Celebrate 75 Years of the Cococubs

Great new 36 page hardback book   (September 2009).

To celebrate 75 years of The Cococubs I am pleased to introduce the ultimate publication to gladden the hearts of collectors everywhere.  Professionally bound and published in hardback the book features information never previously published including all the existing original designs for the figures.

 Grateful thanks to Norman Joplin for sourcing the unique information detailed on page 7 of the book.

A Great Present for a Loved One with over 80 pictures and 9,000 words.

I have been told by a happy customer that............ " The book is very informative & well designed. It gave me a lot of information I hadn't previously known, such as the solid cast figures, I have never seen any. It is very detailed & the colour variation pages are especially helpful. Cheers, Don.

Preview the book now and then order it direct from the Publisher.  Simply go click on the red underlined hyperlink and it will direct you to the publishers Cococubs Store at :- WWW.Lulu.Com.   When you preview the book allow a few seconds (about 45 seconds actually) to upload and using the buttons at the top of the screen you can  enlarge the pages and also advance through the first 10 pages from the book -

Try before you buy! At .................  http://stores.lulu.com/cococubs

      Stop Press - if you want a softback copy at £9.99 then order "The Cadbury Cococubs" instead - the books are identical apart from the binding.

If the book is a gift then order early to allow for printing and delivery from the USA.

Any questions ...........  Please mail me:- dudley.chignall.

Cub Characters No.1 - Whiskers Rabbit .............Ernest Aris first started drawing rabbits in 1910 and they provided him with a meal ticket for life.  He wrote and illustrated a book based on the adventures of a rabbit in 1922, the book and the illustrations were re-printed in 1947 and the illustrations were used a third time to illustrate Blackberry Bunny which was part of the Brambledown Series published in 1989.  He illustrated Brer Rabbit for Enid Blyton and is also popularly known as the illustrator of the Tasseltip Tales published by Ladybird.

Whisker's was one of the first Cococubs to be issued and to my mind he is based on the Peter Rabbit character created by Beatrix Potter.  Peter's little blue jacket and shiny black shoes are parodied here.

Whiskers Rabbit appeared in a variety of incarnations.  In the following publications authored and illustrated by Ernest he appears:- as Black Rabbit in Pirates Three, published in 1914 & as Bunkum Brown, Bandit in a book by that name later in 1917; with baggy trousers & a patch to the knee he is Peter Rabbit in Ernest's book The Treasure Seekers.  In The Tale of Robbie Rabbit he even has a blue patch to his trousers as in the original drawing and in the finished model for Whiskers Rabbit.  As Benjy Bunny he appeared in Woodfolk Market & Wee Benjy Brown. Benjy is also the central character in A Bad Bold Bunny, the title of which appears to draw on The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. The same character is also Barley Bunny and Bunny o' the Bracken or simply Bunnikin; he even appears as Frisky Rabbit in the cigarette card series by that name.  The list is endless.

The original artwork by Aris was obtained from one of the world's leading experts in the design and production of metal models, Charles Biggs, who enjoyed an association with Britains models for more than 40 years

No.2 Willie Mouse. Willie was 'one of the boys' who featured as one of the irascible hero's  in many of Ernest's early books.  .......... to be continued