Mary Tourtel

The then news editor of the Express, Herbert Tourtel, was approached with the task of producing a new comic strip to rival those of the Mail and Mirror and immediately thought of his wife Mary, already an established author and artist.

[4] The early strips were illustrated by Mary and captioned by her husband, often in poetry [5] and were published as two cartoons a day with a short story underneath.

Rupert was originally a brown bear until the Express cut inking expenses giving him his iconic and characteristic white colour.

The vibrant red and yellow clothing of contemporary Rupert was originally a soft blue jumper with grey trousers.

[7] In 1931 Herbert Tourtel died in a German sanatorium, and Mary retired four years later in 1935 after her eyesight and general health deteriorated.