Rupert Bear - Visit Nutwood Visit Nutwood SALES Nutwood Rupert lives in a cottage in Nutwood village with his parents, Mr and Mrs Bear, and is recognisable in his red jumper and yellow checked scarf and trousers. The family have an annual summer seaside holiday and occasionally also visit Rupert's aunts and uncles. Rupert's closest chums are Bill Badger, Algy Pug, Podgy Pig and Edward Trunk, an elephant. An assortment of animal chums appear with Rupert, including Pong-Ping, the Pekinese, 'Rastus Mouse, Willie Mouse, Ferdy and Freddy Fox, Reggie and Rex Rabbit, Lily Duckling. The stories also feature human characters - the Professor, Sailor Sam, the Chinese Conjurer and his daughter, Tigerlily, and the Sage of Um, who travels in his upturned umbrella, are often seen. Adventures involve journeys to the bottom of the sea, King Frost's Ice Palace, the Weather Clerk's headquarters and numerous locations, where Imps and Elves are sometimes encountered. Ingenious inventions enable Rupert to fly to far away places quickly.

Many characters and friends join Rupert in his stories, which usually begin with him leaving Nutwood, enjoying an adventure, and then returning safely home. Bill Badger Bill, one of Rupert's closest chums, always looks on the bright side. He shares many adventures, and is a long-standing pal Rupert relies on. Bill has a good sense of fun, and lives with his parents and baby brother in Nutwood. Algy Pug Algy likes playing practical jokes, and is a close fun-loving friend of Rupert. He likes being out of doors, enjoying adventures in the countryside with Rupert and his pals. Edward Trunk The cheerful elephant pal is strong, and always tries to help his friends. Edward lives in Nutwood with his mother, father and baby brother, Pompey. Podgy Pig A greedy, good-hearted pal, Podgy is often lazy. However, he joins in with the chums in many adventures. His favourite pastime is eating food. His cousin Rosalie appears in some stories. Bingo Pup The brainy Bingo loves inventing, and is good at making things work. He is one of Rupert's pals, although occasionally he goes off by himself.

Tigerlily The young daughter of the Chinese Conjurer often misuses magic, which causes problems for Rupert' in his adventures. Tigerlily is mischievous, but usually helps put matters right. Professor The adult inventor friend of Rupert lives in a castle tower. The Professor has invented many flying machines, and often they are the cause of many exciting adventures. Pong-Ping The Pekinese friend of Rupert lives in Nutwood with his pet dragon, Ming. Sometimes Pong-Ping travels to China using his special lift. Although occasionally quick tempered, Pong-Ping is a good chum. Rastus Mouse The country mouse enjoys adventures with Rupert. Rastus who wears a brown tweed suit is less shy than his cousin Willie. Willie Mouse The timid Willie is one of Rupert's closest chums. He is able to squeeze through gaps, due to his size. Freddy and Ferdie Fox The identical brothers are mischief-makers, playing tricks on Rupert. They attend Nutwood school. Mr and Mrs Bear Rupert's parents are used to their son going off on adventures, and welcoming him home on his return. Mrs Bear is often busy about their cottage whilst Mr Bear tidies up the garden.

Lily Duckling Recognisable in her bonnet and cape, Lily is seen around Nutwood village. A friend of Rupert, Lily is timid and inquisitive; she is aware of what is going on. Sailor Sam An adult seafaring friend, Sam lives in a shack on the edge of Nutwood. He takes Rupert for rides to the seaside in his motorcycle sidecar, and is involved in many sea adventures. Chinese Conjuror The father of Tigerlily has magic powers and can cast spells. He lives in a pagoda in Nutwood. The Sage of Um The eccentric, wise old man flies in his brella - an upside-down umbrella. He lives on Um Island with a band of unicorns. Reggie & Rex Rabbit The identical twins are in Rupert's class at Nutwood school. Dressed alike, they enjoy sharing in Rupert's fun and games. Clara Cat Clara is involved in a recent story, having moved from Nutchester to Nutwood. Constable Growler Nutwood's village policeman is always friendly, and has a sense of fun. He often makes use of Rupert's help in solving crimes. Wise Old Goat The kind, mysterious Wise Old Goat is clever.

