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Torchy The Battery Boy
''Torchy the Battery Boy'' is a British children's puppet television series, the second to be produced by AP Films (APF), which first aired on the ITV network between 1959 and 1961. Created and written by author Roberta Leigh, it had music by Barry Gray, art direction by Reg Hill and special effects by Derek Meddings. Featuring string puppets created by Christine Glanville, the series depicts the adventures of the eponymous boy doll, who has a battery inside him and a lamp in his head, and his master Mr Bumbledrop (voiced by Kenneth Connor). Two series of ''Torchy'', each comprising twenty-six 13-minute episodes, were made. The first was produced by APF, on a budget of £27,000 (about £ in ), between October 1958 and April 1959. After APF declined to make a second series (opting to create ''Four Feather Falls'' instead), Leigh, who retained the rights to ''Torchy'' and its creative elements, commissioned Associated British-Pathé to produce a further 26 episodes. The firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Children's Television Series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are normally broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake, immediately before and after school schedules generally start in the country where they air. Educational television, Educational themes are also prevalent, as well as the transmission of cautionary tales and narratives that teach problem-solving methods in some fashion or another, such as social disputes. The purpose of these shows, aside from profit, is mainly to entertain or educate children, with each series targeting a certain age of child: some are aimed at infants and toddlers, some are aimed at those aged 6 to 11 years old, and others are aimed at all children. History Children's television is nearly as old as television itself. In the United Kingdom, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marionettes
A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms of theatres or entertainment venues. They have also been used in films and on television. The attachment of the strings varies according to its character or purpose. Etymology In French, means 'little Mary'. During the Middle Ages, string puppets were often used in France to depict biblical events, with the Virgin Mary being a popular character, hence the name. In France, the word can refer to any kind of puppet, but elsewhere it typically refers only to string puppets. History Antiquity Puppetry is an ancient form of performance. Some historians claim that they predate actors in theatre. There is evidence that they were used in Egypt as early as 2000 BC when string-opera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chamois Leather
Chamois leather () is a type of porous leather, traditionally the skin of the chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra''), a type of European mountain goat, but today made almost exclusively from the flesh split of a sheepskin. United Kingdom The British Standard BS 6715: 1991 defines chamois leather as: United States In the United States, the term ''chamois'' without any qualification is restricted to the flesh split of the sheep or lambskin tanned solely with oils (US Federal Standard CS99-1970). Chamois leather is often counterfeited with goat or pig skin, the practice of which is a particular profession called by the French ''chamoiser''. History The term ''chamois'' as used to refer to specially-prepared leather originated sometime before 1709, referring to the prepared skin of any goat-like animal, specifically the chamois, European antelope—commonly called the "chamois"—and exclusively used by the glovemaking industry of southwest France. It was discovered that when tann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Adventures Of Twizzle
''The Adventures of Twizzle'' is a British children's puppet television series produced by AP Films (APF) which premiered on the ITV network in 1957. Created and co-produced by author Roberta Leigh, it was filmed in Maidenhead between July 1957 and January 1958 on a budget of £23,400 (about £ in ). ''Twizzle'' was the first series to use the marionette puppetry that would prove important in later shows developed by APF. The series follows a toy doll called Twizzle, who has the ability to extend his arms and legs. He is joined on various adventures by a cat called Footso and several other toy companions. The characters were operated on carpet thread strings and had heads of papier-mâché. Fifty-two 13-minute episodes were filmed, with APF completing one episode every two days. The opening episode, "Twizzle and Footso", was first broadcast on 13 November 1957''Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography'' by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls; by ITV's London franchise, Associated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Supermarionation
Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet TV series and feature films of the 1960s. These productions were created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed at APF's studios on the Slough Trading Estate. The characters were played by electronic marionettes with a moveable lower lip, which opened and closed in time with pre-recorded dialogue by means of a solenoid in the puppet's head or chest. The productions were mostly science fiction with the puppetry supervised by Christine Glanville, art direction by either Bob Bell or Keith Wilson, and music composed by Barry Gray. They also made extensive use of scale model special effects, directed by Derek Meddings. The term "Supermarionation" was first used during the production of '' Supercar'', whose final 13 episodes were the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midlands
