The Treacle People facts for kids

The Treacle People was a fun cartoon TV show for kids that aired in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 1997. It had two seasons, each with 13 episodes. The show was known for its clever humor that both younger and older viewers could enjoy. It was made by The London Studios and Fire Mountain Productions.

What the Show Was About

The story of The Treacle People takes place in a made-up village called Sabden in the north of England. In this village, a sticky, sweet substance called treacle is found deep underground, like a natural resource. People in Sabden used to dig for treacle in mines, just like people dig for coal or gold.

However, the treacle mines started to run dry because too much treacle had been dug out. This caused big problems for the village, as their whole way of life depended on treacle. The main characters, a boy named Wizzle and a girl named Rosie, use a special "Treacle finder" (like a tool to find water) to discover a new supply of treacle in old, forgotten mines.

The two seasons of the show follow Wizzle and Rosie as they try to reopen the mines and deal with all the challenges that come with it, like how to get the treacle out of the village to sell it. One of the funny characters in the show was the Moobark, which is a mix between a cow and a dog!

You can still find an official website for the show, which even has one of the first episodes called "The Great Escape."

Adventures in Sabden

The show had many exciting adventures over its two seasons. Here are some of the types of stories you would see:

Season 1 (1996) Adventures

The first season introduced us to the world of Sabden and its treacle troubles.

• Finding New Treacle: In "Treacle Trouble," Wizzle and his treacle-tracker are the village's only hope to find new treacle supplies.
• Escaping the Mines: After finding treacle, the heroes get stuck in the mines in "The Great Escape" and have to find a clever way out.
• Mill Mayhem: "Trouble at t'Mill" shows Rosie and Wizzle trying to help at the treacle mill, but a mischievous creature called Bert the Boggart causes chaos.
• Flying High: In "Up, Up and Away!", a balloon is built to export treacle, but it goes on an unexpected journey.
• Sticky Situations: Episodes like "Sticky Like Us" show the villagers getting stuck in super sticky treacle vapor!

Season 2 (1997) Adventures

The second season continued the fun with new challenges and characters.

• Sick Boggarts: "One Flu Over the Boggart's Nest" sees all the Boggarts in Sabden getting sick, and a new character, Digger, arrives with a special cure.
• New Jobs and Explosions: Digger tries to find a job in "Digger Digs In!", but an accident causes the "Bubble and Boggart" pub to blow up!
• Personality Changes: In "Loose Change," a special liquid accidentally changes everyone's personalities, leading to funny mix-ups.
• Silly Arrests: "Scares and Stripes" features PC Nicko Pendle trying to make 100 arrests to get promoted, even arresting himself!
• Football Fun: "It's a Funny Old Game!" shows the villagers playing a football match against the cheeky Boggarts.

Show Creators

The Treacle People was created by a talented team.

• Written by: Brian and Jonathan Trueman, with Brian Trueman also known for writing Danger Mouse.
• Voices by: Caroline Bernstein, Alec Bregonzi, Jim McManus, Glynn Mills, Jim Norton, Willie Rushton, and Brian Trueman.
• Music by: Simon Webb, who also wrote the catchy title song, "Sticky."

Awards and Recognition

The Treacle People was even nominated for a BAFTA award, which is a big honor in television!