The Magic Roundabout
|
|
|
::
Home ::
| :: Guestbook ::
| :: Links :: |
For
many children of the 1960s and 70s, one of their strongest childhood
memories must be of coming home from school and sitting down in front of
the television to watch 'The Magic Roundabout'. The madcap antics of
Dougal, Zebedee, Ermintrude and friends were a source of great amusement
for children, with Dougal's distinctly sardonic comments and Dylan's
laid-back attitude providing witty entertainment for adults too.
The Magic Roundabout was created by Serge Danot in 1965 and was entitled 'Le
Manege Enchante', but the stories transmitted by the BBC were completely
rewritten by Eric Thompson (father of Emma). He wrote his new scripts by
watching the original French footage and then making up his own stories to
fit the animation. He also provided the voices for each character. The
programme's enduring popularity was such that the series was recreated in
the early 1990s to entertain a whole new generation of children, with
Nigel Planer as narrator, in the absence of Eric who died in 1982. |
 |
|
|
The Magic Roundabout is still popular today, and not more so than in the world
of collecting. The range of Magic Roundabout-related merchandise that was
produced, from the 1960s to the present day, is quite considerable. The
programme's characters were used to promote anything from grocery products
such as cereal, biscuits, Dougal dog food and instant whip, through to
bubble bath, talcum powder and jelly moulds, alongside the multitude of
children's toys that were also available.
Perhaps the smallest, cheapest and most fun Magic Roundabout items to collect are
the sets of plastic figures that were given away free with Kellogg's
cereal in the late 1960s and early 70s, and with Nabisco biscuits in the mid-70s.
Small but perfectly formed, these occasionally turn up at jumble or boot
sales, lying unnoticed in the bottom of a box of junk for a few pence, or
at collectors fairs selling from anything from £1 to £5. |
On a commercial scale, Corgi Toys produced a number of Magic Roundabout
items; the most sizable being The Magic Roundabout Playground. This
consisted of a large plastic base (the garden), with a train track and
train, and a musical Magic Roundabout affixed to one end. The character of
Dylan held a secret in that when he was turned clockwise, the Magic
Roundabout started to rotate and play the theme tune. The musical Magic
Roundabout was also available to buy as a separate item and featured the children sitting
on the carousel horses (Florence, Rosalie, Paul and Basil). Corgi also
merchandised Mr Rusty's train separately, which pulled along Dougal in a
carriage all of his own! The two other items available in the range were
Mr MacHenry's Tricy Bus, with a pop-up Zebedee hidden in the back, and a
bright yellow Magic Roundabout Citroen rather worryingly driven by Brian
the Snail! Individual characters were also sold in clear plastic domes,
mounted on blue plinths.
A mint and boxed Magic Roundabout Playground set today can fetch up to
£800
on the secondary market, and the Citroen in the same condition can also
command up to £250. No doubt a marked increase on their original prices
at time of first issue.
|
 |
 |
Commonly found Magic Roundabout-branded items include bagatelle games,
kaleidoscopes, and tin money boxes, which taught children about the
conversion from imperial to decimal currency, thus dating it to around
1971. The BBC released several Magic Roundabout 45s and LPs, featuring
music and storylines from the television programme, as well as the story
of 'Dougal and the Blue Cat', a special feature-length episode that is now
also available on video.
Slightly harder to find these days is the series of string and hand puppets that
were available in the 1960s and 70s. These were made by Pelham Puppets,
and included the characters of Dougal, Mr Rusty, Florence, Brian and
Ermintrude. Particularly rare is the figure of Zebedee, who, in his
original box, could fetch around £150 today. And Pedigree, the toy
manufacturers better known as the original makers of Sindy, produced a
large fluffy Dougal, and Florence doll with a removable outfit.
Magic Roundabout party tableware by Sweetheart was also available, but as these
items were generally spoiled after a few uses, they have tended not to
last in great numbers today. The range included paper cups, bendy straws
and cupcake cases, and would have been a popular choice for children's
parties at the time. |
| ©
Kitty. Please do not reproduce
this article without prior permission! Images from various sources. |
|
|