The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands and Worcestershire. For statistical purposes, the Midlands is divided into two statistical regions: the West Midlands and East Midlands. These had a combined population of 10.9 million at the 2021 census, and an area of . The northern part of Lincolnshire is part of the Yorkshire and the Humber statistical region, and not part of the Midlands. The modern borders of the Midlands also correspond broadly to the early-medieval kingdom of Mercia. The region became important in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, which led to one of its parts being named as the Black Country. Cultur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spacecraft. Although generally reserved for professional space travelers, the term is sometimes applied to anyone who travels into space, including scientists, politicians, journalists, and space tourists. "Astronaut" technically applies to all human space travelers regardless of nationality. However, astronauts fielded by Russia or the Soviet Union are typically known instead as cosmonauts (from the Russian "kosmos" (космос), meaning "space", also borrowed from Greek ). Comparatively recent developments in crewed spaceflight made by China have led to the rise of the term taikonaut (from the Standard Chinese, Mandarin "tàikōng" (), meaning "space"), although its use is somewhat informal and its origin is unclear. In China, the People' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon
A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Chinese dragon, Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, Snake, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often a hybridization of Reptile, reptilian, mammalian, and Bird, avian features. Etymology The word ''dragon'' entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French , which, in turn, comes from Latin (genitive ), meaning "huge serpent, dragon", from , (genitive , ) "serpent". [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before swallowing. They have predominantly pale plumage, except for the Brown pelican, brown and Peruvian pelicans. The bills, pouches, and bare facial skin of all pelicans become brightly coloured before the breeding season. The eight living pelican species have a patchy, seasonally-dependent yet global distribution, ranging latitude, latitudinally from the tropics to the temperate zone. Pelicans are absent from interior Amazon Rainforest, Amazonian South America, from polar regions and the open ocean; at least one species is known to migrate to the inland desert of Australia's Red Centre, after heavy rains create temporary lakes. White pelicans are also observed at the American state of Utah's Great Salt Lake, for example, some 600 miles (965&n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winnie The Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's ''The Evening News (London newspaper), Evening News'' for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin Milne, Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo. The first collection of stories about the character is the book ''Winnie-the-Pooh (book), Winnie-the-Pooh'' (1926), and this was followed by ''The House at Pooh Corner'' (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children's verse book ''When We Were Very Young'' (1924) and many more in ''Now We Are Six'' (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The stories are set in Hundred Acre Wood, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eeyore
Eeyore ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' books by A. A. Milne. He is an old, grey stuffed donkey and friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore is generally characterised as pessimistic, depressed, and anhedonic. A. A. Milne books Eeyore appears in chapters 4, 6, 7, and 10 of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and is mentioned in a few others. He also appears in every chapter of ''The House at Pooh Corner'' except chapter 7. His name is an onomatopoeic representation of the braying sound made by a normal donkey, usually represented as "hee haw" in American English: the spelling with an "r" is explained by the fact that Milne and most of his intended audience spoke a non-rhotic variety of English in which the "r" in "Eeyore" is not pronounced as /r/. Physically, Eeyore is described as an "old grey donkey". In Ernest H. Shepard's illustrations, he appears to be about chin-high to Pooh and about hip-high to Christopher Robin. He has a long, detachable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pigtails
file:braided pigtails.jpg, A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid (hairstyle), braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pigtails") to refer to twin braids on opposite sides of the head. Sometimes, the term "pigtails" applies regardless of whether the hair is braided, but there is not widespread agreement on this (in places where this usage is common, unbraided pairs are called doggie ears or #Bunches, bunches and a single bunch, regardless of position on the head, is called a ponytail). Word origin and usage file:Bedouin woman 2 (1898 - 1914).jpg, Bedouin woman with pigtails, 1880s. The term pigtail appears in English in the Thirteen Colonies, American colonies in the 17th century to describe a twist of chewing tobacco. One of the steps in processing the tobacco was to twist a handful of leaves together to form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
