100 Edition Celebration Issue Summer 2018

Number106

Summer2020

100th Edition

Celebration Issue

Summer 2018

ImportantNotice–CancellationoftheAnnualGeneralMeeting

It is with great regret that because of theproblems posed by Covid 19, it has beendecided to cancel this year's Annual GeneralMeeting week-end, including the AGM itself.The likely revised date is next year's AugustBank Holiday week-end, with the AGM itselfbeingheldonSaturday28thAugust2021.Despite Tony's sterling efforts it was provingimpossible to hold a week-end in anythingapproaching the normal format, and eventaking into account the reduced socialdistancing requirements, there wereinsuperable problems including catering, thedealers'room,theplayandourtalks.It is proposed to carry over bookings to nextyear, although if anyone requires a refund at

this stage they should contact Tony. Similarly,therafflewillnottakeplaceatthemoment.Meanwhile, you will note that the unauditedannual accounts for 2019-2020 are enclosed.Please contact the Treasurer Phil Toze if youhaveanyqueriesinthisconnection.Arrangementswillbemade to fulfil orders forsigned/illustratedAnnuals.Weapologiseforanyinconveniencebutwearesure that Followers will understand theinsuperabledifficultiesthatwerefaced.

JohnSwan,Chairman

Seepage12formoreinformation

JenniferKisler–RupertArtist

30thJuly1935–18thMay2020

Jenny was very helpful to me, filling in details of herRupertcareerforrecordpurposes,andIrememberwithpleasuregoing tomeetherandhusbandAlbert in1999in their Surrey home to see items from her Rupertarchive.

Ruperthaslostanothervaluedchumandrecorderofhisadventures,andourthoughtsarewithherchildrenMattandKateatthissadtime.

Jenny met and charmed many of you when she attended anAnnualMeetingwithMaryCadogan,andshealsoco-contributedtoMary’s‘RupertandtheWomeninhisWorld’,publishedbytheFollowers in 2006. Jenny certainly enjoyed the day assubsequentcorrespondencetomefromherrevealed.

It iswith sadnesswehave to report thedeathofRupert artist JennyKisler (neeMiles),who contributed 15 stories to thenewspaper andalsotitlesandhalf-titlestoRupertAnnualsafterBestallretired.

WehopetofeatureamoreextensivereportonJenny’sRupertcareerinafutureNutwoodNewsletter. JohnBeck

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page3

Followers'AGM2020

BecauseoftheCoronaviruspandemic,thisyear’sFollowers’2020AGMhasbeencancelled.ThenextonewilltakeplaceinAugust2021.All Officers and Committee members haveindicatedawillingnesstoserveforanotheryear,so they will remain in post and Rules andConstitution will remain the same for a furtheryear.

JohnBeck(Secretary)

Contents

JenniferKisler,RupertArtist–Obituary.........2

PictureswithoutRupert–MauricePaterson.....................4

MoreReminiscencesofChums:Dinkie–MikeWilliams...............................9TheNutwoodMap...............................................................................12.

AmazingAuctionofJohnHarroldartwork..13

The2020RupertIndex:aReview–RogerCoombes…....……....…….14

RupertintheBoys’&Girls’Books–JohnKobylecky.........................15RupertandGiles–JohnBeck............................................16

Rupert’s80thbirthday–TerryJones.....................19

MastersofBritishComicArt:aReview–JohnSwan..........................................20

ChangestoBestall’sArtwork–JohnBeck...........................................23

RupertinLockdown–MikeWilliams...................25

YourNewsletter–YourNews…………..……........…..….27Editorial

Theseare funnyoldtimes inthehumanworldandwe must be thankful that such catastrophichappenings always pass Nutwood by. TheinhabitantssurvivedWorldWar2withoutanythingdisturbing their regular routine; the swine flupandemic did not affect Podgy, nor did bovine TBneedBilltobeculled. MedicalcarebyDrLionandthe Wise Old Goat’s bottled sunshine keep mostmedical problems at bay. So, Nutwood is a safehaven toescape to,and IamsuremanyofyouarerevisitingyourRupertAnnualcollectiontoprovidesomesanityinyourlives.With thedecisionnowmade to cancel thisyear’sAnnualMeetingandAGM,wearenotleftwithalotofeventstocelebrateRupert’s100thbirthday. Youcanstillparticipate inourartworkauctionpostally(details about this is noted elsewhere in theNewsletter), and the John Harrold Rupert AnnualsigninginLewesisplannedforSaturdayNovember14th, very close to the date of Rupert’s firstadventure appearing in the Daily Express. Checkthewebsiteforanyfuturechangestotheseplans.On searching for notice of Rupert-relatedmerchandisebecomingavailabletocelebratehis100th birthday, we have not found a lot.

If one discounts the expensive Steiff bear,purporting to be Rupert, and the Isle of Man 50ppieces (I’m not sure Rupert has ever had anyassociation with the I of M), which are obviouslyproduced to extract money out of collectors, thenwe really have only Egmont, who are releasing ahard-backedbookofselectedAlfredBestallstories,and thenewRupertAnnual, as commercial items.TodatethereisnonewsofanyBritishRupertcoinsplannedbytheRoyalMint,butweareawareofasetof stamps planned by Royal Mail for issue inSeptember. They will feature Rupert pictures byAlfred Bestall and will come with the usual wellillustrated presentation pack and First Day coveropportunities. Royal Mail is to be praised forrecognisingtheanniversaryandimportanceofsuchaniconiccharacter.So it is down to the Followers to celebrate theanniversarywiththingsofsubstanceandthelatestRupert Index is one such thing; available now andorder forms are enclosed. We also plan to offer aNutwood map later in the year, plus produce inbook format some of the Bestall stories that havenot ever appeared in Rupert Annuals. This willfeature 3 coloured stories previously appearing inNewsletters,plusRupertandDinkie. JohnHarroldwillbecolouringthisextrastoryandalsoprovidingassociatedartworkforthebook,soyoucanbesureitwillbecomeacollector’sitem.FurtherdetailswillbenotedinournextNewsletter.Inthemeantimedon’tforgettoorderyourcopyofthe latest Rupert Annual via Tony GriffinwhowillgetcopiessignedandpersonalisedforyoubyStuartTrotter.Hopefully we will see many of you at Lewes –subjecttothepandemiccircumstancesatthattime,overwhichwehavenocontrol.Wecanonlycarryonasbestwecan,andhopefullylife will return to normal in time for some otherfutureeventstohappen.Butwewouldrecommendthatyouregularlyvisitourwebsiteforanyupdatesandchangestoplans.

JohnBeck(Editor)


PictureswithoutRupertI was interested in the notes in the FreddieChaplain Archive published in NutwoodNewsletter104.Thefirstinstructionwas‘Rupertmust appear in every picture, whether as adistantspeckoracloseup’.ThiswaspresumablyapracticeintroducedbyBestall,asitwasnotthestyleofMaryTourtel.MaryTourtelDailyExpressStories

Intheveryfirststoryinpicture11Rupert isnotshownbut,ascanbeseenfrompicture10,hecanbeimaginedattheotherendoftherope.Hedoesappear in35of the36pictures in the firststory.Looking at the Rupert-less picture and the onebeforeit,itwouldnothaveaffectedtherunningofthestorytohavehadRupertineverypicture.

