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Noddy is a fictional character created by English children's author
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
. He is depicted as a wooden toy with a childlike view of the world. He resides in the fictional setting of Toyland, where he works as a
taxi driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Set in a morally decaying New York City following the Vietnam War, it stars Robert De Niro as veteran Marine and ...
. Noddy is known for driving a yellow car with red decals, and is depicted with a variety of supporting toy characters, including Big Ears, a brownie who is Noddy's best friend, and Mr. Plod, the local
policeman A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...
. Noddy first appeared in a book series published between 1949 and 1963, illustrated by the Dutch artist
Harmsen van der Beek Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek (more commonly Harmsen van der Beek or just Beek; 8 October 1897 – 24 July 1953) was a Dutch illustrator and commercial artist. Abroad, he is best remembered for his illustration of Enid Blyton's '' N ...
from 1949 until his death in 1953, after which the work was continued by Mary Brooks, Robert Lee, Robert Tyndall and Peter Wienk. Television shows based on the character have run on
British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...
since 1955.


History

Created by
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
, Noddy first appeared in the ''Sunday Graphic'' on 5 June 1949, the same year as Blyton's first daily Noddy
strip Strip, Strips or Stripping may refer to: Places * Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya * Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Nami ...
for the London ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
''. In November that year ''Noddy Goes to Toyland'', the first of at least two dozen books in the series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting between Blyton and the Dutch illustrator
Harmsen van der Beek Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek (more commonly Harmsen van der Beek or just Beek; 8 October 1897 – 24 July 1953) was a Dutch illustrator and commercial artist. Abroad, he is best remembered for his illustration of Enid Blyton's '' N ...
. Despite having to communicate via an interpreter, he provided some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be represented. Four days after the meeting, Blyton sent the text of the first two Noddy books to her publisher, to be forwarded to van der Beek. The Noddy books became one of Blyton's most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular in the 1950s. An extensive range of sub-series, spin-offs and strip books was produced throughout the decade, including ''Noddy's Library'', ''Noddy's Garage of Books'', ''Noddy's Castle of Books'', ''Noddy's Toy Station of Books'' and ''Noddy's Shop of Books''. The first television adaptation of Noddy called ''The Adventures of Noddy'' was first broadcast in 1955, which was narrated by Enid Blyton. The programme would also broadcast in German on ARD in 1963. Most episodes of the programme are currently
lost media Lost media is any piece of media thought to no longer exist in any format, or for which no copies can be located. The term primarily encompasses visual, audio, or audiovisual media such as films, television, radio broadcasts, music, and video ...
.
Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...
would acquire the rights to use Noddy on advertisements in 1955. Noddy continued to be successful in the 1960s; by 1962, 26 million copies of ''Noddy'' had been sold. In 1963, Noddy was featured in the animated short film ''Noddy Goes to Toyland'', it was produced by
Arthur Humberstone Arthur Roland Humberstone (17 April 1912 – 31 December 1999) was a British animator, artist and director, whose credits included ''Animal Farm'', '' Yellow Submarine'' and ''The BFG.'' In 1946, Arthur was one of the trainee animators enlisted ...
for Enid Blyton. Blyton concluded several of her long-running series in 1963. Blyton published her last book in the Noddy series, ''Noddy and the Aeroplane'', in February 1964. By the early 1960s, some 146 different companies were involved in merchandising Noddy alone.
Bestime Bestime (also spelled BeStime or Bes-time) was a British manufacturer of jigsaw puzzles and games. In the 1950s and 1960s, the company was best known for its jigsaws created by Enid Blyton. The company made the first four puzzles in 1948, includin ...
released the Little Noddy Car Game in 1953 and the Little Noddy Leap Frog Game in 1955, and in 1956 American manufacturer
Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known as Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. It remained family owne ...
released Little Noddy's Taxi Game, a board game which features Noddy driving about town, picking up various characters. Bestime released its Plywood Noddy Jigsaws series in 1957 and a Noddy jigsaw series featuring cards appeared from 1963, with illustrations by Robert Lee. Arrow Games became the chief producer of Noddy jigsaws in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1975, another television adaptation simply titled ''Noddy'' was broadcast. It was produced and directed by
