Rupert Bear, also known as Rupert the Bear or simply Rupert, is an English children's comic strip character and franchise created by Herbert Tourtel and illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary Tourtel, first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper on 8 November 1920. The initial purpose of the strip was to win sales from the rival Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. In 1935, the stories and artwork were both taken over by Alfred Bestall, previously an illustrator for Punch and other glossy magazines. Bestall proved successful in the field of children's literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his nineties. Various other artists and writers have since continued the series. About 50 million copies have been sold worldwide.
The comic strip is published in the Daily Express, with many of the stories later appearing in books. A Rupert annual has been released since 1936. Rupert Bear is part of children's culture in the United Kingdom, and there are four television shows based on the character.
Characters and story Rupert is a bear who lives with his parents in a house in Nutwood, a fictional idyllic English village. He is drawn wearing a red jumper and bright yellow checked trousers, with matching yellow scarf. Originally depicted as a brown bear, his colour soon changed to white to save on printing costs, though he remained brown on the covers of the annuals.
Most of the other characters in the series are also anthropomorphic animals. They are all scaled to be about the same size as Rupert, regardless of species. Rupert's animal friends are usually referred to as his "chums" or "pals." Aside from his best friend Bill Badger, some of the most enduring pals are an elephant (Edward Trunk), a mouse (Willie), Pong-Ping the Pekingese, Algy Pug (who actually pre-dates Rupert),George Perry and Alfred Bestall, Rupert, A bear's Life, Pavilion Books: 1985, p. 18 Podgy Pig, Bingo the Brainy Pup, the identical twins Freddy and Ferdy Fox, the identical twins Reggie and Rex Rabbit, and Ming the dragon. The kindly Wise Old Goat also lives in Nutwood, and helps Rupert in some of his adventures. One of the most unusual and evocative characters is Raggety, a woodland troll-creature made from twigs, who is often very grumpy and annoying. In the 2006 television revival of the series, Raggety has been transformed into a friendly elf with broken English. There is also a recurring country Police Officer who is an adult dog named PC Growler.Rupert Bear Annuals There are also a few human characters in the stories, such as the Professor (who lives in a castle with his servant, Bodkin), Tiger Lily (a Chinese girl), her father "the Conjuror," and several less frequently occurring characters such as Sailor Sam, Gaffer Jarge, Captain Binnacle, the Sage of Um (who is seen travelling in a magical upside down umbrella) and Rollo, the Gypsy boy. There is also a recurring Merboy. During his time as Rupert writer, Alfred Bestall added further characters such as the girl guides Beryl, Pauline and Janet, with Beryl's cat, Dinky. These characters were based on Girl Guides from Bestall's own church who asked him in late 1947 if they could have their own adventure with Rupert. They remain part of the comic series even today.
The series often features fantastic and magical adventures in faraway lands. Each story begins in Nutwood, where Rupert usually sets out on a small errand for his mother or to visit a friend, which then develops into an adventure to an exotic place such as King Frost's Castle, the Kingdom of the Birds, underground, or to the bottom of the sea. Sometimes one of the Professor's inventions opens the door to one of Rupert's adventures. At the end of the story Rupert returns to Nutwood, where all is safe and well, and where his parents seem perfectly sanguine about his adventures.
Style
Unlike most modern comic strips, Rupert Bear has always been produced in the original form of strip with illustrations accompanying text, called "text comics", as opposed to text being incorporated directly into the art; for example, within speech balloons.
Bestall developed the classic Rupert story format: the story is told in picture form (generally two panels each day in the newspaper and four panels to a page in the annuals), in simple page-headers, in rhyming two-line-per-image verse, and as running prose at the foot. Rupert Annuals can therefore be "read" on four levels.
History
Rupert's unspectacular introduction was in a single panel, the first of 36 episodes of the story "Little Lost Bear" written by Herbert and drawn by Mary Tourtel.
