Bear Essentials
Many years ago, my siblings and I discovered a stash of Rupert Annuals in the basement of our Aunt Jill, who had brought them from her native England for her children to enjoy. Here was a strange menagerie of British (if just in nationality) creatures: animals who dressed and behaved as humans while retaining their distinctive animal features. Edgar Trunk, for example, the elephant boy, had a trunk and tusks and elephant ‘arms’, just as Rupert Bear himself had a muzzle and round, furry ears at the top of his head. Rupert, however, had human hands, no doubt because, as the lead character, he would be required to manipulate objects and interact with other creatures in and around the town of Nutwood, including some humanoids and post-humans (as the current parlance is in the Marvel Universe of underwear perverts formerly known as superheroes), in particular elves, Santa Claus, and Chinese magicians, and to do so without mauling them. Poor Edgar, on the other (ahem) hand, was left without even fingers, let alone an opposable thumb. Many years later, when the Counsellor’s children discovered Rupert, I first heard indications of the eldest daughter’s incipient interest in logic: if Rupert Bear has human hands, what kind of feet does he have? True enough, Rupert was never seen (ahem again) bare-footed, only shod. Even if he was at the beach, if he was seen near or in the water, his feet were kept out of sight. His new incarnation is no different, at least in that respect. Just sayin’ is all.