Brian Cosgrove Brian Joseph Cosgrove (born 6 April 1934) is an English animator, designer, director, producer and sculptor. With Mark Hall, he founded Cosgrove Hall Films in 1976 and produced successful animated children shows including ''The Wind in the W ...
and Mark Hall under their company Stop Frame Productions and was narrated by
Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in '' Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...
. It broadcast on ITV from 1975 to 1976. In 1992, a ''Noddy'' television series produced by
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
and
Cosgrove Hall Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are s ...
called ''
Noddy's Toyland Adventures ''Noddy's Toyland Adventures'' is a British children's television programme that was broadcast from September 1992 until April 1994 and December 1994 (and reran in 2000 on the Children's BBC block of the BBC). The show stars the voices of Susan ...
'' was broadcast on the
Children's BBC BBC Children's and Education is the BBC division responsible for media content for children in the UK. Since the launch of specially dedicated television channels in 2002, the services have been marketed under two brands. CBBC (short for Chil ...
. In January 1996, Trocadero PLC (later known as "Chorion Limited") acquired Darrell Waters Ltd., the holding company for the estate of children's author
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
for £14.6 million. They soon formed a new subsidiary - Enid Blyton Ltd. to handle all intellectual properties, character brands, and media in Blyton's works, including Noddy. In 1998, producer Rick Siggelkow brought Noddy into the North American market in a television series called '' The Noddy Shop'', but with all of the live-action scenes filmed in Canada. Much like how Siggelkow introduced ''
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' is a British children's television series which aired from 9 October 1984 to 20 January 2021. Based on ''The Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher, the series was developed for television by Brit ...
'' to American audiences through ''
Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is a children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the American bran ...
'', the series incorporated footage from ''Noddy's Toyland Adventures'' re-dubbed with American accents. In its first season on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
, the show was seen by an average of 2.5 million viewers per episode, higher than ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
s average during the same year. Actor
Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
and ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' star
Lisa Kudrow Lisa Valerie Kudrow ( ; born July 30, 1963) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the American television sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 to 2004. The series earned her Primetime Emmy A ...
had their picture taken with Noddy at the Aids Paediatric event in New York, USA in June 1999. By 1999, 200 million Noddy books had been sold in 27 languages. Noddy is known as "Oui Oui" in France, "Doddi" in Iceland, "Purzelknirps" in Germany and "Hilitos" in Spain. A new Noddy television series called ''
Make Way for Noddy ''Make Way for Noddy'', stylized ''make way for NODDY'' or also known as simply ''Noddy'', is a British animated television series based on the Noddy character by English children's author Enid Blyton. It was broadcast on Channel 5 (later know ...
'' was first announced to be in production in October 2000, with 100 11-minute episodes and a feature-length Christmas special announced to be in production for a 2001 delivery. In January 2001,
SD Entertainment SD Entertainment, Inc. (more commonly known as Sabella-Dern Entertainment) is a dormant American animation studio specializing in entertainment for children. The "SD" in the initials of the company name stand for Sabella Dern, the respective last ...
were announced to be producers on the series and they announced it would be their first project. In May 2002, UK's
Channel Five 5 (formerly known as Channel 5 and Five) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Param ...
announced that it had commissioned 100 episodes of the series, airing in September of that year. The range of newly developed TV shows at Chorion began to expand internationally, with Noddy becoming the most recognised children's character in France in 2003 and sold to the Chinese market in 2004, and airing in the US on
PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...
in 2005. In 2005, a set of 100 new, two-minute TV interstitials were created by Chorion. These interstitials, entitled ''Say it with Noddy'', feature Noddy learning words in a variety of foreign languages. They also introduced Noddy's new friend Whizz from Robot Village, who presses a button on his chest to play recordings of native speakers saying the new foreign-language words can Noddy was to learn. The interstitials were featured on commercial breaks on UK's Five and featured as segments for the American airing of the show on PBS and now-defunct Universal Kids (formerly known as "Sprout"). Noddy, Big Ears, Mr. Plod, and several other characters from
