Munch Bunch facts for kids
The Munch Bunch is a fun series of children's books from the UK. It was created by Barrie and Elizabeth Henderson. The stories were written by them and British author Denis Bond under the name Giles Reed. Angela Mitson drew all the pictures.
These books were published in the UK between 1979 and 1984. In the United States, Rourke Publications, Inc. published them. The Munch Bunch characters are a group of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that nobody wanted. They were swept into a corner of a shop but managed to run away. They then made a home in and around an old, forgotten garden shed.
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The Munch Bunch TV Show
In the early 1980s, the Munch Bunch characters also starred in their own puppet TV show! This show was made by Mary Turner and John Read, who often worked with Gerry Anderson.
The TV show stories were different from the books. Most of them were written by Denis Bond (using his real name this time). Other writers, like Rosemary Kingsland, also helped create stories.
The characters' voices were done by a famous husband-and-wife team, Judy Bennett and Charles Collingwood. They are well known for their work on the radio show The Archers. A total of 52 ten-minute episodes were made. They first aired between September 1980 and May 1982.
- Series 1: 12 episodes, first shown from September 24, 1980
- Series 2: 13 episodes, first shown from March 25, 1981
- Series 3: 21 episodes, first shown from September 30, 1981
- Series 4: 6 episodes, first shown from April 7, 1982
Why the Original Books Stopped
The original Munch Bunch books stopped being printed in the mid-to-late 1980s. This happened because of a fire at Studio Publications, the company that published them. The fire sadly destroyed all the original artwork for the books.
Munch Bunch Yoghurt
The Munch Bunch yoghurt brand started around 1981. It was launched at the same time as the TV show. The yoghurt packaging featured Angela Mitson's characters from the books. It also included some new characters not in the books, like Jenny Cherry and Charlie Chocolate.
By the 1990s, the yoghurt brand had become very popular on its own. It kept only the Munch Bunch logo and a few character names. The brand became very popular in the UK again in the 1990s. This was mostly because of a popular TV commercial for "pot shots" yoghurt. This yoghurt was like a small pot of yogurt for kids. The commercial showed the characters in a pool hall and ran from May 1994 to February 1996.
This popularity didn't last very long. Only three of the original Munch Bunch characters were featured in the "pot shots" range. A completely different series of Munch Bunch books was published in 1998 by Ladybird Books in the UK. These new books were made to go along with the yoghurts. Denis Bond and Angela Mitson were not involved in these new books. The characters were also different, though some, like Sally Strawberry, had similar names.
The Munch Bunch yoghurt brand is still around today! It is now part of the Nestlé company. However, the original "fruit and veg" characters have been replaced by a cow mascot named Munch.
Original Characters (1979-1982)
Here are some of the original Munch Bunch characters:
- Aubrey Aubergine
- Adam Avocado
- The Banana Bunch
- Barnabus Beetroot
- Billy Blackberry
- Bounce (spring onion)
- Button and Tiny (mushrooms)
- Casper Carrot
- Chunky Pineapple
- Corky Coconut
- Corny-on-the-Cob
- Dick Turnip
- Emma Apple
- Lizzie Leek
- Lucy Lemon
- Merv Marrow
- Nurse Plum
- Olive
- Olly Onion
- Peanut
- Pedro Orange
- Pete Pepper
- Penny Parsnip
- Percy Prune
- Pippa Pear
- Professor Peabody
- Rory Rhubarb
- Rozzy Raspberry
- Runner Bean
- Sally Strawberry
- Scruff Gooseberry
- Spud (Potato)
- Supercool (cucumber)
- Suzie Celery
- Tom Tomato
- Wally Walnut
US Character Name Differences
Some characters had different names when the books were published in the United States:
- Aubrey Aubergine was called Eddie Eggplant
- Barnabus Beetroot was called Barnabus Beet
- Merv Marrow was called Zack Zucchini
Original Book Series (1979-1982)
These are the titles from the first Munch Bunch book series:
- Meet the Munch Bunch
- The Munch Bunch at the Seaside
- The Munch Bunch Have a Party
- The Munch Bunch Go Camping
- The Munch Bunch Welcomes New Friends (1982)
Munch Bunch Books (1983 Series)
More Munch Bunch books were released in 1983:
- Pete Pepper's Trip to the Zoo
- Casper Carrot's Big Mistake
- Lucy Lemon and the Birthday Post
- Aubrey Aubergine and the Grandfather Clock
- Spud's Sports Day
- Adam Avocado and the Picnic Basket
- Barnabus Beetroot's Blue Umbrella
- Penny Parsnip Starts a School
- The Banana Bunch Have Half a Holiday
- Button and Tiny Buy Bicycles
- Nurse Plum's Busy Week
- Peanut Goes to the Circus
- Emma Apple's Jumble Sale (1985)
Munch Bunch Books (1984 Series)
Even more books came out in 1984:
- Spud and the Big Red Balloon
- Sally Strawberry and the Painted Snake
- Olly Onion's Fancy Dress Party
- Casper Carrot's New Blue Jumper
- Dick Turnip and the Crazy Clowns
- Rozzy Raspberry's Wallpaper Machine
- Billy Blackberry's Secret Tunnel
- Corny-on-the-Cob's Not so Funny Day
- Rory Rhubarb and the River Monster
- Merv Marrow's New Police Car
- Scruff Gooseberry and the Wishing Well
- Emma Apple's Late Birthday Party
New Zealand Characters (1985)
In New Zealand, some special characters were created for the Munch Bunch:
- Charlie Kumara
- Kiri Kiwifruit
- Patty Passionfruit
- Ted Tamarillo
Yoghurt Tie-in Book Series (1998)
These books were made to go with the yoghurt brand:
- Andy Apricot
- Barney Banana
- Bertie Blackcurrant
- Ollie Orange
- Rozzy Raspberry (a different character with the same name)
- Sally Strawberry (a different character with the same name)
