Rupert Bear is a British children's comic strip character and franchise created by Herbert Tourtel and illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary Tourtel, first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper on 8 November 1920. Rupert's initial purpose was to win sales from the rival Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. In 1935, the stories were taken over by Alfred Bestall, who was previously an illustrator for Punch and other glossy magazines. Bestall proved to be successful in the field of children's literature and worked on Rupert stories and artwork into his nineties. More recently, various other artists and writers have continued the series. About 50 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Logo for Rupert Bear
Rupert Bear is recognizable in his red jumper and yellow checked trousers and scarf
Rupert Bear exhibit formerly in the Canterbury Heritage Museum
The 1940 (R) and 1974 (L) Rupert Annual.
The Daily Express is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet in 1900 by Sir Arthur Pearson. Its sister paper, the Sunday Express, was launched in 1918. In June 2022, it had an average daily circulation of 201,608.
Front page, 19 November 2011
Exterior of Owen Williams's Daily Express Building in Manchester
Exterior of Daily Express Building in London, designed by Ellis and Clark
In 2000, Express Newspapers was bought by Richard Desmond (left)