Then, after the short story, Rupert’sChristmastide, where he was ever present, thesecond full-length story was Little Bear’sAdventures or Rupert gets Captured. Of the 46pictures,Rupert appearedonly in26. The storywasthefirstofmanyTourteltaleswhereRupertis captured, a message reaches his parents or

friends,andtheyrescuehim.Itwasnotpossiblefor the flow of such stories to include Rupert ineverypicture.In both 1921, Margot the Midget, and 1922,Margot by the Sea, there were stories starringMargotandAlgyPugwithoutanappearancefromRupert.Thereafter,Rupertwasclearlythestarinevery storybutusuallywasa fewpictures shortof perfect attendance. His worst performancewas in story 5, Rupert and the Ogres, when heappeared in only 28 pictures out of 79. HewasfrequentlycapturedbyevilfairytalecharactersofatypeBestallwouldnotuse.AlfredBestallDailyExpressStories

TheideaofRupertappearingineverypicturehadnot been thought of before Bestall took over.Indeed,whose ruleswere they? Perhaps itwasBestallhimself,ratherthanFreddieChaplainwhodevelopedmostofthem.Bestallcommencedhisworkwithstorieslongerthan Tourtel. His first, B1, Rupert, Algy and theSmugglers, was 108 pictures long with Rupertappearingin101.B2,Rupert’sAutumnAdventure,was also 108 pictures with Rupert appearing in103. B3,Rupert,BillandthePearls,was86withRupert in 81. These three stories had somepictures when Rupert was not involved in theaction, but thereafter the stories were moretightlywrittentoavoidRupertnotbeingineverypicture.B4, Rupert’s Christmas Adventure, was 16 withRupert ever present. B5, Rupert’s Adventure intheSnows,was85withRupertin83.ThereweretwopicturesofanaeroplaneandRupertwasinitbutnotshown.

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page5After this, the number of pictures withoutRupert became much rarer. B6, Rupert and theWonderful Kite, was 108 with Rupert everpresent. This story is included in the 2019Annual.Thestoryhasanotherinterestingfeaturein that Bill Badger appears in 106 pictures, arecordneverbeatenbyanycharacterotherthanRupert.Onlyoneothercharactereverachievedacentury,24yearslater,in1960.Togiveyoutimetothinkwhoitwas,theanswerisonpage8.Thereafter, Rupert occasionally was missingfromoneortwopicturesuptoB41in1939.B8,RupertandDogToby,72–71, 1937Annual.Rupert was watching and could have beenincludedintheaction.B11, Rupert and the Chinese Cracker, 52 – 51.Rupertwaswatchingthisexplosion.

B14,Rupertand theSnowMachine, 52 – 50, twopictureswithRupertinanaeroplanebutthereisnodiscernible‘distantspeck’.

B26, Rupert in Mysteryland, 56 – 54. TwiceRupertismadetovanishbythewavingofawand

and the space he has just left is shown.Discerniblebutnotaspeck!B33,RupertandtheIceberg,56–54,twopictureswith Rupert in an aeroplane but there is nodiscernible‘distantspeck’.B38,RupertandKingFrost,72–70,twopictureswithRupert inawhiteaeroplanebut there isnodiscernible‘distantspeck’.B41,RupertandtheMarvellousBat,76–73, twopictureswithRupertinanaeroplanebutthereisno discernible ‘distant speck’. Also, one withnegotiationsatthetopofacliffgivingRupertthechancetosmuggleonboardthemotorboat.

After that there were only four such stories intheremainingBestallyearsupto1965.B69, Rupert and Rollo, 56 – 55, 1944 Annual,Rupert is in the rowing boat but there is nodiscernible‘distantspeck’.

B97, Rupert, Algy and the Bee, 32 – 31, 1949Annual. This is a necessary picture with the 4bees takingamessagetoMrBear informinghimthatRupertandAlgyaretrapped.


B167,Rupertand theFishingRod, 84 – 83, 1969Annual. This is a necessary picture with PCGrowlerrescuingRupert,trappedbehindadoor.

B206,RupertandPrinceCrab, 104 – 103; one ofthesixBestallstoriesneverinanAnnual.Rupertis in Noah’s Ark but there is no discernible‘distantspeck’.

AlfredBestallAnnualStories

BestallhadtostartproducingextrastoriesfortheAnnuals during the war and there were 41 ofthem numbered BO1 – BO41. In only in 3picturesdidRupertnotappear.BO6,RupertandtheRocketPlane, 52 – 51, 1946Annual.RupertisintheRocketPlanebutthereisnodiscernible‘distantspeck’.

BO20,RupertandthePaperPlane,34–32,1950Annual. There are two necessary pictures withBillrescuingRupertandBingowhoarelockedinatower.

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page7AlfredBestallBoys’&Girls’BooksoftheYear

These were the stories which Bestall felt weresub-standard. There were 24 stories of sixpictureseach. In21ofthemRupertappearedinall six. In the 1936 book he appeared in onlythreepicturesinstory5,andfivepicturesinstory10. In the 1937 book he appeared in only fivepicturesinstory1.The 1938 Book had a full-length story of 32pictures(inRupertAnnual1982),andRupertwasever-present.BestallStoriesintheAdventureSeries

In the Adventure Series, the first story, BA1,Rupert and the Wicked Uncle, was 52 pictureswith Rupert in 50. In the other two picturesRupert was being carried in a jar. Rupert waseverpresentintheothersixBAstories.

OtherArtistsintheAdventureSeries

Innumber12,RupertandNeddy, thereweretwoconsecutivepictureswithoutRupertbecauseofamessagebeingtakentothepolice.

In number 19, Rupert and the Space Ship, therewas a picture with a rocket just after take-offwhere it is surprising Rupert’s face was notshowninawindow.

In number 25, Rupert and the French Poodles,therewas a picturewith a helicopter, again it issurprising Rupert’s face was not shown in awindow.

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page8Innumber37,RupertandtheWhiteHorse, therewere two consecutive pictures without Rupertbecause they showed what Rupert was seeingthroughatelescope.

StuartTrotterAnnualStoriesStuart Trotter has been producing stories in theAnnualssince2008;17inall.Iwonderifhewasgiven the briefing? In his first story,Rupert andtheIce-CreamVan,therewasonepicturewithout

Rupert. Hewas in the Ice-Creamvan and couldeasily have been included. Perhaps Stuart hadthispointedouttohimbecausehehasneverdonethisagain.Hiscurrentscoreis875pictureswithRupertin874.Theothercenturymaker?Margotappearedin103picturesinB193,RupertandtheSky-Boat,in1960.Thestoryisinthe1970Annual. This was the picture in which Margotreachedhercentury.Surprised?

MauricePaterson

LookoutforthenextinstalmentofthistopicinafutureNutwoodNewsletter


MoreRupertReminiscences–ContinuingMikeWilliams’superbseriesFelineFrolicsbyDinkieAsIwanderaroundNutwoodanditssurroundingcountryside, I often come across Rupert.Sometimes,IamfollowingBerylwhoIbelongto.SheisaverykeenGirlGuideandherbestfriendsin the Guides are Pauline and Janet.Unfortunately, I am unable to join in games ofcricketand footballwithRupertand I can’tevenplay cat’s cradle with him or any of his chums.However,Isometimeswalkonthecommonwithhim and can record some of the adventures wehavehad.Many think I first met Rupert one Christmas(Rupert’sSilverTrumpetB104),but Iwill tellyouinawhileaboutanearlierencounter.Mywinteradventure began when I met Rupert, Algy andWillie talkingaboutwritingtheir letters toSantaClaus.IledRuperttoapartofthecommonwheretherewasamodelairplane.Later that day, I saw Rupert, Algy and Willieposting their letters to Santa Claus. Willie andAlgy went home, but Rupert saw me looking atGolly who was hiding behind the pillar-box sonobody could see him. He told Rupert that hechecked the pillar-box in order to sort out themailandremovelettersaddressedtoSantaClausbefore the postman came. Golly then flew off inthe model airplane, but Algy and Willie hadwandered back andwere just in time to see theplane flyoff toWinterCastle,whereSantaClauslives. Rupert explained to them that Golly wasdeliveringtheirChristmasletterstoSantaClaus.

Gollyisn’treallyhidden,He’ssimplythereatSanta’sbiddin’.

