In the Night Garden...

This article is about a British children's television series. For other uses, see In the Night (disambiguation).
In the Night Garden…
Created by Andrew Davenport
Developed by Ragdoll Productions
Starring Holly Denoon, Rebecca Hyland, Nick Kellington, Andy Wareham, Elisa Laghi, Justyn Towler, Isaac Blake
Narrated by Derek Jacobi
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 100
Production
Producer(s) Andrew Davenport and Anne Wood
Running time 30 minutes approx.
Production company(s) Ragdoll Productions (2007–2009)
BBC Worldwide
DHX Media (2013–present)
Distributor BBC Worldwide
Release
Original network BBC (as part of CBeebies)
Original release 19 March 2007[1] – 6 March 2009
Chronology
Related shows Teletubbies
Boohbah

In the Night Garden... is a BBC children's television series, aimed at children aged from 1 to 6 years old.[2] It is produced by Ragdoll Productions. Andrew Davenport created, wrote, and composed the title theme and incidental music for all 100 episodes.[3][4] It was produced by Davenport and Anne Wood, the team that also co-created Teletubbies. The programme is narrated by Derek Jacobi. It is filmed mostly in live action, and features a mix of actors in costume, puppetry and computer animation. The characters include Iggle Piggle, Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines / the Wottingers, the Haahoos, the Ninky Nonk and the Pinky Ponk.

The series was announced in October 2006, and twenty episodes were first broadcast in March 2007. Two series were made, with 100 episodes in all. The BBC confirmed in 2010 that it would not be commissioning another series.[5] It took £14.5 million of the show's budget to produce it.[6]

The program's creators have said that it is designed to relax and entertain its intended audience of one to four-year-olds.[6]

Overview

The programme features a large cast of colourful characters with unusual names who live in a magical forest scattered with large daisies and brightly coloured pompom flowers. The characters mostly speak short, repetitive phrases and each has their own special song and dance. The garden is a sunny, colourful environment and the music is jaunty and music box-like. Producer Anne Wood said:

“ We wanted to explore the difference between being asleep and being awake from a child's point of view: the difference between closing your eyes and pretending to be asleep and closing your eyes and sleeping.[7] ”

Each episode starts with a different child in bed, while the narrator introduces the episode. The scene cuts to Iggle Piggle, in his boat, traveling to the Night Garden. Then the camera pans up to the sky and zooms in, followed by blooming flowers. After the title appears under a hedge, either the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk appears. The episodes end with one character receiving a bedtime story, which is generated by the magical gazebo that sits at the centre of the Night Garden. This story is a summary of the plot of the episode. Sometimes the characters all dance together under the Gazebo.

Iggle Piggle does not go to sleep, and his goodbye sequence ("Iggle Piggle's not in bed!" ... "Squeak!" ... "Don't worry, Iggle Piggle! It's time to go") rounds off the programme. The Night Garden retreats into the night sky and Iggle Piggle is seen asleep on his boat as the end credits roll.

In the Night Garden... is intended to help children relax and achieve calming relationships with parents. Wood states: "We became very aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children which manifested itself in all kind of directions; but the one big subject that came up again and again was bedtime. It's the classic time for tension between children who want to stay up and parents who want them to go to bed... so this is a programme about calming things down whereas most children's TV is about getting everything up."[7]

In 2007[8] and 2008,[9] the show won the Children's BAFTA for "Pre-school live action," as well as being nominated in 2009.[10]

Cast


Characters

Igglepiggle (played by Nick Kellington) is a blue teddy bear-like doll with a bean-shaped head and a sideways red mohawk. He always carries his red blanket and tends to fall flat on his back when surprised. He is the main character of the show. He arrives at the beginning and leaves the Night Garden at the end of each episode in a boat, for which the blanket doubles as a sail. Iggle Piggle has a bell in his left foot, a squeaker in his tummy, and a rattle in his left hand. His best friends in the garden are Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka.[11] He is the only character not to sleep in the Night Garden (with one exception when he fell asleep on Upsy Daisy's special bed), because sometimes he needs to find his boat; he sleeps on his boat instead of in a bed. He is the only character to walk on the Stepping Stone Path. He was first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces". Sometimes Iggle Piggle has a red blanket in the boat.

