Rupert Bear Annuals have been a tradition in the UK since 1936. However, Rupert Bear was actually created by the English artist Mary Tourtel and first appeared in the Daily Express 16 years earlier on the 8th November 1920. In our guide we look at the early annuals, the rarest annuals, the most expensive annuals and more. BFI | Film & TV Database | RUPERT". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012 . Retrieved 4 May 2013. Brainwaves Limited of Basingstoke, Hampshire, produced a series of Rupert storybooks in 1991 (no author or artist credited): 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 1973 book is one of only 12 printed that year showing the much-loved children's character with a brown face on the cover - making it ultra rare and causing a stir among collectors across the world, ahead of the auction at Dominic Winter auctioneers in South Cerney. Stories: Harrold continued the tradition of enchanting tales, with stories like “Rupert and the Magic Torch,”“Rupert and the Secret Shell,” and “Rupert and the Enchanted Pool.” To auctioneer and expert Chris Albury's knowledge, only four of these have ever come to light - making this lot up for auction at Dominic Winter, as he says, "the holy grail of any Rupert collection".Rupert Bear is a British children's comic strip character and franchise created by artist Mary Tourtel and first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper on 8November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to win sales from the rival Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. In 1935, the stories were taken over by Alfred Bestall, who was previously an illustrator for Punch and other glossy magazines. Bestall proved to be successful in the field of children's literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his nineties. More recently, various other artists and writers have continued the series. About 50 million copies have been sold worldwide. [1] Stories: This first annual included several stories from the original Daily Express comic strip, such as “Rupert and the Wise Goat,”“Rupert and the Old Man of the Sea,” and “Rupert and the Little Woodman.” He said: "It's a bit like the stamp or coin market where, due to a printing mistake, the withdrawn and rarer mistake is worth far more than the genuine article." Larratt, Shannon (22 May 2007). " "Rupert visits Coon Island" (!)". Shannon Larratt is Zentastic . Retrieved 25 January 2011. The comic strip is published daily in the Daily Express, with many of these stories later being printed in books, and every year since 1936 a Rupert annual has also been released. Rupert Bear is a part of children's culture in the United Kingdom, and appears in several television series based on the character.

In 1991, Rupert Bear featured in an animated television series with 65 episodes and five seasons (13 per season) produced by Nelvana (Canada), Ellipse (France) and Television South (TVS) for the first season (13 episodes), with Scottish TV taking over control from season 2 when Television South lost its ITV franchise. The show followed the style and tone Bestall established in the Rupert newspaper series, with many of the stories being almost direct adaptations of his or others' panel stories from the Daily Express.Stories: This annual saw the return of popular stories such as “Rupert and the Wonderful Boots,”“Rupert and the Flower Fairies,” and “Rupert and the Crystal Ball.”

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.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. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (Firsted.). Virgin Books. p.276. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X. Viewing will be available on June 15 and 16 from 9am to 7pm, and from 9am on the morning of the sale.