Toby Twirl Tourtel, an assistant editor of the "Daily Express". Tourtel devised Rupert Bear shortly after the end of World War I, in 1920, when the "Daily Express" was in competition with "The Daily Mail" and its then popular comic strip “Teddy Tail” (featuring a mouse called “Teddy Tail”), as well as with the comic strip “Pip, Squeak and Wilfred” (respectively, these are the names of a dog, penguin, and rabbit) in the "Daily Mirror". Each panel of Tourtel's comic strip story was accompanied by a narrative in rhymed verse. These are the very first ("Daily Express", 8 November 1920): The title
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.