Upsy Daisy (played by Rebecca Hyland) is similar to a rag doll, with a brown complexion, a chime in her tummy, and brightly colored clothes. She likes skipping through the Garden and blowing kisses to the other characters or to the audience. She often hugs and kisses other characters, particularly Iggle Piggle. Her catchphrases are "Upsy Daisy," and the more emphatic "Daisy Doo!", and she also says "Pip pip onk onk!", her way of saying goodbye. Her hair stands on end when excited or surprised, and her skirt inflates to a tutu when she dances or pulls the ripcord on her waist. Upsy Daisy has an orange megaphone on a stand and enjoys singing through it, much to the annoyance of the other characters. She, along with Iggle Piggle were first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

Makka Pakka (played by Justyn Towler)[12] is a beige, small, round-bodied doll. He has three rounded protuberances on his head, ears and back to represent stones that he uses to make into piles. He lives in a cave and likes cleaning things, such as his collection of stacking stones, and sometimes the other characters. Makka Pakka often stacks freshly cleaned stones into piles resembling his head and body. He sleeps on a stone bed, often cuddling a stone. He travels around the garden riding his trolley, the Og-Pog, which carries his sponge, soap, orange trumpet, and a bellows-like apparatus called Uff-Uff which he uses to dry items after cleaning them. His house is approached by a stone-walled ditch, as his home is half buried in the ground. He says his own name and the phrase "Mikka makka moo" when he is happy, as well as the names of the Og-Pog and the Uff-Uff, and other phrases from his song such as "agga pang" (his soap and sponge), "hum dum" (his trumpet), and "ing ang oo". Like Upsy Daisy and the Tombliboos, he also uses a phrase meaning "goodbye", represented in publications as "pip pip onk onk". He, along with Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy were first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces". As Makka Pakka is smaller than the other characters, he is filmed on another identical set (or garden), and where he appears with other characters, two scenes are shot in parallel and he is filmed far away, whilst the other costumed characters are filmed close up.

The Tombliboos – Unn (Andy Wareham), Ooo (Holly Denoon/Isaac Blake), and Eee (Elisa Laghi) – are dressed in costumes with stripes and spots: red and green (Unn), brown and pink (Ooo), and pink and yellow (Eee). Their names reflect phonetically how a young child might count to three, and the Tombliboos always appear in this order by saying their names. They live among the branches of a bush, on a series of platforms connected by stairs and chutes. The Tombliboos enjoy playing the drums and piano, although not with any particular musical prowess, and they also play with large blocks. Their trousers (which fall down unexpectedly) are often seen hanging on the washing line outside their home, and they usually take them down from the line and put them on before going on an adventure. They are sometimes seen brushing their teeth before bed. Tombliboos enjoy kissing each other whilst cuddling and reciting their names. They also have a song about staying together, which consists of them singing "Tombliboo, Tombliboo, Unn, Ooo, Eee!" over and over again. Tombliboo Eee is female and is shorter and smaller than Ooo and Unn. The Tombliboos, along with Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka were first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

The Pontipines (red) and The Wottingers (blue) are two families of ten tiny creatures (a mother and a father, plus four boys and four girls) similar to peg dolls. They live in a semidetached house at the foot of a tree. The Pontipines appear in most episodes, while appearances by the Wottingers are rare. The Pontipines all dress in a very similar fashion to each other, as do the Wottingers. Each family sleeps in one room, their beds next to each other in rows. The Pontipines enter their home by flying down the chimney or going through the front door. They have no feet. The Pontipines enter the Pinky Ponk through a different door from all the other characters, and stay on a separate deck. The Pontipines and the Wottingers are animated using stop motion. They constantly chatter, making high-pitched "mi-mi-mi" sounds and "farting" noises. Mr Pontipine's moustache occasionally flies off his face and settles on Mrs Pontipine. The adult Pontipines and the adult Wottingers wear large hats. Mrs Pontipine carries a pair of binoculars around her neck at all times, which she uses to look for her children when they get lost. The Wottingers are similar in design to the Pontipines, though not identical; they can be glimpsed in the general dance sequences, but are not seen going to bed. The Pontipines, along with Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and the Tombliboos were first featured in the 1st episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces" and the Wottingers first appeared in the episode "The Pontipine Children in the Tombliboo Trousers".

