Topsy and Tim facts for kids
Topsy and Tim is a popular series of children's books about twin siblings and their everyday adventures. The books were created by Jean Adamson and Gareth Adamson. They first came out in 1960 and were updated with new editions in February 2003. Since 1960, more than 130 Topsy and Tim books have been published, selling over 21 million copies!
Contents
How Topsy and Tim Started
Jean Adamson shared in an interview with The Guardian how the idea for Topsy and Tim came to life. She and her future husband, Gareth, both studied to be book illustrators at Goldsmiths College. They decided to leave their jobs to write and illustrate their own children's books.
They noticed that there weren't many books showing children as they really were in modern times. Jean explained that the books were also inspired by the hopeful feeling after World War II. She said, "England was just waking up, bright colours were coming in, there was a lovely optimistic feeling in the air." So, they decided to create books about "real live little children" and the small adventures they have at home.
Topsy and Tim on TV
The adventures of Topsy and Tim have been turned into television shows twice.
Animated Series
The first TV version was an animated series made by Bevanfield Films for Video Collection International. It had 60 episodes, each about 5 minutes long. Roger Blake narrated the series, which was shown on ITV.
Live-Action Series
Later, in 2013, a live-action series was made for CBeebies. This version had 3 series and a total of 71 episodes, each lasting about 13 minutes. The company Darrall Macqueen produced this series. No new episodes are planned for production at the moment.
A Few Topsy and Tim Books
There are many, many Topsy and Tim books! They cover all sorts of topics and adventures that children might experience. Here are just a few examples:
- Topsy and Tim's ABC Book (1960)
- Topsy and Tim's Counting Book (1961)
- Topsy and Tim go to the Doctor (1975)
- Topsy and Tim's New Brother (1977)
- Topsy and Tim go Camping (1978)
- Topsy and Tim at the Circus (1981)
- Topsy and Tim go to the Dentist (1985)
- Topsy and Tim at the Fire Station (1992)
- Topsy and Tim at School
- Topsy and Tim Have Chickenpox
- Topsy and Tim and the Bully
- Topsy and Tim Start School
- Topsy and Tim Meet the Police
- Topsy and Tim Visit the Doctor
- Topsy and Tim Go Green
