“Now—a new race of puppet people. A NEW RACE of puppet people join the “Watch with Mother” series on B.B.C.-1 from Thursday. They are the Pogles—country and woodland folk, old-fashioned “very little” people. Mr. and Mrs. Pogle are peaceful and hard-working people. Mr. Pogle is tall for a Pogle—he stands a foot high in his felt boots ! Although they are troubled by magic occasionally and they have what is undoubtedly a magic bean plant growing in their garden, the Pogles are not quick, mischievous, magic little people like elves and goblins. Their family consists of a small Pogle-like boy, called Pippin and a small animal, called Tog. Tog might appear to be a squirrel, a tufted-eared cat or even a rabbit—but he is none of these. He is a pink and red-striped Tog with big, hoppity legs and a voice like a bath-plug emptying. Oliver Postgate (40), who has produced “Pogle’s Wood” for the B.B.C., says there are 13 programmes about the Pogles” … Thanet Times
The idea for producing Pogles-themed cotton-shoppers came about as a consequence of my participation in a 2015 Kickstarter campaign, set-up by Ian Warburton (Loaf) of The Dragons’ Friendly Society.
An aspect of Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate’s Smallfilms, Dragons’ Friendly was conceived as a means by which Smallfilms related merchandise could be made available to the general public and as well as merchandise relating to shows such as Pingwings and Noggin the Nog, Dragons’ Friendly had previously made available a series of DVDs collecting together episodes of the lesser-known stop-motion animation series The Pogles (1965) and Pogles’ Wood (1966).
“No thing at all, no shadow, no thought, no terror, no memory of evil, no touch of cold to foul the night, no thing at all … be!”
With iconic programming such as Ivor The Engine, The Clangers, Bagpus, etc., it’s hard to believe that any of Smallfilms’ output could have fallen by the wayside. First broadcast as part of Clapperboard (1964–1965), The Pogles ran for a single season during the summer of 1965 and due to what could best be described as a storm-in-a-teacup, themes of magic and witchcraft were switched-out in favour of educational content, concerning, for the most-part, the ins and outs of rural life. Broadcast the following year as part of Watch With Mother (1953–1973), Pogle’s Wood ran for two seasons, concluding its original run in the winter of 1968.
Although rebroadcast as part of Watch With Mother until its conclusion in 1973, its black and white imagery and unassuming nature did not find favour in the 1980s, or beyond. However, Pogles-related publications continued to be published as late as 1986. Specials such as Pippin Fishing, The Magic Milk Cart, Tog Sees The World, Pogles’ Wood Story Book, Tog’s Train Trip and Pippin’s Castle, published between 1967 and 1970, The Pogles annuals, published between 1967 and 1974 and of course the long running Pippin comic and subsequent annuals, from 1966 to 1986.
Oliver happened upon The Pogles whilst walking in the woods behind the Postgate family home, Red Lion House, on the border of Whitstable and Blean. Formally the Red Lion Public House, as the rear of the property gives way to scrubland it merges with an area of ancient woodland known as Clowes Wood. Pausing to admire some elderly beech trees, Oliver considers what tiny folk might live in their hollows.
No one could question the enduring popularity or inherent value of the aforementioned, of Bagpuss, of The Clangers, of Ivor The Engine, etc., but for me, The Pogles are different, for me The Pogles possess an almost unbearable sweetness, a lightness of touch, that is difficult to put into words. Amos, Edna, Pip and Tog. The Hedgepig, the Magic Plant and the Witch.
Do you know Kickstarter? Do you know what it is? Let’s assume you do not. Kickstarter is a website that concerns itself with what is commonly referred to as Crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is “the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people who each contribute a relatively small amount”. I have used Kickstarter a number of times, other Crowdfunding platforms are available, but I have yet to use them.
The aim of this particular Kickstarter campaign was simple: to solicit interest in raising funds so as to see “the final collection of 14 stories from the classic children’s TV series, unseen since they were last shown in 1968” also find their way onto DVD. Having happened upon the campaign, quite by chance, I contributed £60.00 and thanks to myself and other more generous contributors, Dragons’ Friendly reached its £13,200 target (ending in fact on £13,421).
If you consider a previous CD-Rom release, Dragons’ Friendly now have 5 Pogles-related titles available to the general public: The Trouble With Magic, The Pogles, Pogles’ Wood, Pogles’ Choice and finally, Pogles’ End.
Prior to this. Prior to my participation in a 2015 Kickstarter campaign, I had been considering the possibility of producing a short run of screen-printed cotton-shoppers. Over the past few years, a number of acquaintances had produced something similar to that which I had in mind, featuring their own artwork, etc. As ubiquitous as screen-printed cotton-shoppers can be, it seemed to me that, if I were interested in a Pogles-themed cotton-shopper, others may be.
Oliver passed away in 2008 and when I first approached Peter with the idea, he was reluctant. Having recently discovered a company selling unofficial Bagpuss merchandise, Peter was disturbed by the prospect of further liberty taking. He explained to me that his artwork was the result of skill and effort and was not to be taken for granted. That said, Peter liked the idea and as long as the bags were not-for-profit or commercial sale, he would have no objection to my using his artwork.
At the same time that I was talking to Peter I was also in contact with Daniel Postgate, Oliver’s son. Having spent his formative years immersed in the whimsical worlds created by Peter and his father, it was no surprise to find that Daniel was now working as a freelance author, illustrator and cartoonist. Daniel also liked the idea and furthermore, understood that monetising the endeavour was not something to become overly concerned about. He felt that, due to the limited appeal of the Pogles, the potential for a significant return on my investment was unlikely and as long as I was OK with that, a consensus of opinion could be reached. And it was.
Screen-printed by Simple Print Studio, forest green ink on sunflower yellow, these images represent the second-run of Pogles-themed cotton-shoppers. Front to back, though no real distinction is made, the first image is an illustration of Tog and Pippin (left to right) as drawn by Peter Firmin. The illustration originally appeared in the 1967 Pogles annual Pippin Fishing. The second, a portion of script from the first ever episode of The Pogles, was typed (and subsequently read) by Oliver Postgate. Though provided by Daniel Postgate, the idea for using a portion of script came from Peter. Bags are chlorine-free, organic cotton, from Westford Mill.
