Monday 2 September 2013

Nostalgic Tufty artwork on sale to the general public for the first time in 60 years



Colourful artwork featuring retired road safety squirrel Tufty Fluffytail, who is celebrating his 60th birthday this year, are now available to own as a print, postcard, greetings card, mug and fridge magnet.

It is the first time that vintage artwork featuring the red squirrel with his signature blue and yellow clothing has been released to the public for sale at www.rospaprints.com.

The 12 Tufty images, which are mainly from the 1960s, feature the squirrel and many of his companions, including Policeman Badger and Willy Weasel, in a variety of road safety scenarios. The creatures, which were created by the late Elsie Mills MBE in 1953 to help communicate simple safety messages to children, are also portrayed on the beach and at a bonfire party, in recognition of how Tufty branched out into other aspects of safety.

In addition to the Tufty artwork, 10 iconic safety posters dating from the 1950s-1970s, have also been released. They cover a variety of safety topics including cycle safety, with a 1967 message to cyclists not to become trapped by turning traffic. For pedestrians, there is a 1970 appeal to stop, look around and listen before crossing. A 1965 poster urges children to always do their kerb drill, while a 1964 winter safety poster has the message: “Ice and snow, mind how you go.”

Among the artists behind the artwork are Gus and Leonard Cusden.

The newly released items come from a long-forgotten collection of more than 700 historical safety posters and Tufty artwork, which RoSPA staff found while clearing out an old warehouse in 2011. The entire RoSPA Collection - as the archive has become known - features items dating from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Forty images went on public display and were released for sale last year, with the new release of images taking the total number available from www.rospaprints.com to 62.

All of the images are available to purchase in a variety of forms, from prints and canvases to mugs, fridge magnets, greetings cards and postcards. Visitors to the print-on-demand website can preview their chosen items and add messages inside greetings cards.

Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA chief executive, said: “When we first discovered our forgotten archive, we were astonished at the wide variety of styles used by the different artists and the high calibre of their work. We also saw that their messages remained valid, despite the passing of time.

“We are immensely proud of this aspect of our charity’s history, with artistic talent promoted over many decades and a continuous effort to improve the quality of everyday life.

“We are delighted to make some of our images, particularly those of Tufty, available to the public and we hope people will enjoy them and be inspired by them, as we are. To all those with an interest in or working in the field of accident prevention, we hope the posters provide a reminder that you are part of something that has a tremendous legacy and that this will encourage you to press on to save lives and reduce injuries both now and in the future.”

Visit www.rospaprints.com to see the full collection of artwork available to the public.

Tufty had a long and varied career in road safety. In 1961, the Tufty Club was set up as a nationwide network of local groups through which millions of children learned about road safety. At its peak, there were 24,500 registered Tufty Clubs. Tufty’s image was changed to keep up with the times in 1979 and again in 1993. Then in 2007, he made a guest appearance in the cult BBC series Life on Mars.  
Tufty has his own web page - www.tuftyclub.org.uk - and still receives emails from former Tufty Club members. Although Tufty is now retired, RoSPA remains active in tackling the principal cause of death among children - accidents - through its work on the road, in the home, at leisure and at school. See www.rospa.com for more details.  
RoSPA still produces a range of Tufty educational materials for use by children’s groups, teachers and road safety professionals, available at www.rospashop.com.

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