His home is in a castle near Nutwood. Rollo The gipsy boy has a good knowledge of the countryside, and understands nature. Rollo lives with his granny in a gipsy caravan. Uncle Bruno Dr Uncle Bruno occasionally visits Nutwood in his motor-car, bringing presents for his nephew, Rupert. Gregory Guineapig Small, inquisitive Gregory is prone to mishaps. He is part of many adventures. Ottoline Otter The young girl lives in Nutwood Manor, and is a friend of Rupert. Ottoline plays the piano. Billy Goat One of Rupert's pals, Billy is a grandson of Granny Goat, and a nephew of the Wise Old Goat. Odmedod The scarecrow is able to talk, and walk around on his wooden legs. Odmedod is a good friend of Rupert. Dinkie Dinkie is Girl Guide Beryl's black cat, and is often with her. Bodkin The servant lives with the Professor, and helps with inventions. Dr Chimp The understanding schoolmaster at Nutwood school teaches Rupert and his chums. Gaffer Jarge The old countryman has lived in Nutwood for many years. He enjoys hearing about Rupert's exploits.

Become a h2g2 - The History Behind Rupert Bear The History Behind Rupert Bear Created everyone come and join, in all of his games. The uplifting theme tune, sung by Jackie Lee 1 , reached No 14 in the UK singles charts. Famous for wearing a yellow check scarf and trousers, a red jumper and a white face 2 , Rupert the Bear is the longest running illustrated character in the world. First drawn by Mary Tourtel in the 1920s, Rupert has enchanted generations old and new. Over the years, this well-loved bear has experienced fame and fortune in a variety of media, such as newspaper, film, annual and television series. History In the 1920s there was an appreciation for anthropomorphic characters in British newspapers. Anthropomorphism has been very popular in literature over the centuries and has provided a platform for humour and satire as Chaucer , Lewis Carroll and Aristophanes demonstrate. Bears in particular have been accepted in society as amiable creatures, despite the fact that if someone did happen across a real one they might be mauled to death.

Mary Tourtel Mary Tourtel born Mary Caldwell 28 January, 1874, lived in 52 Palace Street, Canterbury, before she married Herbert 3 Bird Tourtel (sub-editor of the Daily Express). Tourtel came from an artistic family. Her father worked as a stained glass artist and stone mason on Canterbury Cathedral 4 and one of her brothers Samuel followed in his father’s footsteps, while her eldest brother Edmund painted animals in Africa. Tourtel herself became a trained artist and well-established illustrator of children's books. Her first publication A Horse Book and Three Little Foxes appeared in 1897 when she was just 23 years old and prior to Rupert Bear she had also had various pieces of her work displayed in the Express 5 . So when Lord Beaverbrook owner of the Express decided that they should rival other newspapers with an anthropomorphic character of their own 6 , Mary Tourtel was the obvious choice to take on the task. However, Lord Beaverbrook turned to RD Blumenfeld first for inspiration for a character to out-rival the Express’s competitors and Blumenfeld couldn’t come up with an ideal character or someone who could continue producing the character in the newspaper.

After much deliberation he turned to news editor Herbert Tourtel who immediately volunteered his wife Mary who came up with the character and the stories. Or did she come up with the idea of Rupert Bear? For there is another rumour that Rupert Bear was the invention of the grandmother of Peter Bessel (a former Liberal member of Parliament) who sent the idea to the Express who paid her £50 for the rights. No matter who came up with the original idea for Rupert Bear, the truth is that nobody could have imagined how successful the bear was going to be. Rupert Bear has outlived many illustrator, writer and fellow anthropomorphic character of his day. Rupert Bear first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November, 1920 in a story called The Adventures of a Little Lost Bear and continues to appear in the newspaper everyday. Mary Tourtel illustrated the stories, while her husband created the captions. Two drawings appeared each day, with an accompanying set of rhyming couplets narrating the story beneath them and the promise that the story would be continued the following day. In the early days Rupert Bear showed up only occasionally in the newspaper and there was no set pattern as to when he was going to appear.

