LENNY THE LION



Hugely popular children's show that began on BBC in 1956. Terry Hall was one of the first ventriloquists to use an animal rather than a little boy as his dummy and Lenny was also one of the first to be given the abilty to move his arms, where he was, at times, prone to burying his head in embarrassment. One of Lenny's endearing qualities was his inability to pwonounce his 'R's. Apart from the original series there was Lenny's Den from 1959-61, and Pops and Lenny from 1962-63 which featured an early appearance by The Beatles.
Approx: 60 shows of 25 minute duration. Black and White. BBC

MR. BENN



Classic series of animated adventures about bowler-hatted Mr. Benn of 52 Festive Road, London, who visited a rather special costume shop where he was greeted by the owner who arrived 'as if by magic.' The shop keeper then allowed Mr. Benn to try on any costume in the changing room from which he would proceed through 'the door that always led to adventure', and emerge in the world that related to the outfit he was wearing. As a caveman, an astronaut, a pirate or a cowboy, Mr. Benn would always come to the aid of some poor unfortunate before the shopkeeper suddenly re-appeared to escort him back to the shop. Created by David McKee and narrated by Ray Brooks, only 13 episodes were ever made, but the series has been repeated every year since it's original transmission, making it a firm children's favourite over several generations.
13 episodes of 15 minute duration. BBC TV 1971.

NOGGIN THE NOG



The second offering from the Smallfilms team of Pete Firmin and Oliver Postgate (the first being Ivor The Engine), in which the brave Noggin, Prince of the Nogs struggles to overcome his wicked uncle Nogbad the Bad who devises evil plots to threaten the safety of the kingdom, in order to force Noggin to give up his crown, and his voyage to the Land of the Midnight Sun to fetch Eskimo princess Nooka, in order to make her his bride. A colour remake was made in 1982 Noggin and the Ice Dragon, along with a completely new episode, Noggin and the Pie.
Approximately 40 episodes of 10 minute duration. BBC 1959-65. 1982.

PINKY AND PERKY



In 1957 a dynamic new double act made their first appearance on BBC television, two puppet pigs with a cheeky attitude and speeded-up voices named Pinky and Perky, the creation of Czechs, painter and sculptor, Jan Dalibor and his actress wife, Viasta. "I had always been interested in puppets," says Jan, "and Viasta suggested I make some puppet pigs because the pig is a symbol of good luck in Czechoslovakia. I came up with twin boy pigs -Pinky who wore red and Perky who wore blue."
Originally aimed squarely at the children's share of the market, the player porker's prancing around to the hit songs of the sixties unexpectedly transformed them into adult viewers favourites. At their peak, they succeeded in attracting more viewers than the mighty US sitcom import The Lucy Show with Lucille Ball, and even conquered the US themselves, making six appearances on the prestigious Ed Sullivan Show and doing a year at the gaming capital of the world, Las Vegas.

The Dalibors were quick to realise the power of music for their creations, and it quickly came to form an integral part of their shows. Their show's format underwent a change which saw the duo running their own television station, PPC TV, along with various human side-kicks including, Jimmy Thompson, Roger Mofat, John Slater, Brian Burdon and Fred Emney. Their theme song was the catchy 'We Belong Together' and they even introduced a group of puppet "Fab Four" called The Beakles. Amazingly, at the height of their fame, Pinky and Perky received almost as much fan mail as the genuine Beatles! Ultimately, the Dalibors created a total of fifty puppets. Besides Pinky and Perky there was Ambrose Cat, Horace Hare (the spitting image of popular comedian, Ken Dodd), Basil Bloodhound, Morton Frog, Conchita the Cow, Bertie the baby elephant and the sultry Vera Vixen, plus an endless supply of mice. Noteable human guest stars included Michael Aspel, Stratford Johns (in 'Z Pigs'), Freddie and the Dreamers and Henry Cooper.

In 1966 the BBC took the drastic step of actually banning their show, charging it with being "too political". This had resulted from the The Dalibors planning an edition titled 'You Too Can Be a Prime Minister' but, fearful of any political content with a general election approaching, the BBC decided to postpone transmission until after polling day. However, a huge public outcry saw it quickly reinstated. Speaking at the time, Jimmy Thompson commented on how he was nonplussed by the corporation's drastic decision: "All that happens is I stand for election, have cabbages thrown at me and when I eventually arrive at Number Ten, I find Pinky and Perky already there." However, in a somewhat ironic twist when 'You Too Can Be a Prime Minister' was finally shown, it succeeded in attracting more viewers than Harold Wilson's party political broadcast which on the was on the ITV network at the same time. After a defection to Thames, in the late sixties, Pinky and Perky finally retired from the nation's television screens in 1972. But a recent successful run of video releases of their old shows has paved the way for a possible return of the squeaky voiced veterans.
Approx 220 shows of 30 minute duration. BBC TV 1957-68. ITV 1969-72.

