LONDON — Mickey Mouse was still a twinkle in Walt Disney's eye when Rupert the Bear was born. He is even older than Winnie the Pooh.
Now the bear that lays claim to being the longest-running children's comic character in the world is turning 80 along with his pals Bill Badger, Algy Pug and Pong Ping.
Rupert, created by artist Mary Tourtel, started life in Britain's Daily Express on Nov. 8, 1920, when newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook was determined to rival competitors' comic strips.
Now, eight decades later, he sells 100,000 annuals a year — and only Pokmon and the Beano outsell him in Britain.
Fifty million copies of the Rupert books have been sold worldwide, and the television series has been syndicated to 28 countries.
He has starred in 65 television episodes and is about to clinch a film deal. Paul McCartney even dedicated a song to him.
He also wins in the longevity stakes — Rupert is six years older than Winnie the Pooh and eight years older than Mickey Mouse.
It all began when Express editor R.D. Blumenfeld asked one of his senior executives to come up with a popular cartoon character whose popularity would make children everywhere whine until their parents bought the paper.
That executive was assistant editor Herbert Tourtel whose wife, Mary, was an illustrator specialising in animals.
It was an instant success. Rupert and his chirpy little friends from Nutwood achieved celebrity status around the world. He even attracted his own fan club "The Followers of Rupert Bear."
After Mary Tourtel retired in 1935, her role was taken over by Alfred Bestall for the next 30 years.
Bestall created over 270 Rupert adventures and was still illustrating the stories up to the age of 90.
In his time, Rupert has been kidnapped by Gothic knights, skipped over lakes in his magic boots and flown to Father Christmas' castle on a giant paper dart.
Now words and pictures are split — Ian Robinson became the writer in 1990 and John Harrold is the artist.
But why has a cuddly bear with human hands proved so popular in the electonic age when children prefer to reach for their computer games?
The Birmingham Post concluded: "The stories have a cosy charm with mild baddies and glowing goodies. Nothing too scary intrudes and youngsters always have the warm feeling of security. Good is always very good while bad is simply naughty."