Toytown facts for kids
Toytown was a fun radio show for children on the BBC. It was part of a program called Children's Hour. The stories were about a group of puppets made by Sydney George Hulme Beaman, who also wrote all the adventures.
The first Toytown stories were heard on the radio in 1929. People loved them so much that they were played again and again until Children's Hour ended. There were 31 different stories in total! Later, in the 1970s, many of these stories were made into short TV shows and shown on ITV.
The main character was Larry the Lamb, a clever and sometimes mischievous lamb. His best friend was Dennis the Dachshund, a smart dog who often helped Larry. In most stories, a misunderstanding would happen, often because of something new invented by Mr. Inventor. This would usually involve Ernest the Policeman, the grumpy Mr. Growser the Grocer, and the Mayor of Toytown.
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Meet the Toytown Friends
Let's get to know the characters who live in Toytown!
Larry the Lamb
Larry is the main character and Dennis's best friend. He and Dennis are often a bit naughty and cause some playful trouble in Toytown. For example, once they drew on the Mayor's statue. Another time, they made everyone believe there was a dragon loose, and guess what? There really was one!
Dennis the Dachshund
Dennis is Larry's clever friend. He speaks with a funny German accent and sometimes mixes up his words like people do in German. He's good at turning things like barrels and spit wheels. Dennis dreams of being a big German Shepherd dog and really dislikes being called a "sausage dog."
Mr. Mayor
Mr. Mayor is the most important person in Toytown. He can be a bit proud and even has a statue of himself in the town square. He sometimes feels a bit small and once asked the Magician to make him "big." But the Magician heard him wrong and turned him into a pig instead!
Ernest the Policeman
Ernest tries to keep things in order in Toytown, but he hardly ever arrests anyone. He's always saying he'll write down people's names in his notebook. He thinks he's the Mayor's helper. Once, when the real Mayor was away, Ernest even pretended to be the "mayor" himself!
Mr. Inventor
Mr. Inventor is a super smart engineer. He can build almost anything! One time, he couldn't figure out how to make an engine for the Mayor's car. So, he asked Larry and Dennis to help push it instead. Mr. Growser made fun of him when everyone found out about this trick.
Mr. Noah
Mr. Noah takes care of many animals in his special "Ark" in Toytown.
Mr. Growser
Mr. Growser is a grumpy old man who always finds something to complain about. He usually complains about what other people are doing. His favorite thing to say is, "It's disgraceful, it ought not to be allowed!"
The Magician
The Magician is a wizard who loves to grant wishes. In one story, Larry even became his helper for a while.
Toytown on the Radio
The Toytown stories were first heard on the radio. Here are some of the first times they were broadcast:
- How Wireless Came to Toytown: November 29, 1929
- The Sea Voyage: December 27, 1929
- The Enchanted Ark: January 2, 1930
- The Arkville Dragon: January 30, 1930
- Larry the Plumber: February 18, 1930
- Toy Town Treasure: March 12, 1930
- The Great Toy Town Mystery! Who Was Guilty?: April 3, 1930
- The Extraordinary Affair of Ernest the Policeman: May 1, 1930
- The Portrait of the Mayor: June 6, 1930
- The Great Toy-Town War: October 14, 1930
- The Kidnapping of Father Christmas: December 23, 1930
- The Brave Deed of Ernest the Policeman: February 2, 1932
Toytown on Television
A TV show using stop-motion animation was made based on Toytown. It had different names, like Stories from Toytown Featuring Larry the Lamb. This show was first shown on ITV between 1972 and 1974. Twenty-six of the original stories were made into TV episodes.
Some of the TV episodes included:
- Toytown Goes West
- The Tale of Captain Brass the Pirate
- The Extraordinary Affair of Ernest the Policeman
- The Arkville Dragon
- The Tale of the Inventor
- The Tale of the Magician
- The Toytown Treasure
- How the Wireless Came to Toytown
- The Brave Deed of Ernest the Policeman
- The Showing Up of Larry the Lamb
- Larry the Plumber
- The Great Toytown War
