Willa

MURIEL WILLA (1927 - 2005)

Muriel Willa was born of Finnish parents in South Shields in January 1927, though the family moved to London when she was about two years old. Between 1962 and 1975, Muriel regularly wrote the rhyming verse couplets for the Rupert Bear cartoon in the Daily Express. Rupert is one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world and has been having adventures for nearly a century.

Muriel read the books as a child when Rupert's creator, Mary Tourtel, was writing them, and recalled. 'I have never forgotten the special, mysterious feeling engendered by the illustrations and text.' In writing the verses for Rupert she made it her aim to write the couplets without repeating the same rhymes.

Myers Literary Guide:	The North-East
MURIEL WILLA (1927 - 2005) Muriel Willa was born of Finnish parents in South Shields in January 1927, though the family moved to London when she was about two years old. Between 1962 and 1975, Muriel regularly wrote the rhyming verse couplets for the Rupert Bear cartoon in the Daily Express. Rupert is one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world and has been having adventures for nearly a century. Muriel read the books as a child when Rupert's creator, Mary Tourtel, was writing them, and recalled. 'I have never forgotten the special, mysterious feeling engendered by the illustrations and text.' In writing the verses for Rupert she made it her aim to write the couplets without repeating the same rhymes.
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