Oliver B. Bumble

Oliver B. Bumble (Olivier B. Bommel in Dutch) is a fictional anthropomorphic bear, one of the two main characters in a Dutch comic book series written by Marten Toonder. The other is Tom Puss (Tom Poes), and the comic book bears the name of either of these characters.

The first Tom Puss stories were told as illustrated novels, published in daily installments in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Tom Puss first appeared as a replacement for the Mickey Mouse strip in 1941. It was not until later that Tom Puss became more identifiable as a comic strip.

Sir Oliver B. Bumble was introduced in 1941, in the third Tom Puss story. Initially, he was only a supporting character, but he soon became a second protagonist. As Tom Puss was noble and heroic, later stories came to depend on the flawed and kind-hearted Oliver B. Bumble as an initiator of events. The final story, published in 1986, ends the story with Bumble marrying his neighbor, Miss Doddel, and settling down.

There have been over 600 Tom Puss stories in total and most of them feature Oliver B. Bumble. Bumble and Puss' stories have been translated and published worldwide. An animated movie based on the series named "Als je begrijpt wat ik bedoel" ("If you know what I mean," one of Bumble's catch-phrases) was released in 1983. In the 1940s, Toonder created a number of short animated movies featuring the characters in commercials for Philips.

In February 2007, the Dutch Programme Foundation began a 440-part radio drama based on the series, hosted by Radio 4. The series ended in December 2009. There have been rumors of a new film and animation series.

Sir Oliver is a bear of nobility; an eloquent, though not always coherent, gentleman with a slight stutter when he's upset. He enjoys the finer things in life, and likes making a good impression with his peers in the "Kleine Club," the "Little Club", a rather exclusive affair. It includes members such as mayor Dickerdack, overly eager to delegate difficult tasks, and Bumble's arch-rival the Marquis de Canteclaer, who is also his neighbor and thinks that "this, err.. Bumble" is a parvenu. Bumbles membership is somewhat controversial and he's blackballed on several occasions.

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Wikipedia