Toonhound - Foo Foo (1959-1960)

   A pioneering British tv series from Halas & Batchelor, this was titled after its
    innocent clown-like star. Foo Foo's heart was stolen by the attentions of
    young Mimi, but his rival in love, Gogo, was always coming between them.
    Optimistic Foo Foo was never beaten easily, though, and he would work around
    the problem somehow, defeat the bullying Gogo, and win his way back in to
    young Mimi's affections...

    Foo Foo was very obviously derived from Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp". As
    with many of the characters created by Halas & Batchelor at this time, the
    character design was wonderfully simple. Foo Foo had a square body and a
    circle for a head, with a bulbous nose and black line arms and legs. He resembled
    a type of upturned exclamation mark, actually. The other characters were
    depicted in a similarly beautiful, broad, geometric fashion.

    "Foo Foo" proved a hit with ITV viewers and, evidently, tv executives because
    the series was snapped up for syndication in the USA. It thus earned itself the
    distinction of being the very first British animated series to be broadcast over
    there. A comic strip version of the series also appeared in "TV Comic".

    The animated characters for "Foo Foo" were drawn directly onto cels, rather than
    being traced from paper drawings. This speeded up the production schedule, and
    significantly reduced costs. This innovative technique was referred to as the HABA
    Cellgraph system.

    At this time, Halas & Batchelor had put together an extraordinary studio of talent,
    who had crafted their skills on the likes of Animal Farm. The animation on "Foo Foo",
    and indeed, right through their series and shorts of this period, have a purity of line
    and a vitality that's rarely seen in today's productions.

    Four years later, Halas & Batchelor struck even bigger and still brighter tv gold with
    that science-fiction pixie DoDo.

    Awards

    1960 - Edinburgh Festival Award for "Foo Foo: The Stowaway"

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			Foo Foo (1959 - 1960) producers: Halas & Batchelor animation: cel animation episodes: 32 x 6mins
		A pioneering British tv series from Halas & Batchelor, this was titled after its innocent clown-like star. Foo Foo's heart was stolen by the attentions of young Mimi, but his rival in love, Gogo, was always coming between them. Optimistic Foo Foo was never beaten easily, though, and he would work around the problem somehow, defeat the bullying Gogo, and win his way back in to young Mimi's affections... Foo Foo was very obviously derived from Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp". As with many of the characters created by Halas & Batchelor at this time, the character design was wonderfully simple. Foo Foo had a square body and a circle for a head, with a bulbous nose and black line arms and legs. He resembled a type of upturned exclamation mark, actually. The other characters were depicted in a similarly beautiful, broad, geometric fashion. "Foo Foo" proved a hit with ITV viewers and, evidently, tv executives because the series was snapped up for syndication in the USA. It thus earned itself the distinction of being the very first British animated series to be broadcast over there. A comic strip version of the series also appeared in "TV Comic". The animated characters for "Foo Foo" were drawn directly onto cels, rather than being traced from paper drawings. This speeded up the production schedule, and significantly reduced costs. This innovative technique was referred to as the HABA Cellgraph system. At this time, Halas & Batchelor had put together an extraordinary studio of talent, who had crafted their skills on the likes of Animal Farm. The animation on "Foo Foo", and indeed, right through their series and shorts of this period, have a purity of line and a vitality that's rarely seen in today's productions. Four years later, Halas & Batchelor struck even bigger and still brighter tv gold with that science-fiction pixie DoDo. Awards 1960 - Edinburgh Festival Award for "Foo Foo: The Stowaway"
		Foo Foo episodes The Gardener The Birthday Treat A Denture Adventure A Misguided Tour The Caddies Burglar Catcher The Art Lovers The Three Mountaineers Foo Foo’s New Hat The Big Race The Treasure Hunt The Magician The Spy Train Insured for Life Automation Blues The Beggar’s Uproar		Sleeping Beauty The Reward The Dinner Date Beauty Treatment The Ski Resort Lucky Street The Stowaway A Hunting We Will Go The Pearl Divers Foo Foo’s Sleepless Night The Salesman Art For Art’s Sake The Dog Pound The Hypnotist Low Finance The Scapegoat
		Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films direction: Harold Whitaker, John Smith, Tony Guy, Terry Harrison producer: John Halas script: Mike Cole, Alan Smith, Roger Manvell music: Matyas Seiber, Don Banks design: Alan Smith editor: Jack King animation: Harold Whitaker, Terry Harrison, Tony Guy, Anne Buffham On the web Halas & Batchelor The official studio site... Animation Research Centre The Surrey-based centre have an extensive Halas & Batchelor collection, with lots of info online... index » previous » next »
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