Monday, November 21, 2011

Thelwell Ponies

Norman Thelwell is the "unofficial artist of the British countryside."  As a young girl, I adored his books and cartoons.  They are timeless.  Mr. Thelwell died in 2004 at the age of 80 but his cartoons of little girls and their ponies will never go out of style.

Looking for the perfect present for the pony lover in your household?  A Thelwell book will make a great gift.  Many of these books are available on Amazon.  Some are very pricey as they are now rare and out of print but not all of them.  And Ebay and your local "consignment tack store" sometimes offer these at much less.



Thelwell published 32 books that included subjects such as cats, dogs, ponies, fishing, sailing, motoring, house hunting, gardening, golf, country sports and stately homes.

His pony books, with fat ponies and little girls gave the name "Thelwell pony" to many very rotound ponies although it's been a long time since I have heard the term used.  Maybe we should bring it back.


His first pony cartoon was published in 1953.  His first book Angels on Horseback  was published in 1957.  A Leg at Each Corner was published in 1961 and was serialised in the Sunday Express and led to the development of the strip cartoon characters Penelope and Kipper.



His 32 books have sold more than 2 million copies in the UK and have been translated into many different languages. 


It's funny that he was not a rider but was able to capture the essence of the relationship between little girl and pony so eloquently.


Enjoy your Monday!

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