Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television |
| Created by | Edward McLachlan |
| Directed by | Ivor Wood |
| Narrated by | Bernard Cribbins |
| Theme music composer | Mike Batt |
| Composer(s) | Mike Batt |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Editor(s) | Helen Kelsey |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company(s) | FilmFair |
| Release | |
| Original network | Thames Television |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | 1974 – 1976 |
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings is a fun British cartoon show about a boy named Simon. He has a special, magic blackboard. Anything Simon draws on this board comes to life in a place called the Land of Chalk Drawings! Simon can get there by climbing over a fence near his house using a ladder.
The stories often show what happens when Simon's drawings cause unexpected things to happen. For example, once Simon was upset and drew an angry version of himself. That drawing then went on a bit of a rampage!
The show is based on four children's books by Edward McLachlan. It was made in the mid-1970s by FilmFair Productions in London. It first aired on Thames Television in the UK. Each episode was only five minutes long and was often shown around dinner time.
Kids in the United States also got to watch the show in the 1970s. It was shown on Captain Kangaroo, where Bob Keeshan was the narrator instead of Bernard Cribbins. Later, it appeared on Pinwheel and Romper Room. In Canada, it was shown on TVOntario. No one knows who sang the catchy theme song, as their name wasn't in the credits!
Original Episodes Guide
This table shows how many episodes were in each series and when they first aired.
Series Overview
| Series | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 1974 | 1975 |
| 2 | 12 | 1975 | 1976 |
The 2002 Revival Series
| Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television |
| Country of origin | Canada China |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (65 shorts) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company(s) | CINAR (now Cookie Jar) Shanghai Animation Film Studio |
| Release | |
| Original network | Teletoon OTV (Shanghai Media Group) |
| Original release | 2 September – 18 September 2002 |
A brand new version of the show came out in 2002. It premiered on Teletoon in Canada. This new series had a different theme song and a fresh look for Simon. He wore a striped T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.
The new show was narrated by Ernie Coombs, who was famous for playing Mr. Dressup. It was made by Cinar Animation and Shanghai Animation Film Studio. In this version, Simon's friend Henry was replaced by a girl named Lily.
Funny Parody Sketch
The TV show Saturday Night Live once made a funny parody of Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings. This sketch was created by Mike Myers. It started with the same music and lyrics as the original show. But instead of the Land of Chalk Drawings, Simon was in his bathtub! He would show and talk about his "drawerings" to the viewers.
