John Bull Picture Printing Charter Series

John Bull Outfits were originally produced by the Charter Stamp Company, a printing firm founded in London in 1922 the printing outfits were among Britain�s oldest and most popular toys of the day.

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The John Bull trademark was entered in the register in 1927 along with the artwork which would be used for sales and promotions for fifty years and some. The original watercolour of John Bull and his dog survives in the National Archives.

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Charter Stamp Company moved several times in their early years of trading, eventually settling in Southwark Street London where the outfits were also produced. Later in 1946 Charter Stamp Company became Carson-Baker Limited, and the Charter trademark became Carbak.

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The company announced the John Bull Printing Outfit were fully made in the British Isles which was correct, boxes were made at the premises in London also the rubber letters were moulded and vulcanised at the factory and even the ink was made there in buckets.

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Early John Bull sets consisted of just upper-case characters, around 12 point in size. In the 1930s a slab serif typeface with upper and lower-case characters had been introduced, along with more expensive sets with illustration printing blocks showing clowns, a Native American Chief and a selection of various Animals.

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The toys were the perfect stocking fillers for generations, inexpensive and easy to play with, the printing outfits provide hours of printing creative fun for young children.

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Lots and lots variations of rubber stamp sets were made with kits numbered from 1 to 250 with the smallest kits only slightly larger than a box of kitchen matches while the largest set dwarfed a standard Compendium of Games box.

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The product range expanded and by the start of the 1960s included a small hand press called the Mark 5 which could accommodate several lines of rubber type in grooves on a small slab.