''Pinky and Perky'' is a children's television series first broadcast by

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios ...

in 1957, and revived in 2008 as an animated adaptation.

Original series

The title characters are a pair of

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

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 ...

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s, named Pinky and Perky, who were originally going to be named Pinky and Porky but there was a problem registering Porky as a character name. This was solved by Margaret Potter, the wife of their producer, Trevor Hill, who also discovered them, when she woke him up one night announcing "I've got it! Pinky and Perky!" They were created by

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

n immigrants Jan and Vlasta Dalibor who moved to the village of

Houndhill Houndhill is a substantial Grade II* listed Tudor Farmhouse (part timber-framed) in Worsbrough, near Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. The present house, which dates from the late 16th century with 17th-century additions, was originally bui ...

, leaving the pigs under the cupboard in The Bungalow. The characters of pigs were chosen because the pig is seen as a symbol of good luck in the former Czechoslovakia. The puppets, who had only very limited movements, looked very alike. Pinky wore red clothes and Perky wore blue, but this distinction was of little use on monochrome TV, so Perky often wore a hat. Pinky and Perky spoke and sang in high-pitched voices, created by re-playing original voice recordings at twice the original recorded speed; the vocals were sung by

Mike Sammes Michael William Sammes (19 February 1928 – 19 May 2001) was an English musician and vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s. Career Born in Reigate, Surrey, Sammes was the so ...

while the backing track was played at half normal speed (Sammes did the same job for Ken Dodd's Diddymen, as

Ross Bagdasarian Ross S. Bagdasarian (; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name David "Dave" Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor best known for creating the virtual band, cartoon band Al ...

did for the ''original'' Chipmunks in the early 1960s)—hence the expression "Pinky and Perky speed", when an LP record is played at 45 rpm or

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

instead of the correct 33 rpm. Pinky and Perky would often sing

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of popular songs, but also had their own theme song, "We Belong Together". They had their own fictional TV station "PPC TV" (a play on "BBC"). They also performed

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

sketches - usually with a human foil (in the same way as puppet fox

Basil Brush Basil Brush is a fictional fox best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts, books, annuals and comic strips. The char ...

). Actor John Slater worked with them as a straight man for many years, enduring soakings from water pistols and similar pranks. Other human companions included Roger Moffat, Jimmy Thompson, Bryan Burdon and Fred Emney. Their show included other puppets such as ''the Beakles'' (an avian parody of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

), Topo Gigio, a mouse puppet from Italy created in 1958 by Maria Perego, which appeared in many later episodes, as well as a female pig. Other puppets included Ambrose Cat, Basil Bloodhound, Bertie Bonkers the baby elephant, Conchita the Cow, Horace Hare and Vera Vixen. Pinky and Perky also performed guest slots on other shows, including several appearances on '' Sunday Night at the London Palladium''. The puppets also appeared on TV in the United States on a number of episodes of ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'': 532 (14 September 1958), 548 (4 January 1959), 573 (5 July 1959), 740 (10 March 1963), 780 (23 February 1964, where they shared the bill with the Beatles and

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew; 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman; 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...

) and 908 (26 February 1967). The pigs featured in series, such as ''Pinky and Perky's Pop Parade'' and ''Pinky and Perky's Island'', for 11 years until 1968 on the BBC before transferring to ITV until 1972. There were no real people, sketches or stories in the shows at all. Instead, the puppets would be seen lip-synching and dancing to songs by the likes of

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

. In this incarnation, each episode would end with the characters singing

the Scaffold The Scaffold are a comedy, poetry and music trio from Liverpool, England, consisting of musical performer Mike McGear (real name Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Paul McCartney), poet Roger McGough and comic entertainer John Gorman. ...

's hit "Thank U Very Much". At this point, there would be the only piece of spoken dialogue, which went along these lines: :: "Who's going to say it?" :: "Oh, let me!" :: "No! I want to!" :: "All right, then, let's do it together! Ready—MUCH!"

Other shows and appearances

In 1993, Pinky and Perky appeared regularly on ''The Pig Attraction'', a

CITV CITV is a British children's morning programming block on ITV2 and formerly a free-to-air channel owned by ITV plc. CITV, then Children's ITV, launched on 3 January 1983 as a late afternoon programming block on the ITV network for children aged ...

puppet-focused talk show, performing a song every week. The Pinky and Perky segments were made in collaboration with Jan and Vlasta Dalibor. A collection of songs from the series, including Pinky and Perky's, was released on CD, cassette and vinyl the same year. The ''Pinky and Perky Show'' reappeared in an all-new animated television series on

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

and

France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air Public broadcasting, public television network. The second flagship network of France Télévisions, it broadcasts a wide range of general and specialized programming. France 3 is structured as a Region ...