I later heard that Rupert was sent the wrongtrumpetwhich,whenAlgyblewit,summonedtheWinterCastleguards,astheythoughtSantaClauswas in danger. The corporal in charge of theguard said that they had to return to WinterCastle, as Santa Claus was without any guards.Beforeheleft,hesummonedGollywithawhistletocollectthetrumpet.Itwasaspecialsilverone,andGollysaidthathehadsentthewrongonetoRupert,andwouldreturnwiththecorrectone.

Rupertissad–poorlittlemoggie,Scaredandchasedbyhorriddoggie.

When I was on the common later, a parachutedescended with a box attached to it. WhenRupert,AlgyandWilliehadopenedit,theyfounditwasfullofmusical instrumentsforRupertandall his chums. Rupert now had the correcttrumpet and Algy had a trumpet as well. Williehad a drum and drumsticks, Rex and ReggieRabbithad flutesandFreddyandFerdyFoxhadtinwhistles. Therewere also cymbals, a triangleandwoodwind instruments for theother chums.TheymadeanimpromptuorchestraandmarchedintoNutwoodand I led thewholeband. Idonotknow what tune they were playing but I wouldhaveliked ‘What’sNewPussycat’.AsIwasgoinghometoBeryl, IheardMrBearsaying toRupertthatitwouldbeagoodidea,whenthebandnextplayedtogether,iftheyallplayedthesametune.Beforethatadventure, IhadmetRupertonthecommon(RupertandtheHalf-CrownsB23/AS15).I was livingwith Farmer Bull and a vicious dog

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page10chasedmeupa tree.Rupertdrovethedogawayand showed me two half-crowns he had justfound on the ground. He said hewould look fortherightfulowner,butIsaidthatwouldbefartoodifficultandthatwecouldtraveltoNutchesteronthetrainwithsomuchmoney.RupertrepliedthathisparentshadjustgonetoNutchester to meet his Uncle Bruno and bringhim back to Nutwood for the weekend. Wereachedthebigtown,buteverythingwassobusythat I suggested that we went into some publicgardens which were quieter. Unfortunately, wegot into trouble with the park-keeper as weclimbedatreetogetagoodviewofthebigtown.He told us that tree climbingwas forbidden andsowaswalkingonthegrass,whichwehaddonetogettothetree.

ThemangrabbedRupertbythearm,Thepair,thoughnaughty,meantnoharm.Rupert thenhada cream tea in a cake shopandtreatedmetoacupofmilkandcreambuns.ThefreshcreamwasratherrichforRupertwhohadastomach pain. I suggested that if he had enoughmoney left that we went to a picture house towatchafilmuntilthepainhadgone.Wewatchedtwofilmsandforgotallaboutthetime,sowehadtoruntothestation.TheroadsweremuchbusierthaninNutwoodandwewerenearlyrunoverina car driven by a bald-headed man. When wefinallygottothestation,wefoundwehadmissedthelasttraintoNutwood.Aswewanderedawayfromthestation,wepassedacarparkwherethebald man saw us. When he heard what hadhappened,heofferedtodriveusmostofthewayhome, as he was heading in the direction ofNutwood. Itwasdarkbythetimehedroppedusat the crossroads to Popton, Robin Down,

Pussyville and Nutwood. I arrived home safely,but I later heard that Rupert had fallen into aditch on his way back to his parents and UncleBruno.

Theyatesomebunsandweretheyyummy?ButRupertgotapoorlytummy.ThebiggesttownthatIevervisitedwasLondon,butalthoughRupertwentaswell,wenever saweach other there (Rupert and Ozzie B144).Because of the big procession in London, Berylhadputalovelyredribbonaroundmyneck,andIdecided to go to see it. I passed Rupert on thecommonashewasonhiswaytoplaycricket,butI decided to be mysterious and did not replywhenheaskedwhereIwasgoing.

Withposhredbow,Dinkieishaughty,Donotbefooled–thatpussisnaughty.

I had a wonderful but very tiring day andsomehow lostmy ribbon.Thenextday Iwasonthe common and had a chat with Rupert. I wasamazed tohear thathehadalso gone to see the

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page11bigprocession,buthehadreturnedbyMrMole’sUnderground Railway. Although I was feelingverytired,IhelpedRupertfindacricketballthathis friend Ozzie had lost on the day that I hadseenRupertwithhiscricketgear.RupertcarriedmebacktoNutwoodasIwassotired,andOzziehad just arrived at Rupert’s cottage to tell hisparentsthathehadlostRupertinLondon.Hewasdelighted to see thatRupertwas safe and soundand while they had tea, I was given a saucer ofmilkbyMrsBear.

DinkiehelpedRupertfindtheball,Agoodresult,then,afterall.

IoncehadaverypeculiaradventurewhichreallyworriedBeryl(RupertandDinkieB159).Shewaslooking formewith Janet and Pauline but couldnot findme anywhere. Rupert had not seenmeeitherbutbothRupertandhismotherhadfeltananimal like a cat near them but had not seenanything. Rupert wondered if Tigerlily wasresponsible as she had been making birds andanimalsvanishbuthadthenlostherwand.Ihadnot realised that I was invisible and could notunderstandwhyevenBerylwasignoringme.Suddenly I could be seen again, and I drewRupert’s attention to a magic wand that I hadseen in the long grass. While Beryl cuddled meand Janetstrokedme,Rupertsaid thathewouldreturnthewandtoTigerlily.JanetaskedRupertifhe knew where Tigerlily was and as RupertswungthewandtoshowwhereTigerlilywasonthe common, the movement made Janet, Berylandmedisappear!Pauline andRupert could not see us anywhereandTigerlilysaidthattheyshouldtellherfather,theChineseConjuror,ashewouldknowwhattodo.Fortunately,hedid,andheusedIndianmagic

to create a rope standing up by itself. He askedRupert toclimbup it intoa tree,and therewereBeryl,Janetandmestuckupthetree!Theyhungtheropeoveraboughofthetreetogetdown,butIjustrandownthetrunk.

Dinkiewasonlybeingchummy,Didn’tmeantostartleMummy.

Berylcarriedmehome,butlaterthethreeGuidesandIwenttoteaatRupert’shousewhilehetoldhismother that Ihadbeen toVanish-land twice,andthat ithadbeenmewhohad jumpedonherearlier,when Iwas trying to attract attention asnobodyseemedabletoseeme.

TheGuides,thecat,allfilledwithglee,Rupertrescuedthemfromthetree.AlthoughIenjoyexploringthecommonbymyselfand following Beryl and her friends around, IalwayshaveamazingadventureswhenImeetupwith Rupert, even if I am unable to play teamgameswithRupertandhischums.

MikeWilliams


TheNutwoodMap

This is an official notice received from theNutwoodOrdnanceSurveyCompany.YouhaveprobablyseenmentioninpreviousNutwoodNewslettersabouttheproductionofthedefinitivemapofNutwood.Ithas takenoursurveyorsa lot longer thanexpected to do all the mapping as it coverssuchalargearea,sotheactualproductionhasbeendelayed.Wecannowreportitisnearingcompletion. Wehopeyouwillfindthatithasbeenwellworthwaitingfor(hereisapeep).Itisplannedtohavecopiesavailableforsaleat the John Harrold signing at Lewes onSaturday 14th November, so that is anotherincentiveforyoutocomealong.Ifforreasonsbeyondourcontroltheeventisdelayed,thencopieswillbeavailablebypost.We will make an announcement on ourwebsiteifthisisthecaseandthenyouwillbeabletoorderfromthere.

