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.
Rupert’s initial purpose was to grab sales from the rival Daily Mail which had been running a successful strip called Teddy Tail by illustrator Charles Folkard, The then editor of the Daily Express contacted his deputy, Herbert Tourtel and asked him to come up with some ideas. The result was Mary Tourtel’s Rupert.
Pictured The New Adventures of Rupert, first edition, illustrations throughout, the 5 “pictures for your paint-box” uncoloured, ownership box with contemporary ink presentation, internally overall very good but with occasional foxing, original pictorial red cloth a little fading to back board and minor damp stain to bottom edge causing small bleed to inside of dust-jacket, dust-jacket frayed with minor loss to spine ends, and corners, small amateur paper repair to inside, light creasing and marking, otherwise very good, 4to, [1936]. Very scarce in dust-jacket, and with the book itself in such good condition. This copy was sold by Bloomsbury Auctions, London in November 2008 for £700.
In 1935 the mantle of Rupert artist and storyteller was taken over by Alfred Bestall, and the first annual was produced in 1936 The New Adventures of Rupert. Bestall proved to be successful in the field of children’s literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his 90s. Bestall’s work can be seen up until the 1973 Annual. Since then various other artists and writers have continued the series, which still runs to this day – Alex Cubie (1974-1977), John Harold (1978-2007) and Stuart Trotter from 2008.
Pictured More Adventures of Rupert, colour illustrations, light foxing to title and endpapers, ownership inscription to front paste-down, original cloth-backed pictorial boards, lightly soiled, 4to, Daily Express, [1942]. An exceptional copy. This copy was sold by Bloomsbury Auctions, London in October 2005 for £260.
The most infamous and rarest of all the Rupert Annuals is the 1973 annual which initially featured a brown face Rupert on the cover to be replaced by a white face Rupert. Only 12 of the brown face annuals are though to exist – click to read more – The 1973 Rupert Annual A Brown-Faced Rarity Worth a Fortune.
The prices of early editions is dependent on condition. Bloomsbury Auctions, a specialist Book Auction House, has auctioned a number of copies of The New Adventures of Rupert over the past few years with prices fetching from a £200-£2000 depending on condition. A near mint copy would command a lot of interest at auction and would probably reach many thousands.
List of Rupert the Bear Annuals 1936-2019
- 1936: The Rupert Annual No. 1
- Artist: Mary Tourtel
- 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.”
- 1937: The Rupert Annual No. 2
- Artist: Mary Tourtel
- Stories: This annual continued to feature stories from the comic strip, including “Rupert and the Little Woodman,” “Rupert and the Lost Cuckoo,” and “Rupert and the Elves.”
- 1938: The Rupert Annual No. 3
- Artist: Mary Tourtel
- 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.”
- 1939: The Rupert Annual No. 4
- Artist: Mary Tourtel
- Stories: The 1939 annual included stories such as “Rupert and the Old Umbrella,” “Rupert and the Sea Serpent,” and “Rupert and the Goblin’s Cave.”
- 1940: The Rupert Annual No. 5
- Artist: Alfred Bestall (took over after Mary Tourtel retired)
- Stories: Bestall’s first annual introduced readers to new stories, such as “Rupert and the Mare’s Nest,” “Rupert and the Two Moons,” and “Rupert and the Goblins.”
- 1941-1945: No annuals were produced due to World War II.
- 1946: The Rupert Annual No. 6
- Artist: Alfred Bestall
- Stories: This annual marked the return of Rupert after the war, with stories such as “Rupert and the Wooden Horse,” “Rupert and the Mystery of the Iceberg,” and “Rupert and the Sea-Gull’s Feather.”
- 1947-1965: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 7-25
- Artist: Alfred Bestall
- Stories: Bestall continued to contribute his charming illustrations and imaginative stories during this period, creating classics like “Rupert and the Gremlin,” “Rupert and the Magic Whistle,” and “Rupert and the Glass Mountain.”
- 1966-1973: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 26-33
- Artist: Alfred Bestall
- Stories: Bestall’s final years as the primary illustrator for the annuals saw stories such as “Rupert and the Hazelnut Pie,” “Rupert and the Whirlwind,” and “Rupert and the Sky Ship.”
- 1974-1985: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 34-45
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- Artist: John Harrold (took over after Alfred Bestall retired)
- 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.”
- 1986-2007: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 46-67
- Artist: John Harrold
- Stories: Harrold continued to bring Rupert’s adventures to life, with memorable stories such as “Rupert and the Crystal Ball,” “Rupert and the Snow Globe,” and “Rupert and the Dragon Dance.”
- 2008-2018: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 68-78
- Artist: Stuart Trotter (took over after John Harrold retired)
- Stories: Trotter kept the magic alive with tales like “Rupert and the Cloud Shepherd,” “Rupert and the Star Gazing Stick,” and “Rupert and the Time Machine.”
- 2019-Present: The Rupert Annuals Nos. 79 and onwards
- Artist: Stuart Trotter
- Stories: Recent annuals have continued to showcase Trotter’s captivating illustrations and storytelling, with stories such as “Rupert and the Moon
Related
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