Toonhound - Creepy Crawlies

     "Creepy Crawlies...
         They know what being small is...
     Creepy Crawlies...
         They're not like big and tallies..."

    .And so another bright new day dawns upon the home of the Creepy Crawlies.
    Mr Harrison the snooty snail, Suppose the lowly red-nosed worm, Ariadne the
    spider, the irksome woodlouse-come-pill-bug called Anorak, meek Ladybird,
    Lambeth the brawny-but-brainless beetle and Ancient the aged caterpillar dwell
    right down at the bottom of the garden, near the shed, on and around an old
    broken sundial that 'nobody wanted'.

        Ladybird

    These bugs have a miniature but exciting time, rescuing friends from jam jars,
    communicating with conkers, finding new homes and generally having 'The Best
    Day Ever' almost every day. To be truthful, not a lot happens, but with the Crawlies
    time is never of the essence anyway. Just listen to the end song:

     "Creepin' and crawlin' gives you time to think.
      Rushing is enthralling, but you're sure to miss a lot
      if you should blink..."

    Still, whatever wonderful mysteries the day brings, you can bet that puzzles will
    be completed, mysteries solved, and problems sorted just in time to watch the
    sun go down beyond the old sundial...



    What a treat. These elegant models move on and around a few small, but
    equally-well realised garden sets, Paul Nicholas furnishes each character with
    the perfect voice, and Malcolm Rowe and Keith Hopwood add a jolly hummable
    theme. Book-ending each episode are atmospheric shots of the sun rising
    and setting beyond the sundial - *sigh*

    There are lots of little pleasures to unearth here. Lambeth is always boasting
    about his 'bulguler musclefication' whilst Mr Harrison rolls his antennae and
    reminds all and sundry about the beetle's lack of a brain. Anorak, meanwhile,
    remains insistent that he's a pill-bug, and not a woodlouse regardless of what
    the others think. Then there are incidental events, like Ariadne reading her poem
    in 'The Best Day Ever' . It's actually part of an ingredients label from a tin of beans.
    And then there's the Other Worm in 'Storm In A Tea Cup'. It's really just an old
    boot lace!

   You know, several communities of animated insects have sprung up over the last
    few years - from 'James And The Giant Peach' to 'Bug's Life' and beyond - but
    this series predates  them all. And what's more, irrespective of the technological
    leaps and bounds that have been made over the intervening years 'Creepy Crawlies'
    is still a class act: Just look at the 'eyes' on Ariadne's hat, rolling around on
    occasion, or Lambeth the muscular beetle breathing heavily after a round of
    acrobatics. The pleasure's in the detail and in knowing it was all manipulated
    by hand - no CGI here, no software assistance, folks.

    The characters themselves were created by Cosgrove Hall maestro Bridget Appleby.
    She's still an integral part of CHF today, having recently conceived and created
    'Engie Benjy'. Bridget was also responsible for designing the new 'Andy Pandy'
    and 'Bill And Ben' series - the latter drawing noticeable influence from her
    'creepy' predecessor, with Whoops the worm and Whimsy spider, and the
    extended garden setting.

    Sadly 'Creepy Crawlies' has been sidelined somewhat by the recent rush to
    revive the 'flashier' Cosgrove Hall series like 'Chorlton And The Wheelies' and
    'DangerMouse' for the Nostalgia Crowd. That's a crying shame because only
    a season's worth of episodes were ever released on video, which leaves three
    whole seasons out there in the CHF library. Aficionado's would surely be happy
    to pay top-dollar for a well-conceived DVD release, with a careful selection of
    extras. Let's keep all six (or eight!) insect legs crossed in hope...

    Creepy Crawlies episodes

     The Red Voice                           The Cold
     Pleasurabolosites                        Lambeth The Conqueror
     The Stone Dream                       Storm In A Tea Cup
     The Art Of Noise                        The Leaving
     When The Garden lost Its Grip      The Best Day Ever

       producers:       Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall
       assoc prod:      Chris Taylor
       exec prod:       John Hambley
       director:           Francis Vose
       writer:              Peter Richard Reeves
       characters:       Bridget Appleby
       animators:        Lloyd Price, Rachel Hall
       music:              Keith Hopwood, Malcolm Rowe
                               sung by Paul Nicholas
       sets:                 Terry Brown
       realisation:       Chris Walker, Graham Maiden,
                               Pippa Lewis, Helen Plaumer,
                               Paul Simpson, Rowena Watson,
                               Noel Baker
      character
        construction:      Peter Saunders, Colin Batty,
                               Peter Bentley, Claire Elliott,
                               Marcia Pidgeon
       model camera:  Brian Parsley, Joe Dembinski
       film editors:      John McManuus, Ellis Ward
       asst editor:       Jane Hicks
       dubb mixer:      Ted Spooner
       narration:         Paul Nicholas

     On the web

      Cosgrove Hall Films
      http://www.chf.co.uk
     The official Cosgrove Hall site features an indexing for our creepy friends and
      of course, the myriad other series and specials on their ever-expanding CV...

      Pluto Music
      http://www.plutomusic.com
      Info here on the sound studio owned and operated by Keith Hopwood
      and Malcolm Rowe, who wrote that hummable theme...

      Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain
      http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/chamb/
      Laura's big bright site is stuffed with CH info, facts, images and more.
      The Creepy Crawlies are indexed here too...

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			Creepy Crawlies (1987-1989) producers: Cosgrove Hall Productions for Thames Television animation: stop-motion animation episodes: 52 x 10mins

	"Creepy Crawlies... They know what being small is... Creepy Crawlies... They're not like big and tallies..." .And so another bright new day dawns upon the home of the Creepy Crawlies. Mr Harrison the snooty snail, Suppose the lowly red-nosed worm, Ariadne the spider, the irksome woodlouse-come-pill-bug called Anorak, meek Ladybird, Lambeth the brawny-but-brainless beetle and Ancient the aged caterpillar dwell right down at the bottom of the garden, near the shed, on and around an old broken sundial that 'nobody wanted'. These bugs have a miniature but exciting time, rescuing friends from jam jars, communicating with conkers, finding new homes and generally having 'The Best Day Ever' almost every day. To be truthful, not a lot happens, but with the Crawlies time is never of the essence anyway. Just listen to the end song: "Creepin' and crawlin' gives you time to think. Rushing is enthralling, but you're sure to miss a lot if you should blink..." Still, whatever wonderful mysteries the day brings, you can bet that puzzles will be completed, mysteries solved, and problems sorted just in time to watch the sun go down beyond the old sundial... What a treat. These elegant models move on and around a few small, but equally-well realised garden sets, Paul Nicholas furnishes each character with the perfect voice, and Malcolm Rowe and Keith Hopwood add a jolly hummable theme. Book-ending each episode are atmospheric shots of the sun rising and setting beyond the sundial - sigh There are lots of little pleasures to unearth here. Lambeth is always boasting about his 'bulguler musclefication' whilst Mr Harrison rolls his antennae and reminds all and sundry about the beetle's lack of a brain. Anorak, meanwhile, remains insistent that he's a pill-bug, and not a woodlouse regardless of what the others think. Then there are incidental events, like Ariadne reading her poem in 'The Best Day Ever' . It's actually part of an ingredients label from a tin of beans. And then there's the Other Worm in 'Storm In A Tea Cup'. It's really just an old boot lace! You know, several communities of animated insects have sprung up over the last few years - from 'James And The Giant Peach' to 'Bug's Life' and beyond - but this series predates them all. And what's more, irrespective of the technological leaps and bounds that have been made over the intervening years 'Creepy Crawlies' is still a class act: Just look at the 'eyes' on Ariadne's hat, rolling around on occasion, or Lambeth the muscular beetle breathing heavily after a round of acrobatics. The pleasure's in the detail and in knowing it was all manipulated by hand - no CGI here, no software assistance, folks. The characters themselves were created by Cosgrove Hall maestro Bridget Appleby. She's still an integral part of CHF today, having recently conceived and created 'Engie Benjy'. Bridget was also responsible for designing the new 'Andy Pandy' and 'Bill And Ben' series - the latter drawing noticeable influence from her 'creepy' predecessor, with Whoops the worm and Whimsy spider, and the extended garden setting. Sadly 'Creepy Crawlies' has been sidelined somewhat by the recent rush to revive the 'flashier' Cosgrove Hall series like 'Chorlton And The Wheelies' and 'DangerMouse' for the Nostalgia Crowd. That's a crying shame because only a season's worth of episodes were ever released on video, which leaves three whole seasons out there in the CHF library. Aficionado's would surely be happy to pay top-dollar for a well-conceived DVD release, with a careful selection of extras. Let's keep all six (or eight!) insect legs crossed in hope... Creepy Crawlies episodes The Red Voice The Cold Pleasurabolosites Lambeth The Conqueror The Stone Dream Storm In A Tea Cup The Art Of Noise The Leaving When The Garden lost Its Grip The Best Day Ever producers: Brian Cosgrove, Mark Hall assoc prod: Chris Taylor exec prod: John Hambley director: Francis Vose writer: Peter Richard Reeves characters: Bridget Appleby animators: Lloyd Price, Rachel Hall music: Keith Hopwood, Malcolm Rowe sung by Paul Nicholas sets: Terry Brown realisation: Chris Walker, Graham Maiden, Pippa Lewis, Helen Plaumer, Paul Simpson, Rowena Watson, Noel Baker character construction: Peter Saunders, Colin Batty, Peter Bentley, Claire Elliott, Marcia Pidgeon model camera: Brian Parsley, Joe Dembinski film editors: John McManuus, Ellis Ward asst editor: Jane Hicks dubb mixer: Ted Spooner narration: Paul Nicholas On the web Cosgrove Hall Films http://www.chf.co.uk The official Cosgrove Hall site features an indexing for our creepy friends and of course, the myriad other series and specials on their ever-expanding CV... Pluto Music http://www.plutomusic.com Info here on the sound studio owned and operated by Keith Hopwood and Malcolm Rowe, who wrote that hummable theme... Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/chamb/ Laura's big bright site is stuffed with CH info, facts, images and more. The Creepy Crawlies are indexed here too... index » previous » next »
	© Cosgrove-Hall Productions Ltd / F2000-2004