“They would arrive to collect their mounts in yellow pullovers, tiny jodhpurs and velvet safety helmets.

The source of inspiration for his illustrations of short-legged ponies causing mischief, was his home in Codsall that was next to a field containing two small, fat hairy ponies, “owned by two little girls about three feet high,” he recalled in his autobiography.

He remembers always wanting to draw as a child and recalls finding drawing and painting much easier than other subjects – “with drawing, the answer was always there in front of you – you only had to look.” Norman Thelwell’s earliest surviving drawing is a pencil self-portrait done at the age of 10, on which his teacher has written in red ink: ‘V. Join us here as we join in on the celebrations by taking a look back into Thelwell’s early inspiration, learn more about the great artist through reflections from his children, and discover what’s still to enjoy for 2023 and beyond. He was most famous for his hilarious illustrations of determined little girls with their chubby, hairy ponies, who invariably have the upper hand.

The English landscape artist and illustrator was known to many as ‘the unofficial artist of the British countryside’ and is widely regarded as the most popular cartoonist in Britain. 2023 marks the 100 th anniversary of Norman Thelwell’s birth, and the 70 th birthday of the iconic and easily recognisable, ‘Thelwell Pony’, much-loved by young and old alike.

The red hat club rides again