Issi Noho

Issi Noho is the title character of a book series and children's TV show created, written, and narrated by Keith Chatfield. A panda with magical abilities, Issi gains his powers by filling in the missing square of a magic number square inherited from his Chinese ancestors. In such a square, the numbers add up to the same total horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

His poor arithmetic often leads to mistakes, causing unexpected and funny results. His name comes from the middle letters of the phrase "THIS SIDE UP, USE NO HOOKS," which were printed on the packing case where children Sally and Andrew found him. The case was camouflaged with branches and leaves, so only the letters "ISSI NOHO" were visible, which they took as his name.

The TV program featured illustrations by Edward C. Standon while Chatfield read the story aloud. Director Audrey Starrett helmed episodes "Singing Makes My Legs So Tired" and "Mum and Dad May Never Forgive You," both with guest vocals from singer James Thornton. Charles Warren directed "The Clever Middle Bit," about a maze Issi creates in the children's garden. The books were originally published by Heinemann and Piccolo, and 52 TV episodes aired on Thames Television from 1974 to 1978.