Bestall expanded the stories and plots of Rupert, and in addition to precise and detailed drawings for the Daily Express panels he also created beautifully crafted illustrations in the Rupert Annuals. Bestall drew the Rupert stories for the Daily Express until 1965, and continued to illustrate the covers for the annuals until his retirement in 1973. Much of the landscape in Rupert is inspired by the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales (Alfred Bestall himself lived for many years in the north Welsh village of Beddgelert)Bedgellert village history(the Professor's castle is based on Ruthin Castle), the Sussex Weald and East Devon. Bestall's successor was Alex Cubie. Cubie created Rupert annual artwork between 1974 and 1977. His images are recognisable from the thicker black outlines around the characters and the use of more vibrant colours than Bestall employed. A Rupert Annual is still produced every year and Rupert appears each day in the Daily Express. In 1978, his new adventures became illustrated by John Harrold; his drawings in the annual were usually coloured by Gina Hart. In 2008 John Harrold was succeeded by Stuart Trotter and a new style of annual (sans serif typeface) with a more modern Rupert to tie-in with the CGI-animation Rupert Bear, Follow the Magic..., began.
The Rupert Annual for 1960 contained a story called Rupert and the Diamond Leaf, in which he visits "Coon Island", whose inhabitants are little "Coons". The Coons previously appeared on the cover of The New Rupert: The Daily Express Annual, 1954 and in the interior story Rupert and the Castaway. The first appearance was in the 1946 soft cover summer special Rupert on Coon Island.
Rupert appeared in Paul McCartney's 1984 music video "We All Stand Together"; McCartney also made an animated video starring Rupert called Rupert and the Frog Song. The short film, produced by McCartney won the British Academy Award.
Tourtel's home was in Canterbury in Kent, and the Rupert Bear Museum, formerly part of the Canterbury Heritage Museum, which has since closed, had collections that covered much of the history of Rupert and his friends, as well as Tourtel and other illustrators. The museum was geared toward families and those interested in the general history of Rupert.
In 1999, Rupert appeared in an advertisement for the NSPCC, where he is seen on a mug, covering his eyes over the sight of a psychopath bullying his child offscreen.
On 31 October 2005, UK Media Group Entertainment Rights (which was later bought by Boomerang Media, then DreamWorks Classics and now NBCUniversal) purchased a majority interest in the Rupert Bear character from the Daily Express.
Books
Rupert Bear annuals Every year since 1936, a Rupert Bear annual has been released, even during the years of World War II, during a paper shortage. 1–38 = Alfred Bestall 39–42 = Alex Cubie 43–72 = John Harrold 73–current = Stuart Trotter
1. The New Adventures of Rupert, 1936 2. More Adventures of Rupert, 1937 3. The New Rupert Book, 1938 4. The Adventures of Rupert, 1939 5. Rupert's Adventure Book, 1940 6. The Rupert Book, 1941 7. More Adventures of Rupert, 1942 8. More Rupert Adventures, 1943 9. Rupert in More Adventures, 1944 10. A New Rupert Book, 1945 11. The New Rupert Book, 1946 12. More Adventures of Rupert, 1947 13. The Rupert Book, 1948 14. Rupert, 1949 15. Adventures of Rupert, 1950 16. The New Rupert Book, 1951 17. More Rupert Adventures, 1952 18. More Adventures of Rupert, 1953 19. The New Rupert, 1954 20. Rupert, 1955 21. The Rupert Book, 1956 22. Rupert, 1957 23. Rupert, 1958 24. Rupert, 1959 25. Rupert, 1960 26. Rupert, 1961 27. Rupert, 1962 28. Rupert, 1963 29. Rupert, 1964 30. Rupert, 1965 31. Rupert, 1966 32. Rupert, 1967 33. Rupert, 1968 34. Rupert, 1969 35. Rupert, 1970 36. Rupert, 1971 37. Rupert, 1972 38. Rupert, 1973 39. Rupert, 1974 40. Rupert, 1975 41. Rupert, 1976 42. Rupert, 1977 43. Rupert, 1978 44. Rupert, 1979 45. Rupert, 1980