AMessagefromourChairman

Well,fellowFollowers,asyou'llreadelsewhereinthe Newsletter this year's AGM has, veryunfortunately,hadtobecancelled.It's obviously a great shame particularly inRupert'sCentenaryYearandTonyhadworkedsovery hard to make the event worthy of theoccasion.But, as Rupert people, we have to be positiveandIdohopethatyou'llallbeabletocomealongwhen we reconvene next year – and rememberthatRupertwillstillbe100,sotheexcusetomakeitaveryspecialeventwillremain.Also, depending on how things are goingnationally,wecould,hopefully,celebrate insomewayonthebigday,8thNovember–maybewithsomelocalevents–butalsoI’mdelightedtosay

that Louise Hopkins has agreed to facilitate aZoombirthdayevent,soifyou’dliketobeinvitedtoparticipate,pleasecontactLouiseon:[email protected] Thiswouldalsobeopentoe.members,soitwillbeauniqueopportunityforsomeofouroverseasmemberstobeinvolved.I'msureIcanrelyonyourunderstandinggiventhesedifficult andunprecedented times,but let’smakethebestofit!And despite everything, Keep Following – andkeepsafetoo.

JohnSwan

Copyright of the Nutwood Ordnance Survey

Company

FunDayandAGM–solvingissues

If you have already booked forWarwick thisyear, please consider keeping with ourproposal of leaving your payment over fornext year. Apart from a lot of extraadministration for Tony, if your currentaccommodation reservation is cancelled andrefunded,andyou laterbookafresh for2021,we cannot guarantee your room, as allaccommodation is booked on a first-comefirst-servedbasis.Thereisa2021registrationformenclosed,foranyonewantingtomakeanearlybooking.

2020Accounts

TheFollowers’annualaccountswouldusuallybepresentedattheAGM.Enclosedwiththisnewsletter isa copyof theaccounts. Pleasenote,thesearenotaudited–ithasnotbeenpossibletoarrangethatintimeforthisnewsletter. Ifanymemberwouldlikea copy of theauditedaccounts,please send alargeSAEtoPhilToze,Treasurer,andhewillsendacopyoncetheyareready.


To help celebrate Rupert’s 100th birthday wespecially commissioned JohnHarrold toproducethedelightfulspecialpicture thatappearsonthefrontoftheNewsletter.The original artwork for this will be auctionedbyposton29thAugustwithsealedbidswhichwillbe opened by John Swan in the presence ofindependent witnesses at mid-day on the 29thAugust.TheauctionisopentoallFollowers.ColourRupertartworklikethisbyJohnHarrold,seldom becomes available and can fetch in theregion of £1000 when it does appear on themarket, so it couldbeagood investmentaswellasanattractiveitemtohangonyourwall.Thestartingprice,andreserve,willbe£500andbidding increments will be by £20 so if yourmaximum written bid is not achieved then youwillwintheartworkforthepriceitreaches.All profits will go to Followers’ funds, so bybidding in this auction you are supporting theSociety.

Whattodo:

Please write your bidon a piece of paperwith your name, address and any other contactdetails, in a sealed envelope and write ‘AuctionBid' on the front. John will date the envelopewhenhereceivesitandintheeventtherearetwoormoretiedbidstheearliestonereceivedwillbedeemed the winner, so it is in your interests tosubmityourbidassoonaspossible.Sendyoursealedbid,addressedtotheChairman:

JohnSwan26TheCrescentWhitleyBay,TyneandWearNE262JG

AllbidsmustreachJohnby26thAugustplease–andgoodluckwithyourbidding.

JohnBeck(Secretary)

SomethingtolookoutforintheAutumnThose of you who have attended our recent Annual Meetings atWarwick will be familiar with Howard Smith and his interestingGraphicIconsofthe20thCenturylectures,andwillhaveprobablyhaveseenhispresentation,RuperttheBearFacts,thatheshowedmembersafewyearsago.

Howard has revisited thisoriginalfeatureandrevampedit,updating some parts, and is prepared to share the newpresentation with all Followers via the internet during theAutumn. Itwill be an exclusive private listing for Followers toview,andwillbeavailableforjusttwoweeks.The release date has not yet been decided but as soon as weknow, we will be posting a direct link to the lecture on theFollowers’websiteforallmemberstoaccess.Maybe the 2020 lockdown led to a few more of our membershoning(orlearningfromscratch)theirinternetskills?Ifnotyet,there’splentyoftimetogetcomputersavvyandlookwhatotherthingstheFollowers’websitehastooffer.

Auction–originalJohnHarroldArtwork

Don’t

Miss

Out


RupertIndex2020–areviewbyRogerCoombesDo you have a Rupert Index?Of course you do. How couldone be a Follower of Rupertand not have a Rupert Index?Furthermore, there areprobably lots more Rupertenthusiasts and collectors outthere who possess a RupertIndexeventhoughtheyarenotFollowers, strangeas thatmayseem.Perhapsyourcopyisthefirst edition produced in 1979by Bill Lofts and Derek Adleyon a typewriter. (Rememberthose? The sort of thingmadeby Remington in the BC era[Before Computers] and possibly printed on aRoneomachine).Oryoumighthaveupgradedtothe2nd edition,which JohnBeckbrought out in1991, updating both content and the method ofproduction to give it a more professional look,includingillustrations,suitedtothetimesandthefactthatinterestinRupertwasblooming,thankslargelytotheformationofTheFollowersandthetransmission of Terry Jones' TV documentary.Ten years later, in 2001, John updated it again,this time with spiral binding, which I shallunofficiallycallthe3rdedition.Allthreeeditions,together with occasional supplements, wereessential to Rupert collectors and to those whowanted to know more about Rupert books andephemeral items. The latter included Followerslikemyself who, in theway of learningmore ofthehistoryofRupertpublishing,wereenticedorcajoled to write articles for the NutwoodNewsletter and elsewhere. In all its editions, theIndex has enabled prospective writers to cross-referandverifyinformation. Whicheveroftheseeditionsyoupossesscannowbe archived because in front of me as I write Ihaveacopyof thebrandnewRupert Index100years of stories. Unofficially this is the 4thedition. ‘Bigger and Better than Ever!’ is howmany magazines and other products have beenbranded when they underwent revision or re-launches,butattheriskofseemingsycophanticIhavetostandbymywordforthislatesteditionofthe Index. It has more information than its

predecessors, with 19 years'worth of updates added, moreillustrations than before, and itis in colour throughout. It iseasily identifiable by a fullcolour front cover painted byJohn Harrold, and it creditsPamelaStonesasco-authorwithJohnBeck.Thechapters,or sections,of theprevious edition are there,expanded with updatedinformation, as well as somenew ones, which together willenable collectors and Rupert

historians to continue their pursuits betterequipped thanever. The newsections includebiographies,withphotographs, ofkey Ruperteditors, writers,colouristsand,ofcourse, artists.Space does notallow me tomentioneverything but I hope that I have whetted yourappetitesforwhatyouareabouttoreceive....andas Iunderstandthathalfof the limitedprint-runhas been pre-ordered I advise those of youwhohaven'tdonesotogetyourordersofftoday.

RogerCoombes"ImusthurrytoordermyRupertIndexbeforeit'stoolate”


