGRRS-related single:
C’mon Everybody / The God Save the Queen Symphony / Watcha Gonna Do About It — Virgin VS272.
Stay tuned!
byebye 👋
For collectors interested in Japanese editions
If you are drawn to the design and information found on Japanese releases, particularly obi strips, you may want to take a look at my Never Mind The Bollocks Japanese CD OBI Gallery.
This page organises each obi strip variation issued for the album individually, presenting the obi itself as the main focus in a collector-oriented reference format.
It is intended as an entry point for those interested in Japanese obi strips.
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