British children's literature British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
appeared at the
Children's Party at the Palace The Children's Party at the Palace was an event organised by Peter Orton of Hit Entertainment and David Johnstone of DJI consult, held in the Garden at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The ...
on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
. During the
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
-style play called ''The Queen's Handbag'', Noddy and Big Ears were portrayed by performers in mascot-style costumes, while Mr. Plod was played by actor
Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series '' Doc Martin'', Gary Strang in the BBC sitcom ''Men Behavin ...
. Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, wrote a new Noddy book to celebrate the character's 60th birthday, 46 years after the final book was published; ''Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle'' (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall. For the 60th anniversary, a CGI-animated series, called ''Noddy in Toyland'', by Chorion and produced by
Brown Bag Films Brown Bag Films UC. (BBF) is an Irish television and computer-animation studio owned by Canadian production studio 9 Story Media Group and based in Dublin with 2D and 3D animation facilities in Bali, Los Angeles, Toronto and formerly Manches ...
in Ireland, was broadcast staring on 20 April 2009. This series incorporates Whizz from "Say it with Noddy" as a full-time character. Sly and Gobbo's cousins, Sneaky and Stealth, are introduced and usually work along with them. The full series is available digitally on iTunes (now as "Apple TV"). The 2009 biographical film '' Enid'', which portrays the life of
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
, includes several references to the Noddy series. In one scene, Blyton is depicted typing the opening lines of the first Noddy book, Noddy Goes to Toyland. She is later shown reading the book to her second husband, Kenneth Darrell Waters. In the film's third act, a Noddy figurine appears on her desk, and in the final scene, both a poster for Noddy Goes to Toyland and the figurine are shown on a desk in a library setting. After financial difficulties, Chorion sold its assets. On 7 March 2012,
DreamWorks Classics DreamWorks Classics is an American entertainment company owned by DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded as Classic Media in 2000 by Eric Ellenboge ...
(formerly Classic Media, now a subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation) purchased the Noddy and
Olivia Olivia may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer), American singer Olivia Longott (born 1981) * Olívia (basketball), Brazilian basketball playe ...
properties.
Hachette UK Hachette Livre S.A. (; simply known as Hachette) is a French publishing group that was based in Paris. It was founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif which later became successively L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette ...
purchased the rest of
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
's works with the exception of ''Noddy'' on 26 March 2012. In 2016, a new CGI-animated series, named ''
Noddy, Toyland Detective ''Noddy, Toyland Detective'' (French: ''Oui-Oui, Enquêtes au Pays des Jouets'') is a French-British-American animated television series featuring the character Noddy (character), Noddy created by Enid Blyton. The series was produced by DreamWork ...
'' was produced by French producer/distributor
Gaumont Animation Gaumont Animation (formerly known as Alphanim and Gaumont Alphanim) is a History of French animation, French animation studio owned by Gaumont (company), Gaumont founded in February 1997 by Christian Davin. The company's animated catalog compris ...
, in association with
DreamWorks Animation Television DreamWorks Animation Television (formerly DreamWorks Television Animation, abbreviated as DWATV) is an American animation studio that serves as the television production arm of DreamWorks Animation, itself a subsidiary of Universal Pictures an ...
, and in partnership with
France Télévisions France Télévisions (; stylized since 2018 as ) is the French national public television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the integration of the public television channels France 2 (formerly Antenne 2) and France 3 (form ...
. It premiered on
Channel Five 5 (formerly known as Channel 5 and Five) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Param ...
's preschool block
Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British Children's television series, children's television programming block on 5 (British TV channel), 5. Originally launched in 1997, it is currently aimed at children aged 2 to 7. History Th ...
on 18 April 2016.