RupertintheBoys’andGirls’Booksofthe1930sAs this year’s enforced isolation led to so muchmoretimeathome,I thought itwouldbeagoodidea to spend some time re-evaluating theBoys’andGirls’Booksof the1930s, and lookingagainat these books,with particular regard to RupertBear.Therewerefourbooksinthisshort-livedseries,thefirstreleasedintimeforChristmas1935(the1936book),then19371938and1939.Getting down to an in-depth examination ofRupertinthesebooksisimmediatelytodiscountthe 1936 and 1937 books, because all Rupertstories in theseeditionswere fully re-printedbythe Followers over two decades ago and thecontinuing availability of these works is wellknown.Inthelatertwobooks,anoriginalRupertadventureofsome64frameswasprintedineach,and these were subsequently re-printed in theRupertAnnualsof1950and1982.There is a major surprise when encounteringthose 64-frame stories for the first time. Thestories are told exclusively in rhyming coupletandpicture,whichistotallyinthetraditionoftheolder Mary Tourtel Rupert adventures, as firstintroduced in 1920. The generous amount ofadditional written text, which the (then) morerecent andmodernRupertBearAnnualmajoredin, is totally missing. Perhaps the editor of thisparticularparallelDailyExpressproductionhadahankering for past times. If so, this may haveaccounted for the concomitant determination topublishsolely inblackandwhite–a laTourtel–rather than in the (then) more recent andinnovative red, black and white. Both B&GBs

were resplendent in pages produced using thethree-colour process that were given wholly tothe comic strip featured on each page. Sadly forRupertBearfans,thebookeditordidnotseefittofeature any of the episodes from the Rupertadventureonanyofthesecolouredpages.Still,onapositivenote,thedecisiontolimittheprintingtotwoimagesperpagemeantthateachframemeasuredinexcessofthreeinchessquare,whichwasmuch larger than images tobe foundin the Rupert Annual andmore in keepingwiththe size of image adopted when the latterswitchedtoalargerformatin1980.Both stories omitted the first two frameswhenrepeatingtheadventure intherespectiveRupertAnnuals,togetherwithonefurtherpairofframesmid-way through. The missing frames fromTravel Machine are shown here, and readersmight like to have fun consulting their ownRupert Annuals, with a view to working outexactly where in the narrative process the mid-wayexcisedimagesbelong.However,asfarasthelaststorytoappearintheB&GB is concerned, Rupert and the Red Box, noless than a further eight frames were omittedfrom the original when it was repeated in the1982Annual.These missing frames will be examined in thenextepisode…

JohnKobylecky


GilesandRupert…

Follower Keith Pugh wrote in to the Nutwood PostboxaboutinstancesofRupert’scroppingupinvariousplaces–asintheExpressfeatureonWilliamRoache’sfondnessforRupert mentioned in NN105, and aRadioTimesarticleaboutthelateTerryJonesbeingagreatfan.Keith also commented on the 2020GilesAnnual,thatincludesanumberofpanels in which Rupert appears. WerepliedtoKeithtosaywehavedecidedto feature the Giles images in theNutwoodNewsletter,soheregoes…

Giles had a reputation for not having particularaffection for his employer, the Daily Express,probablybasedonhispoliticalleanings.AlthoughhehadanofficeattheExpress,mostofhisworkwas done at a studio on his Norfolk farm fromwherehesenthisfinishedworkstoFleetStreet.Heoftenhadlittleprodsathispaymasters,andoccasionally featuredtheir iconcharacterRupertin states of parody. The Giles Annual for 2020(published in 2019), featured a selection of hiscartoonswhereRupertissufferingusuallyatthehandsoftheGileschildren.The book collection features seven Gilescharacters that are not usually part of themainstorylinebutdo featureas little jokeswithin the

composition.Bearsareonesuchfeatureand50%oftheunfortunatebearsincludedasexamplesinthisbookaredefinitelyRupert.We show here the ignominy to which Rupertwas subjected in this collection, where Giles’dislike of the character avoided any censorshipfromhisemployers.Examples of Rupert abuse also occurred inothersofhisExpresscartoons,andifyoucaretosend us examples we will be pleased to printthem.

JohnBeck



GilesandBestall–didtheyevermeet?ThearticlefeaturedinthisissueshowsGiles’scheekytreatmentofRupert.IwonderifheeverdidmeetAlfredBestallbecause,intheCarolineBottarchiveofhiscorrespondence,thereisanotetoBestallthankinghimforhisnoteofsupport,thoughforwhatisnotknown.ItalsohasaPSaboutmeetingupforadrinkandalthoughitisunlikelyAlfredwouldhavetakenthatup,perhapstheydidmeetupfacetofaceforacupofteasometime.

JohnBeck

Includedinourlastissue,theArchiveElffeaturedsome ephemeral items from the Bestall archiveabout the ITV show. We wondered whetherAlfredhadattendedthechildren’spartyatGreatOrmond St Hospital and Alfred’s God-daughter,CarolineBott,hascheckedhisdiaryforthatdate.Init,henotesthathedid!Herecordsthaton10thNovember1970,hewentto town to see colour work at Florence Studiowith Doris Campbell, as well as choosing thewinner of the Rupert Annual colouring

competition. He further noted ‘Then to party atGt.OrmondSt.Hospital3.30.’Earlier, on Wednesday 28th October 1970, herecorded ‘ToMildred’s 4 p.m. to see the first ofthe Puppet Ruperts on Colour T.V. (4.17)’.MildredBaird,(neeRampton),wasagreatfamilyfriendoftheBestallsandlookedafterAEBwhenhe came out of hospital after he broke his hipaged90.My thanks to Caroline for providing thisinformation.

JohnBeck

BestallandtheITVPuppetShow


ACelebrationofRupert’s80thbirthdayAs Rupert’s 100th birthday rapidly approaches,Followers may be interested to read this piece,which appeared in theExpresson8thNovember2000, written by Terry Jones for Rupert’s 80thbirthday.

It isverysadthatTerrypassedawayearlierthisyear, andwe feel sure hewould have had somewonderful things to say to celebrate theCentenary.


Yes, the cover of this impressive tomewill lookfamiliaras itwas featured inNewsletter104.Asyoucansee,itfeaturesapasticheofthelegendaryBeatles' Abbey Road cover, with the Fab FourreplacedbyDanDare,JudgeDredd,Rupert(intheplaceofRingo,incidentally)andTankGirl. However, I should imagine that only themorekeen-eyedofreaderswillhavenoticedKolvorok–acharacter inSydneyJordan'sclassic JeffHawkeseries–lurkingnexttothetaxiontheright-handsideoftheroad.ThecoverartisbyBrianBolland,so his name can be added to the canon ofoccasionalRupertartists.The book is now available and it's a veryimpressive tome running to385pages.Of these,the first 140 are text followed by an ‘Artist'sGallery’ofafurther194pages.Thisisfollowedbythe 48 pages of Chapter 14 on ‘21st CenturyMasters’ which may be of less interest toFollowers – although that's where you'll findTankGirl.The author is himself an artist, beginning hiscareerasaJudgeDreddartist,andhisintentionsaresuccinctlysetoutinhisintroduction,entitled‘TheGoodStuff’.Hebeginsbybemoaningthefactthat inBritaincomicshaveoftenbeendismissedas"somehowchildish,vulgarimpoliteandcrude".Having gone on to summarise his earlyencounterswith comicsold andnew,his closingwordspositivelysetouttheauthor'sstall,sayingthat the book is "inmanyways a celebration ofartists who deserve to be appreciated, admired,loved and remembered and in many casesrescuedfromanonymityandobscurity".The text section comprises fourteen chapters,the titles ofwhich give a goodoverall flavour ofthebook’scontentsasfollows:1.EvolutionofanArtForm2.It'saFunnyOldWorld3.ComicsintheNursery4.TheLanguageofAdventure5.TheGoldenAge6.TheRiseoftheAgencies7.ComicsforGirls8.NewspaperStrips9.ThisisAmericaCalling10.UndergroundAlternatives11.TheGalaxy'sGreatestComic

12.BirthoftheCool13.TheBritishInvasion14.21stCenturyMastersThe firstRupertreference is inChapter3,whichbrieflytracestheoriginsofRupertinthecontextof theotheranthropomorphicnewspaperheroeslikeTeddyTailandPip,SqueakandWilfred.ThisleadstoalongparagraphonRupert,describedas"themost successful of all the animal strips" (ofcourse). Both Mary and Alfred are eulogised.Mary"broughtanelegantsimplicity to thestrip"while Alfred "shared her delicately precise penand ink style andwas if anything an evenmoresubtledraughtsman,able toconveyemotionandaction through the smallest of pen strokes. Healso had a gift for composition and an aestheticsensibility..."."UnderBestallthestriptranscendedcomics to become a genuine British icon...". Thepiece is accompanied by an illustration of theoverlayversionofpage42of the1971Annual–RupertandthePopweed.

