Rupert Tells His Tales
Rupert is a comic strip bear who was born on November 8, 1920 in the Daily Express newspaper under the guidance of English artist Mary Tourtel. Rupert continued to appear under the tutelage of artist and storyteller Alfred Bestall who worked on Rupert’s career beginning in 1935 when Tourtel had to give Rupert up due to failing eyesight. And out of respect for Tourtel, Bestall didn’t sign his stories until after Tortell’s death in 1948. It is therefore difficult to determine exactly how many comic strips he actually wrote and illustrated. Bestall’s work served as a model for those artists who followed him.
Other writers and artists took over after Bestall retired in 1965. Finally, in 1985 a full-time artist was again found for Rupert, John Harrold. Harrold was a good pick, for he had written stories for Rupert occasionally for several years before being appointed full time. He went on to draw Rupert for over 30 years.
Rupert’s current artist is Stuart Trotter, who admits to being a big Rupert fan. He’s also an experienced artists and storyteller. Among his prior works are illustrations for Winnie-the-Pooh. Trotter has also brought new characters to Rupert’s world such as Clara the Cat.
Rupert is a human-like bear that wears yellow checked trousers and a red jumper with a scarf, also with a yellow checked pattern. He was originally brown, but his color was changed to white in his newspaper stories to save printing ink.
Rupert’s comic strips are produced as “text comics” where the text is placed in a panel under the picture, followed by a running prose story at the foot of the picture, unlike most comics where text is placed in speech bubbles inside the art panel. Rupert began his life as a single panel with a verse below. Today the daily fare is a double panel, with a four panel story for the annuals.
Rupert continues to warm the hearts of Daily Express readers even today. He is so popular that his stories are put together into books, plus there’s been a Rupert Bear annual every year, including the war years, since 1936. Rupert’s also been on television (1991-1997) with a half-hour series that was broadcast not only in the UK but also in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Rupert is a young bear who lives with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Bear in the imaginary English village of Nutwood, England. Mrs. Bear is a homemaker, Mr. Bear tends the garden. Rupert has a whole menagerie of animal friends, plus a few humans to make his world complete. His closest friends are Bill Badger, Algy Pug, Podgy Pig and the elephant Edward Trunk. Humans include the Professor, Tigerlily and Tigerlily’s father the Chinese Conjurer. Together they provide a rich background for Rupert’s fantastic adventures.
Rupert’s adventures often begin when he leaves home to run an errand or visit a friend. And then he’s off to wondrous places such as the bottom of the sea, King Frost’s Ice Palace, the Kingdom of the Birds, and the Weather Clerk’s headquarters. His world is full of magic and faraway mystical lands. But he always returns safely home to Nutwood and his parents, who seem to be OK with his adventures as long as he isn’t too late coming home.
Rupert with his travels and animals buddies, “chums” as the British call them, fills us with wonder and excitement as we live in his world for just a bit. No wonder that he has a huge fan base. There’s even a fan club, “The Followers of Rupert Bear.” And what bear story would be complete without plush Rupert teddy bears?
Rupert has lived a long time, and shows no signs of slowing down. Plus Dreamworks has recently gotten involved with the franchise, so who knows? Rupert may even become a film star.
What we do know is that he’s already a star to his thousands of fans, and what better way to live in the world of bears?