First Issue: 14th February 1914
Last Issue: 28th April 1956
Copyright: Amalgamated Press
The first issue of the all full colour Rainbow comic appeared 14th February 1914 with Tiger Tim and friends, collectively known as the ‘Bruin Boys’ starring on the front cover. ‘The Bruin Boys’ consisted of ‘Tiger Tim’ , ‘Jumbo Elephant’, ‘Willie Ostrich’, ‘Georgie Giraffe’, ‘Bobby Bruin’, ‘Jacko Monkey’, ‘Joey Parrot’, ‘Porkyboy Pig’ and Fido Pup’. Tiger Tim went on to appear in his own comic called ‘Tiger Tim’s Weekly’ five years later and became one of the longest surviving regular comic character until his last appearance in Jack and Jill comic in 1985.
Other stories in Rainbow were ‘Bonnie Bluebell’, ‘The Island of Wonders’, ‘The Rainbow Pearl’, ‘Sing Hi and Sing Lo – The Chinese Twins’, ‘Sam the Skipper and his little son Jack’, ‘The funny adventures of the Brownie Boys’, ‘The Wonderful Wagtails’, ‘The Dolliwogs’ Dollshouse’, ‘Susie Sunshine and her Pretty Pet Poms’, ‘Mops and Co. – the chums of the lower third’, ‘ Bobby’ and ‘The Two Pickles’.
Juilius Stafford Baker 4th wrote to me
“Darren,
Whilst you are right enough about the start of the Rainbow comic, and your comment about being the longest lived character of all, in fact he’s well older than this information suggests. Tim and the other boys at Mrs Bruins School, first appeared as a colour supplement in a magazine called ‘The World & his Wife’ back in the 1880s. This journal was aimed at female domestics, Governesses and the like who had care of the Masters’ children for much of the day. In much later years there was also Tilly Tim, a girls’ equivalent, with I think what had a Mrs Hippo as headmistress of their school. Julius Stafford Baker 2nd the artist was responsible for a vast output, firstly in the 1870s with cartoons for adults in ‘Funny Folks’, ‘Hooligan’ and the like, then gradually more and more of the work was for children. Some early work was for the American magazine ‘Judge’, much like our Punch, and his first cartoon was in a very ‘adult’ publication for the period, aimed at male theatregoers and men about town. That back in the 1800s, aged about 15. ‘Casey’s Court’, with Billy Baggs as leader of the gang, on pink paper in ‘Chips’ was his. That was once put on stage by Fred Karno, with a young Charlie Chaplin as Billy Baggs, complete with knobbly cane. Caseys Court was without doubt a pinched idea from an American artist called Oultcault. The Daily Express’ Giles kids were direct descendants.
JSB 2 was trained in ‘black and white’ work by his mothers brother John Phillip Stafford, an occasional exhibitor at the RA’s Summer Exhibitions, who was himself a veritable pioneer of art in the service of advertising. One of the first “commercial artists”
Trust this is of interest
Juilius Stafford Baker 4th ( 3rd was also a Tim artist post WW2 AND
an RAF War Artist. during WW2 )”