The piece goes on to refer in particular to theAnnuals; that they "increasingly became ashowcase for Bestall's exquisite water-colouredartwork on their covers and endpapers, whichhave become far better known than any specificstriporstorylines".I'm sure Followers will agree with theseadmirablyexpressedsentiments.Finally in this section,Alfred's successors,AlexCubie, John Harrold and Stuart Trotter arementioned, although none of their artworkappearsinthevolume.

MastersofBritishComicArtbyDavidRoach–aReviewbyJohnSwan


Alfred is referred to again in the chapter on"Comics for Girls", where the cover of the 1923Schoolgirls'OwnAnnualisillustrated.Rather strangely, the chapter on NewspaperStrips, while again going over the history of theintroduction of Teddy Tail and his successors,doesn'tmakeanyreferenceatalltoRupert.For the purposes of this review, I haveconcentrated on the Rupert content, but, forcomicfansgenerally,thereisagreatdealmoreofinterest; covering the obvious candidates likeBeano, Dandy and Eagle, but also a verycomprehensive panoply of comics over the last100yearsandmore–fromGillrayandAllySloper–until thepresentday. It is likely,however, thatthe later chapters will be of limited interest toFollowers. In this regard, Chapter 11, teasinglyentitled ‘TheGalaxy'sGreatestComic’, isdevotedto2000ADfeaturingJudgeDredd!Asmentionedabove, the book's author began his career as aJudgeDreddartist. More than half the book comprises the ‘ArtistGallery’, and it is a truly sumptuous selection ofartwork, arranged alphabetically by artists'surnames.Thepagesareahealthy9inchesby12,so largeenough todo justice to the illustrations.The author himselfstatesthatheseesthisas "the essence of thebook", and itdoesnotdisappoint. Alfredcommandsfourpages,morethanmostoftheartists. On the first ofthese there are fourannual covers, 1953,1960, 1971 and 1972,followedbyapleasantsurprise; a full pagedevoted to the lovelySelfridge's Christmas poster of 1982 as featuredin number 95 of the Nutwood Newsletter. ThefinaltreatintheBestallsectionisareproductionof the double page wrap-around cover of the1961AnnualshowingRupertonaswing.This istakenfromtheoriginalartworkratherthanfromacopyoftheAnnual,soweseetworatherlovelyblue butterflies, which are obscured by theRuperttitleontheAnnualitself.Mary also contributes a page, comprising twoillustrations fromRupert and the Little Prince involume11oftheLittleBearLibrary.

The total variety on show is extensive andthere's bound to be some non-Rupertwork thatevokes great memories. Of course there areboundtobesomeartistswhoyoufeelhavebeenunjustly omitted, but as the author himself says,"ifyourfavouriteartistisnothere,letmegetmyapologiesin,straightaway:Asvoluminousasthisbookis,wehadtodrawthelinesomewhereandinevitably many talented individuals havemissedout".Quiteso,andone of theattractions ofselections likethis isdisagreeing toanextentwiththe author'schoice.However,(reviewer’sprivilege!) forwhat it'sworth, myomitted essentials would be Herbert Foxwell(Tiger Tim and Teddy Tail), Jimmy Clark (WillieWaddle and Pansy Potter in Wonderland) andEdward Jeffrey (Toby Twirl). So there you go,that'soffmychest.But despite such inevitable differences, I mustsay that I consider this a landmark work and aworthy tribute to the artists by someone whopatently has a passionate appreciation for thegenre.Theprice,bytheway, is£39.99.Mightsoundalot,butit'sworthit.

JohnSwan


One of the many casualties of theCorona Virus lockdown was thecancellation of the John Harroldsigning event that had been plannedfor Easter Saturday (and detailed inNN105).I am pleased to confirm that theeventwillnowtakeplaceinLeweson

Saturday 14th November from 10.00am to 4.00pm. JohnwillpersonallysignRupertAnnualsthathewasinvolvedin,from1978to2007.IfyouwanttobuyacopyofanAnnualonthedaytherewillbearangeofMINTpreviouslyunsoldcopiesavailableat£5percopy. Pleasenote, JohnwillnotbesigninganyEgmontAnnuals, even though a good number of his stories arereprintedthere,sodonotask.Howard Smith, a leading Lecturer, Historian and Authorwill be coming along to give a presentation showing of his‘Rupert,theAnthropomorphicBear’featureduringtheday.For further details, please see the two-sided flyer that isincludedwiththisNewsletter.Ifforanyreasontheeventhastobepostponed,detailswillappear on the website. Alternatively contact John Beck01273477555 if youhave concerns about the event takingplace.

JohnBeck

YoungLilyDuckling?How about this delightful piece of Mary Tourtelartwork?WebelievethisisayoungLily,inherprettyspotteddress,intheforegroundofthepicture,whichshowsherwithhermotherand fivebrothers inMrsBaa’sshop.ThankstoHowardSmith,wehavebeengivenaccesstothefullseriesdrawnbyMary,allfeaturingworkinganimals and titled ‘When Animals Work’. Theseappeared in the Daily Express during 1919, beforeRupertstoriesstarted in1920. Theseriesranto30episodesuntil6thJune1919andonthelastepisodeitwas noted that “An animal drawing for children bythesameartistwillcontinue toappear ineach issueoftheSundayExpress”.These animal drawings were a story entitled ‘InBobtail Land’ and had commenced on Sunday 9thMarch 1919 and ran for 28 episodes. A footnoteencouragedchildrentocutoutthepicturesandpasteinascrapbook.Anumberofthe‘WhenAnimalsWork’characterswouldbesimilar to those that feature in the Nutwood stories, andsome of the images did appear in the 1920’s Rupert LittleBear’sAdventuresandRupertLittleBearSeries.Weplantoincludeotherimagesfromthis lovelyseriesinfutureNewsletterSupplements.

It seems that (although soundingimprobable) Mrs Baa’s suggestion ofwoollysocksgottheducklingsthroughtheir nasty colds – andwhat a beautyLilygrewinto!

JohnHarroldRupertAnnualSigningEvent–14thNovember2020


Onpage109inhercomprehensivebook‘Thelifeand works of Alfred Bestall’, Caroline Bottmentions that Bestall consulted his solicitor in1973aboutchangesthattheExpresshadmadetohis1971and1973RupertAnnualcovers.EveryoneisbynowfamiliarwiththewhiteningofRupert’s faceonthe1973Annual,butthere isnorecordofwhatAlfredobjectedtoonthe1971Annualcover.IsuspecthoweverwhathappenedwasthatsomeoneattheExpressaddedtheimageofapaperHobgomnieontherearofthecovertohisoriginalartwork.

Why did they do it? Probably because it wasbeing includedas thepaper fold featuring in theAnnualthatyearwhichwaslinkedtotheRupertandtheGomnies(B192)story.Alfred was an Origami enthusiast, so heprobably provided the Hobgomnie fold for theAnnualproduction.Interestingly, he also drew two extra panels,shownhere,fortheAnnualsothattheendoftheRupert and the Gomnies story would lead intotheOrigamipage.Asyoucansee,fromtheillustrationsshown,theProfessorexplainswhataHobgomnieisandhowtomakeone.

Some person at the Express then presumablyaltered his cover artwork to include theHobgomnie on the rear cover without referencetoAlfred.

RupertAnnualchangestoBestallpictures


The Express also madealterations to Bestall’soriginal artwork in theRupert and the Learner(B204) story when it wasreprintedinthe1972Annual.This was done for much thesame reason, as by addinglanterns to episode 26 theycould then refer to it in theirfoldinstructionsfor,‘Rupert’sway of making the Imp’sLantern’.Thisadditiontohispictureswas probably missed byAlfredasthereisnorecordofhim making any objectionsaboutit.

