"I may be small, but I feel so tall in Toytown ..."
  

    This terrific little series is often confused with its equally-terrific remake from
    the 1990s. Both series were brought to the screen by the production partnership
    of Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, but this first version was created under the
    banner of their former production company Stop Frame Productions and
    is cut from rougher cloth than it's glossier nineties companion. The series
    has a wonderful gruffness in its scripts and characterization with poor Noddy
    frequently at the end of an accusing finger, venemous stare or barrage of some
    form or another from the Toytown residents.

           

    Stop Frame populated the opening and closing credits with little ladybug
    creations. Noddy keeps nodding his head, uncontrollably, throughout each
    episode and the numerous Toytown residents are most skilfully articulated.
    Mr Wobbly Man wobbles, the Toy Bears shuffle as they walk, etc. The
    splendid animation is supported by equally-splendid voicework courtesy
    of actor Richard Briers (Roobarb, Noah & Nelly). There's a grand grumpiness
    to his Big Ears, Plod and the rest, but they never become over-bearing.
 
    Noddy is of course, an Enid Blyton creation dating from 1949 and brought
    to life by Dutch artist Harmsen Van Der Beek. He first appeared on television
    in 1955 courtesy of the black and white puppet series "The Adventures of Noddy".
    "The Further Adventures of Noddy" followed in the 1960's - this time in colour.
    Stop Frame's series was the first full-fledged animated adaptation. It's also
    renowned for being supposedly very non-PC, with all sorts of politically
    incorrect behaviour going on, but that certainly doesn't seem to be the case
    with the episodes The Hound has been viewing again. Maybe they
    have been re-edited since their initial broadcast...?

             

    Ruth Boswell adapted the Toytown stories for Stop Frame. Her CV includes
    credits for "The Tomorrow People", "Timeslip", and "The Molly Wopsy". She went
    on to co-create Toonhound favourite Moschops. The author of the show's
    hummable theme tune is Mike McNaught. His eclectic discography includes
    an arranger's credit for the soundtrack of "Monty Python's Meaning of Life".

   Some Toytown trivia
               
   » In the very first episode - "Noddy Goes to Toyland" - Noddy doesn't actually
       have a name, or indeed, that blue hat with a bell on the end. He is encountered
       en route to Toytown - or more precisely - struck by Big Ears the Brownie on
       his bicycle after he encounters him in the middle of the Toytown road. The lad
       has run away from his Toymaker, as he explains:

      "He made a lion. I don't like lions. They frighten me!"

       Big Ears takes him under his wing and names him Noddy because he keeps
       nodding his head uncontrollably when he speaks. The blue hat is a present from
       Big Ears at the end of the first tale, when Noddy is granted permanent status in
       Toytown after saving a little girl from one of Noah's animals. And guess which
       animal? - Yep, a lion...

   » Noddy doesn't aquire his famous red and yellow car until the second episode.
       He's given the vehicle by Mr Polly as a reward for catching Gobbo the Goblin
       and his gang when they carjack his garage...

   » Noddy gets on particularly well with the doll Angela Goldenhair. Indeed, there
       appears to be a rather tender affection between the two. Could she be Noddy's
       First Love...?

   » Poor old Noddy can't read or write, or add up properly, nor tell left from
       right - things he only discovers in episode four, "Noddy Goes to School".
       This after he's been driving his car around for a couple of episodes, taking
       taxi fares and pennies for odd-jobs - yoiks!...   
 
   » Noddy can't drive particularly well either. In "Hurrah for Noddy" he manages
       to right-off Mr Polly's red car whilst pursuing Gobbo and his gang. Then,
       in "Noddy and His Car" he brakes sharply whilst giving The Big Pink Cat a
       taxi ride. She's thrown over the windshield - poor thing!

       

 
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