Toonhound - Bagpuss

     "Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, old fat furry cat-puss,
      Wake up, and look at this thing that I bring,
      Wake up, be bright, be golden and light,
      Bagpuss, oh hear what I sing"

Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's classic tv series featuring a saggy cloth cat
   called Bagpuss, a wooden bookend called Professor Yaffle, Madeleine the rag
   doll, Gabriel the banjo-playing toad and a troupe of singing Mouse Organ Mice.
   These friends dwelled inside young Emily's shop, called 'Bagpuss & Co.', although
   it wasn't actually a shop at all. Instead, Emily would bring back 'things' for her
   associates to investigate, repair and restore and place in the window, in case
   the rightful owner happened to be passing and sought to reclaim it.

   Just one season of thirteen episodes were made for the BBC's 'Watch With Mother'
   schedule, though they were repeated ad-infinitum through the seventies and eighties.
   Initially, Peter Firmin had conceived saggy Bagpuss as being a 'pukka' retired old
   Indian Army Cat who spent his days at a children's hospital in the hills of the Raj.
   He would recount a series of extraordinary stories to the bed-ridden youngsters.
   There was even thought given to constructing him like a hand-manipulated Basil
   Brush puppet (another Firmin creation). In the end we got a stop-motion Olde English
   moggy, well-travelled, well-worn and loved by all, forever dozing in the window of Emily's
   Shop-That-Wasn't-Really-A-Shop. The original puppet was actually stitched together
   by Peter Firmin's wife Joan, and shop-owner Emily who features in those sepia
   opening photos was in fact portrayed by the Firmin's daughter Emily.

   For the record, the names of the four lead 'marvellous, mechanical, mouse
   organ' mice were Charlie, Lizzie, Millie and Willie Mouse.



A large part of the Bagpuss appeal is down to the music. John Faulkner and
   Sandra Kerr wrote and performed a series of splendid, melancholic, folk songs
   concerning the objects that were brought in to the shop, like the tale 'The Boney
   King of Nowhere' or 'Uncle Feedle' and indeed, it was a sequence of chords
   in this latter song that inspired the Bagpuss theme. Most famous of all were those
   marvellous musical mice on the Mouse Organ who sang numerous variations
   of their high-voiced theme. To achieve the unique 'floating' tones the recording was
   cleverly manipulated. First the accompaniement was recorded. It was then played
   back at slow speed whilst the singers did their singing at an equally slow speed
   and in high voices. Oliver Postgate joined John and Sandra during these sessions.
   In his inciteful autobiography 'Seeing Things' (Panmacillan), he claims to be the
   one singing out of tune!

   Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, is as popular today as ever, and he's now gone on to
   woo British High Streets with an ongoing series of popular collectables, including
   plush toys, chinaware, figurines, and musical toys.

     • Our cuddlesome yawning feline was granted an MA by the Unviersity
         Of Kent in 1987.

     • In August 2001, a channel 4 poll placed Bagpuss at the top of a list
        of all-time favourite children's television programmes.

     • In the episode called 'Flying', the Mouse Organ Mice wheel out a model
         of a red London bus, with an advertisement for 'Watch With Mother'
         emblazoned on the side.

      In the news

      The Hound - February 2004
      Saggy, baggy and thirty years old!...

      The Hound - December 2001
      News about SmallFilms/Bagpuss CD-ROMs...

      The Hound: July 2000
      TV Quotes from Oliver Postgate...

     Those 13 Episodes

    Ship In A bottle        The Hamish       The Giant
    The Owls Of Athens  The Wise Man    The Old Man's Beard
    The Frog Princess     The Elephant    The Fiddle
    The Ballet Shoe        The Mouse Mill    Flying
    Uncle Feedle

      written and produced by Oliver Postgate
      pictures and puppets by Peter & Joan Firmin

      with help from
      Linda Birch, Babette Cole and Charlotte Firmin

      music:       John Faulkner, Sandra Kerr
      told by:     Oliver Postgate (Narrator, Bagpuss, Yaffle)
                    John Faulkner (Gabriel)
                    Sandra Kerr (Madeleine)

     On the web

      Smallfilms
      http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/bagpuss
      The official site from Oliver Postgate's Smallfilms. Very nice. Very thorough.
      Features an intro page, characters page, a page on the various stories,
      tie-in books, videos and games, and keeps you up-to-date with the latest
      events and happenings in Bagpuss' world...

      BBC Cult tv
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/tv/bagpuss/
      Bagpuss trivia, clips, photos and wallpaper for you and comments from
      other likeminded surfers - taking a leaf from Yesterdayland here, methinks.
      Anyways, the presentation is clean and clear and it loads quickly too -
      top marks to the Beeb!

