''Hickory House'' is a British television programme aimed at pre-school children. It was produced by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

from 1973 to 1977 and broadcast on weekday lunchtimes. Each programme was usually hosted by a pair of presenters, most often including Alan Rothwell. The setting was a normal house, but in Hickory House household objects were brought to life through

puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – wikt:inanimate, inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. S ...

. The

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

characters included Humphrey Cushion (a sleepy grey cushion with a fondness for bananas), Dusty Mop (a bad-tempered mop with a long red nose) and the Handle Family. The puppets were created by Barry Smith's Theatre of Puppets. All 129 episodes survive in Granada's archive, although none has yet been released on DVD.

External links

''Hickory House'' at thechestnut.com''Hickory House'' at sausageNet
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''Hickory House'' at TV Cream
ITV children's television shows 1973 British television series debuts 1977 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series British television shows featuring puppetry Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television British English-language television shows British preschool education television series {{UK-kids-tv-prog-stub