Pogles' Wood facts for kids

Pogles' Wood is a British animated TV show made by Smallfilms between 1965 and 1967. It was first shown on the BBC from 1965 to 1968 and was repeated often until the early 1970s. The show tells the stories of tiny, magical creatures called Pogles who live inside a hollow tree in a forest. The main characters are Mr. and Mrs. Pogle, their adopted son Pippin, and Pippin's squirrel-like friend, Tog.

The show was filmed using a special technique called stop-motion animation in Peter Firmin's barn, not in a big TV studio. All the episodes were in black-and-white. Oliver Postgate narrated the stories, often starting with the famous line, "Now where shall we find the Pogles?" He also did the voices for many of the characters.

The First Series: "The Pogles"

The very first series about these characters was simply called The Pogles. It was shown by the BBC in 1965 and only aired once.

This first series had six episodes, each about nine minutes long. It set the stage for the longer series, Pogles' Wood. The Pogles explained how a special Magic Plant came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Pogle. It also revealed that Pippin was actually the foundling son of the King of the Fairies. In this first series, Pippin was only a baby, and Tog, the squirrel, didn't appear yet.

However, the story in The Pogles focused on a scary, shape-changing Witch. The overall mood of the series was a bit dark and spooky. After showing it only once, the BBC decided it was "too frightening" for its planned audience, which was very young children (under 5 years old) watching Watch with Mother. So, the BBC asked Oliver Postgate to make future episodes about more everyday, gentle countryside adventures. To make sure everyone knew about the changes, the show's name was changed, and the original series was never shown on TV again.

Original Episodes

• 1: The Magic Bean (July 29, 1965)
• 2: A Silver Crown (August 5, 1965)
• 3: Pogle Go Home! (August 12, 1965)
• 4: A Flower For Wishes (August 19, 1965)
• 5: The Singing Bird (August 26, 1965)
• 6: King of The Fairies (September 2, 1965)

The Main Series: "Pogles' Wood"

The next 26 episodes were shown under the new name, Pogles' Wood. These episodes were part of the Watch With Mother block, which the BBC said was "for the very young." Each episode in this new series was 15 minutes long, fitting the usual time slot for Watch With Mother.

The first 13 episodes of Pogles' Wood explored farm and countryside life through the eyes of Pippin, Tog, and Mr. & Mrs. Pogle. The next 13 episodes had more of a story. In these, Pippin and Tog would often find an object and take it back to the storytelling plant, which would then bring the object to life. This idea was later used in another famous show called Bagpuss.

Pogles' Wood episodes were repeated until September 1973. The series then stopped airing because BBC children's television started showing only programs made in color. The Watch With Mother series continued, but it only showed programs that were in color.

Sequel Episodes

Series 1 (April 1966 – June 1966):

• Grains of Wheat
• Milk From The Dairy
• Honey Bees
• Sheep's Wool
• Eggs For Breakfast
• Trains
• Tog-In-The-Middle
• The Secret House
• Noisy Engines
• Badgers and Beans
• Bears in the Wood
• Tree Farming
• Cake Crumbs
• Keep Clear of The Water

Series 2 (October 1967 – January 1968):

• Woodwinds
• Strong Music
• A Little House
• Bears In The Wood
• Bricks
• A Paper Tiger
• The Princess and The Jewel
• Flowers
• Kings and Queens
• Clocks
• Woodwork
• Roundabouts
• Umbrellas

Comics and Books

The Adventures of Pippin and Tog was a popular hardback book based on the TV show. These books were published every Christmas in the 1970s. They featured comic strips that had first appeared in a children's magazine called Pippin, drawn by Bill Mevin.

DVD Releases

Good news for fans! All the episodes from both The Pogles and Pogles' Wood still exist and are available to buy on DVD.

The first DVD of Pogles' Wood episodes, chosen by the show's creators, came out in 2006. It was released by the Dragons' Friendly Society, an organization started by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin. Later, three more DVDs were released by the same group, including the final collection of 14 episodes in November 2015, called Pogles' End.