When he didn’t often Margot another character of Mary Tourtel’s (or was it Peter Bessel’s grandmother’s) showed up and a note was written that the little bear (Rupert) was on holiday. Sometimes Rupert even turned up illustrating a puzzle feature and sometimes only in prose. Rupert Bear stories have appeared in the Daily Express at times in one large panel, while at other times in a row of four small drawings and during the war only one illustration was shown. The fact that Rupert Bear was not a permanent fixture in the early days is reflective of the fact that Mary Tourtel found it difficult to stick to deadlines. During the mid-Twenties Tourtel's stories of Rupert Bear were more imaginative than they'd previously been, with magic having a significant presence. But these story lines, over the years, became elaborate and contrived. She repeated various parts of her work and her drawing style became somewhat erratic. Tourtel's private life, in which her husband died in a German Sanitarium, was having a real impact on her work. Ironically, Rupert Bear became even more popular.

Many books reprinting her stories appeared such as those of Thomas Nelson in 1921, Sampson Low's Rupert Little Bear Adventures in 1924 and the Little Bear Series in 1928. Rupert Bear also began to appear in the Daily Express Children's Annual and a pull out supplement from the Daily Express called the Daily Express Children's Own. In 1932 the Daily Express Rupert League was also formed. Tourtel struggled to cope with the extra load and it soon became clear, as her eyesight began to fail, that a replacement for Tourtel was imminent. In 1935 the Daily Express believed it had enough Rupert stories to be able to start creating Annuals. The Annual would bring together all the stories that were printed in the newspaper over the previous year. The first one released in 1936 at Christmas time was the only one to feature Tourtel's work and featured a hard cover, black and white print and red tinting. Rupert Bear Annuals were extremely popular in the 1950s selling 1.7 million. Today the Rupert Annual is still one of the top three Annual titles sold worldwide.

Alfred E Bestall Born 14 December, 1892 in Mandalay, Upper Burma, Alfred Edmeades Bestall was the second person to draw Rupert Bear. In Bestall’s youth he attended local schools in Sheffield and north Shields, as well as a School in South Sea and Rydal School in Colwyn Bay . He obtained a scholarship to the Birmingham Central School (now college) of Art 7 through sending a piece of art work to them featuring a mouse. He continued his education at the LCC Central School of Art for a year, before joining the British Army in 1915. Bestall worked out in Flanders delivering the fighting troups to their stations by red London buses. During his time abroad he created portraits of girlfriends of his friends and officers from photos and created a page for Blighty 8 . On returning home from the war Bestall returned to the LCC Central School of Art. He also visited James Mackenzie editor of Blighty, who published some of his work and found an agent Graham Hopkins of Byron Agency. With Graham Hopkins help, Bestall ended up drawing illustrations for an expensive presentation edition of Enid Blyton’s stories.

He began painting for The Amalgamated Press who published the Girl’s Own Annual, illustrated for Punch , Tatler, over 50 books including The Boy Next Door and The Play's the Thing , both by Enid Blyton, along with Myths and Legends of Many Lands and Spanish Goldfish (in 1935) and illustrated a series of AA Milne parodies by Ethel Mannin. Then in 1935 Bestall was called upon to write the Rupert Bear stories. The first Rupert story Bestall created was Rupert, Algy and the Smugglers and appeared on 28 June, 1935. At first Bestall thought he might be able to illustrate and write Rupert Bear stories, as well as write and illustrate for other products. However, this was not to be as he spent so much time and effort working on Rupert Bear, that it became a full time job.

It is known that 40 stories each year were specially designed for the Annuals and during 28 June, 1935 to 22 July, 1965, 273 Rupert stories were written by Bestall and 224 were published in strips for the Daily Express. 240 were specially written for Annuals and at least 7 appeared first in the Adventure series 9 .This was the first time that Bestall had actually written and illustrated stories, and he was amazingly successful. So successful that many of Rupert Bear’s fans prefer Bestall’s stories and illustrations. Tourtell died on 15 March, 1948, aged 74. Up until this time Bestall hadn’t signed his Rupert work, out of respect for her. The first story to hold his signature was called Rupert and Ting-Ling, which ran from 27 May to 21 July, 1948. Later that year, the initial B was to be found in the 1948 Annual.

