The Clangers

The Clangers were The Soup Dragon along with Granny Clanger, Major Clanger, Mother Clanger and Tiny and Small Clanger. Made by Smallfilms production, the Clangers were originally written in a series of children's books by Oliver Postgate.



Peter Firmin designed the characters and his wife knitted and 'dressed' the Clangers. Music was by Vernon Elliot. 26 5 minute episodes were made over two series were made between 1968 and 1972. They even were seen on Dr Who for a brief moment.

The whistling they made was seriously impossible to translate, but all you needed to know is The Soup Dragon is obsessed with Green Soup. The Iron Chicken was made of Meccano. Froglets and
The Cloud which floats over the surface of the planet with musical rain drops. Actually until you write these things out it never occurs to you how weird this stuff really is!

Series One (1968-1970)
"Flying"
"The Visitor"
"Chicken"
"Music"
"The Intruder"
"Visiting Friends"
"Fishing"
"The Top Hat"
"The Egg"
"The Hoot"
"The Meeting"
"Treasure"
"Goods"

Series Two (1971-1972)
"The Tablecloth"
"The Rock Collector"
"Glow-Honey"
"The Teapot"
"The Cloud"
"The Egg"
"The Noise Machine"
"The Seed"
"Pride"
"Bags"
"The Blow-Fruit"
"Pipe Organ"
"The Music of the Spheres"

Trumpton

Trumpton came in 1967 after the success of Camberwick Green and its musical box device at the start of each episode. Trumpton was narrated by Brian Cant and shown on the BBC from the 3 January 1967. There was only ever 13 episodes made each around 10 minutes long. Soon after the team made a third animation series called Chigley



Trumpton was an imaginery Town which became famous for the Fire Brigade and the roll call "Pugh! Pugh! Barney McGrew! Cuthbert! Dibble! Grubb!". Trumpton not far from Camberwick Green. Each episode begins with a shot of Trumpton Town Hall Clock, "telling the time, steadily, sensibly; never too quickly, never too slowly; telling the time for Trumpton".

The townsfolk then appear and go about their daily business. These include the Mayor, Mr Troop the Town Clerk, Chippy Minton the carpenter and his apprentice son, Nibbs, Mrs. Cobbit the florist, Miss Lovelace the milliner and her trio of pekingese dogs, and Mr. Platt the clockmaker.The story is all about a variety of domestic problems which are resolved by the end of the show, leaving the last minute or so for the Fire Brigade to become the Fire Brigade Band and play the episode out.

The 13 episodes in order are:

"The Bill Poster" (3 January 1967)
"Miss Lovelace and the Mayor's Hat" (10 January 1967)
"Mrs Cobbit & the Ice Cream Man" (17 January 1967)
"Miss Lovelace and the Statue" (24 January 1967)
"Mr Platt and the Painter" (31 January 1967)
"The Mayor's Birthday" (7 February 1967)
"Telephone" (14 February 1967)
"The Rag and Bone Man" (21 February 1967)
"The Window Cleaner" (28 February 1967)
"Cuthbert's Morning Off" (7 March 1967)[2]
"The Plumber" (14 March 1967)
"Pigeons" (21 March 1967)
"The Greenhouse" (28 March 1967)