      Licensing By Design
      http://www.licensingbydesign.co.uk
      Now these guys are the official licensing agents, and here they present
      a full rundown of products and tie-ins out there in High Street stores,
      or indeed online:

      ToonsToGo
      http://www.toonstogo.com/bagpuss.htm
      Our own online store devoted to all things British and toon-based,
      including Bagpuss frames, magnets, mice and more...

      80sNostalgia
      http://www.80snostalgia.com/classictv/bagpuss/index.html
      A cheeky intro, plenty of pics and sounds, plus a screensaver and desktop
      theme - Yep, 'Bagpuss' gets the old '80sNostalgia' treatment. A dead good
      site, this even thoufgh this was a 70s series!

      Bagpuss FAQ
      http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~stephenbalchin/bagfaq.html
      Jill's fab 'Bagpuss FAQ' answers every conceivable and indeed, inconceivable
      Bagpuss question like, 'why is Bagpuss such a funny colour?' and 'where's
      Emily now?'. Then her 'Bagpuss Sociopolitical Anaylsis' sticks a great big
      wooden spoon in your mind and stirrs it into cake mix...

      Ask Yaffle
      http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~stephenbalchin/yaffle.html
      'Ask Yaffle' expands the above - er, if that's needed...

      80sCartoons
      http://80scartoons.8k.com/bagpuss.html
      Claire's index does just that - indexes the series with a little bit of info
      and some pics, with more promised in time...

      Bagpuss & Co.
    http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/5078/Bagpuss.html
      The Bagpuss & Co. homepages with a nifty episode guide (with ratings),
      a smart 'Trial Of Gabriel' section that just has to be seen, and info about
      the Bagpuss mailing list - Like it!

      Megastar
      http://www.megastar.co.uk/site/today/features/...
      Alright, hands up, I nicked this from the above, but what a link: Everyone's
      favourite moggy has been hijacked by the Daily Star. Bagpuss rocks?!
      - Surely not!

      Catnip
      http://www.personal.u-net.com/~saphir/funstuff/bagpuss.htm
      'Catnip's Bagpuss Page' doesn't add much to the cause, but it captures
      the nostalgic mood of the series. It's slow loading, though...

                 index »    previous »   next »

		...cartoons, animation, comic strips and puppets in the UK
HOME THE HOUND british toon news & chatter MOVIE TOONS animated films & shorts TV TOONS animated series TOON MAKERS animation studios & people IT'S A PUPPET! string, hand & finger puppets COMICS characters, strips & comic books TOON GODS british animators & illustrators RESOURCES ______________ FLEETWAY ST. GENTLEMAN BRIGGS BUNTY'S BOOTY CRACKING COLLECTIBLES _______________ _______________ ABOUT ME EMAIL DISCLAIMER _______________

			Bagpuss (1974) producers: Smallfilms for the BBC animation: stop-motion / cut-outs episodes: 13 x 15 mins

