The Clangers

Story

Across the vast starry stretches of outer space is a little blue planet, where music grows on trees and soup springs from underground soup wells. This planet is home to the Clangers, a family of pink knitted, whistling creatures that live in burrow-like craters. Together, they go on unusual adventures as they encounter curious creatures and unfamiliar objects from Outer Space.

Why we chose it

The Clangers is a children’s television classic. Its gentle, warm-hearted characters communicating in their expressive whistles have captured the hearts of children over the years and made it one of the best loved children’s television series.

Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate were pioneers of stop motion animation, making their films in a barn behind Peter’s house.

Where it came from

The first Clanger appeared in Noggin and the Moonmouse (1967), a children’s book based on the Smallfilms production Noggin the Nog. In 1969, the year of the first moon landing, the Moonmouse was given its own series. The family were named the Clangers after the sound made by the dustbin lid covers that protect their crater-like burrows. The first Clangers were knitted by Peter Firmin’s wife, Joan.

Where it went next

A third series was released in 2015, nearly 50 years after its original broadcast and the Clangers were once again hand knitted. The series has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA, and its creators were jointly awarded the J.M. Barrie award “for a lifetime’s achievement in delighting children”.

Associated stories

Other Smallfilms productions include Noggin the Nog (1959), Ivor the Engine (1959), and Bagpuss (1974).