The Dreamstone facts for kids

The Dreamstone was a popular British animated TV show. It ran for four series, with 13 episodes in each. The show aired between 1990 and 1995.

The main idea and artwork for The Dreamstone came from Michael Jupp. Sue Radley and Martin Gates wrote the series. Martin Gates Productions (MGP) and FilmFair produced the show.

The Dreamstone takes place in a special alternative world called "The Land of Dreams." The story is mostly about the fight between good and evil. Good is shown by The Dream Maker, a wise magician. Evil is shown by Zordrak, who is the Lord of Nightmares.

Characters in The Dreamstone

The world of The Dreamstone is full of interesting characters. They live in two main places: the Land of Dreams and the Land of Nightmares.

Characters from the Land of Dreams

The Land of Dreams is home to two main groups: Noops and Wuts. Noops are like humans and live normal lives. Wuts are the protectors of the land. They fly on leaves and use staffs with light orbs to fight Zordrak's evil forces.

• The Dream Maker (voiced by John Franklyn-Robbins): He is very old, wise, and kind. He floats instead of walking, saying it's "less tiring." His job is to create and send good dreams to everyone in the world.
• Albert (voiced by Richard Tate): Albert is the Dream Maker's pet dogfish. The Dream Maker dreamed him up and made him real. Albert swims through the air and is very loyal.
• Rufus (voiced by Stuart Lock): Rufus is a Noop who loves dreaming. He daydreams so much that he has trouble keeping a job. He becomes the Dream Maker's assistant because of his constant dreaming. Rufus is the main hero of the show. He often saves the day with his bravery or cleverness.
• Amberley (voiced by Nancy Hendry): Amberley is Rufus's best friend. She is practical, smart, and more responsible than Rufus. She is good at climbing and flying on leaves. Her name comes from a village in West Sussex that the creator, Mike Jupp, used to visit.
• Pildit (voiced by Derek Wright): Pildit is the leader of the Wuts. He is the Dream Maker's most trusted friend. He often defends the Land of Dreams from Zordrak's attacks. Pildit teaches Rufus and Amberley how to fly on the special leaves.
• Wildit (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke): Wildit is Pildit's grandmother. She is brave and leads the Wut Flying Squadron. She is very good at fighting and planning. Wildit is a bit eccentric and loves aerobatics.
• Spildit (voiced by Ellie Beaven): Spildit is Wildit's niece. She is a very energetic and talkative young Wut. She often gets into trouble. Sometimes, she even helps the Urpneys by accident!
• Mr Blossom (voiced by Anthony Jackson): He is the Dream Maker's gardener. Mr Blossom is an elderly Wut who cares more about his garden than anything else. He works hard and complains a lot.
• Wottles: These creatures look like smaller, cuter Wuts with furry chests. They live underground and take care of the Dream Bottle trees. Two Wottles, "Hat" and "Egg," often join Rufus and Amberley on their adventures.
• Planet Dreamstone (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke): The planet itself can talk to other characters. It has a gentle, female voice. The planet is very powerful and is the source of power for all Dreamstones in the universe.

Characters from the Land of Nightmares

The Land of Nightmares is also called the dark side of the planet. It is mostly home to Urpneys. Urpneys look like lizard-like humans with big noses and pointy tails. They live in Viltheed, a dark, mountainous place where Zordrak lives.

Zordrak, Lord of Nightmares, first appeared in the pilot episode.

• Zordrak (voiced by Gary Martin): He is the Lord of Nightmares and the main bad guy. Zordrak looks like a huge dragon with a deep, scary voice. He was once a Dream Maker but was kicked out for turning dreams into nightmares. He then became his current form and landed in Viltheed, vowing revenge. He rarely moves from his throne.
• Urpgor (voiced by Leonard Whiting (Series 1–3), Colin Marsh (Series 4)): Urpgor is the main scientist of the Urpneys. He has green skin, pink hair, and orange eyebrows. He wears a white lab coat and many glasses. Urpgor is a bit mad and loves his inventions. His inventions usually work but are often too complex or need a lot of Urpney power to run.
• Sergeant Blob (voiced by Richard Tate): Blob is the big, not-so-smart military leader of the Urpneys. He took over after Captain Crigg was removed. He usually has Nug and Frizz with him on missions. Blob often uses the wrong words, like saying "sensationalise" instead of "surprise."
• Corporal Frizz (voiced by Melvyn Hayes): Frizz is a very cowardly Urpney. He is in a position of power only because he couldn't run away as fast as the others. He would rather be at home eating sandwiches than fighting. Frizz often speaks the last lines at the end of each episode.
• Corporal Nug (voiced by Anthony Jackson): Nug is another cowardly Urpney in Blob's squad. He can seem a bit silly, but sometimes he has good ideas. Blob often takes credit for Nug's ideas. Nug speaks with a strong accent.
• Captain Crigg: He was the first commander of the Urpneys. Crigg was a weak and cowardly leader. Zordrak got rid of him by dropping him into the Pit of No Return, where he was eaten by Fraznats.
• Argorribles: These are ghostly purple clouds that Zordrak sends out to deliver nightmares. The power of the Dreamstone usually stops them. But with the Nightmare stone, they become stronger and can cause more trouble.
• Zarag (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke): Zarag is Zordrak's sister. She was trapped in a bottle for 500 years. The Dream Maker says she is very clever but also very vain. She also wants the Dreamstone, but to wear it in her hair. She looks more human than her brother but shares his bad temper.
• Frazznats: These creatures live in the Pit of No Return. They usually eat Urpneys. They look like a mix of a shark, a snake, and a Venus Flytrap, with lobster-like claws.
• Other Urpneys: Besides the main Urpney characters, there were other Urpneys who sometimes had speaking parts. Some of them had names like Plug (the chef), Blooge, Grid, Blit, Boff, Erk, and Sniff.

