The Magic Key facts for kids
The Magic Key is a popular series of children's books. They are part of the Oxford Reading Tree collection from Oxford University Press. The books were written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta.
The stories mainly follow the adventures of three children: Biff, Chip, and Kipper Robinson. Their parents, grandmother, and dog Floppy are also important characters. Their friends, Wilf and Wilma Page, Nadim Shah, and Anneena Patel, often join them. The first 30 stories were published in 1985. Now, there are over 300 books in the series! More than 80% of schools in the United Kingdom use these books. They have been translated into many languages and are used in over 120 countries. In 2000, the books were turned into a television series. Collingwood O'Hare Entertainment and HIT Entertainment produced it with the BBC.
Meet the Characters of The Magic Key
The books and TV show feature a fun group of characters. They often go on exciting adventures together.
- Christopher "Kipper" Robinson
- Elizabeth "Biff" Robinson
- David "Chip" Robinson
- Margaret "Mum" Robinson
- Nick "Dad" Robinson
- Floppy the dog
- Eleanor "Gran" Robinson
- Wilf Page
- Wilma Page
- Anneena Patel
- Nadim Shah
- Mrs. May
The Magic Key Television Series
Quick facts for kids The Magic Key |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure Children's Educational |
| Written by | Diane Redmond Jan Page Mellie Buse James Mason Jocelyn Stevenson Lucy Daniel Raby Julie Middleton Joe Boyle |
| Directed by | Tony Collingwood |
| Voices of | Sophie Aldred Maria Darling David de Keyser Kate Harbour Adam Henderson David Holt Gary Martin Richard Pearce Emma Tate |
| Composer(s) | Roger Jackson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Christopher O'Hare |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Collingwood O'Hare HIT Entertainment BBC |
| Distributor | HIT Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two CBeebies |
| Original release | 4 September 2000 – 19 March 2001 |
The Magic Key books were made into a TV series. It had 26 episodes, each telling a different story. The show also helped children learn good English. It aired on BBC Two as part of BBC Schools from 2000 to 2008. It also appeared on CBeebies and the CBBC Channel. The whole series was released on DVD in 2006.
In the TV show, Floppy the dog wears a collar with a golden key. This key is magic! When one of the children asks a question and Floppy makes a wish, the key glows. It then takes the children, Floppy, and sometimes their grandmother to other worlds. They have exciting adventures, like meeting trolls or being inside a computer game. After their adventure, they get a gift, and the key glows again to take them home. In the original books, the key is kept in a box. This box opens the door to a dollhouse. Floppy does not always go on the adventures in the books.
Besides Biff, Chip, and Kipper, their friends Wilf, Wilma, Nadim Shah, and Anneena Patel also join the adventures. Nadim's parents own the local corner shop, which appears in some stories.
Exploring the Magic Key Episodes
The television series features many unique and exciting adventures. Here is a list of all 26 episodes.
| Number | Name | Air date | Plot summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HMS Sweet Tooth | 4 September 2000 | Biff's love for chocolate leads to pirates finding their ship. |
| 2 | Lug & the Giant Storks | 11 September 2000 | Kipper, Wilma, and Floppy meet a lonely Space Elf and giant Space Storks. |
| 3 | The Rook King | 18 September 2000 | Kipper, Chip, and Wilma are changed by the wicked Rook King. |
| 4 | Clutterland Band | 25 September 2000 | Nadim, Biff, and Floppy visit Clutterland. They must help Old Mother Clutter save the island from sinking. |
| 5 | Troll Talk | 2 October 2000 | Biff and Gran are captured by trolls. Wilf tries to help them escape. |
| 6 | The Patchworker | 9 October 2000 | Anneena, Chip, and Floppy arrive in a patchwork world that needs fixing. |
| 7 | Code Calling | 16 October 2000 | Wilma, Wilf, and Floppy go to an ancient world. They must solve a coded message to prevent a battle. |
| 8 | Zandoodle & the Wheezlebang | 23 October 2000 | Zandoodle the wizard creates a powerful monster vacuum cleaner. |
| 9 | Biff of the Jungle | 30 October 2000 | Nora Lockmeup captures rare animals. Wilma tries to free them but gets caught herself. |
| 10 | Nadim's Machine | 6 November 2000 | Wilf and Floppy are turned into robots by the evil Grabber Lotterdosh. Nadim must save them. |
| 11 | The Flying Circus | 13 November 2000 | Chip, Biff, and Floppy enter a world of self-flying planes. Chip causes chaos at the controls. |
| 12 | Fraser the Eraser | 20 November 2000 | Kipper, Gran, and Floppy visit Crayon World. Fraser the Eraser wants to rub everything out. |
| 13 | The Anneena Academy | 27 November 2000 | Anneena, Wilf, and Floppy find themselves in a world where everyone looks and sounds like Anneena. |
| 14 | Dragon Land | 4 December 2000 | Wilma, Nadim, and Floppy get stuck in a computer game called Dragon Land. |
| 15 | The Queen of Hearts | 11 December 2000 | The Queen of Hearts throws Biff and Kipper into a dungeon after a laundry mix-up. |
| 16 | Floppy & the Puppies | 8 January 2001 | Floppy is tricked by two clever puppies. |
| 17 | The Giant & the Knee Nibblers | 15 January 2001 | The gang is forced to take part in a story that never ends. |
| 18 | The Cream Cake Mystery | 22 January 2001 | Chip, Nadim, and Floppy investigate a crime. Someone is stealing the baker's cakes. |
| 19 | Mister Hansel & Miss Gretel | 29 January 2001 | Anneena, Kipper, and Floppy meet Hansel and Gretel. They become part of a famous fairy tale. |
| 20 | The Sound Monster | 5 February 2001 | Wilma and Floppy find an island where animal sounds are all mixed up. |
| 21 | Tumbleweed Desert | 12 February 2001 | The Moochacha family is too cold to dance or play music. This started when the Weather Man stopped smiling. |
| 22 | The Stone of Contentment | 19 February 2001 | Wilf, Chip, and Floppy help Queen Sharon get back the Magic Stone of Contentment from Sir Vile. |
| 23 | The Demon Drill | 26 February 2001 | Nadim must convince the Tool World to work together before their land falls apart. |
| 24 | Fabulous Fancy Foods | 5 March 2001 | Kipper has to choose a new product for Fabulous Fancy Foods. Floppy knows the answer, but Kipper struggles to decide. |
| 25 | The Fountain of Youth | 12 March 2001 | Wilf and Floppy drink from the Fountain of Youth, despite Wilma's warnings. |
| 26 | Underwater World | 19 March 2001 | The gang gets trapped underwater with strange companions and a dangerous shark. |