Stories specially written for the Annuals were now signed, starting with Rupert and the Twins and Rupert and Pong-Ping's Party, which both featured in the 1949 Annual. Two appeared in the 1938 and 1939 Boys and Girls books. Originally, Bestall was given six weeks to prove that he was the ideal candidate to deliver Rupert Bear to their readers and thirty years later he was still illustrating Rupert Bear stories for them. During these eventful years a variety of changes took place, for example the 1936 10 Annual put a stop to the production of Sampson Low’s books that featured Tourtel’s old stories and illustrations. New characters were invented and the plots and illustrations became more interesting and realistic, now that there was no magic. Bestall loved watching silent film and therefore made the illustrated strips more film like, nothing was monotonous and he broke away from literary tradition. These all helped secure Rupert Bear in the world of children’s literature. Some people even felt the Bestall creations were better than AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.

Tourtel was influenced by fairy stories that were more like the Brothers Grimm than those of Hans Christian Andersen and she favoured magic so much that it can be seen weaving through the Rupert Bear adventures. The wise old goat was a mystic and whenever Tourtel could not think of how Rupert Bear could get home safely she'd invent a fairy to get him home safely. Other characters in Tourtel’s repertoire were Bill Badger, Edward Trunk, Algy Pug, Podgy Pig, the Rabbit Twins and the pet monkey Beppo. Bestall added a host of new characters including Uncle Bruno, Pong-Ping, Tigerlily and her father, Bingo, Podgy's cousin Rosalie, the Merboy, and the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. With the onset of the Second World War Rupert Bear was kept in Express newspapers to boost morale among the forces. The Rupert stories were situated in the idyllic English countryside into which the war was never allowed to intrude and it was thought that Rupert added a little haven of normality in a chaotic world and that he was good for public morale.

Newspapers were reduced in size to single sheets with only one picture of Rupert appearing each day, while Rupert Annuals were reduced to quarto size paperbacks and only resumed its hard covers in 1952. 11 . To make up for this the worldwide released Rupert Annual's were produced in full colour during 1942. The Rupert Annual was one of the only children's annuals to survive the War, but when the war ended it was thought that many new annuals would be produced. Therefore, games, colouring pages and origami were added. Although Bestall continued creating Annual covers until 1973 and created some end papers, which included 'The Frog’s Chorus', Bestall’s official retirement occurred in 1965 12 . His last story was Rupert and the Winkybickies, which finished in July 1965. His retirement came at a good time for he was grieving from his mother’s death and had to make arrangements for his older sister who was handicapped and needed looking after. Bestall never did marry and so the last few years of his life were spent quite alone.

He did have the occasional visitor to his home in Beddgelert, Snowdonia and he was never short of letters to respond to. Rupert Reaches Sixty - 1980 With the arrival of 1980 Rupert Bear's 60th Birthday, came a lot of media interest. First the Daily Express did a feature on Bestall, then Wales Today, who were soon followed by the Sunday Times, Caernafon and Denbigh Herald and Methodist Recorder. In 1981 Bestall was interviewed by Terry Jones for the BBC and Pebble Mill and Ann Saba from Canada phoned one early afternoon to ask Bestall some questions on Rupert Bear that would then be broadcast to the rest of Canada. One thing that always surprised Bestall was the fact that people paid serious attention to Rupert and studied him in meticulous detail. Children even looked up to Rupert Bear as a mentor and Bestall felt quite pressurised to make him this way. Both The Rupert Index a private publication by Norman Shaw of Upper Norwood and the Followers of Rupert an organisation set up in 1983 by Tony Shuker a school-master in Newark, Nottinghamshire, reflect people's studies of Rupert Bear.

Win or lose, sink or swim. One thing is certain, we'll never give in. Side by side, hand in hand. We all stand together. - the Frog Chorus written by Paul McCartney In 1982 the Girl Guides in Beddgelert helped Bestall celebrate his 93rd birthday and the following July he went to a Buckingham Palace garden party before visiting Sir Paul McCartney at his house in Cavendish Avenue and stopping by Elstree studios where he watched Rupert and the Frog Song by Sir Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney and Geoff Dunbar 13 twice through. The film tells the tale of Rupert Bear stumbling across a frog rehearsal in a cave known as the Palace (aka The Frog Cavern). The inspiration for this film came from an illustration by Alfred Bestall in the 1958 Rupert Bear Annual and the fact that McCartney's children shared the same passion for Rupert as he did. Bestall then went on to be interviewed by George Perry for a biography, saw an exhibition of his endpapers in Tunbridge Wells and had a hip replacement in Guildford County Hospital.