Episodes and Storylines

The Dreamstone aired with 52 episodes in total. Each episode usually had a similar plot. Zordrak would tell his helpers to steal the Dreamstone. He wanted to destroy it so that nightmares would fill the sleeping world.

His plan often involved Urpgor, the scientist, inventing something. The Urpneys, led by Sergeant Blob, would then try to cross the Mist of Limbo to reach the Land of Dreams. The plan almost always failed. This was mostly because the Urpneys were cowardly and not very good at their jobs. They often just wanted to go home and eat sandwiches.

Later episodes focused more on funny, slapstick humor. Rufus and Amberley, the main heroes, became more central to the stories. They were often sent on errands by the Dream Maker. They also had to avoid the Urpneys' clumsy attempts to interfere. The show also started to explore new places and characters.

Music and Songs

The show was famous for its music. A full professional orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, played the score. This was quite unique for a cartoon. The music, created by Mike Batt, used special musical themes. These themes changed and appeared throughout the series.

There were two main songs in the show: Better than a Dream and War Song of the Urpneys. Better than a Dream was about the Noops and Wuts. War Song of the Urpneys was for the Urpneys.

Famous singers like Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Bruno, and Billy Connolly sang on the War Song of the Urpneys single. However, the version in the TV show was mostly sung by Mike Batt himself. Other artists also sang for The Dreamstone soundtrack. Bonnie Tyler recorded a song called Into The Sunset with Mike Batt. This song was meant to be a love song for the show but was never used. Joe Brown performed The Vile Brothers Mountain Band, which was used in an episode.

The TV version of Better Than A Dream had slightly different lyrics than the album version. The TV lyrics often reflected Rufus's personality. In 2012, Katie Melua released her own version of "Better Than A Dream."

How to Watch The Dreamstone Today

Over the years, The Dreamstone has been released in different ways. In the UK, some episodes were available on video. The first six episodes were also released on DVD.

In Germany, all 52 episodes were released on DVD with both English and German audio. You can also find some episodes online. The first series was available on Amazon Prime and iTunes for a while.

Since late 2018, Monster Entertainment has uploaded all 52 episodes to the "Official Dreamstone" channel on YouTube. They have been slowly making all episodes available for everyone to watch.

How The Show Was Made

Even though The Dreamstone was made in the United Kingdom, the actual drawings for the cartoon were done in the Philippines. Like many cartoons, Martin Gates Productions used studios in other countries for the animation work.

• Fil-Cartoons animated the first series.
• Moving Images International animated series 2 to 4.

In 1985, Mike Jupp and Martin Gates made a short pilot for the series called The Dream Thief. This pilot was animated in California, USA. It had some differences from the TV series. Interestingly, a 12-year-old Christian Bale (who later became a famous actor) was the voice of Rufus in this pilot. Martin Gates later worked with Christian Bale on Steven Spielberg's WWII film Empire of the Sun.

Merchandise and Other Media

Fans of The Dreamstone could also find other items related to the show.

• Comic Books: In 1991, a comic book series based on the cartoon was published. The first issue used screenshots from the show. The next five issues had new artwork drawn for the comics.
• Board Game and Puzzles: A board game called "The Dreamstone Game" was released in 1993. It included two games. Jigsaws and other puzzles were also produced by a British company called Waddingtons.
• Miniatures Game: In 2019, Oakbound Studio announced they were making a licensed miniatures range and game based on The Dreamstone. This project was planned to include a roleplaying game (RPG) and collectible figures.

See also

In Spanish: The Dreamstone para niños