	"Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, old fat furry cat-puss, Wake up, and look at this thing that I bring, Wake up, be bright, be golden and light, Bagpuss, oh hear what I sing" Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's classic tv series featuring a saggy cloth cat called Bagpuss, a wooden bookend called Professor Yaffle, Madeleine the rag doll, Gabriel the banjo-playing toad and a troupe of singing Mouse Organ Mice. These friends dwelled inside young Emily's shop, called 'Bagpuss & Co.', although it wasn't actually a shop at all. Instead, Emily would bring back 'things' for her associates to investigate, repair and restore and place in the window, in case the rightful owner happened to be passing and sought to reclaim it. Just one season of thirteen episodes were made for the BBC's 'Watch With Mother' schedule, though they were repeated ad-infinitum through the seventies and eighties. Initially, Peter Firmin had conceived saggy Bagpuss as being a 'pukka' retired old Indian Army Cat who spent his days at a children's hospital in the hills of the Raj. He would recount a series of extraordinary stories to the bed-ridden youngsters. There was even thought given to constructing him like a hand-manipulated Basil Brush puppet (another Firmin creation). In the end we got a stop-motion Olde English moggy, well-travelled, well-worn and loved by all, forever dozing in the window of Emily's Shop-That-Wasn't-Really-A-Shop. The original puppet was actually stitched together by Peter Firmin's wife Joan, and shop-owner Emily who features in those sepia opening photos was in fact portrayed by the Firmin's daughter Emily. For the record, the names of the four lead 'marvellous, mechanical, mouse organ' mice were Charlie, Lizzie, Millie and Willie Mouse. A large part of the Bagpuss appeal is down to the music. John Faulkner and Sandra Kerr wrote and performed a series of splendid, melancholic, folk songs concerning the objects that were brought in to the shop, like the tale 'The Boney King of Nowhere' or 'Uncle Feedle' and indeed, it was a sequence of chords in this latter song that inspired the Bagpuss theme. Most famous of all were those marvellous musical mice on the Mouse Organ who sang numerous variations of their high-voiced theme. To achieve the unique 'floating' tones the recording was cleverly manipulated. First the accompaniement was recorded. It was then played back at slow speed whilst the singers did their singing at an equally slow speed and in high voices. Oliver Postgate joined John and Sandra during these sessions. In his inciteful autobiography 'Seeing Things' (Panmacillan), he claims to be the one singing out of tune! Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, is as popular today as ever, and he's now gone on to woo British High Streets with an ongoing series of popular collectables, including plush toys, chinaware, figurines, and musical toys. • Our cuddlesome yawning feline was granted an MA by the Unviersity Of Kent in 1987. • In August 2001, a channel 4 poll placed Bagpuss at the top of a list of all-time favourite children's television programmes. • In the episode called 'Flying', the Mouse Organ Mice wheel out a model of a red London bus, with an advertisement for 'Watch With Mother' emblazoned on the side. In the news The Hound - February 2004 Saggy, baggy and thirty years old!... The Hound - December 2001 News about SmallFilms/Bagpuss CD-ROMs... The Hound: July 2000 TV Quotes from Oliver Postgate... Those 13 Episodes Ship In A bottle The Hamish The Giant The Owls Of Athens The Wise Man The Old Man's Beard The Frog Princess The Elephant The Fiddle The Ballet Shoe The Mouse Mill Flying Uncle Feedle written and produced by Oliver Postgate pictures and puppets by Peter & Joan Firmin with help from Linda Birch, Babette Cole and Charlotte Firmin music: John Faulkner, Sandra Kerr told by: Oliver Postgate (Narrator, Bagpuss, Yaffle) John Faulkner (Gabriel) Sandra Kerr (Madeleine) On the web Smallfilms http://www.smallfilms.co.uk/bagpuss The official site from Oliver Postgate's Smallfilms. Very nice. Very thorough. Features an intro page, characters page, a page on the various stories, tie-in books, videos and games, and keeps you up-to-date with the latest events and happenings in Bagpuss' world... BBC Cult tv http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/tv/bagpuss/ Bagpuss trivia, clips, photos and wallpaper for you and comments from other likeminded surfers - taking a leaf from Yesterdayland here, methinks. Anyways, the presentation is clean and clear and it loads quickly too - top marks to the Beeb! Licensing By Design http://www.licensingbydesign.co.uk Now these guys are the official licensing agents, and here they present a full rundown of products and tie-ins out there in High Street stores, or indeed online: ToonsToGo http://www.toonstogo.com/bagpuss.htm Our own online store devoted to all things British and toon-based, including Bagpuss frames, magnets, mice and more... 80sNostalgia http://www.80snostalgia.com/classictv/bagpuss/index.html A cheeky intro, plenty of pics and sounds, plus a screensaver and desktop theme - Yep, 'Bagpuss' gets the old '80sNostalgia' treatment. A dead good site, this even thoufgh this was a 70s series! Bagpuss FAQ http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~stephenbalchin/bagfaq.html Jill's fab 'Bagpuss FAQ' answers every conceivable and indeed, inconceivable Bagpuss question like, 'why is Bagpuss such a funny colour?' and 'where's Emily now?'. Then her 'Bagpuss Sociopolitical Anaylsis' sticks a great big wooden spoon in your mind and stirrs it into cake mix... Ask Yaffle http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~stephenbalchin/yaffle.html 'Ask Yaffle' expands the above - er, if that's needed... 80sCartoons http://80scartoons.8k.com/bagpuss.html Claire's index does just that - indexes the series with a little bit of info and some pics, with more promised in time... Bagpuss & Co. http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/5078/Bagpuss.html The Bagpuss & Co. homepages with a nifty episode guide (with ratings), a smart 'Trial Of Gabriel' section that just has to be seen, and info about the Bagpuss mailing list - Like it! Megastar http://www.megastar.co.uk/site/today/features/... Alright, hands up, I nicked this from the above, but what a link: Everyone's favourite moggy has been hijacked by the Daily Star. Bagpuss rocks?! - Surely not! Catnip http://www.personal.u-net.com/~saphir/funstuff/bagpuss.htm 'Catnip's Bagpuss Page' doesn't add much to the cause, but it captures the nostalgic mood of the series. It's slow loading, though... index » previous » next »
	© Smalfilms / F2000-2004