The Raggy Dolls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raggy Dolls
Title card
Genre	Fantasy Children and family series Comedy-drama Adventure
Created by	Melvyn Jacobson
Developed by	John Walker
Written by	Neil Innes
Voices of	Neil Innes
Narrated by	Neil Innes
Theme music composer	Neil Innes
Opening theme	Raggy Dolls, Dolls like you and me
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	9
No. of episodes	112
Production
Executive producer(s)	John Marsden
Producer(s)	Jo Kemp / Neil Molyneux / Joy Whitby
Running time	11 minutes
Production company(s)	Yorkshire Television (1986–1994) Orchid Productions (1987–1994)
Distributor	ITV Studios
Release
Original network	ITV Network / CITV
Picture format	4:3
Original release	3 April 1986 (1986-04-03) – 20 December 1994 (1994-12-20)

The Raggy Dolls is a fun cartoon show from the UK that aired on ITV between 1986 and 1994. The story takes place in Mr. Grimes' Toy Factory. Here, dolls that aren't quite perfect are tossed into a special "reject bin." But guess what? When no humans are looking, these dolls magically come to life! They climb out of the bin and go on amazing adventures. The show was created to help kids think positively about people with physical differences. In total, 112 episodes were made.

Meet The Raggy Dolls

The main characters are seven unique dolls who live in the reject bin. Each one has a small "flaw" that makes them special.

The Original Seven Dolls

• Sad Sack – He was too expensive to make, so he looks a bit different. He's the oldest and often feels gloomy, but he really cares about his friends.
• Dotty – She's the oldest after Sad Sack and often acts like the leader. She got her name because paint spilled on her hair and clothes. Her favorite saying is: "Good thinking!"
• Hi-Fi – He stutters because he was dropped. He also had his wires mixed up! He always wears headphones, which let him pick up radio and other signals from anywhere.
• Lucy – Her arms and legs are loosely attached with thread. She's usually shy and gets scared easily, but she's always kind and loyal. Sometimes, like in the episode "Ghosts," she can be very brave. She speaks with a Derbyshire accent.
• Back-To-Front – This doll is a great handyman, even though his head was put on backward! He loves machines and stays calm in tricky situations. His catchphrase is: "No problem!"
• Claude – He's a French doll who is actually perfect! He fell out of a box meant for France and ended up in the reject bin because there was nowhere else to put him. He speaks with a French accent, mixing English and French words. He's also a fantastic cook.
• Princess – She was supposed to be a beautiful princess doll, but the machine cut her hair short and ripped her dress. She talks like a fancy aristocrat. Princess is the youngest of the first seven Raggy Dolls.

Later Additions

• Ragamuffin – He's a traveling doll who lost his owner. He loves exploring new places and joined the group in the fifth season.

Friends and Humans

The Raggy Dolls meet many interesting characters, both toys and humans, during their adventures.

Friends of the Dolls

• Pumpernickle – A friendly scarecrow.
• Edward – Mr. Grimes's lost teddy bear who becomes a good friend.
• Mr Marmalade – Mr. Grimes's playful pet cat.
• Hercules – An old farm horse.
• Rupert the Roo – An Australian toy kangaroo who travels from Australia and becomes a new friend.
• Natasha – A Russian Doll bought by Mrs. Grimes.

Human Characters

• Mr Oswald "Ozzie" Grimes – He owns the toy factory.
• Cynthia – She later becomes Mr. Grimes's girlfriend and then his wife.
• Florrie Fosdyke – A nice but sometimes forgetful lady who works in the factory cafeteria.
• Farmer Brown – The farmer who owns One Pin Farm.
• Ethel Grimes – Mr. Grimes's sister.
• Oz and Boz – Ethel's sons, who are Mr. Grimes's nephews. They are known as the "Terrible Twins" because they often cause mischief!

Episodes

The Raggy Dolls ran for nine seasons, with a total of 112 episodes! Each episode is about 11 minutes long and features the dolls solving problems or going on exciting journeys.

Season Overview

Season 1 Episodes

Here are some of the episodes from the first season:

There are many more exciting episodes in the following seasons, where the Raggy Dolls continue their adventures, meet new friends, and learn important lessons.

Where to Watch

After the show finished its original run, The Raggy Dolls was shown again on other TV channels. It aired on Carlton Kids and later on Tiny Pop, which is a free-to-air satellite channel.

The series was also broadcast in many countries around the world, but not in the United States.

Merchandise and Books

If you loved the show, you might have also seen some of the Raggy Dolls merchandise!

Videos and DVDs

In the late 1980s, three video tapes were released, each with five episodes from the first two seasons. These were narrated by Neil Innes, who also did voices for the show. They were later released in Australia.

Later, in 1993, another video with six episodes came out.

The first four complete seasons of The Raggy Dolls were released on DVD between 2010 and 2011. However, the fifth season was never released on DVD.

Books

Around 1990, a series of at least 10 books were published. These books were written or adapted by Neil Innes and had illustrations by Steve Smallman. Some of the book titles include:

• The Big Top
• The Flying Machine
• The Hot Air Balloon
• In Days of Old
• Moving House
• The Pigeon Race
• The Royal Tour
• The Stolen Parrot
• The Tree House
• A Trip to the Sea
• We Are Not Amused
• The War Of The Wizards