Character biography

The first book explains Noddy's origins. He is made by a
woodcarver Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...
in a toy shop but runs away after the man begins to make a wooden lion, which scares Noddy. As he wanders through the woods naked, penniless, and homeless, he meets Big Ears, a friendly brownie. Big Ears decides that Noddy is a toy and takes him to live in Toyland. He generously provides Noddy with a set of clothing and a house. While Noddy is quite happy to be a toy, the citizens of Toyland are not sure that he actually is one. They put Noddy on trial and examine whether he is a toy or an ornament. Eventually, Noddy is declared a toy, but still has to convince the court that he is a good toy. The judge accepts that Noddy is good after a doll tells the court that he saved her little girl from a lion, and he is allowed to stay in Toyland. Noddy gets his car in the second book. It is given to him after he helps solve a local mystery. The other toys can hear him coming by the distinctive "Parp Parp" sound of his car's horn and the jingle of the bell on his blue hat. Often he uses his car to visit all of the places in Toyland. When his taxi business is not doing so well, or when he needs help, Noddy turns to Big Ears. Big Ears will often lend him what he needs. On occasion, Noddy will allow people to make his head nod, in exchange for small items such as his morning milk. Noddy is kind and honest, but he often gets into trouble, either through his own misunderstandings or because someone, usually one of the naughty goblins Sly or Gobbo, has played a trick on him. He is very childlike in his understanding of the world and often becomes confused as a result. For example, in the first Noddy book, Noddy and Big Ears are building Noddy's house for one. Noddy suggests that they build the roof first, in case it rains. With no understanding of gravity or of the need for roof supports, this is perfectly logical to him. As the series continues, Noddy becomes wiser but without losing his charm and lovable naivety. Noddy's best friends are Big Ears, Tessie Bear, Bumpy Dog, and the Tubby Bears. Big Ears, who brought Noddy to Toyland, is the most important figure in his life. Whenever he faces serious peril, it tends to be Big Ears who comes to the rescue, one way or another, and it is invariably Big Ears to whom Noddy turns for support and advice. While kind to Noddy, Big Ears has an intimidating presence and voice that makes him feared by goblins. He is capable of facing down wizards with his own spells, and is able to plead Noddy's case to
Mr. Plod Noddy is a fictional character created by English children's author Enid Blyton. He is depicted as a wooden toy with a childlike view of the world. He resides in the fictional setting of Toyland, where he works as a Taxi, taxi driver. Noddy is k ...
, the local policeman, when Noddy finds himself in legal peril. On rare occasions, however, Big Ears finds himself in trouble, in which case Noddy comes to his aid. Big Ears and Noddy have rarely quarreled severely. Examples of such quarrels are when Big Ears harshly scolded the very sensitive Tessie Bear for failing to control her dog and when Noddy ran his car into Big Ears' clothes post and then drove away, dragging Big Ears' clean washing behind him. Tessie is a gentle-hearted, golden-furred bear who often wears a bonnet with flowers and a skirt. She is young like Noddy, and very loving towards all of her friends and neighbours. Bumpy Dog is Tessie's pet. He liked to run up and "bump" people over. Noddy frequently gets annoyed with Bumpy but still likes him. Whenever Noddy threatens Bumpy, Tessie gets upset, and sometimes even begins to cry. The Tubby Bears live next door to Noddy. They are golden-furred and chubby teddy bears. Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear frequently help Noddy. It is clear that Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear are the superiors of Noddy, as if he were a child. Their first names are never mentioned and Noddy always refers to them as Mr. and Mrs. They have one son, also named Tubby, who is occasionally referred to as Master Tubby. Tubby is naughty and is usually in trouble for breaking rules, being rude, or doing something wrong. Noddy often attempts to scold or punish Tubby, with little result. On one occasion, Tubby gets tired of always being bossed around and being punished and decides to run away to sea. Noddy and Bumpy accidentally join with him. By the end of the journey, Tubby misses his parents and brings them back presents from his trip, as an apology. Noddy has many run-ins with Mr. Plod. Some are caused by Noddy's lack of understanding of how Toyland works. Other times it is because of a case of mistaken identity, Mr. Plod is generally long-suffering towards Noddy and Noddy likes Mr. Plod and frequently goes out of his way to help him. Mr. Plod often catches the mischief makers on his police bicycle, by blowing his whistle and shouting "Halt in the name of Plod!!" until locking the culprits up in his jail.