, beginning in November 2008 on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. There are 52 episodes, each 13 minutes in length. Some of the old characters remained in the show, such as Vera Vixen (who often hatches schemes to try to get rid of the two pigs) and Morton Frog (who works in the production control room, usually running the end titles r in "Cartoon Mash-Up", cueing the end musicat the end of an episode.). Alongside them, there were a host of new characters, such as K.T. the studio manager cat, Wilberforce the tortoise security guard (who comes up with impractical ideas for new acts or games for the show), and a pair of

poodle The Poodle, called the in German () and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is no ...

receptionists called Tara and Tamara (who, in a recurring gag, often get Pinky and Perky's names wrong). There is also a steady stream of special 'celebrity' guests, many of which spoof better-known franchises, such as

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

as "Dr. Roo" and

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

as "Harry Trotter". The series was produced by Lupus Films, and line produced by Sally Marchant. A DVD of the new look Pinky and Perky, featuring eight episodes from the new series, entitled ''Licence to Swill'', was released in 2009.

Comics

A comic strip based on the TV series was drawn by Jim Turnbull.

Discography

Albums

* ''Pinky and Perky's Melodymaster'' ( Columbia, 1963) * ''Pinky and Perky's Hit Parade'' ( MFP, 1968) * ''Christmas with Pinky and Perky'' (MFP, 1969) * ''Pinky and Perky's Nursery Rhymes'' (MFP, 1970) * ''Pinky and Perky's Film Parade'' (MFP, 1970) * ''Pinky and Perky's Hit Parade No. 2'' (MFP, 1971) * ''Pinky and Perky Have a Party'' (MFP, 1972) * ''Pinky and Perky's Hit Parade No. 3'' (MFP, 1973) * ''Singalong Party'' (MFP, 1974) * ''Pinky and Perky's Pop Parade'' (MFP, 1975) * ''The Pig Attraction'' (also released on CD) (

Telstar Telstar refers to a series of communications satellites. The first two, Telstar 1 and Telstar 2, were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched atop of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962, successfully relayed the first televisi ...

, 1993)

EPs

* ''Children's Choice with Pinky and Perky'' ( Columbia, 1960) * ''Children's Favourites with Pinky and Perky'' ( Columbia, 1961) * ''Christmas with Pinky and Perky'' ( Columbia, 1961) * ''Pinky and Perky Out West'' ( Columbia, 1962) * ''Pinky and Perky's Pals'' ( Columbia, 1962) * ''Pinky and Perky Down on the Farm'' ( Columbia, 1963) * ''Nursery Romp'' ( Columbia, 1963) * ''Pinky and Perky at the Circus'' ( Columbia, 1964) * ''Pinky and Perky's Beat Party'' ( Columbia, 1965) * ''Pinky and Perky in Outer Space'' ( Columbia, 1965) * ''Playtime'' ( Columbia, 1966) * ''Celebration Day'' ( Columbia, 1966) * ''Pinky and Perky's Summer Holiday'' ( Columbia, 1967) * ''Up, Up and Away'' ( Columbia, 1967) * ''Coming Your Way'' ( Columbia, 1968)

Singles

All singles were released on 7" vinyl format unless otherwise stated. * " Tom Dooley"/"The Velvet Glove" (also released on 78 rpm) (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 1958) * " Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)"/"The Little Mountaineer (Il Piccolo Montanaro)" (also released on 78 rpm) (

, 1959) * "Pinky and Perky's Party Sing-Song" (Medley) (

, 1959) * "Clinkerated Chimes" (signature tune of ''Pinky and Perky's Pop Parade'') (Instrumental) (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, 1959) * "Clinkerated Chimes" (signature tune of ''Pinky and Perky's Pop Parade'')/ Cradle of Love (

, 1960) * " The Ugly Duckling"/" Eeny Meeny Miney Mo" ( Columbia, 1960) * "What's New at the Zoo" (from '' Do Re Mi'')/"Dream Your Tears Away" ( Columbia, 1961) * "The Valley of Christmas Trees"/" I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" ( Columbia, 1961) * "What Have We Got? (We Got Music)"/"Give Us a Kiss for Christmas" ( Columbia, 1962) * "The Ice-Cream Man"/" Volare (''Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu'')" ( Columbia, 1963) * "

When The Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn, but is often played by jazz bands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made o ...

"/"Nursery Romp" ( Columbia, 1963) * " Hole in My Bucket"/" Glow Worm" ( Columbia, 1965) * "

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 ...