Play School / Play Away



"Here is a house, here is a door, windows -one, two, three four. Ready to knock? Turn the lock. It's Play School." These were the first words spoken on the first show ever seen on the opening day of BBC2 television in 1964. Play School was a mixture of songs and stories which entertained and educated the under five's for 24 years, whilst making household names of many of its presenters including Johnny Ball, Floella Benjamin, Toni Arthur, Derrick Griffiths and the unforgettable Brian Cant. But perhaps even more famous than the long list of presenters were the Play School toys, Little Ted and Big Ted, Jemima, Humpty and Hamble (who was replaced in the 1980's by black doll Poppy). There were also real animals, the most famous of which was Katoo the cockatoo. The programme opened with a look at the calendar with the day, month and date clearly spelled out and each day had a particular theme. Monday was Useful Box Day, Tuesday was Dressing Up Day, Wednesday was Pets Day, Thursday was Ideas Day and Friday was Science Day. During the show viewers were posed the question of which window to look through, arched, square or round, before seeing a short film about an outside activity. In 1981 there was a Saturday afternoon version aimed at the more sophisticated seven-year-olds. Play Away, which ran for thirteen years, followed a similar format although the games and songs were less infantile. Cant, Arthur, Griffiths and Benjamin each appeared in the show but they were joined by a whole host of new presenters, most famously Tony Robinson who went on to star as Baldrick in the Blackadder series, Anita Dobson who found later fame in Eastenders and future Hollywood Oscar winner Jeremy Irons!
Play School approximately 4000 shows of 30 minute duration. Play Away Approximately 500 shows.

POGLE'S WOOD



Another offering from the prolific Smallfilms company of Firmin and Postgate, is this story of woodland folk (Mr and Mrs Pogle, son Pippin and pet squirrel Tog) who lived "deep in the middle of a wood" at the base of a tree with a magic bean plant. Originally called "The Pogles" the series featured a witch, but this character was dropped because the BBC thought it might scare tiny viewers. Shown as part of "Watch With Mother", and like many of Smallfilms productions there were only 13 episodes ever made.
13 episodes of 15 minute duration. Black and White. BBC 1966-67.

RAINBOW



Pre-school fun, songs and learning with a dedicated hard core adult following, Rainbow ran for almost twenty years on the ITV network as a production of Thames Television. starring Bungle the Bear (actor and voice artist, Roy Skelton, who had also supplied the grating, memorable voice of a Dalek more than once in the BBC's legendary, Doctor Who), alongside puppets George, a mild mannered, pink hippopotamus and the gruff, sarcastic and zip-mouthed creature know as Zippy, as well as human co-star, Geoffrey Hayes, formerly Detective Constable Scatliff at Newtown CID, in the BBC's classic Z-cars. However, the original, now almost forgotten line-up when the series first appeared on the nation's TV screens in 1971, consisted of actor David Cook as the host along with Moony, a meek mauve puppet, and Sunshine, an aggressive yellow one. Another well loved element which contributed greatly to Rainbow's enduring success was the resident musical trio of Rod, Jane and...Matthew. Future custodian of the mighty Sooty franchise, Matthew Corbett was one-third of the shows original musical trio before being replaced by the person who's name helped immortalise the threesome, Freddy! In its early days Rainbow attracted a superb roster of talent for its rotating band of guest storytellers, including Dame Judi Dench and Stephanie Beacham. Charming, innocent and a mainstay of pre-school programming, Rainbow continues to be a fondly remembered and much admired example of the very best television for the very young...as well as the very young at heart.
Approx 1000 shows of 20 minute duration. 1971-92.

SARA AND HOPPITY



Popular black and white children's puppet series that was shown as part of the children's television slot Small Time about a young girl (Sara Brown) whose parents run a hospital for toys. One day an old man brings in a broken toy and Sara decides to adopt him as her very own. His name is Hoppity (because he has one leg shorter than the other) and he was found in a Goblin Ring, which means he tends to be very very naughty. Sarah And Hoppity was based on characters created by Roberta Leigh (Twizzle, Torchy the Battery Boy) and had appeared in print in four titles, the first of which was written in 1960. The puppets were made by Jack Whitehead, who had previously worked on Muffin the Mule and The Invisible Man. Associated Rediffusion paid £700 per episode and the first was broadcast in early 1962. New episodes ran for a year but the series was then shown in repeats until around the early 1970s. The first episode still exists, having been stored with the entire series of Roberta Leigh's next project Space Patrol. For those (and there have been many) who have requested the words to Sara's song -it goes like this:

Sarah Brown has a toy as naughty can be
And he'll start to sing if you wind-up his key
He'll sing and he'll dance, all over the floor
And when he stands still then you wind him some more

Dear old Hoppity, naughty Hoppity
There is no toy more naughty than he
Dear old Hoppity, lovely Hoppity
He sings 'Diddly-Dum' and he sings 'Diddly-Dee'

Sarah Brown has a toy as naughty can be
And he'll start to sing if you wind-up his key
One leg is much shorter but give him a chance
And he'll show you how he can manage to dance

Dear old Hoppity, naughty Hoppity
There is no toy more naughty than he
Dear old Hoppity, lovely Hoppity
He sings 'Diddly-Dum' and he sings 'Diddly-Dee'

50 episodes from February 1962 to February 1963

For further information visit the excellent Sarah and Hoppity Website at http://homepages.tesco.net/~space.patrol/SaraHoppity/SaraIsHome.htm