In memory of Bestall’s life John Harrold incorporated Alfred Bestall's portrait, surrounded by Nutwood characters, on the cover of the 1985 Annual. This also commemorated the 65th anniversary of the first Rupert story by Mary Tourtel, the 50th Rupert Annual, and the outstanding contribution which he had made to the enchanted and enchanting world of Nutwood. Today an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 58 Cranes Park, Surbiton, London reminds people of Bestall’s life. In 1985 he received an MBE from the Queen , which he was unable to receive in person, for he had contracted bone cancer. So on his 93rd Birthday the Prince of Wales sent a telemessage, which read: I have heard that you were sadly unable to receive your MBE from the Queen recently. I wanted to send you my congratulations on your award and to wish you a very happy birthday with many happy returns. As a child I well remember your marvellous illustrations of Rupert Bear.

Bestall spent his 93rd birthday in hospital at Caernarvon, before being transferred to Wern Nursing Home, where he died peacefully on 15 January, 1986. That same year the film Rupert and the Frog Song, which was inspired by one of Bestall’s drawings, was nominated for the 'Best Music Video - Short Form' at the Grammy Awards and won a UK BAFTA (British Academy Award) for Best Animated Short Film. The film has since been a theatrical accompaniment to McCartney's feature film Give my Regards to Broad Street and been re-released on DVD in September 2004 to mark its 20th Anniversary. Rupert Bear's place is firmly established in the history of popular culture and he remains a favourite children's character for whom Alfred Bestall will be fondly remembered, Said a spokesman for English Heritage. After Bestall's retirement various artists were asked to draw Rupert; the best of them was John Harrold. Harrold was born in 1947. He first started drawing Rupert for the Daily Express in 1973 in 'Fun to Cook with Rupert', with his first work on annuals appearing in 1976.

By 2006, he'd been creating artwork for Rupert annuals (covers and endpapers) for over 20 years. Harrold's work is reflective of both Bestall and Tourtal. For over 20 years Harrold has created covers and endpapers for the Rupert Annuals 14 . Television The Adventures of Rupert Bear was broadcast across ITV regions during midday from 28 October, 1970 15 until August, 1977. 156 ten-minute episodes (thats 4 series) in all, though sadly only about 70 of them still exist in the archives. Produced by Mary Turner 16 and John Read 17 , it used string-puppets to recreate stories from Rupert Bear annuals, with the design of the puppets taken from those rather lush illustrations that graced the covers of the annuals, rather than the flatter illustrations of the stories themselves.

The puppetry was of a much more simplistic form than Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds (even though one of the puppeteers was Anderson regular Christine Glanville), but the producers borrowed one idea from Anderson - the use of Rupert's flying chariot in the stories allowed them to reduce unconvincing walking scenes to a minimum. Every episode began with a shot of a mother reading a 'Rupert' story to her child. The camera then moved past the bed to where a Rupert doll was sat on the carpet near the closet. The show's narrator, Judy Bennett 18 would then tell the viewers what that week's episode was about before the main characters were introduced on the title sequence: Rupert's parents; Bill Badger; PC Growler; Pong-Ping the Pekinese dog; Podgy Pig; Raggedy; and Edward Trunk, the elephant. 21st Century Bear We are delighted to be partnering with Express Newspapers on Rupert Bear. Rupert Bear is a fantastic addition to our family of wonderful children’s properties and has huge potential as a global brand.

The new Rupert will remain true to the original character and upon entering Nutwood, children can look forward to seeing Rupert’s old friends as well as meeting a brand new cast of characters. Rupert Bear already has a formidable track record as a much loved children’s brand both in the UK and internationally and ER will be building upon this heritage as we launch the new series. Jane Smith, Group Commercial Director, Entertainment Rights Plc Rupert Bear and his adventures in Nutwood were also televised by Ellipse (France) in 1993 who created a total of 39 episodes. Nelvana (Canada) 19 created a further 27 episodes and now Media Group Entertainment Rights want to get in on the action and create an animated series for CITV . They also wish to release DVDs and books on the character and update the bear in regards to wearing trainers 20 , which would then be replicated and sold to children. There will also be many new characters joining him in his adventures and his profile will be raised again. Entertainment Rights have also got plans to captivate audiences in the US , France , Germany , Spain , Canada and Australia , with the bear’s antics.