"/"We Belong Together" ( Columbia, 1966) * " Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines"/" Yellow Submarine" ( MFP, 1968) * " The Holly and the Ivy"/" While Shepherds Watched" (MFP, 1969) * " Consider Yourself" (from "Oliver")/" I Wanna Be Like You" (from ''The Jungle Book'') (MFP, 1970) * " Pushbike Song"/"Jack-In-The-Box" (MFP, 1971) * "Bridget the Midget"/"Rosetta" (MFP, 1971) * " The Grand Old Duke of York"/"

London Bridge Is Falling Down "London Bridge Is Falling Down" (also known as "My Fair Lady" or "London Bridge") is a traditional English nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridg ...

" (MFP, 1972) * "Together Whevever We Go"/" Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" (MFP, 1973) * "

Everything Is Beautiful "Everything Is Beautiful" is a song written, composed and performed by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens's albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The childre ...

"/"

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn. It was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell, with Motown/Stax Records, Stax backing vocalist Telma Ho ...

" (MFP, 1973) * " Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)"/" High Hopes" (MFP, 1974) * "Oh Boy"/"Sing Baby Sing" (MFP, 1975) * "Give Us a Kiss for Christmas"/" I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"/"Nursery Romp" (also released as a CD-single with bonus track "The Ugly Duckling") (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

, 1990) * "

Reet Petite "Reet Petite (The Sweetest Girl in Town)" (originally subtitled "The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet") is a song written by Berry Gordy, Billy Davis, and Gwen Gordy Fuqua, and made popular by Jackie Wilson in his 1957 recording for the Bruns ...

"/" It Only Takes a Minute Girl" (also released as a cassette single and a CD-single with bonus track "Thunderbirds Are Go! traight Run Mix) (

, 1993)

Cultural references

* In

Nick Hornby Nicholas Peter John Hornby (born 17 April 1957) is an English writer. He is best known for his memoir '' Fever Pitch'' (1992) and novels ''High Fidelity'' and '' About a Boy'', all of which were adapted into feature films. Hornby's work frequen ...

's 1998

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

'' About a Boy'', the main character, Will, visits the record shop Championship Vinyl and sees an attractive woman asking for a Pinky and Perky record. She is met with contempt from the sales clerk. A few days later Will thinks he sees the woman again and, trying to make an impression, introduces himself with the line "I like Pinky and Perky", only to suddenly realise he is talking to a different woman. * Pinky and Perky are mentioned in Richard Thompson's song "Let It Blow" which is the first track of his 2005 album '' Front Parlour Ballads''. * The two appear 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.? where they sound a buzzer ("Not so fast!"). * Pinky and Perky are mentioned in the 2008 British crime film '' The Bank Job'', in reference to two supporting characters. * In the ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'' episode " Better Than Life", Rimmer refers to the Skutters as "Pinky and smegging Perky". * In the BBC sitcom '' The Good Life'', the pigs adopted by Barbara and Tom Good are named Pinky and Perky. * In the motoring TV series '' Top Gear'' and ''

The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...

'',

James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...

refers to co-presenters

Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in Driving, motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), T ...

and

Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...

as Pinky and Perky. * The BBC period drama series ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a British period drama television series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, ...

'', set in the late 1950s, makes several references to Pinky and Perky. * Pinky and Perky are mentioned in the 1993 movie ''

In the Name of the Father ''In the Name of the Father'' is a 1993 biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan. It is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed fo ...

'', when the protagonist is eating pork sausages. * In

Collett Dickenson Pearce Collett Dickenson Pearce & Partners (CDP) was a British advertising agency which operated from 1960 till 2000. It was founded by John Pearce and Ronnie Dickenson who bought an existing agency owned by John Collett. The agency played a pivotal ro ...

's 1976–1977 award-winning advertising campaign for Wall's, an advertisement featuring an image of a pork pie carries the headline "Pinky and Porky", a pun on "Pinky and Perky".

References

External links

*
Watch The Pinky and Perky Show on BBC iplayer

Pinky and Perky tribute (fan) site

original show images at children's television programs website thechestnut.com * Chapter 17 in Over the Airwaves, Trevor Hill's autobiography (Book Guild 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinky And Perky 1957 British television series debuts 1971 British television series endings 1950s British children's television series 1960s British children's television series 1970s British children's television series Animated television series about pigs BBC children's television shows British children's animated comedy television series British music television shows British television shows featuring puppetry ITV children's television shows Television series by FremantleMedia Kids & Family Television shows adapted into comics Television shows produced by Thames Television Music for Pleasure (record label) artists Children's television series about talking animals Anthropomorphic pigs