Muffin the Mule
A puppet mule who danced on a piano.
Quick Facts
- Original broadcast network
- BBC
- Original broadcast location
- Alexandra Palace
- Original presenter
- Annette Mills
- Modern animated series network
- CBeebies
Facts from the source article.
History
The character became a hit, and the show ran on the BBC until 1955, when the network ended it following Mills’s death. In a typical performance, Muffin would dance on top of a piano while Mills played. He was joined by a rotating cast of other puppet characters, including Kirri the Kiwi, Zebbie the Zebra, Hubert the Hippopotamus, and Sally the Sea Lion. He also became one of the first children’s rides to be licensed. Lesney Products produced a die-cast movable puppet, which was described as "the first toy to be marketed under licence as a result of successful TV appearances." In the early 1950s, the weekly magazine Woman’s Illustrated ran Muffin stories on its children’s page, the Gnomes Club. Bussell and Hogarth, and later their daughter Sally McNally, continued to feature Muffin in their own live shows.
Book
In this show, the character, spelled Maffin, was a donkey voiced by Hendrik Toompere Sr. The series was very popular, and several notable Estonians, including filmmaker Mart Sander, have cited Maffin as a childhood hero and inspiration.
2005–2011 TV series
A Welsh-language version, titled "Myffin y Mul," aired on the S4C channel in Wales. The main character, Muffin the Mule, voiced by David Holt, lives in a caravan and acts as a big brother to his friends in Muffinham village. He loves helping them but can sulk or get cross when things don't go his way, though he is easily cheered up and full of enthusiasm. He enjoys tea and carrot cake, and when problems arise, he puts on his red and yellow thinking cap to find a solution. Peregrine the Penguin, voiced by Jimmy Hibbert, is the village inventor who lives in an igloo. A close friend of Muffin, he appears in nearly every episode. Though clever, he can be bossy and short-tempered, but he always means well. Louise the Lamb, voiced by Sue Elliot Nicholls, is Monty's best friend and lives in a pink and red knitted house. She is also close friends with Grace.
Episodes (2005–2011 TV series)
In the first episode, "Wish Upon A Star", Muffin and Monty make a star out of silver paper and cardboard while Peregrine builds a telescope. Louise learns that real wishes must be kept secret. Episode animators were Brian Larkin and Paul Cowen. In "The Party", Grace receives a grammophone from Postman Kangaroo, and Louise decides to prepare a party. Monty is given the job of delivering invitations but opens them and mixes them up. After he apologizes, the other animals do their jobs and the party takes place. Episode animator was Laurent Grisel. In "Muffin's Day Off", Muffin looks forward to a picnic but is asked to help other residents: Monty cannot cross a river, Peregrine has lost his reading glasses, Morris and Doris Mouse cannot decide on rose colors, and Grace's hooves are purple. Muffin helps everyone and then shares his picnic with his friends. Episode animators were Brian Larkin and Paul Cowen.
More in 1950s British Children's Television Series
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