The Haahoos are five very large inflatable pillow-like creatures of various shapes and colours with eyes and smiling mouths. They move slowly around the garden making deep springy sounds ("boing, boing"). The Haahoos appear behind the gazebo during general dance sequences, and are also seen going to sleep, closing their eyes and deflating slightly. They come in the shape of a flower, an X, a star, a circle and a figure of 8. They were first featured in the episode "The Tombliboos' Waving Game".

The Tittifers are CGI enhanced tropical birds with their own unique songs. There are four small blue tittifers (long-tailed finches), three larger pink ones (hoopoes), two big green ones (white-cheeked turacos) and one multicoloured toucan with a huge purple beak. They usually sing between segments, and when they sing together, near the end, it is time to sleep. They, along with Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos and the Pontipines were first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

All the above characters are played by actors in costumes just like the Teletubbies.

Places

The Stepping Stone Path is where Igglepiggle lives, for a vacation in the Night Garden. It leads to the Gazebo at the beginning and end of an episode.[13] It was first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

The Daisy Patch is where Upsy Daisy lives. It is a field full of daisies. Upsy Daisy is usually the only character that can be seen in the patch.[14] It was first featured in the episode "The Pontipines in Upsy Daisy's Bed".

Makka Pakka's Cave is where he lives and his Og-pog is kept outside it, behind a boulder. The cave, along with the Stepping Stone Path was first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

The Tombliboo Bush is where the Tombliboos live. It is the largest house in the garden with so many fun things to do such as playing music, playing with blocks and brushing teeth (like the Pinky Ponk and the Ninky Nonk it is bigger on the inside). It was first featured on the outside in "The Tombliboos' Waving Game" and on the inside in the episode "Too Loud Tombliboos!! Nice and Quiet!!"

The Pontipines/Wottingers' House is a small house at the foot of a tree where the Pontipines and Wottingers live. It, along with the Stepping Stone Path and Makka Pakka's Cave was first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

The Tune Bridge is a musical bridge located near Makka Pakka's cave. Whenever someone walks on the bridge, it plays a musical tune. It, along with the Stepping Stone Path, Makka Pakka's Cave and the Pontipines/Wottingers' House was first featured in the episode "Makka Pakka Washes Faces".

The Gazebo is where the characters meet to dance at the end of some episodes.[15] It has a picture of all the characters including the Ball (but except the Tittifers, one of the Trubliphones, the Tiddle and the Bed), the Tittifers' Tree, a Daisy, the Tune Bridge, the Tombliboo Bush, the Tombliboo Instruments, Igglepiggle's Blanket, the Tombliboo Bricks and, of course, the Gazebo, itself. It has two different pictures of Makka Pakka, one with his Og-Pog, the other with him blowing his trumpet. The first dance was featured in the episode "The Tombliboos' Waving Game" and it first gave a clue in "Igglepiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch".

The Tittifers' Tree is where the Tittifers sing in a certain section and together and at the end.

Episodes

Broadcast

Until 1 April 2008, the show aired on the CBeebies channel every day, including weekends, at 6:25 PM in the "Bedtime Hour" slot, in addition to earlier daytime showings on weekdays (like every other show on CBeebies, the same episodes are shown all day).[16] From April until August 2008, In The Night Garden... was removed from its 6:25 PM "Bedtime Hour" slot, which resulted in a petition asking for the programme to be re-instated to its normal slot.[17] One parent petitioner was quoted by The Daily Telegraph commenting that "My four-year-old refused to believe it was bedtime because ITNG hadn't been on and it was daylight outside."[17]

The show returned to the daily "Bedtime Hour" slot at 6:25 PM as of 30 August 2008, and began showing the second series (beginning with "Slow Down Everybody") on 1 September 2008. From December 2008, the show was moved again, this time to 6:00 PM. As of January 2010, it airs at 6.20 PM.

