It's funny but I'd completely forgotten about those paper shop cats - no doubt they were closely related to Bagpuss and Postman Pat's black and white friend: a special breed that is now all-but extinct.
One other thing I'd love to do if I could hitch a ride back to the 1950s is to make a pilgrimage to all the comic publishers of the day (preferably with a good, modern camera). While I might not be able to compete with the likes of Campion, Bradbury and Bunn (let alone Hampson, Bellamy and Embleton) I reckon I could cobble together a portfolio that'd be just about good enough to get me through the doors of AP, Odhams, Hulton, Pearson, DC Thomson, etc. - as well as the smaller outfits like Gerald Swan, Len Miller, Alan Class and Mick Anglo's Marvelman studio. If possible I'd also try to meet as many of the artists as possible, at a time when most were accustomed to slaving away at their drawing boards without any public feedback or recognition.
And as soon as I made enough money from betting on the Grand National I'd catch a BOAC Comet to America and repeat the process there...!
- Phil Rushton