Since he first appeared in 1920 Rupert Bear has attracted a loyal readership, eager to follow his adventures in Nutwood and magical worlds beyond. Ben Lerwill explores the appeal of a classic country character.
When did Rupert Bear appear?
Rupert Bear was born on 8 November 1920 when the first eight lines of verse, printed in the Daily Express, brought his world to life - and it was instantly a hit.
Two jolly bears once lived in a wood
Their little son lived there too.
One day his mother sent him off,
The marketing to do.
She wanted honey, fruit and eggs, And told him not to stray.
For many things might happen to Small bears who lost the way.
It was a very British vision of woods and villages, a mellow tableau of green hills, neat cottages and distant church towers. But it was no rural pastiche. It was a place of imps and conjurors, of pigs in plus-fours and elephants in waistcoats. And at the centre of it all, blessed with checked yellow trousers and a boundless sense of adventure, was a small bear named Rupert.
For many of us, thanks to the festive annuals that have appeared every year since 1936, he remains associated with Christmas. Over the decades, the character has become a bona-fide phenomenon, selling tens of millions of books, starring in multiple TV series and commanding a wide and devoted fanbase. Winston Churchill is said to have issued a wartime order that the Express should be allocated more paper to allow Rupert to keep appearing.
Are Rupert Bear annuals valuable?
Several years ago, a copy of a rare 1973 Rupert annual sold for £23,000.
Where did Rupert the Bear come from?
Rupert Bear’s beginnings, however, were more by circumstance than design. Lord Beaverbrook, the then-owner of the Daily Express, had noticed that rival titles were running animal-based cartoon strips aimed at children. He demanded an equivalent in his own paper. By chance, one of his sub-editors was married to an artist and children’s book illustrator named Mary Tourtel, who was tasked with creating a suitable character. The results had a charm that would resonate far beyond that paper’s readership.
Tourtel illustrated the Rupert stories – set in the fictional village of Nutwood, where dreamlike occurrences, well-dressed foxes and otherworldly beings are always just past the next oak tree – until poor eyesight forced her to step down in 1935.
The now-legendary Alfred Bestall took over, writing and illustrating the Rupert stories for some three decades. Other artists have since taken up the mantle, but the majority of classic Rupert stories took shape at Bestall’s drawing board. He once described it as “the most important job on Fleet Street”.
As well as a cast of friends ranging from Algy Pug to Bill Badger, the countryside is the other near-constant backdrop to Rupert’s escapades.
Where is Nutwood?
Nutwood’s spacious, bucolic scenery is said to be a composite of the Weald, the Cotswolds and North Wales – Bestall had a cottage in Beddgelert, Snowdonia, for many years.
“It has always been a place of escapism,” says John Beck, secretary of official Rupert society The Followers of Rupert. “Children felt they could walk out on to Nutwood Common and join in with Rupert and his chums, playing cricket or getting into mischief.”
The kind-hearted bear may not be quite the household name that he once was, but it is testament to his enduring appeal that he has been setting off on adventures for longer than both Winnie the Pooh and Paddington.
His annuals are still gifted each December. Rupert’s Christmases are always traditional affairs, with presents from Father Christmas and time with his family, but, as Beck points out, one of Nutwood’s great gifts is its immunity from the outside world.
“If people want to escape from things, they can sit down with a Rupert annual,” he says.
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Main Image: Getty Images