As of February 2008, in Canada, the show airs daily at 5:30 AM on Treehouse TV, Mondays to Fridays at 7:30 PM, and Saturdays at 10:30 AM.

As of March 2011, in Australia, the show airs during the ABC 4 Kids block of programming on ABC2 every day at 11:30 AM.

As of October 2008, in India, the show airs every day on the CBeebies channel, including weekends, at 9 AM, 12 PM and 3 PM.

As of 2008, in Norway, the show airs every weekday on the NRK Super channel, at 5:30 PM.

As of 2009, the show airs on TV2 in Malaysia on weekday mornings at 8:30 AM.

As of 2009, the show airs on Luli and Hop! in Israel. Twenty new episodes began broadcasting on CBeebies and BBC HD on 9 February to continue at 6 PM daily.

As of 2010, Series 1 of the show airs daily on Baraem on Nilesat and Arabsat covering the Middle East in Arabic at 7:30 PM.

As of 2010, the show airs on Clan in Spain sometime around 8:30 AM on weekdays and around 7:50 AM on weekends.

As of October 11, 2010, In The Night Garden aired on The Hub (later in 2014 became Discovery Family) in the U.S. as part of the "HubBub" programming block. On June 24, 2012, it was removed on The Hub along with The Future Is Wild, Wilbur, and The Wonder Years.

In The Netherlands, it airs on Disney Junior.

Merchandising

In the Night Garden... books, DVDs and toys have been marketed since 2007.

Books

In 2014, Penwizard[18] introduced a line of personalised books where customers can customise the story to include their child's name and likeness in the story alongside IgglePiggle and friends.

DVDs

Several Region 2 DVDs have been released in the UK:

DVD Title Episodes
Who's Here? Makka Pakka Washes Faces

Tombliboos Waving Game
Everybody all aboard the Ninky Nonk
The Prettiest Flower
Makka Pakka's Trumpet Makes a Funny Noise

Hello IgglePiggle! IgglePiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch

Jumping for Everybody
IgglePiggle's Mucky Patch
The Pinky Ponk Adventure
IgglePiggle's Blanket Walks About by Itself

Hello Upsy Daisy! Quiet Please Tombliboos!! Upsy Daisy Wants to Sing!!

Upsy Daisy Kisses Everything!
Upsy Daisy's Big Loud Sing Song!
IgglePiggle Looks for Upsy Daisy and Follows her Bed!
The Ninky Nonk Wants a Kiss!

Hello Makka Pakka! Makka Pakka's Stone Concert

Runaway Og-Pog
Makka Pakka's Present
Makka Pakka Gets Lost
Washing the Haahoos

Hello Tombliboos! Too Loud Tombliboos!! Nice and Quiet!!

The Tombliboos' Busy Day
Tombliboo Trousers
Tombliboo Ooo Drinks Everybody Else's Pinky Ponk Juice
Tower of 5

Isn't That a Pip? The Pontipine Children of the Roof

Looking for Each Other
Slow Down Everybody!
IgglePiggle Goes Visiting
Where is the Pinky Ponk Going?

Look at That! IgglePiggle’s Tiddle

Makka Pakka’s Piles of Three
Where Are the Wottingers?
Mr Pontipine’s Moustache Flies Away
Too Loud Tombliboos

What Fun! Sneezing

Hide and Seek
Mind the Haahoos
The Pontipines Find IgglePiggle’s Blanket
Upsy Daisy Dances with the Pinky Ponk

All Together! Waving from the Ninky Nonk

Playing Hiding with Makka Pakka
Wake Up Ball
Over and Under
Sad and Happy Tombliboos.

All Aboard Ninky Nonk or Pinky Ponk

Upsy Daisy's Special Stone
Ninky Nonk Dinner Swap
The Tombliboos Swap Trousers
Igglepiggle's Accident.

Wake Up Igglepiggle Wake Up Igglepiggle

Where Can Igglepiggle Have a Rest
Oh Look It's Wottingers
Dinner in the Ninky Nonk
Tombliboos Clean Their Teeth.