AftergettingawaywiththesechangestoBestall’soriginal artwork in 1971 and 1972, I supposethoseattheExpresswerethenquitecomfortableto desecrate his 1973 cover. It is strange thatthey should have become so cavalier about hisRupert artwork given that Freddie Chaplain, theRupert Editor at that time, ensured the Rupertstories and characters maintained a highstandardduringhisreign.I wonder if Alfred ever received a properapology.

JohnBeck


Rupert’sLockdownAlphabetThisyear’slockdownhasaffectedallofus.Here’showMikeWilliamseasedhislock-downblues:AlgyandRupertaren’tabletoplay,Hopefullythelockdownwillendoneday.BillBadgerusedtoenjoyplayingcricket,Stayinginisnotlikehittingawicket.ConstableGrowlerhastoenforcethelaws,HetellsallofNutwoodtostaysafeindoors.DrLiontendsallthevillageillwithhisnurse,Hehopesthatapartfromcoldsthey’llgetnothingworse.EdwardTrunkisasstrongandbraveascanbe,HehelpsMrChimpwithhomedelivery.FreddyandFerdyarenolongercheats,Theyassistthebutchersellinghismeats.GirlguidePaulineisouthelpingwithherfriendBeryl,TheychecktheoldlikeGrannyGoatarenotinperil.HugoHarewholivesinPoptonisdoingallhecan,TogetmedicinefastfromNutchesterhereallyran.ImpsofSpringdoallthattheirwoodlandkingasks,Whileoutintheforesttheyhavetowearmasks.Jestersitsinhismazeeatingandgettingfatter,Hehasfoundoutthisillnessisnolaughingmatter.KingFrostinhisIce-Palacedoesnotknowhisfate,Becauseofhisage,hehastoself-isolate.LilyDucklingisallofapanicandflutter,MrChimphassoldoutoftoiletrollsandbutter.MrsTigerinRockyBaysipsginwithafrown,Duetothevirusallhernormalbookingsaredown.

NutwoodSchoolisquietwithnopupilsthere,DrChimpsadlylooksateachemptychair.Ozzieisgladtolivesuchalongwayaway,‘Tilthepandemicisoverthat’swherehe’llstay.PodgyPig’snowthinandbeginningtoworry,Thetakeawayisclosedsonochipsandcurry.QuicklyGirlGuidesareorganizedbyJanet,Stillsheworriesforthefateoftheplanet.RexandReggieraceround–nooneisfleeter,They’vehelpedGafferJargeandMrAnteater.SirJasperCaddehasneverbeenatallbored,Essentialitemshehasstartedtohoard.Togetmoresupplies,SailorSamhassailedhisboatouttosea,Themarinepolicetoldhimitwasnotanessentialjourney.UncleBrunohelpsDrLionlookaftertheill,Prescribingmedicines,potionsandevenapill.Viruseslikethiskeepeveryoneathome,Rupertstaysindoors–he’sunabletoroam.WiseOldGoattriesforacurewithhisflowers,He’shadnoluckyet–aftercountlesshours.Xmasgetscloserwithrelaxationoflaws,SoonNutwoodwillbevisitedbySantaClaus.Yumtheyetiinthemountains,far,faraway,Whenthelockdownisover,inNutwoodhe’llstay.ZephthewindfinallybringsgoodnewsfromtheQueen,TheOldProfessorhasinventedavaccine.

MikeWilliams

NUTWOODNEWSLETTERNumber106Summer2020–Page26AsmentionedinNN105,DoreenJamesrecentlysentusacoupleofFollowers’puzzles.Here’sthesecondone:

WhoamI?

FillinthefirstcluethenchangeoneletterineachofthefollowingwordstorevealoneofRupert’schums.

1 Auctionoffer ---

Placetosleep ---Colour ---WhoamI? ---

2 Fashion ----Skinblemish ----Distance ----Grindingmachinery ----WhoamI? ----

3 Companion ----Minutecreature ----Formofreligiousprocedure----Aneducatedgirl? ----WhoamI?

4 Ages -----

Roofcoverings -----Preparessoil -----Taxes -----Smallloaves -----WhoamI? -----

5 Oxidises -----Weaklings -----Railsofladder -----Metalcirclets -----Drummerofrenown -----WhoamI? -----Answersonpage31

Ifonly...wecouldhavebeenatWarwickasusual,andhadtheAnnualssignedon‘TheDay’.Well,signedcopiescanstillbeordered,tobepostedoutlateron.Meanwhile,hereisanimageofthebeautifulcover:

AnunusualDutchRupertitem

IrecentlycameacrossthiscardfeaturingBruintjeBeer.Itisablackandwhitepictureandthesamesize and style as a playing card. The rear of thecard is clean and blank, and there are noindicationsofwhatitwasoriginallyproducedfor.The image seems to be the same as that whichwasusedonsomeearlypostcards.Isthecardpartofsomething,likeacardgame?Can anyone provide enlightenment on where itcamefromandwhatitmightbe?

JohnBeck


YourNewsletter–YourNewsIt’s not called the Nutwood Newsletter fornothing.The purpose of a newsletter is to share amongmembers news of their activities, generally (butnotexclusively)inrelationtooursharedinterest–Rupert.

We have been delighted to receive somewonderfultalesofwhatsomeofyouhavebeenupto, from birthday pizzas to your musings aboutRupert’s chums and such like – which makewonderfularticles.Herearesomegreatcontributions:

Mywife’sbirthdaycame,Whatdidsheget?SomethingRuperty?Youbet!OurchildrenfromAnon-lineshopBoughtforherARuperttop!Sohere’smywife,AllRuperty,Andbirthdaybrew,One,too,forme.

MGardner

InthecentenaryyearofRupertIwonderedifyou'dbeinterestedinsomeRupertnostalgia.TheattachedphotosareofmewhenIwasachildmeetingRupertinScarboroughintheearly1970s.Thefirstphoto(chronologically)showsmeinthebackgroundbeingheldbyoneofmyoldersisters,cryingafterjustmeetingRupert.IrememberbeingstartledbyhissizeandcolourasIwasusedtoseeingRupertonablackandwhiteTV!Iwasbornin1971sothesearefromthemid'70sI'dsay.ThesecondoneshowsmealittleoldersittingonRupert'skneewithmybrother(I'mtheoneinredshorts).

Iwasbeingaverybraveboythatday.DavidBradley

MorephotographicmemorabiliaandMembers’contributionsonthefollowingpages...


Wherearetheynow?MemoriesofpastAnnualMeetingsfromCarolineandChristineDobbin

Whoaretheseyoungsters?Aretheystillmembers?Areyouinoneofthepictures?Pleaseletusknow.


Rupert’sCottageinLego

Hey all, new member here. Thought I’d share alittlesomething I’vebeenworkingon,onandoffduring the past several months in honour ofRupert's 100thbirthday. Itwasonly recently, asthis neared completion, that I discovered theFolllowers – so you can imagine my surprise. Ididn’treallyexpecttosharethisanywhere!Asakid in the90’s Igrewupwith thecartoonseries, and two or so years ago I rediscoveredRupertintheformoftheAnnuals.Aftercollectinga fewof thoseandre-watchingtheseries Icameup with the idea to recreate the Bearfamily'scottage inLego,whichquicklyexpandedtothesurroundingproperty.Iusedpicturesfrommyannualsandscreenshotsfrommanydifferentepisodes of the cartoon torecreate it as accurately as Icould. I'm quite pleasedwithhowI managed to findbasicallytheperfectpiecestomake Rupert himself.Although I still need to paintthethreePandaheadsasthey

don'tcomeinwhiteandthere'safewothersmallthingsI'dliketoimproveoradd.Iaddedthelittledoorwayintheback,accessedby a path leading from the back door to kind ofrepresent the beginning of Rupert's manyadventures as he leaves home and heads out insearchof fun.Thishasbeenareal labourof lovethat's taken about 9 months off and on, half ofwhichtimeI'vespentoffworkafterhandsurgery.The second half of this was done entirely one-handedwhichreallyslowedtheprocessdown.In the future I'd like to take a crack at theProfessor's home/tower. Anyway, I'm happy tohave found and become amember of the groupandIhopeyouenjoythislittlemodel!

