This animated children’s series of 13 five-minute episodes aired on the BBC in 1988.
Stoppit (a small red fluffy creature) and Tidyup (a purple tie-wearing creature shaped like a bowling pin who was addicted to gherkins) lived in the land of Do As You’re Told, along with other creatures with names like Beehave, BeeQuiet, Comb Your Hair, Wash Your Face, Eat Your Greens, Go To Bed, Go And Play, Clean Your Teeth, Don’t Do That, Hurry Up, Calm Down, I Said No and Not Now.
Another group of characters were the Naughties (purple with yellow spots) – who would cause Naughtypox if you touched them) and Sit Downs (pink creatures with magic powers that could cure Naughtypox).
The characters were introduced by narrator Terry Wogan. None of the characters could speak but just grunted, squeaked and hummed while Wogan translated the tale for the viewers.
Stoppit and Tidyup was produced in conjunction with the Keep Britain Tidy Group. The series was created by Charles Mills and Terry Brain who had previously created the claymation series The Trap Door in 1984.
