1 9 6 6 – 1 9 6 7 (UK)
32 x 15 minute episodes
A Smallfilms Production about tiny woodland folk who live deep in the middle of a wood . . . A special wood . . . in Pogles’ Wood.
Pogles’ Wood debuted on 7 April 1966 and was shown by the BBC as part of the Watch With Mother series until 1967. The stop-motion animation was the result of a collaboration between Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, who made many children’s programmes between 1957 and 1987 via their company, Smallfilms – including Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, The Clangers and Bagpuss.
It is arguably the finest self-contained serial Postgate and Firmin ever produced, although it is less well-known than its predecessors. The stories were written and told by Postgate, while Firmin provided the puppets and settings. Postgate was aided by Olwen Griffiths and Steve Woodman, with atmospheric music from Vernon Elliott.
The main characters were Mr Pogle, Mrs Pogle (who is always referred to as “wife” by her husband), a young boy called Pippin and an unidentified woodland creature called Tog who looked like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel.
Mrs Pogle was a very strong matriarch and ruled her family with an iron-fist (sending them to pick blackberries for her etc) while Pippin’s exact relationship to Mr and Mrs Pogle was never stated. He referred to Mr Pogle by name and not as “Dad”, suggesting he was not their son.
In the Pogles’ garden was a magic plant – called ‘Plant’ – which was fond of a drop of bilberry wine and told stories and explained the world to Pippin and Tog.
In the 60s there was a weekly comic called Pippin which contained Pogles’ Wood stories.
