[jambutty]

8th November 1920 was a red letter day for probably the best known bear after the Teddy Bear.

Who?

Why Rupert Bear, of course.

Today, 86 years ago Rupert first appeared in the Daily Express to match other newspapers of the day that had their own children’s cartoon like Teddy Tail of the Mail and Pip, Squeak and Wilfred in the Mirror or was it the other way around.

Mary Toutel, the wife of one of the Express sub-editors, invented Rupert, wrote the stories and drew the illustrations until failing eyesight forced her to give up in 1935.

Alfred Bestall, a magazine illustrator, took over and in 1942 the annual came out in colour. It was he who laid down the ground rules for Rupert’s dress code. Those yellow check trousers and that red jersey will always be a symbol of Rupert Bear.

Rupert Bear has lasted well over the ages and hasn’t aged one bit.

The first Rupert Bear Annual was published in time for Xmas 1936 and contained many of the stories printed in the newspaper during the previous year. Since then there has been an annual every year.

I can’t remember all of his playmates but Golliwog comes to mind and I am informed that he is now called just Golly to appease the PC brigade. There was Tiger Lilly the daughter of the Chinese magician and memory fails me after that.

As a final note – a 1936 annual in good condition would be likely to fetch over £1,000 today and much more if still had the original dust cover.