Rupert : A Daily Express Annual

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Rupert's Holiday Adventure (and Rupert's Message to Father Christmas and Rupert's New Year's Eve Party) (1932)

She saw more of him after her marriage when she moved to Godalming, Surrey, near Alfred’s home in Surbiton. Together with The Rupert Annual for 1960 contained a story called Rupert and the Diamond Leaf, in which he visits "Coon Island", whose inhabitants are little " Coons". [6] The Coons previously appeared on the cover of The New Rupert: The Daily Express Annual, 1954 and in the interior story Rupert and the Castaway. [7] The first appearance was in the 1946 soft cover summer special Rupert on Coon Island.Caroline says this humour was always evident in his interactions with people, despite his notorious shyness due to a severe stammer. There are also a few human characters in the stories, such as the Professor (who lives in a castle with his servant, Bodkin), Tiger Lily (a Chinese girl), her father "the Conjuror," and several less frequently occurring characters such as Sailor Sam, Gaffer Jarge, Captain Binnacle, the Sage of Um (who is seen travelling in a magical upside down umbrella) and Rollo, the Gypsy boy. There is also a recurring Merboy. Some of the titles were later published for the Woolworth's retail chain, with only 18 of the original titles. However, the titles and numbers for this series did not relate to the earlier published series. [9] Larratt, Shannon (22 May 2007). " "Rupert visits Coon Island" (!)". Shannon Larratt is Zentastic . Retrieved 25 January 2011. When the Express Children’s Editor Stanley Johnson hired Alfred, he had one strict instruction – “no evil characters, fairies or magic”.

Most of the other characters in the series are also anthropomorphic animals. They are all scaled to be about the same size as Rupert, regardless of species. Rupert's animal friends are usually referred to as his "chums" or "pals." Aside from his best friend Bill Badger, some of the most enduring pals are an elephant (Edward Trunk), a mouse (Willie), Pong-Ping the Pekingese, Algy Pug (who actually pre-dates Rupert), [3] Podgy Pig, Bingo the Brainy Pup, the identical twins Freddy and Ferdy Fox, the identical twins Reggie and Rex Rabbit, and Ming the dragon. The kindly Wise Old Goat also lives in Nutwood, and helps Rupert in some of his adventures. One of the most unusual and evocative characters is Raggety, a woodland troll-creature made from twigs, who is often very grumpy and annoying. In the 2006 television revival of the series, Raggety has been transformed into a friendly elf with broken English. There is also a recurring country Police Officer who is an adult dog named PC Growler. [4]

As for his lush drawings of Nutwood, although Alfred would never reveal its exact inspiration, Caroline believes it was his homes in Surrey and Wales, plus the drive through the Cotswolds between the two.