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 During
the 1950s and 60s, puppets seemed particularly popular; many children's
television programmes featured string puppets, and their somewhat
wobbly, jerky action added to their charm. Glove puppets and ventriloquist's
dummies also appeared on many shows. Today's more sophisticated
audiences tend to be presented with computer-animated or stop-motion
films, and the string puppet is now a poor relative.
 In
the puppet heyday, Muffin the Mule, Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben,
Twizzle, Pinky and Perky, were kings of the small screen. And
of course, there was the classic Thunderbirds programme which
broke new ground at the time, quickly becoming a cult programme
and which is now the most fondly remembered of all Gerry Anderson's
creations. No one cared that the strings could be seen, or that
character's mouths snapped open and shut like trapdoors. If a
puppeteer's hand happened to come into camera shot, well, it was
all part of the fun.
String puppets featured in films, too - remember Pinocchio? He
was a puppet, until he realised, 'I've got no strings to tie me
down, to make me smile, to make me frown.' The Sound of Music
featured an enchanting puppet scene, when Julie Andrews sang the
story of the 'Lonely Goatherd', complete with yodels, and in the
Elvis film, GI Blues, puppets danced as he sang of the lack of
a wooden heart.
 Puppet
theatre is probably one of the earliest forms of entertainment;
the Ancient Greeks gathered to watch puppets enact stories. They
appear in most cultures, and often were intended for adults, not
children. They were used to act out religious laws, and took part
in ceremonies, parades and celebrations. In the Middle Ages in
England, travelling puppet theatres entertained the masses with
plays, often with a spiritual theme. Later, puppets such as Punch
and Judy, which were originally satirical characters aimed at
adults, were 're-invented' to entertain children on holiday beaches.
So puppets have a long pedigree.
 Pelham
Puppets were the brainchild of Robert Pelham, making their first
appearance in 1947, and remaining in production till 1993. After
the war, Robert, or 'Bob' formed a company, 'Wonkey Toys', in
Marlborough, Wiltshire, employing ex-service personnel to make
novelty wooden toys. He must have been an enterprising and resourceful
man, as he managed to source much of his material from government
surplus stores and junk yards. When the company turned their attentions
to puppets, these were initially made from odds and ends too.
Early puppets included Sandy McBoozle (Scotsman), Cowboy, Cowgirl,
Witch, Lulabelle (hula girl), Ice-Skater and Clown. Originally
the puppets had their wooden heads turned on a lathe, but after
visiting a fairground in 1948, Bob secured a supply of the wooden
balls used for coconut shies, and so often these were used for
the heads of puppets.
The excellent book by David Leech, 'Collecting Pelham Puppets',
includes Bob's description of 'how it all began', where he describes
how he used large wooden toggles for puppets' boots, partitions
from ammunition boxes for bodies, the end plywood panels of the
boxes for the control strips, and flexible rubber gasmask hoses
to form legs on large display puppets.
 Many
people remember the wonderful Pelham Puppet displays which brightened
toy stores in the 1950s and 60s. These large 'theatres' were capable
of displaying several puppets at once, and the puppets' actions
not only attracted the crowds, they were a vital and innovative
point of sale. Later, mini displays were made to fit on a small
shop counter. Millions of puppets must have been produced by Pelham
over the years; it seems that there is no definitive list of the
various characters which were made, so no-one knows for sure,
especially with the early puppets which often included experimental
designs and short runs.
 Some
of the more popular designs were in production for decades, so
collectors date them by various means - joint style, head shape,
string colour. One of the delights of collecting Pelham Puppets
is that because many of the characters are favourites from children's
television, comics and books, it is possible to relive your childhood.
Early television-related puppets include Mr. Turnip, Hank, Bengo,
Andy Pandy, Muffin the Mule, Bleep, Booster and Torchy. Lettice
Leefe (the greenest girl in the school), a favourite bespectacled
schoolgirl in a gym-slip character from Girl comic, appeared in
1953, but is rare to find nowadays. In the early fifties, Bob
acquired the rights which allowed him to produce Walt Disney puppets;
Snow White, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse
were amongst those which appeared. He even made all seven of Snow
White's dwarfs.
 As
puppets have strings which tend to tangle, children often used
to replace them in the boxes after use, as opposed to the boxes
of dolls and other toys which were normally quickly discarded.
This means that collectors have a good chance of finding boxed
items. Puppets can be dated form the boxes - assuming, of course,
that the original owner replaced them correctly. Brown boxes with
a dark blue and white label (or other colours) date from the fifties.
In the sixties the boxes were yellow and adorned with pictures
of various puppets from the range. By the end of that decade,
the boxes had cellophane fronts so that the puppet could be seen
inside. Yellow cello-fronted boxes continued throughout the seventies,
reinforced with a band of card across the front. The late eighties
saw a change to red and yellow striped boxes.
Collectors usually prefer the puppets to be in good condition,
with not many chips. Strings should be untangled. Generally, as
with most collectables, the older puppets are more desirable.
However, some of the later puppets are rare, as not so many were
made, and there are also 'specials' which were produced over the
years. Really rare puppets are becoming more and more valuable;
a 1940's clown wearing a camouflage suit made £1,350 at
auction a few years ago.
At the height of their fame, during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it
seemed that most British children either owned a Pelham Puppet,
or knew someone who did! Now collectors are discovering the puppets,
and making them feel wanted again.
Related
WCN Pelham Puppets Pages
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