The Adventures of Twizzle
A toy doll with extendable limbs and his cat companion.
The Adventures of Twizzle is a British children's puppet television series produced by AP Films that premiered on the ITV network in 1957. Created and co-produced by author Roberta Leigh, it was the first series to use the marionette puppetry that would prove important in later APF shows. The series follows a toy doll called Twizzle, who can extend his arms and legs, and was filmed in Maidenhead between July 1957 and January 1958.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Children's
- Fantasy
- Adventure
- Writer
- Roberta Leigh
- Director
- Gerry Anderson
- Voices
- Nancy Nevinson; Denise Bryer
- Narrator
- Nancy Nevinson
- Music
- Leslie Clair, arranged and conducted by Barry Gray; Lyrics: Roberta Leigh
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Twizzle's legs resembled drinking straws with swirling lines, and the extension effect occurred when the puppet body was raised while the feet stayed still. In the first episode, Twizzle lived in a toy shop, cost two shillings and six pence, and nearly was sold to a girl named Sally Cross, but he hid and escaped that night. He later found Footso, a cat who had run away because children mocked his big feet. Twizzle saved a child from a fire and received a racing car as a reward, but after crashing it he swapped it for a breakdown truck used for rescuing toys. Footso's large feet sometimes tripped him. Later characters included Jiffy the Broomstick Man, rescued from a witch; Chawky the white-faced Golliwog; Candy Floss, a Mamma Doll who could not say 'mamma'; Bouncy, a ball who had lost his bounce; a thin Teddy Bear; a China Doll; and a Jack in the Box. Twizzle and Footso built Straytown for stray toys and lived in a cabin there. An occasional visitor was The Toy Inspector. Each character had songs, with Footso dreaming of herrings and kippers and then saying 'Purr! Purr! Purr! Meowwll!'
Production
The series was the first major commission for Anderson Provis Films, founded by Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis in mid-1957. Roberta Leigh conceived the show and contracted APF to make 52 episodes budgeted at £450 each. Actress Denise Bryer, who voiced Footso and other characters, had previously voiced Noddy in puppet TV advertisements by Anderson and Provis. A co-production between APF and Leigh's company Banty Books, Twizzle was filmed in a converted ballroom at Islet Park House in Maidenhead. The production used dynamic shots and three-dimensional sets to challenge static puppet show conventions. Marionettes were operated from a bridge above the studio floor, guided by a video assist system with a slave camera. Crew included art director Reg Hill, assistant Derek Meddings, puppet operator Christine Glanville, cameraman John Read, and continuity supervisor Sylvia Thamm. Music was devised by Leigh, Leslie Clair, and Barry Gray.
Annual
A British annual titled More Twizzle Adventure Stories was published in 1960 by Brin Brothers Ltd. It contained 91 pages of text and comic-style stories, with illustrations by F. Woof. The covers and frontispiece were in full colour, while other illustrations used black and white with one additional colour. Printed on cheap cardboard-like paper, the annual is now rare but not sought after by collectors.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The Adventures of Twizzle first air?
The Adventures of Twizzle first aired on 13 November 1957.
When did The Adventures of Twizzle end?
The Adventures of Twizzle last aired on 10 June 1959.
More in British Children's Fantasy Television Series
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