1 Jackie Lee also lent her vocal skills to two other children's shows - White Horses and Inigo Pipkins . 2 The fact that Rupert is white, unlike other bears, arises questions of political correctness. 3 Herbert died in a German sanitorium in 1931. 4 Rupert Bear still has links with Canterbury now, for he can be found in Canterbury Museum . 5 In 1919 the Sunday Express featured 'In Bobtail Land' which ran for six months and was created by Mary Tourtel and at the same time she had created When Animals Work for the Daily Express. 6 During the 1930s, Teddy Tail appeared in the Daily Mail and 'Pip, Squeak and Wilfred' occurred in the Daily Mirror 7 At Birmingham Central School of Art he gained his matriculation certificate. 8 Blighty is an old-fashioned nickname for Britain. 9 The adventure series ended in 1963 having clocked up fifty books. 10 Also from 1936 to 1939 prose and verse ran alongside one another.

11 By 1952 two other people had joined the Express and started assisting in the stories of Rupert Bear, Enid Ash (1950) and Alex Cubie (1951). 12 Since 1965 there have been two main illustrators and 3 writers that have produced Rupert's adventures. 13 Dunbar had created films since the age of 12. 14 Gina Hart colours in every illustration Harrold creates for the Rupert Annual. 15 Rupert Bear was 50 in 1970. 16 Turner had previously worked on other puppet shows. 17 Read also worked on cartoon films, then training films and documentaries and did the Special Effects for films, such as the Dambusters. 18 Bennet also narrated Here Comes Mumfie and The Munch Bunch. 19 . It is still broadcast in syndication on YTV in Canada. In the United States, the show first aired on Nickelodeon before moving to CBS. 20 Giving Rupert Bear less fingers and putting him in trainers has proved controversial. <b>A History Of Rupert Bear</b> A History Of Rupert Bear THE BEAR ESSENTIALS!

A PROFILE OF RUPERT BEAR On November 8, 1920, one of the most enduring and well-loved childrenï¿½s characters in British fiction made his first appearance in the Daily Express. In the loving hands of creator Mary Tourtel, Rupert and the timeless world of Nutwood introduced children to a world of fairies, wizards, unicorns and adventure. In 1935 the Daily Express decided that there were enough Rupert adventures to collect them all together in one volume, making an annual. During the height of Rupertï¿½s popularity in the 1950ï¿½s sales of the Rupert Annual topped 1.7 million. Today the Rupert Annual is still one of the top ten annual titles sold. Rupertï¿½s adventures in the Daily Express continue up to this day and in 2005 he will celebrate his 85th anniversary. The original character of Rupert was moulded to suit a basic narrative pattern whose shape and psychological intention has not changed over the years. The story of a child venturing from a safe home to a wider world and returning safely is fundamental in many childrenï¿½s stories. Rupert enjoys a safe, cosy home life.

He has doting parents who are supportive of him in everything that he does, no matter how daring or dangerous, and who only get mildly anxious when he comes back late from one of his expeditions. Rupert is the ideal son, obedient, considerate, and warm hearted with a natural curiosity and an anxiety to please everyone. But just like any other child of his age (7-8 years) he can be vulnerable, get upset and reduced to tears. Early Rupert stories were rooted in fairy tales, nursery rhyme and legend. His adventures took place either in a fairy tale world of talking animals, magicians and monarchs, or in a world of chivalry where knights rode noble steeds and very much fitted into the writing genre of 1920ï¿½s childrenï¿½s books. However, the story lines have moved with the times and those fairy tale worlds have now given way to more adventurous ones where Rupert may also meet pirates, crooks and smugglers.

Rupert has a vast array of friends and mentors, Bill Badger, Edward Trunk, Podgy Pig, Willie Mouse, the Rabbit Twins, the Fox brothers, dragons, magicians, fairies, imps, elves, unicorns and wizards all play their part. Animation history In 1970 ITV began transmitting an animated puppet version of Rupert for afternoon childrenï¿½s viewing, and the series eventually reached more than 150 episodes during the next seven years. Note: these shows have not been broadcast for many years and cannot do so without the permission of Express Newspapers. The most satisfying and delightful spin-off from the printed page was Paul McCartneyï¿½s animated ï¿½Rupert and the Frog Songï¿½ which won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award, as well as another place in the charts for McCartney, who composed and performed the accompanying song. It is this, the most beautiful of animation techniques and artistry, that brought Rupert to a new generation. Subsequently a broadcast and merchandising deal was signed with the Canadian animation house, Nelvana, to produce 65 half-hour episodes for television. In 2003 all the rights returned to Express Newspapers.