Characters


Introduced in the original books

* Big Ears, a wise, bearded brownie who lives in a toadstool house outside of Toyland and is Noddy's best friend, helper and father figure. He finds Noddy and brings him to Toyland at the start of the first book. Big Ears, while usually kind to Noddy, can be very fierce and is both feared and respected by goblins, wizards, and even Mr. Plod. Whenever Noddy is being mistreated, he invariably comes to his defence. Big Ears also has the power to cast magic spells, though he rarely uses it. His catchphrase is "You funny little Noddy!". * Mr. Plod (sometimes called PC Plod), the local
policeman A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of ...
. He has an uneven relationship with Noddy, whom he thinks drives too fast and engages in other unwarranted behaviour. He has gone so far as to imprison Noddy at least once, and threatened him with imprisonment on other occasions. His catchphrase is "Stop, in the name of Plod!", as shown in ''
Make Way for Noddy ''Make Way for Noddy'', stylized ''make way for NODDY'' or also known as simply ''Noddy'', is a British animated television series based on the Noddy character by English children's author Enid Blyton. It was broadcast on Channel 5 (later know ...
.'' but in Noddy in Toyland, Mr. Plod becomes a laughing policeman instead. He is reportedly based on PC Christopher Rhone, a Studland police constable. * Noddy's Car, the yellow car with red paints which Noddy drives. It has a mind of its own and can talk to other characters with its unique sounding "parp parp!" horn. *Mr. Wobblyman, a
roly-poly toy A roly-poly toy, roly-poly doll, round-bottomed doll, tilting doll, tumbler, wobbly man, wobble doll, or kelly is a round-bottomed toy, usually egg-shaped, that tends to right itself when pushed at an angle, and does this in seeming contradiction ...
who has a round base which he wobbles about on. He rocks back and forth to get around. In the episode, ''Noddy's Perfect Gift'', it is shown that he may be the owner of the fruit shop in the town square. His catchphrase is ''I hate it when that happens.'' * Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear, a
teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...
couple who are Noddy's next-door neighbours. In the original books, it was clear that they are the superiors of Noddy, as if they are adults and he is a child, mainly because Noddy always refers to them as "Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear". * Master Tubby Bear (sometimes called Bruiny Bear), Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear's son. He was naughty in the books and past television series, but he was better behaved in ''
Make Way for Noddy ''Make Way for Noddy'', stylized ''make way for NODDY'' or also known as simply ''Noddy'', is a British animated television series based on the Noddy character by English children's author Enid Blyton. It was broadcast on Channel 5 (later know ...
''. * Clockwork Mouse, a toy
mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
who often requires winding up. * Tessie Bear, a clever young female
teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...
who is Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear's niece and Master Tubby Bear's cousin. She has recently been replaced by a female panda named Pat-Pat. * Bumpy Dog, a dog from the original books who lives with Tessie Bear, but also accompanies Noddy on many adventures. Noddy first met the Bumpy Dog in Toytown because he was injured and Noddy used his wrap to help him. Noddy felt he was unable to have Bumpy Dog live with him, so Tessie Bear offered to keep him. but from Noddy in Toyland onwards, Noddy decided to keep him as Noddy's pet dog. * Miss Harriet the Pink Cat (aka Miss Pink Cat), a French pink cat who sells ice cream. She is portrayed as a fussy and neat cat with no patience for foolishness, even her own. * Mr. Jumbo, an elephant who is friends with Clockwork Mouse. * The Skittles, a jack family consisting of Sally Skittle and her many children of various sizes. The Skittles are red and yellow in colour with black hands. They like being knocked down and frequently run out in front of Noddy's car so he will hit them and knock them over. * Mr. Train Driver, the train driver who drives the Toyland Express train. * Clockwork Clown, a toy clown who does funny tricks. He stands only using his hands, not his feet, as he has "fused" feet like those of a
sea lion Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...
. * Bert Monkey, a shy and timid monkey with a sentient and mischievous tail. * Sammy Sailor, local harbour sailor. * Mr. Noah, lives on the ark with Mrs. Noah and the animals. * Mrs. Noah, lives on the ark with Mr. Noah and the animals. * Stinky, a bum who has never washed in his life. * Teddy Tubby Bear, Mr. Tubby Bear's brother, Mrs. Tubby Bear's brother-in-law and Master Tubby Bear's uncle, who appeared in the third book, ''Noddy and His Car''. * Little Ears, Big Ears' brother who looks just like Big Ears. However, his ears are much smaller. He lives in a very tidy toadstool just like Big Ears. * Bunkey, a thoroughly mischievous character who appears to be a hybrid of bunny and a monkey. He is later shown as a fraudulent monkey who escaped from a travelling circus. * Miss Prim, the school mistress who replaced the slipper-wielding Miss Rap. * Mr. Milko, the local
milkman Milk delivery is a Delivery (commerce), delivery service dedicated to supplying milk, typically in milk bottle, bottles or cartons, to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a Cowman ...
. *Mr. Golly, in the books was the owner of the Toyland garage. Due to casual racism, he was replaced by Mr. Sparks in the TV series in the early 1990s and later editions of the original books on redrawn pages. * Tricky Teddy, a teddy bear and companion of Gilbert Golly of mischief; in later adaptations they were replaced by a pair of teddy bears and finally by the Goblins Sly and Gobbo. * Gilbert Golly a golliwog and another villain.


Introduced in adaptations

* Sly and Gobbo, mischievous
goblins A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances dep ...
. They usually steal things such as ice cream, coins or Noddy's car. They are based on various unnamed goblins that appeared in Enid Blyton's original books. * Mr. Sparks, Toyland's
handyman A handyman, also known as a fixer, handyperson or handyworker, maintenance worker, maintenance man, repairman, repair worker, or repair technician, is a person who is knowledgeable in skills such as basic carpentry, plumbing, minor electrical w ...
who can mend anything. His catchphrase is "A challenge? I like it!" * Dinah Doll, a British-African
china doll A china doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of glazed porcelain. The name comes from ''china'' being used to refer to the material porcelain. Colloquially the term ''china doll'' is sometimes used to refer to any porcelain or bisque doll ...
who sells all kinds of things in the market. * Martha Monkey, a mischievous tomboyish primate who replaced naughty schoolboy Gilbert Golly. * Twinkly, a star who has appeared in "Catch a Falling Star."


