60 years of Noddy

Sep 22, 2009 2 Comments by Max

Noddy, first written and created by Enid Blyton in 1949, is the little wooden boy with the jingly blue hat and nodding head, and is one of the most beloved children’s characters of the modern era. Noddy is probably now best known to young audiences for the TV series, Make Way For Noddy. The fun and humorous stories help children to learn social values and simple life lessons. Noddy started life with a little red and yellow car. Now Noddy has a helicopter, submarine, hovercraft, roller boots – and even a monster truck.

The kiddies’ favourite launched by Enid Blyton in 1949 has been given a high-tech TV makeover to mark his 60th birthday. Children’s favourite Noddy will venture into new global markets to celebrate his 60th birthday, parent company Chorion has said. It wants to take the character, created by Enid Blyton in 1949, to Spain and Canada for the first time as part of its anniversary plans.

Noddy will celebrate his anniversary this Christmas, having already enjoyed the successful launch of a new 52-part television series. Chorion launched the series called ‘Noddy In Toyland’. This new series brings Noddy and his Toyland friends to life in a larger, fresh and energetic setting and will capture the hearts and minds of pre-school children for many years to come.

A book marking Noddy’s birthday will also be released.Written by Enid Blyton’s granddaughter Sophie Smallwood, the book will be drawn by Robert Tyndall, who has illustrated Noddy books since 1953.

Get the kids to check out Noddy at http://www.noddy.com/

Noddy’s History

1949 Enid Blyton meets with Dutch artist Beek, describing to him characters that she had ‘seen’ emerging from a background she felt ‘must be Toyland’. The first Noddy book – Noddy goes to Toyland – is published in November.
1954 Noddy appears on British television for the first time in an adaptation produced by commercial broadcaster ATV. The character also appears on stage for the first time in Noddy in Toyland, which opens at the Stoll Theatre in London’s West End.
1963 Noddy is exported to France, where he is renamed Oui-Oui (Yes-Yes). A number of changes to the images of the characters are made to give them a more European look.
1975 The second TV adaptation of Noddy, narrated by actor Richard Briers, is launched on the BBC. Many of the existing characters appear along with some new ones, including garage owner Mr Polly.
1992 The TV show rolls out in the UK, again on BBC, featuring a number of new characters such as Dinah Doll, owner of the Toyland market stall.
1998 Noddy makes his debut in the US on PBS and a year later picks up an Emmy Award.  2000 Sales of Noddy books exceed 200 million worldwide in over 40 languages.
2002 A new computer generated Noddy TV series – Make Way For Noddy – is launched.  2005 A global website is launched in March, with ten country-specific sites.
2006 Say It With Noddy – 100 x two-minute shorts – are launched with the aim of introducing children to other languages including Spanish, Urdu, French, Swahili and Mandarin.
2007 Noddy is a nominee at The Licensing Awards in the Best Pre-school Licensed Property category. A refreshed website is also launched, attracting over 30,000 unique users per month. This is backed up by an updated Noddy online store.
2008  A new Noddy TV show is commissioned for launch in 2009, while a new 60th anniversary style guide is created as the character approaches the key milestone.

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