MattDafoe

MattoriginallypostedthisontheFollowers’FacebookpageandishappyforustoshareitintheNewsletterfornon-Facebook-usingmembers

DidyouhaveaRupertDarkAge?

An expression I have come across in severaldifferententhusiastgroupsisone’s‘DarkAge’.Itisused to refer to the timebetweena childhoodenthusiasm in something (be it toy trains,LEGO,Ninja Turtles, or possibly Rupert) and the timewhenasanadultthatenthusiasmwasrekindled.IcertainlyadmittoadarkageformeforbothtoytrainsandRupert(toooldtohavehadLEGOasachild though enjoyed playing with children andnow grandchildren, but never Ninja Turtles!!). Iwonder though if this is the case for manyFollowers or was Rupert never completely putawayforyou?In my case both these dark ages ended withpickingupabook.NotaRupertAnnual,thoughI

hadkeptthosefrommychildhood,andmorehadbeenacquired formychildrenandwerepopularbedtimestoriesforthem.Ratherthat,justbeforeChristmas 1985 I was in my local W H Smith’spicking up something lastminutewhen I caughtsiteofacopyof‘Rupert–ABear’sLife’,byGeorgePerry. Had a quick flick through, and I wascaptivated.IseemtorecallIhadaBookTokeninmypocket(arecentbirthdaypresent)sodecidedthiswasasuitablewaytodisposeofit.I fear Imayhavespenta little toomuchof theXmas festivities with my nose in that book orrediscovering theRupertAnnuals –butmydarkagewasover!

TonyStanford


MoreFollowers’contributions...I have been meaning to send you these photos for a verylongtime,buthaveonlynowgotaroundtoit.IboughtthissplendidwaistcoatatacarbootinNorfolkfroma lady down-sizing her Rupert collection (why would youwant to?!) It’sverywellmade– the labeldeclares ‘CharlesTyrwhitt, Makers of Fine Shirts’. Even the buttons arecovered in Rupert fabric! I’m not sure if it was mass-producedoraone-off–doanyotherFollowershaveone?Althoughnodoubtmeantforaman,IhappilyworeittoourvillageChristmas‘do’lastyearanditwasmuchadmired.I’dalsoliketooffermycommiserationstoeveryonewhohasmade such efforts to ensure Rupert’s Centenary does notpass without exciting events and celebrations, only to bescupperedbythemeasuresintroducedbecauseofCovid19.Ahwell, let’shopesomething is resolvedbefore theyear isout,andperhapswecangetsomethingorganisedintimefor8thNovember.Thank you for continuing to produce such an enjoyablediversionintheNutwoodNewsletter.Bestwishes,

ValFranklin

ACoronavirusLock-downmention:FollowerSueWillets reportedtous that in theirMaynewsletter, thecharity ‘CampaigntoProtectRuralEngland’includedRupertbooks(alongwithBeatrix Potter stories, Flower Fairies andSwallows and Amazons) as recommended readsfor youngsters, being stories that sparked a loveforthecountryside.

DanielCarey-Dawesofthecharity,wasquotedassaying:

“IsupposemymemoriesoftheRupertstoriesareamixtureofthebooksandtheanimatedcartoonseries from the early 1990s.What I liked aboutthe stories was the sense of adventure aboutthem.TheywerealwayssetintheoutdoorsandIthink this definitely contributed to my lookingupon the outdoorworldas a place of adventure.At the end of every tale, Rupert would alwaysreturn home to his family. There was always asenseofmischieftothat,inthathisparentswerealways completely unaware ofwhatever scrapeshe had got himself into during that day’sadventure.ItsruralEnglishsettingalsoconnectedme with the childhood holidays I had in EastAnglia,whereItoowasallowedoutfromayoung

age to explore the countryside with minimalsupervision. Sometimes, like Rupert, I woulddisappearonmybike for severalhoursandonlyshow up for dinner.When in London, that wasnever possible, so I suppose I liked the storiesbecause they reminded me of the freedom thatcomeswithbeinginthecountryside.”

We know that Gyles Brandreth is a long-standing loverofRupert,soweredelightedtohear from Follower John Lester that Gylesgave amention to Rupert’s 100th anniversaryrecently, when he was the guest inCountdown’sDictionaryCorner.

HasanyoneorderedtheIsleofManRupertandChums50ppieces?JohnKobyleckywasdelightedwithhis,andhopesotherRupertcollectorsdon’tmissout.


MembershipRenewals–paymentmethodsIf your membership of theFollowers is due for renewal it will have said so on the address label of yourNewsletter,andarenewalformwillhavebeenenclosed.

Renewalmethods:

w Bypostwithachequew On-linebanking:SetuptheFollowersassomeonetopaymoneyto,usingtheSortCode,AccountnumberandReferencebeloww PayPal:Gotoourwebsitewww.rupertbear.co.ukandlogintotheMembers’area.Ifyoudonotyethaveapassword,pleasee-mailTonyStanfordatmembership@rupertbear.co.ukandhewille.mailonetoyou.

Bank:BarclaysBranch:BusinessDirectSupportCentralSortCode:20-45-45Accountnumber:23593940Accountname:TheFollowersofRupertmembershipReference:Yourmembershipno.(ThisisprintedontheNNaddresslabel)

Followers IanandJanetWalleywrote toHMTheQueen,inthehopethatshewouldfondlyremembertheLittleBearfromherchildhoodandacknowledgehisBigBirthdaythisyear.

They were thrilled and delighted to receive a reply, onbehalfofHerMajesty,whichsenttoallweFollowersgoodwishesontheoccasionofRupert’sCentenary.Thisletterwasreceivedfromarenewingmember:

Apologies fordelay–yes, I amwaveringabit inmy commitment – it’s hard to seewhereRupertcan go if legal owners don’t want to take itsomewhere.I’m afraid I find the newsletter a bit banalsometimes, often padded out with rathermeaningless features to bulk it up. I havesubmittedafewthingsinthepastsoI’mnotjustmoaning(oramI?)Anyway, I’ll give it another year and see IanythinghappensfortheCentenary–sorry.

GrumpyGomnie

Remember,everyone,a thatanewslettercanonlyas good as the contributionswe receive so pleasekeepyournewsandarticlescoming–Ed

Fromanewmember:

Thank you for the membership package,especially the scarf. I love the picture on issue104, sucha lovelyscene. IdohopeEgmonthavelotsofthingsplannedforRupert’s100thyearandthat they can do a special Annual this year. Mylove of Rupert began when I watched the TVpuppet series in the early ‘70s as a child,now Iwatch the series again on DVD. I do hope theNutwoodmapwillbeavailabletobuythroughtheFollowers.Thanksagain.

Bestwishes,JohnGittings

Answerstopage26puzzle:1Bid,bed,red,REX2Mode,mole,mile,mill,BILL3Mate,mite,Rite,Rita,RIKA4Times,tiles,tills,tolls,rolls,ROLLO5Rusts,runts,rungs,rings,Ringo,BINGO

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TheEditor,NutwoodNewsletter,29MillRoad,Lewes,Sussex.BN72RU

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AllRightsReserved.www.rupertbear.co.ukPermissiontoreproduceanypartofthisNutwoodNewslettermustbeobtainedfrom

TheSecretary,JohnBeck,29MillRoad,Lewes,EastSussex,BN72RU.(Tel.01273477555).

email–[email protected]

TheimageonthecoverisanoriginalpieceofJohnHarroldartworkTheimageaboveisfromthe1953Annual

Nutwood

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We’ll catch up

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very soon, Rupert

100th Edition

Celebration Issue

Summer 2018

Date post:	21-Dec-2021
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100 Edition Celebration Issue Summer 2018

Documents