Books

Early Noddy books have become
collectible A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...
s, along with other Blytons. The total number is hard to count: the ''Noddy Library'' (Sampson Low) of two dozen titles, which became the ''New Noddy Library'' when revised, was just part of a big production in the 1950s, with ''Big Noddy Books'' of larger format, and strip books. There were numerous spin-offs, also. Widely differing estimates can be found. The 24 original Noddy books by Enid Blyton were published between 1949 and 1963. Harmsen Van der Beek illustrated the first 7 Noddy books. After Beek's death in 1953 the original style was maintained by illustrators Robert Tyndall, Peter Wienk, Mary Brooks and Robert Lee. Sales of Noddy books are large, with an estimated 600,000 annual sales in France alone, and growing popularity in India and Portugal, a large market for Blyton books. The Noddy character was formerly owned by
Chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It is also present around the embryo of other animals, like insects and molluscs. Structure In humans and other therian mammals, the cho ...
, who sold the rights on to
DreamWorks Classics DreamWorks Classics is an American entertainment company owned by DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded as Classic Media in 2000 by Eric Ellenboge ...
(a part of
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...
, in which now a subsidiary of
NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and Trade name, doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media and Show business, entertainment conglomerate (comp ...
) in 2012. #''Noddy Goes to Toyland'' (1949) #''Hurrah for Little Noddy'' (1950) #''Noddy and His Car'' (1951) #''Here Comes Noddy Again!'' (1951) #''Well Done Noddy!'' (1952) #''Noddy Goes to School '' (1952) #''Noddy at the Seaside'' (1953) #''Noddy Gets into Trouble'' (1954) #''Noddy and the Magic Rubber'' (1954) #''You Funny Little Noddy'' (1955) #''Noddy Meets Father Christmas'' (1955) #''Noddy and Tessie Bear'' (1956) #''Be Brave, Little Noddy!'' (1956) #''Noddy and the Bumpy-Dog'' (1957) #''Do Look Out, Noddy'' (1957) #''You're a Good Friend, Noddy'' (1958) #''Noddy Has an Adventure'' (1958) #''Noddy Goes to Sea'' (1959) #''Noddy and the Bunkey'' (1959) #''Cheer Up, Little Noddy!'' (1960) #''Noddy Goes to the Fair'' (1960) #''Mr. Plod and Little Noddy'' (1961) #''Noddy and the Tootles'' (1962) #''Noddy and the Aeroplane'' (1963) (Only 24 in the set) Separate Book: ''Noddy and Big-Ears '' (1952) On 17 November 2008, it was announced that Enid Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, was to write a new Noddy book to celebrate the character's 60th birthday. ''Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle'' (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall, who has drawn the characters in the Noddy books since 1953, ever since the death of the original illustrator,
Harmsen van der Beek Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek (more commonly Harmsen van der Beek or just Beek; 8 October 1897 – 24 July 1953) was a Dutch illustrator and commercial artist. Abroad, he is best remembered for his illustration of Enid Blyton's '' N ...
.


