Rupert Celebrates his 80th Birthday

Happy Birthday to Rupert Bear, a favourite of so many children and grown-ups alike. (Including Paul & Michael McCartney) Rupert was on the Empire theatre this week with his friends from Nutwood. It was thanks to the Daily Express and the artist Mary Tortel that Rupert first came to life in the 1920's. A year later the stories were published in book form and a year after this the series of Rupert Little Bear Library books appeared. They are still being reprinted today. It was Alfred Bestall who in 1935 took over writing the Rupert Bear stories. He changed Ruperts clothes to the red jumper and checked trousers that everyone knows today. In 1936 the first Rupert Annual was born. Bestall who received an MBE for his work involving Rupert, died a batchelor in1986. He was an old boy of Rydal School in Colwyn Bay.

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