All Time Favourites by Kult Kidz (2000)
Kult Kidz was a distribution division of retro children’s television, for Contender Entertainment Group, a home media company founded in 1995. They started out with VHS releases of classic favourites like Willo The Wisp and Bod, before moving on to compilations and DVD editions. I found this one in a charity shop, originally released in 2000, and I’ve been really excited to experience many of these shows I haven’t seen before. It contains two episodes from each programme, a perfect way to introduce people to new favourites or old friends.
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The one series I did remember is Roobarb - it’s a show my Dad loved, and the theme tune is unforgettable, a reminder of my own childhood enjoying the 2005 revival on Channel 5’s ‘Milkshake’ segment. Each episode featured a conundrum for the title character to overcome, as he’d build an invention in his shed that would often lead to disastrous consequences. Often featured was a pink cat called Custard, who would find glee in his friends misfortune, the pair usually in competition with each other. It was created and illustrated by Grange Calveley, using a charming sketched style with marker pens that gives each scene a fluidity as the pen strokes dance, much like a flip book made of many images.
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This disc features the episodes ‘When You’re Going To Fly, Fly High’ and ‘When The Day Didn’t Arrive’, both of which followed in sequence when it first aired. The latter uses a clever technique of placing translucent paper over the drawings, giving the impression of fog. The second episode does however expose the racism embedded into cartoons of the time, as a ‘south wind’ is illustrated to look like a minstrel character.
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The assortment captures many styles of the time, like ‘Hectors House’ that uses puppets. Created by George Croses, it was originally a French series titled ‘La Maison de Toutou’, before being dubbed in English and aired in 1968. Re-runs of the seven series continued through the 1970s, introducing viewers to Hector the dog, who lives with his kitty friend Zsazsa and is often visited by frog ‘Kiki’ that lives next door. Featured on this disc are the episodes ‘Happy Returns’ and ‘Hector Never Forgets’ - the title character is often looking for ways to improve his life, like in the latter episode where he labels jobs he wants to remember. I’d never heard of this show, but I think it’s really lovely.
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Another show that employs puppets for entertainment is ‘Fingerbobs’, though this time we’re introduced to puppet master Rick Jones, who creates various animals using his hands and characters crafted from paper. The series was invented by Joanne and Michael Cole and only spanned 13 episodes, airing in 1972 with re-runs shown until the mid 80s. The plot of each instalment usually revolved around items being collected by the puppet cast, to be used in a story at the end. This disc contains the episodes ‘Bumpy’ and ’Stones’, both focusing on seagull character Gulliver. I found this one very relaxing, with beautiful xylophone music in the background and simple yet educational plots.
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‘Bod’ was first aired on BBC1 in 1975, another creation by Joanne and Michael. Based on a series of books by the pair, it follows a young boy as he explores the world around him; only 13 episodes were ever made, alongside segments called ‘Alberto Frog and his Amazing Animal Band’ of which only 5 are known to still exist, after the BBC wiped a large amount of stored 1970s children’s TV programmes. It’s moments like this that make preserving objects and media so important. Bod is the first cartoon on this disc to feature two episodes that aren’t in chronological order, ‘Bod’s Dream’ and ‘Bod At The Park’. The former is taken directly from one of the original stories, and is wonderful in its uncomplicated storytelling, as the main character and supporting cast are all distracted by their thoughts, until they find a big bowl of strawberries and cream at the end.
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One of my favourite cartoons from this selection is ‘Willo The Wisp’, voiced by the wonderful late Kenneth Williams. The illustrations and concepts are so whimsical, paired with a beautiful score. It was based on a character created for British Gas advertising in the 1970s, before being adapted into a 26 episode serial in 1981. Each is narrated by the Wisp, a caricature of Williams, as we see the protagonists come up against the villain of their woods, a grouchy television set called ‘Evil Edna’. A remake was made in 2005, this time voiced by James Dreyfus, as Edna is upgraded to a flat-screen telly on wheels. We’re given the first two episodes from the show, ’The Bride-Groom’ and ‘Edna’s Secret’.
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A medium I adore is stop motion, and this technique is seen through ’The Flumps’, a series revolving around a family of soft round creatures as each episode often navigates a common phrase that might be misunderstood - like ’Secrets’ which is featured on this disc, as girl Flump ‘Posey’ is confused when everyone tells her to keep their secrets ‘under her hat’, despite her not wearing one. I love this type of humour, but I also think it’s a good way to open up conversations about a certain topic, and I love the use of song and clever writing to connect to the audience. The Flumps uses the voice of Gay Soper, who’s career is dominated by stage appearances, and her voice has a comforting quality much like Lynda Baron in ‘Come Outside’.
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The other episode provided is ‘The Cloud’, exploring the idiom ‘you’ve a cloud over your head’, as boy Flump ‘Perkin’ is miserable while his siblings desperately try to help him blow the cloud away. It finally lifts when a carrot placed inside Grandfather Flump’s ‘Flumpet’ flies round like a rocket, a moment I found really amusing. I love the naivety of children’s television of the time; you can see the strings moving pieces of set, and nothing is overproduced. A great deal of skill and time is involved, yet it still retains an unsophisticated and approachable quality.
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Penultimately, we have ‘Mary, Mungo and Midge’, about a girl, her dog and a mouse that live on the top floor of an apartment block. The illustration style reminds me of a story book, with paper elements moved over backdrops created by founder of the cartoon John Ryan. It was significant for the time because it was the first pre-school show to be set in an urban area where kids might live, and I think the fact a tower block is used is massively important, when most depictions of family life include a house. Each episode is very informative about a chosen topic, as ‘Midge’ the mouse gets into mischief and takes us along for his adventures. A moment that is memorable for many is the lift sequence, as Midge has to stand on dog Mungo’s nose to reach the correct button for their floor.
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The series is another reminder of how racism was normalised for children through media at the time, as a G*lliw*g can be seen amongst Mary’s toys, a common caricature in doll form of Black people. We see white people of that era today heavily defend these artifacts of their youth, and whilst that is often wilful ignorance it also shows this type of conditioning is an effective tool of white supremacy when something is offered as a positive representation during an impressionable age, even when it’s actually really harmful.
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The last children’s show on the disc is ‘Crystal Tipps and Alistair’, another series like the previous one that uses paper cutouts. The artwork is more influenced by the psychedelic qualities of the 70s, with an abstract style and bright colours. It relies on music rather than dialogue, and the score is brilliantly composed by Paul Reade, though it does put you on edge - if I’m honest the cartoon itself is fairly unnerving, in a way that keeps you interested for more. The characters move in unnatural ways, and Alistair has an eerie grin, while the pair both have eyes that stare vacantly. It was produced by Q3 London, the same studio that gave us ‘Fingerbobs’, founded by Michael-Grafton Robinson after he went independent. 50 five minutes episodes were created and aired between 1972 and 1974 with a 20 minute Christmas special, and reruns were shown until the mid 90s, showing how popular Crystal Tipps was.
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The episodes featured are ’Surprise’ and ‘Bubbles’ - the first definitely leans into the quirkier side of the show, while the latter imagines what it might be like to float away in a bubble. I loved this concept and thought the illustrations for this episode were beautiful. Crystal and Alistair were designed by Althea Battams and Maggie Clarke, while the animation was presided over by Richard Taylor Cartoons.
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I’m really grateful to have found this DVD, and it’s one that will definitely be staying in my collection, though I’d love to lend it to other people who’d like to experience these cartoons. I hope to find other compilations by Kult Kidz in the future, including the VHS releases.
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