Out For A Walk Upsy Daisy’s Funny Bed

The Ball
Wave to the Wottingers
The Pontipines in Upsy Daisy’s Bed
Igglepiggle’s Noisy Noises.

What Lovely Music Tombliboo Eee Gets Lost

Make Up Your Mind Upsy Daisy!
Following
Upsy Daisy Dances With The Haahoos
Long Distance Ball Game

Best Friends Upsy Daisy’s Tiring Walk

Trubliphone Fun
Shshsh! Upsy Daisy’s Having a Rest!
Who’s Next on the Pinky Ponk?
Makka Pakka’s Circle of Friends

Each DVD features five episodes.

A boxset, Hello Everybody!, has been released, containing "Hello IgglePiggle!", "Hello Upsy Daisy!", "Hello Makka Pakka!" and "Hello Tombliboos!" Each of these titles have episodes relating to the character on which the DVD is based.

Toys

The show's makers, Ragdoll Productions, signed a deal to make the toy producer Hasbro a global partner before the show was first broadcast, and merchandise was first made available in July 2007. The range includes small Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka stuffed toys and a small Ninky Nonk train with detachable carriages. Wheeled toy licensee MV Sports & Leisure Limited produced a range of scooters and trikes. Play-doh made some dough that came packaged with an Igglepiggle-shaped cut-out.

In spring 2008, several new toys arrived, including roll-along characters, Talking Cuddly Makka Pakka, Ninky Nonk Pop-up tent and more. Hasbro won the 2008 "Best Licensed Toy or Game range" Licensing Award for their In The Night Garden... range.[19]

In January 2009, a spokesman for the BBC confirmed that they had asked Hasbro to change the skin colour of the Upsy Daisy doll following "a handful of complaints". The doll was originally released with a noticeably lighter complexion than seen in the television series, as it was based on the animated version of Upsy Daisy.[20]

Live theatrical show

In the Night Garden...Live! started a UK tour in July 2010. The show took place in an inflatable purpose-built show dome. The show premièred in Liverpool, and moved on to London, Glasgow and Birmingham. In the Night Garden Live has toured the UK every summer.[21][22]

Awards and nominations

  • Awarded Best Children's Live-Action Series[8]
  • The website for the programme was nominated for Best Interactive Site[8]
  • Awarded Best Pre-School Live Action Series[9]
  • Nominated for Best Pre-School Live Action[10]

References

  1. ↑ Makka Pakka Washes Faces, BBC Programme Guide.
  2. ↑ "BBC – CBeebies Grownups – In the Night Garden". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Brown, Jonathan; Robinson, Josie (18 April 2007). "In the Night Garden: Bedtime for Teletubbies". The Independent. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  4. ↑ Lane, Harriet (25 November 2007). "Night Fever". The Observer Magazine (The Guardian). Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  5. ↑ Conlan, Tara (27 September 2010). "BBC puts In the Night Garden to bed". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  6. 1 2 Carter, Meg (18 March 2007). "They come in peace". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  7. 1 2 "In The Night Garden". Press Pack – From tot to toddler to tearaway, CBeebies celebrates its fifth birthday (Press release). BBC – Press Office. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2007". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 20103. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  9. 1 2 "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2008". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2009". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  11. ↑ In the Night Garden…. Little Library. London: BBC Children's. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4059-0378-3. OCLC 141381673.
  12. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2450974/
  13. ↑ "In the Night Garden – Glossary of Terms". www.inthenightgarden.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  14. ↑ "In the Night Garden – Glossary of Terms". www.inthenightgarden.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  15. ↑ "In the Night Garden – Glossary of Terms". www.inthenightgarden.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  16. ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com – search results 25 February 2008
  17. 1 2 Reynolds, Nigel (2 April 2008). "Anger as BBC moves In The Night Garden". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  18. ↑ https://www.penwizard.com/uk/
  19. ↑ Dungan, Ronnie (18 September 2008). "Toy firms scoop Licensing gongs". Toy News. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  20. ↑ "BBC acts over light-skinned doll". BBC News. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  21. ↑ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/03/26/in-the-night-garden-coming-to-sefton-park-this-summer-100252-26113079/
  22. ↑ http://www.nightgardenlive.com/

External links

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