The Magic Roundabout facts for kids

The Magic Roundabout was a popular children's television series from 1965 to 1977 in the UK. It used stop-motion animation from a French show called Le Manège enchanté. However, the English version had completely different stories and characters.

The original French series was created by Serge Danot with help from Ivor Wood. It aired in France from 1964 to 1974. The BBC in the UK first thought it would be too hard to translate. But they later made their own version using the French videos.

This British version was written and narrated by Eric Thompson. It had 441 episodes, each five minutes long. The show was a huge hit! It became so popular that when the BBC moved it to an earlier time slot, many adult viewers complained. They loved watching it before the evening news.

Meet the Characters

Characters from the original Magic Roundabout

The characters in The Magic Roundabout are the same in both the French and English versions. But they have different names and personalities depending on the language.

The main character is Dougal (called Pollux in French). He is a cute dog with floppy ears, a type of Skye Terrier.

Other fun characters include:

• Zebedee (Zébulon in French): A magical jack-in-the-box who can teleport.
• Brian (Ambroise in French): A friendly snail.
• Ermintrude (Azalée in French): A singing cow.
• Dylan (Flappy in French): A hippy rabbit who plays the guitar. He was named after the musician Bob Dylan.

There are also two human characters:

• Florence (Margote in French): A kind young girl.
• Mr Rusty (le Père Pivoine in French): The older man who runs the roundabout.

Other characters you might see are Mr McHenry, the gardener who rides a tricycle, and a talking train. Three other children, Paul, Basil, and Rosalie, appeared in the early black-and-white episodes.

Dougal, Brian, Ermintrude, and Dylan live in a place called The Magic Garden. Zebedee and Florence often teleport there, so it must be quite a distance away!

How the Show Looked

The show has a very special look. It takes place in a bright, colorful park with the famous roundabout. The show was made using stop-motion animation. This means the characters are moved tiny bits at a time and filmed frame by frame. For example, Dougal was made without legs to make him easier to animate. Zebedee was created from a giant pea found in the animation studio! British animator Ivor Wood designed these characters. He also worked on other famous shows like Paddington Bear and Postman Pat.

The English Version

The British BBC version was unique because its stories were completely new. Eric Thompson created them just by watching the French videos. He didn't use any translations of the French scripts. So, the English version is very different from the original French one.

Broadcast Times

The first British episodes aired every weekday on BBC1 at 5:50 PM. This was just before the evening news. The Magic Roundabout kept this time slot for most of its original run. This was the first time a fun show was shown like this in the UK. The very first series was in black-and-white. Later series were made in color, but the BBC still showed them in black-and-white at first. The first color episode aired on October 5, 1970.

Fifty-two more episodes that had not been shown before aired in the UK in 1991. These were narrated by actor Nigel Planer. He tried to sound like Eric Thompson, who had passed away.

Character Personalities

In the English version, the characters had distinct personalities:

• Dougal was often grumpy and made funny, world-weary comments.
• Ermintrude was like a motherly figure and loved to sing.
• Dylan was a bit dreamy and played his guitar.
• Florence was polite and sensible.
• Brian was simple but always meant well.

The show was popular with both children and adults. Adults enjoyed Dougal's clever remarks. At its most popular, about eight million people watched the show!

Sometimes, the show would even talk directly to the audience. In one episode, Zebedee said, "Time for bed." Florence asked, "Already?" And Zebedee replied, "It's nearly time for the news, and you've had enough magic for one day." This was a nod to the fact that the news came on right after The Magic Roundabout.

Eric Thompson also wrote two original books about the characters in 1971. Later, in 1998, his daughter, Emma Thompson, helped publish more books based on the TV show scripts. She shared that her father felt he was most like Brian. She also said that Ermintrude was partly based on her mother, Phyllida Law.

The show was re-run for many years on Cartoon Network and later on Boomerang. These re-runs often featured episodes narrated by Jimmy Hibbert.

International Versions

The Magic Roundabout was popular in many countries, and each version had its own unique touches:

• In Italy, the show was called "Bobo" (Pollux/Dougal's name). Each character had its own voice, unlike the UK version.
• In Portugal, it was "Carrossel Mágico." It was the first foreign children's show dubbed into European Portuguese.
• In Germany and Austria, it was "Das Zauberkarussell." Most characters got new names, but Dougal and Zebedee kept their French names.
• In the United States, the series was called The Magic Carousel. It aired on Nickelodeon's Pinwheel in the 1980s. This version used American voice actors and was closer to the original French show, with characters having their own voices.
• In the Netherlands, it was "De Minimolen" (The Mini Carousel). It aired in black and white in 1967.

New Adventures in 2007

In 2007, a new TV version of The Magic Roundabout was made. It had 52 episodes, each 11 minutes long. This series used computer-animated versions of the characters from the 2005 movie. New characters like Mr. Grimsdale and Soldier Sam from the movie also appeared. The series also introduced new characters like Fly and Dougal's Auntie Primrose.

Unlike the original show, each episode of the new series began with Zebedee telling the audience what would happen. Episodes ended with Zebedee throwing a party, and Dylan saying, "I wish it was time for bed, man..."

This new series first aired in the UK on Nick Jr. in October 2007. A second season of 52 episodes was created in 2010.

Theme Music

The show's theme song, by Alain Legrand, was a happy organ tune. In the very first black-and-white episodes, it was played a bit slower and sounded a little sadder.

Film Adventures

The world of The Magic Roundabout also expanded into movies, which introduced villains to the story.

Dougal and the Blue Cat (1970)

Dougal and the Blue Cat Serge Danot made a longer film in 1970, which Eric Thompson also adapted for the UK as Dougal and the Blue Cat. In this movie, Dougal becomes suspicious of a new blue cat named Buxton. It turns out Buxton is working for a mysterious "Blue Voice" from an old factory. This voice wants to turn everything in the Magic Garden blue and trap all the characters! Dougal has to come up with a plan to save his friends. The Blue Voice was played by Fenella Fielding, which was the only time Eric Thompson brought in another voice actor for the show.

The 2005 Movie

The Magic Roundabout (film) In 2005, a new movie called The Magic Roundabout was released. It used modern computer animation. The story follows Dougal, Ermintrude, Brian, and Dylan on a quest. They must stop Zebedee's evil twin, Zeebad, who wants to create an endless winter. This film gave each character its own voice, just like the original French version. Famous actors like Ian McKellen, Kylie Minogue, and Robbie Williams lent their voices.

The movie received mixed reviews. In 2006, the film was released in the U.S. as Doogal. Most of the original British voices were replaced with American celebrities. This version was not very popular with critics or audiences.

Music and Records

The show's theme music was also featured in two popular UK songs in 1991.

In 1971, BBC Records released an LP (a type of record) called The Magic Roundabout. It had 10 stories from the TV show, told by Eric Thompson. This album has been re-released on CD several times.