Rupert has been delighting generations of children for over 80 years. The annuals, television shows and Paul McCartneyï¿½s tribute gives a taste of the breadth of the little bearï¿½s popularity. Children all over the world love magic and mystery with a hero they can relate to. Rupert is that hero. Nutwood holds the magic and mystery. So, just like Thomas the Tank and Winnie the Pooh before him perhaps it is time for Rupert to move into the limelight. Rupert Bear Profile Parents: Mr and Mrs Bear Best Friend: Bill Badger Favourite clothes: Yellow checked trousers, red jumper and yellow checked scarf Address: Nutwood Village, England Mary Tourtel Illustration Rupert Bear first appeared in the Daily Express on 8 November 1920. The Editor of the newspaper, R.D.Blumenfeld had been instructed by Lord Beaverbrook who owned the Daily Express to find and launch a comic strip character that would prove popular with children, and outstrip competitors comic strips. Blumenfeld had problems finding the right type of cartoon character to to fulfill this aim. Finally he told his night news editor Herbert Tourtel about the problem.

Tourtel immediately volunteered his wife Mary, who had been trained as an artist and was a well established illustrator of children's books, to work on the project. Rupert was the result and he was an immediate success and has subsequently appeared in the paper on a daily basis since his character was launched in 1920 in a story called 'The Adventures of a Little Lost Bear', with Mary Tourtel's illustrations and captions provided by her husband. The adventures that followed were narrated day by day, always in one picture with an accompanying set of rhymes. Bill Badger, Edward Trunk and Algy Pug are also some of the initial friends of Rupert that have survived the last 85 years. Mary Tourtel's health began to fail and she finally decided to retire in 1935 Alfred E Bestall took over from her, writing and illustrating the Rupert stories. Alfred Edmeades Bestall was born on 14 December 1892 in Mandalay, Burma. He was the son of Methodist missionaries. On his return to England he attended Rydal school in Colwyn Bay and obtained a scholarship to the Birmingham Central School (now college) of Art.

In 1914, he attended the LCC Central School of Art but volunteered in 1915 to serve in the British Army. After the war he went to the LCC Central School of Art and completed his studies. From 1922 he spent several years as a freelance illustrator, contributing to periodicals such as Punch, Tatler and illustrating over 50 books. ( Please see Rupert Events for exhibition) After the retirement of Mary Tourtel in 1935, Alfred, now 42, took over the job of writing and illustrating the Rupert stories. This was the first time that Bestall had actually written and illustrated stories, and he was amazingly successful. In fact some Rupert followers prefer Bestall's stories and illustrations to those of Mary Tourtel. Out of respect for Mary Tourtel, Alfred did not sign his Rupert work during her lifetime, so his signature does not appear on Rupert artwork until 1948. Bestall wrote and illustrated at least 273 Rupert stories, 224 were published first as strips in the Daily Express running from 28 June 1935 to 22 July 1965.

Forty of the stories were specially written for annuals. He also introduced many of Ruperts best known pals including Tigerlily and the Old Professor. In 1985 Bestall was awarded the MBE, but was unwell and not able to collect the honour himself. He died on 15th January 1986 at Wern Nursing Home. The Years after Alfred Bestall 1973 saw the last cover illustration drawn by Alfred Bestall. The work was passed on the Alex Cubie, whose illustrations can be seen from 1974 until it was handed on to John Harrold in 1978. The stories were written by Freddie Chaplain. John Harrold illustrated Rupert until August 2007, and although living and working in France, he made time in his busy schedule to be at Canterbury (Rupert's birthplace) for Rupert's Birthday celebration in November each year. There he met and chatted with Rupert fans and signed annuals. A truly special occasion. Here is John pictured with one of his fans at last years gathering at Canterbury Museum together with a cuddly Rupert.

