wombats => Datatrieve
"a very nice article about wombats complete with a picture which would display on graphics-capable terminals like a VT220/240."
Happy days.
"the help system built into one of the VMS apps"
That'll be DATATRIEVE (caps intended):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DATATRIEVE
[wiki]
DATATRIEVE is a database query and report writer tool [ ... ] DATATRIEVE's command structure is nearly plain English, and it is an early example of a Fourth Generation Language (4GL).
<snip>
DATATRIEVE adopted the wombat as its notional mascot; the program's help file responded to “HELP WOMBAT” with factual information about real world wombats.
[/wiki]
Additionally, the user group newsletter was called "The Wombat Examiner:
http://dtrwiz.home.netcom.com/dtrfaq.html - includes image of wombat
See also (advanced users in particular):
https://www.ibphoenix.com/resources/documents/history/doc_295
Biting the hand that feeds IT
