No bear loves adventure more than Rupert Bear. No bear has
such nicer, more patient parents. And when they are worried because
there is danger for Rupert, he just says: “I just wait patiently till
something happens. Please don’t ask me what, because that is a terrible
secret.” His father and mother then wisely keep their mouth shut and the
adventure starts!
In the quiet looking village, tucked away between
green hills and the forest, it rustles with magic en mystery. Behind
every blackberry brake may lay a secret path which leads Rupert into a
new and exciting new adventure.
Rupert Bear’s best friends are Edward Trunk, Bill Badger, Podgy Pig, Algy Pug and Pong Ping. With them he has many adventures.
For kids, Rupert is the symbol for nerve and freedom: he climbs mountains, digs underground tunnels en ventures far from home. But he always gets home save, where his mother waits for him with tea and a tin full of biscuits.
The fact that Rupert Bear often and eagerly takes the sky, is because his spiritual mother, Mary Tourtel, was one of the first female pilots.
Rupert Bear Song
There’s a little Bear,
Like you’ve never seen before – he’s a lot of fun.
Children everywhere grow to love him more and more
He’s their number one!
There’s a million stories to be told
of the things that he’s done
And he’s gonna share them all with you so come along …
Rupert, Rupert the Bear – everyone sing his name …
Rupert, Rupert the Bear, everyone come and join …
in all of his games!
Mary Tourtel
In 1920, the English newspaper Daily Express, decided they needed a comic strip for their own, to rival other national newspapers. They asked Mary Tourtel, who was the wife of one of the editors of the Daily Express. She created Rupert Bear, who lives in an idyllic town called Nutwood. She made the stories and the drawings herself. The first Rupert cartoon appeared on November 8th, 1920 in the newspaper. Daily there were two drawing with a short story underneath.
Mary Tourtel probably never dreamed that Rupert would become so popular. She continued to draw Rupert Bear till 1935, when her eyesight began to fail. Alfred Bestall took over from her. He drew Rupert for thirty years before he stopped. From 1965 to 1978, Freddie Chaplin wrote the stories and the cartoon animator Alex Cubie illustrated Rupert’s adventures. Today Rupert is illustrated by John Harrold and written by Ian Robinson
Christmas 1936, the first Rupert Annual was published. It contained a collection of all the Rupert stories that appeared in the newspaper the last twelve months. From that year on, around August or September a new Rupert Annual is published.
Rupert Bear himself still lives on, and as always, undaunted.