Television adaptations and other incarnations

In the 1990s and early 2000s TV series adaptations, as well as a new series of books, Noddy has been updated, with the original Golliwog characters replaced by other sorts of toys. For example, Mr. Golly who ran the Toyland garage was replaced by French Monsieur Polly in the 1975 series, and, during the 1992–2000 series, by Mr. Sparks. Dinah Doll, a British-African female character, was added to the franchise by then. *''The Adventures of Noddy'' (1955–1962) – a black-and-white puppet series on ATV. *''Noddy Goes to Toyland'' (1963) – An animated short film made by the works of Arthur Humberstone Films. *''Noddy'' (1975–1976) – A series produced for
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
by
Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are s ...
' predecessor company Stop Frame Productions. *''The Further Adventures of Noddy'' (1983) – A stop-frame animated pilot made by the works of
FilmFair FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated television series, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, cl ...
. *''
Noddy's Toyland Adventures ''Noddy's Toyland Adventures'' is a British children's television programme that was broadcast from September 1992 until April 1994 and December 1994 (and reran in 2000 on the Children's BBC block of the BBC). The show stars the voices of Susan ...
'' (1992–2000) – The BBC's adaptation of the Noddy franchise. Produced by
Cosgrove Hall Films Cosgrove Hall Films was a British animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall, headquartered in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was a major producer of children's television and animated programmes/films, which are s ...
. *'' The Noddy Shop'' (1998–1999) – Canadian/American adaptation featuring redubbed animations from Noddy's Toyland Adventures, released in other territories as ''Noddy in Toyland''. *''
Make Way for Noddy ''Make Way for Noddy'', stylized ''make way for NODDY'' or also known as simply ''Noddy'', is a British animated television series based on the Noddy character by English children's author Enid Blyton. It was broadcast on Channel 5 (later know ...
'' (2002) – The first CGI series of Noddy which was commissioned by Channel 5 and aired as a part of their
Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British Children's television series, children's television programming block on 5 (British TV channel), 5. Originally launched in 1997, it is currently aimed at children aged 2 to 7. History Th ...
block. Produced by
Chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It is also present around the embryo of other animals, like insects and molluscs. Structure In humans and other therian mammals, the cho ...
in association with
SD Entertainment SD Entertainment, Inc. (more commonly known as Sabella-Dern Entertainment) is a dormant American animation studio specializing in entertainment for children. The "SD" in the initials of the company name stand for Sabella Dern, the respective last ...
who did the animation. *''
Noddy in Toyland Noddy is a fictional character created by English children's author Enid Blyton. He is depicted as a wooden toy with a childlike view of the world. He resides in the fictional setting of Toyland, where he works as a taxi driver. Noddy is known f ...
'' (2009) – The second Noddy series to be made in CGI for the 60th anniversary of the franchise. Produced by
Chorion The chorion is the outermost fetal membrane around the embryo in mammals, birds and reptiles (amniotes). It is also present around the embryo of other animals, like insects and molluscs. Structure In humans and other therian mammals, the cho ...
in association with
Brown Bag Films Brown Bag Films UC. (BBF) is an Irish television and computer-animation studio owned by Canadian production studio 9 Story Media Group and based in Dublin with 2D and 3D animation facilities in Bali, Los Angeles, Toronto and formerly Manches ...
. *''
Noddy, Toyland Detective ''Noddy, Toyland Detective'' (French: ''Oui-Oui, Enquêtes au Pays des Jouets'') is a French-British-American animated television series featuring the character Noddy (character), Noddy created by Enid Blyton. The series was produced by DreamWork ...
'' (2016–2020) – DreamWorks' reimagining of the franchise and overall the third CGI incarnation of the character to be produced to date.


Stage productions

Noddy first appeared on stage at the million-seat Stoll Theatre in Kingsway, London, in 1954. The very large cast were all children or teenagers, mostly from the Italia Conti acting school. There was a full-theatre orchestra. The final part was a scene at the "Faraway Tree", with many of the children dressed as fairies, flying on wires. It ran for many years, but the Stoll was knocked down and replaced by an office block in the late 1950s. The
Peacock Theatre The Peacock Theatre (previously the Royalty Theatre) is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Portugal Street, near Aldwych. The 999-seat house is owned by, and comprises part of the London School of Economics and Political ...
was built in the basement of the new building, but Noddy did not return. In 1993, a stage production of Noddy opened at the
New Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Listed building, Grade II listed Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland, w ...
, followed by a long British national tour, including a holiday season in London at the
Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a nonprofit theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London."About the Lyric" > "History" ''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved January 2024. Background The Lyric Theatre ...
, and was released on
home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...
in 1994. The production was presented by Clarion Productions. The production was written and directed by David Wood with scene and costume designs by Susie Calcutt. The original cast included
Eric Potts Eric Potts (born 13 September 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and director, who appeared in ''Coronation Street'' as the eccentric baker Diggory Compton after playing four smaller parts, the father of Molly Compton, and ''Brookside'' as Wre ...
as Big Ears and Karen Briffett as Noddy. The show was very well received among critics, audiences and even
Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
's daughter
Gillian Baverstock Gillian Mary Baverstock (born Pollock; 15 July 1931 – 24 June 2007) was a British author, non-fiction writer, and memoirist. She was the elder daughter of English novelist Enid Blyton and her first husband, Hugh Pollock. She wrote and spoke ...
. David Wood adapted a successful sequel to the play entitled "Noddy and the Tootle" which opened at the
Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland, who at the time was also owner o ...
and endured on a long British national tour in 1995–96. Karen Briffett reprised her role as Noddy and Big Ears was played by Jonathan Broxholme. This production was too presented by Clarion Productions. In 2004, A live show called "Noddy Live!" took a live tour around the UK from 21 December 2004 until 5 March 2005, and returned on 21 December until 29 December in the same year.


