Pipkins facts for kids

Pipkins (first called Inigo Pipkin) was a popular British TV show for young children. It ran from January 1973 to December 1981. The show starred puppets like Hartley Hare, Pig, and Topov the monkey. It was made by ATV.

Pipkins was special because its puppet characters had different accents from around Britain. For example, Pig had a Birmingham accent, Topov the monkey sounded like a Cockney, and Mrs Penguin had a Geordie accent. Octavia the ostrich even had a French accent!

How Pipkins Started

In 1972, the ITV network wanted more daytime shows. They asked four main TV companies to create new series for pre-school children. This was an alternative to the popular American show Sesame Street.

Thames Television made Rainbow. Yorkshire created Mister Trimble. Granada came up with Hickory House. ATV's show was Inigo Pipkin.

The First Episodes

Inigo Pipkin first aired on New Year's Day in 1973. The main character was an older puppet maker named Inigo Pipkin. He was played by George Woodbridge. The puppets were his creations. Viewers saw Inigo bring characters like Hartley Hare, Tortoise, Topov the monkey, Pig, and Octavia the ostrich to life.

Sadly, George Woodbridge passed away suddenly in March 1973. This happened while they were still filming the second series. The show's creators had to quickly rewrite some episodes. They explained Inigo's absence by saying he was on a fishing holiday.

A New Direction

In 1974, the show did something new for children's TV. They explained that Inigo had died. This happened nine years before a similar episode on Sesame Street. After this, the show was renamed Pipkins. Inigo's assistant, Johnny (Wayne Laryea), took over.

The show changed its focus. It was no longer just about a puppet workshop. The characters became the 'Help People'. They would help anyone who needed a hand. Another episode, "Death of a Goldfish," also talked about losing a pet. Topov the monkey and Johnny discussed why the goldfish died and why people die.

Johnny left Pipkins around 1978. Tom (Jonathan Kydd) replaced him. Tom then left in 1980, and Peter Potter (Paddy O'Hagan) took his place. In later years, Sue Nicholls often appeared as Mrs Muddle. She was a calm and confident neighbor to the puppets.

In 1979, the familiar workshop set was replaced. The new set looked like a kitchen and a backyard. This new design allowed the puppeteers to stand up and move more freely. It was inspired by The Muppet Show, which was also filmed at ATV's Elstree Studios.

Why Pipkins Ended

Pipkins stopped when ATV lost its TV license for the Midlands area. The company was reorganized and became Central Independent Television. The show was then replaced by Let's Pretend.

The series was mostly made at ATV's Elstree studios. Sometimes, they filmed in other locations. For the Inigo Pipkin episodes, Jackie Lee sang the opening and closing songs. She also sang themes for other children's shows like The Adventures of Rupert Bear.

It was unusual that no Pipkins toys, games, or books were made while the show was on TV.

Missing Episodes

Many old TV shows from the 1970s have episodes missing from archives. This is true for Pipkins too. Some episodes, including the very first Inigo Pipkin show, are lost. This happened because the old video tapes were not stored well.

Out of 333 episodes, only 136 still exist. The other 197 episodes are completely gone. Two other episodes only exist as incomplete copies. Nigel Plaskitt, who narrated the show and voiced Hartley Hare, recorded about 56 episodes at home. These home recordings are now the only way to see some of these episodes. Some have even been used for DVD releases.

Characters You Might Remember

• Hartley Hare
• Topov Monkey
• Tortoise
• Pig
• Mooney Badger
• Octavia Ostrich