Sixty years since he was created, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ retired road safety squirrel Tufty Fluffytail will feature in an exhibition exploring international state-related propaganda from the 20th and 21st centuries, which opens next week.

Tufty, a red squirrel with signature blue and yellow clothing, was created by the late Elsie Mills MBE in 1953 to help communicate simple safety messages to children. Now, the ever-popular creature, who was joined in his adventures by Minnie Mole and Willy Weasel to name a few of his companions, will feature in the British Library’s exhibition Propaganda: Power and Persuasion, from May 17 to September 17.

The exhibition, which covers state-related propaganda from around the world, will be split into six sections: origins; nation; war; enemy; health; and, propaganda in the 21st century. It will feature Tufty memorabilia from the British Library’s archives, including a bag and greetings card, plus a RoSPA poster from the 1960s featuring statistics about children and road accidents. Tufty is displayed alongside other examples of the ways in which state organisations, and those with close links to the state, attempt to change behaviour and influence attitudes on a range of issues relating to health and risky behaviour.

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.

Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of RoSPA, a safety charity with a history stretching back 97 years, said: “The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to mark Tufty’s 60th birthday and to acknowledge his contribution to society. Tufty was an iconic aid to road safety education, teaching generations of children right through the 60s and 70s and into the 80s and 90s.

“Although it might seem strange to consider him as propaganda, the British Library’s exhibition is a fitting reminder of Tufty, his powers of persuasion and his enduring legacy as artwork.”

Jude England, head of social sciences at the British Library and curator of Propaganda, said: “Tufty is featuring in our exhibition as a wonderful example of a successful propaganda campaign. At its peak in the early 1970s, around two million children were members of local Tufty Clubs.

“The best public health campaigns use a number of techniques to relate their messages, ranging from shocking to humorous; Tufty’s appeal lay in the friendly images and accessible language used, for example, in the ‘kerb drill’. We expect that the Tufty exhibits will evoke childhood memories for many of the visitors to the exhibition.”

Winter tyres vital for 80 per cent of winter days, despite being slammed as 'expensive' A LADY walked along the cobbled streets of Faversham's town centre, with her hair wind-swept and her floral umbrella inside out, her body repeatedly sprayed with water as car after car zoomed by

Low income families at highest risk of road accidents IF the government is to have any chance of restoring its reputation and reducing the number of people killed or injured on Britain's roads, it will need to focus as much on social factors as s

Overweight drivers destroying costly efforts to improve fuel efficiency They may wish to save money on their car costs but obesity is having an adverse impact on motorists.But for every additional 7st in a car, fuel economy will drop by two per cent. A Ford Fiesta which

Tiredness is deadly but half of all drivers are forced to drive to work early despite a lack of sleep.  Drivers are being advised to take simple steps to avoid falling asleep at the wheel as the holiday season starts and many families prepare for long distance travel to destinations across the UK and ... 

Motorhome industry making ‘gradual recovery’ after recession with families growing fond of the British ‘staycation’.  The growing popularity of the ‘staycation’ has seen more Britons choosing to holiday in UK, according to Nick Page, Commercial Director for the Swift Group.Mr Page told Motortrades Insight’s Danny H... 

Police commissioners do not regard road safety as a high priority, as number of road traffic police plummet.  Traffic police numbers across Great Britain have been cut by 12 per cent in five years, with some forces suffering 30 to 40 per cent reductions, according to data released today by road safety chari... 

Sustainable MotorExpo: Bluebird to officially launch DC50 Sports Car and Bluebird GTL Formula E this September.  Bluebird has announced it is to officially launch its DC50 Sports Car and Bluebird GTL Formula E at Sustainable MotoExpo on Saturday, September 28, at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu.One of th... 

£10 Million Pound Prize Announced To Make Ultra Low Emission Cars.  A new £10 million prize to incentivise the development of the next generation of ultra low emission cars has been announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander during a visit to M... 

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Pictures from Day One.  With the Goodwood Festival of Speed having kicked off in style today, many people will be looking forward to the weekend when the festival will be at its busiest. Here, we provide you with a wi... 

James Toseland aims to smash Motorcycle World Land Speed Record with help of Essex-based aerodynamic paint speciali.  An Essex-based classic car specialist has been commissioned to work on a one-off motorcycle project that aims to break the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record.Former two times World Superbike Champio... 

Nissan’s all-gamer line-up takes class podium at Spa 24 Hours.  Nissan’s all-gamer line-up of Lucas Ordonez, Jann Mardenborough, Wolfgang Reip and Peter Pyzera took a Pro-Am podium in the Spa 24 Hours today when they brought the No.35 Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 to th... 

WIN a Mitsubishi Mirage .  Mitsubishi Motors in the UK has launched a competition that will see every one of its dealerships give away a brand new Mitsubishi Mirage to a lucky customer for a whole year.The UK’s fastest growin... 

Government must fuel UK automotive ambition after 'thrilling' British Grand Prix, says MP.  Just two weeks ago, the world’s fiercest and fastest racing drivers returned to Silverstone for what turned out to be a thrilling British Grand Prix. While our exceptional British drivers have had m... 

Pepe Reina set to splash out on new Ferrari or Lamborghini after shock loan move to Napoli.  Liverpool legend Pepe Reina could be set to splash out on a brand new top-of-the-range Ferrari or Lamborghini, after his shock loan move to Napoli. The Spanish international, who has been loyal... 

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage. For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.