Other media

There was a spoof page of "Noddy-ana" in ''
Hot Rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
'' magazine (UK), in about 1976–1978; Noddy had a
hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
, and Big Ears smoked, and was very disrespectful to Mr. Plod. In the book '' Seven Deadly Wonders'' by
Matthew Reilly Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer.
". Retrieved 10 ...
, a character is nicknamed Noddy, while his best friend's nickname is Big Ears. IDW's ''The Transformers'' introduced the character of "Tappet", a robot who is based on Noddy visually and clearly transforms into Noddy's classic car. The puppet of Big Ears from the 1955–1963 Noddy television series appeared as a member of the "Puppet Government" in ''
The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940 – 12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their The Goodies (TV series), ...
'' episode " The Goodies Rule – O.K.?". In Alan Moore's series ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (''LoEG'') is a multi-genre, cross-over comic book series co-created by writer Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill which began in 1999. The comic book spans four volumes, an original graphic novel, and ...
'', Toyland is a real nation located in the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...
. The King and Queen of Toyland are
Frankenstein's Monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...
and Olympia, the automaton from ''
The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died in ...
''. Noddy, Big Ears and PC Plod are referred to in the ''
Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo section ...
'' crossword sketch where
Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...
thinks their names are "Roddy, Big Ears, and PC Plop!" In an episode of ''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...
'', all of the characters are dressed up as fairytale characters for a parade. Smiler is dressed as Noddy complete with a smaller version of his car in order to tow a
bouncy castle Bounce or The Bounce may refer to: * Deflection (physics), the event where an object collides with and bounces against a plane surface Books * Mr. Bounce, a character from the Mr. Men series of children's books Broadcasting, film and TV * '' ...
with the rest of the characters on it, but it deflated while they were taking part.


Reception

Like many of Blyton's works, Noddy has been subject to criticism. In a scathing article published in ''Encounter'' in 1958, the journalist
Colin Welch James Colin Ross Welch (23 April 1924 – 28 January 1997) was an English political journalist. According to Richard West in his obituary of Welch, he was a "strong and eloquent advocate of individual liberty against the power of government". We ...
described Noddy as an "unnaturally priggish ... sanctimonious ... witless, spiritless, snivelling, sneaking doll." Caribbean-American novelist/essayist
Jamaica Kincaid Jamaica Kincaid (; born Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardson on May 25, 1949) is an Antiguan–American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. Born in St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, she now lives in North Bennington, ...
considers the Noddy books to be "deeply racist" due to the blonde-haired children and the Black
golliwog The golliwog, also spelled golliwogg or shortened to golly, is a doll-like character, created by cartoonist and author Florence Kate Upton, which appeared in children's books in the late 19th century, usually depicted as a type of rag doll. I ...
s. A number of older publications of Noddy books feature golliwogs, sometimes as heroes but often as a villain or as naughty individuals.


Legacy

Noddy being associated with small children's reading has led to "Noddy" being sometimes used as an adjective meaning "petty or trivial" (compare with "
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
"), for example, in
computer programming Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called computer program, programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of proc ...
: "''This simultaneous linear equation
subroutine In computer programming, a function (also procedure, method, subroutine, routine, or subprogram) is a callable unit of software logic that has a well-defined interface and behavior and can be invoked multiple times. Callable units provide a ...
crashes out on the Noddy case when n = 1, but otherwise it works.''" or "''Remember to check all the Noddy cases.''" In the United Kingdom, the word "plod" became a slang term to describe a police officer, or the police service, after the character Mr. Plod. For example, somebody could say, "''I'm not having a good morning, I was driving to work and got pulled over by the plod for driving too fast.''" The
Ministry of Defence Police The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force#United Kingdom, special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are ...
is also nicknamed "MOD Plod". In 2014, a plaque recording Enid Blyton's time as a Beaconsfield resident from 1938 until her death in 1968 was unveiled in the town hall gardens, next to small iron figures of Noddy and Big Ears.


See also

* ''
Toytown Toytown is the name given to a series of radio plays written by Sydney George Hulme Beaman, S.G. Hulme Beaman and broadcast by the BBC from 1929 to 1932, 28 of which regularly repeated on ''Children's Hour'' until 1964, by which point it had ...
'' was a BBC radio series for children, broadcast for Children's Hour on the Home Service from 1929. It featured Larry The Lamb as its chief character.Hartley, Ian. ''Goodnight Children ... Everywhere''. (New York, Hippocrene: 1993)


Notes


References


External links


Noddy and Big-Ears in Toyland
on the
Enid Blyton Society The Enid Blyton Society was formed in 1995 by collectors of Enid Blyton's work Norman Wright, Tony Summerfield and Michael Rouse. It was originally named the Enid Blyton Literary Society, to distinguish it from other organisations with similar aims, ...
*
''Noddy in Toyland''
on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
{{Authority control Book series introduced in 1949 Characters in children's literature Fictional taxi drivers Fictional dolls and dummies Fictional pilots Enid Blyton characters Enid Blyton series DreamWorks Classics franchises Literary characters introduced in 1949 Male characters in literature