Mary Tourtel was created in 1920, at a time when the "Express" was in competition with "The Daily Mail" and its then popular comic strip "Teddy Tail", as well as the strip "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred" in "The Daily Mirror". The then news editor of the "Express", Herbert Tourtel, was approached with the task of producing a new comic strip to rival those of the "Mail" and "Mirror" and immediately thought of his wife Mary, already an established author and artist. Rupert Bear was the result and was first published as a nameless character in a strip titled "Little Lost Bear" on
Rupert Bear Bear character from the "Daily Express". 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. Every year since 1936, a Rupert Bear annual has been released, even during the years of World War II, during a paper shortage. All of these books were written and illustrated by Mary Tourtel and originally published from 1928–1936, by Sampson Low. There were 46 books in the original series. Some of the titles were later published for the Woolworth's retail chain, with only 18 of the original titles.