We would all like to wish John all the very best for the future and to thank him for his truely fantastic work over what has been a considerable number of years. The Next Generation ï¿½ Stuart Trotter Rupert Bear - WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia Rupert Bear Rupert Bear This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to WikiFur style and standards . For specifics, check the edit history and talk page . Consult the Furry Book of Style for editing help. Rupert Bear is an anthropomorphic children's cartoon character created by Mary Tourtel . First appearing in British nespaper The Daily Express on November 8, 1920, the character endures to this day. Contents History[ edit ] Rupert has a series of friends, Bill Badger , Algy Pug (a dog ) and Edward Trunk (an elephant ) being the most enduring. He also had a foe called Raggety, a creature made from twig. Mary Tourtel's last Rupert story was 'Rupert and Bill's Seaside Holiday' published in 1935. She was replaced by Alfred Bestall , who was previously an illustrator for Punch .

Bestall improved the stories and plots of Rupert but more importantly he created the most beautifully crafted illustrations in the Rupert Annuals. Bestall drew Rupert until 1973, when he retired. Much of the landscape in Rupert is inspired by the Snowdonia landscape of North Wales , the Sussex Weald and East Devon . Rupert appears each day in the Daily Express; his new adventures are illustrated by John Harrold. A Rupert Annual is still produced every year, with Harrold's drawings coloured usually by Gina Hart . The story's setting is the village of Nutwood, which resembles an idealised version of an English village in the early 1930s . Some critics of the strip have claimed that it is out of touch with the modern world and reflects an unrealistic view of rural life. 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 . On October 31, 2005, UK Media Group Entertainment Rights secured majority interest from the Daily Express on Rupert Bear.

There are plans for a film , books, Limited Edition Prints and DVDs that will see Rupert joined by new friends in addition to established characters. The character is usually drawn wearing a red jumper and bright yellow plaid trousers, with matching yellow scarf. In modern British slang plaid trousers , such as those worn on a golf course for visibility, are often called "Rupert Bear trousers". [1] The Adventures of Rupert Bear (1970-1974)[ edit ] Rupert first appeared on television in an ITC series, produced for the ITV network which ran for over 100 ten-minute episodes. The characters were all puppets, although the opening sequence memorably featured a toy Rupert bear sitting in a live-action child's bedroom. Rupert's friends and flying chariot appeared straight from the Daily Express pages, although he was joined by some new friends including a sprite called Willy Wisp. One of the most memorable elements of the series was the catchy theme song, sung by Jackie Lee , which reached number 14 in the UK charts in 1971. Infamously, the song includes the erroneous lyric "Rupert the Bear", even though Rupert has never had the definite article in his name.

Rupert (1991)[ edit ] In 1993, Rupert Bear was given his own animated television series , with 39 episodes produced by Nelvana (Canada) and Ellipse (France)and another 27 episodes by Nelvana to bring the total to 66. It was broadcast in syndication on YTV in Canada . In the United States , the show first aired on Nickelodeon before moving to CBS [2] ; repeats of the series came to qubo 's digital service in January 2007. The show was broadcast in the UK on CITV . In Australia, the show was broadcast on the ABC . Rupert Bear, Follow The Magic... (2006)[ edit ] A new Rupert Bear animated television series. Notable changes to the characters are Rupert will wear trainers and his fur will have a slight tan. Pong Ping has become a girl and Raggerty is now an elf. Rupert Bear, Follow The Magic... was broadcast on Five from November 8 - December 7, 2006. Thirteen ten-minute original episodes were broadcast and subsequently repeated.

Rupert Bear | Public Domain Super Heroes | Fandom powered by Wikia Public Domain Super Heroes Mary Tourtel Origin 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 sweater 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 (animals with humanoid forms). 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 include an elephant ( Edward Trunk ), a mouse ( Willie ), Pong-Ping the Pekingese , Algy Pug (who actually pre-dates Rupert), Podgy Pig , Bingo the Brainy Pup , Freddie and Ferdy Fox , 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. There are also a few human characters in the stories, such as the Professor (who lives in a castle with his servant), Tiger Lily (a Chinese girl), her father "the Conjuror ", and several less frequently occurring characters such as Sailor Sam , Captain Binnacle and Rollo the Gypsy Boy . There is also a recurring Merboy . 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, and 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 for 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.

Question: In the Rupert Bear stories, what was the name of the pug dog?
Answer: ALGY