46. Rupert, 1981 47. Rupert, 1982 48. Rupert, 1983 49. Rupert, 1984 50. Rupert: The 50th Daily Express Annual, 1985 51. Rupert, 1986 52. Rupert, 1987 53. Rupert, 1988 54. Rupert, 1989 55. Rupert, 1990 56. Rupert, 1991 57. Rupert, 1992 58. Rupert, 1993 59. Rupert, 1994 60. The Rupert Annual: 75th Anniversary Edition, 1995 61. The Rupert Annual, 1996 62. The Rupert Annual, 1997 63. The Rupert Annual, 1998 64. The Rupert Annual, 1999 65. The Rupert Annual, 2000 66. The Rupert Annual, 2001 67. The Rupert Annual, 2002 68. The Rupert Annual, 2003 69. The Rupert Annual, 2004 70. The Rupert Annual, 2005 71. The Rupert Annual, 2006 72. The Rupert Annual, 2007 73. The Rupert Annual, 2008 74. The Rupert Annual, 2009 75. The 75th Rupert Annual, 2010 76. The Rupert Annual, 2011 77. The Rupert Annual, 2012 78. The Rupert Annual, 2013 79. The Rupert Annual, 2014 80. The 80th Rupert Annual, 2015 81. The Rupert Annual, 2016 82. The Rupert Annual, 2017 83. The Rupert Annual, 2018 84. The Rupert Annual, 2019 85. The Rupert Annual, 2020 86. The Rupert Annual, 2021 87. The Rupert Annual, 2022 88. The Rupert Annual, 2023 89. The Rupert Annual, 2024 90. The Rupert Annual, 2025 91. The 90th Rupert Annual, 2026
Rupert Little Bear Library All of these books were written and illustrated by Mary Tourtel and originally published from 1928 to 1936, by Sampson Low. There were 46 books in the original series. Rupert and the Enchanted Princess (1928) Rupert and the Black Dwarf (1928) Rupert and his Pet Monkey (1928) Rupert and his Friend Margot (and Rupert, Margot and the Fairies) (1928) Rupert in the Mystery of Woody (1929) Further Adventures of Rupert and his Friend Margot (and Rupert and the Stolen Apples) (1929) Rupert and the Three Roberts (1929) Rupert, the Knight and the Lady (and Rupert and the Wise Goat's Birthday Cake) (1929) Rupert and the Circus Clown (1929) Rupert and the Magic Hat (1929) Rupert and the Little Prince (1930) Rupert and King Pippin (1930) Rupert and the Wilful Princess (1930) Rupert's Mysterious Plight (1930) Rupert in Trouble Again (and Rupert and the Fancy Dress Party) (1930) Rupert and the Wooden Soldier (and Rupert's Christmas Adventure) (1930) Rupert and the Old Man and the Sea (1931) Rupert and Algy at Hawthorn Farm (1931) Rupert and the Magic Whistle (1931) Rupert Gets Stolen (1931) Rupert and the Puss in Boots (1931) Rupert and the Christmas Tree Fairies (and Rupert and Bill Badger's Picnic Party) (1931) Rupert and His Pet Monkey Again (and Beppo Back With Rupert) (1932) Rupert and the Rubber Wolf (1932) Rupert's Latest Adventure (1932) Rupert and Humpty Dumpty (1932) Rupert's Holiday Adventure (and Rupert's Message to Father Christmas and Rupert's New Year's Eve Party) (1932) Rupert's Christmas Tree (and Rupert's Picnic Party) (1932) Rupert, the Witch and Tabitha (1933) Rupert Goes Hiking (1933) Rupert and Willy Wispe (1933) Rupert Margot and the Bandits (and Rupert at School) (1933) Rupert and the Magic Toyman (1933) Rupert and Bill Keep Shop (and Rupert's Christmas Thrills) (1933) Rupert and Algernon (and Rupert and the White Dove) (1934) Rupert and Beppo Again (1934) Rupert and Dapple (1934) Rupert and Bill's Aeroplane Adventure (1934) Rupert and the Magician's Umbrella (1934) Rupert and Bill and the Pirates (1935) Rupert at the Seaside (and Rupert and Bingo) (1935)