Toytown

Larry was the “little guy who always came out on top” ^[1]

Toytown^[2] was a BBC radio series for children, broadcast for Children's Hour on the Home Service. The plays were based on a set of puppets created by S. G. Hulme Beaman, who also wrote the stories for the series.^[3] The first Toytown plays were broadcast in 1929, and the pool of stories was re-used until the end of Children's Hour. There were 31 plays in all. During the 1970s, most of the plays were adapted as short films which were broadcast on ITV.^[4]

The series starred Larry the Lamb,^[5] the central character, and his clever sidekick, Dennis the Dachshund. In each story a misunderstanding, often arising from a device created by the inventor, Mr. Inventor, occurs which involves Ernest the Policeman, the disgruntled Mr Growser the Grocer^[6] and the Mayor.

During the early-1950s series on BBC Children's Hour, Larry the Lamb was always played (at least when broadcast from London) by Derek McCulloch, Dennis at various times by Norman Shelley, Ernest Jay and Preston Lockwood, the Mayor by Franklyn Bellamy and Felix Felton, Ernest the Policeman by Arthur Wynn, Peter Claughton and Stephen Jack and the Inventor usually by Ivan Samson.

The opening music was "The Parade of the Tin Soldiers" by Leon Jessel.

The first radio performances were as follows:

• How Wireless Came to Toytown: 29 Nov 1929
• The Sea Voyage: 27 Dec 1929
• The Enchanted Ark: 2 Jan 1930
• The Arkville Dragon: 30 Jan 1930
• Larry the Plumber: 18 Feb 1930
• Toy Town Treasure: 12 Mar 1930
• The Great Toy Town Mystery! Who Was Guilty? 3 Apr 1930
• The Extraordinary Affair of Ernest the Policeman: 1 May 1930
• The Portrait of the Mayor: 6 June 1930
• The Great Toy-Town War: 14 Oct 1930
• The Disgraceful Affair at Mrs. Goose's: 14 Nov 1930
• The Showing Up of Larry The Lamb: 9 Dec 1930
• The Kidnapping of Father Christmas: 23 Dec 1930
• The Babes in the Wood: 13 Jan 1931
• The Start of the Treasure Hunt: 3 Feb 1931
• In Which Mr. Growser's Worst Fears Are Realised: 19 Feb 1931
• The Wreck of the Toytown Belle, part 1: 3 Mar 1931
• The Wreck of the Toytown Belle, part 2: 19 Mar 1931
• Toy Town Goes West: 31 Mar 1931
• Mr. Noah's Holiday: 21 Apr 1931
• Pistols for Two: 12 May 1931
• Dreadful Doings at Ark Street: 9 June 1931
• Disgraceful Doings in Ark Street: 1 Sept 1931
• Frightfulness at the Theatre Royal: 22 Sept 1931
• Golf (Toytown Rules): 13 Oct 1931
• Tea for Two: 3 Nov 1931
• Mr. Growser Moves: 1 Dec 1931
• A Toytown Christmas Party: 22 Dec 1931
• The Brave Deed of Ernest the Policeman: 2 Feb 1932
• The Conversion of Mr. Growser: 23 Feb 1932
• Dirty Work at the Dog & Whistle: 16 Aug 1932

Stories from Toytown

A puppet show called Stories from Toytown Featuring Larry the Lamb was first broadcast on ITV between 1972 and 1974. Twenty-six of Hulme Beaman's stories were adapted for television by his friend Hendrik Baker.^[7]

1. Toytown Goes West
2. The Tale of Captain Brass the Pirate
3. The Extraordinary Affair of Ernest the Policeman
4. The Disgraceful Business at Mrs Goose's
5. Golf (Toytown Rules)
6. The Arkville Dragon
7. The Tale of the Inventor
8. The Tale of the Magician
9. The Theatre Royal
10. The Toytown Treasure
11. Tea for Two
12. Mr Noah's Holiday
13. The Toytown Mystery
14. A Portrait of the Mayor
15. Pistols for Two
16. How the Wireless Came to Toytown
17. The Brave Deed of Ernest the Policeman
18. The Tale of Ernest the Policeman
19. The Showing Up of Larry the Lamb
20. Larry the Plumber
21. The Mayor's Sea Voyage
22. Dreadful Doings in Ark Street
23. The Great Toytown War
24. Mr Growser Moves
25. Mr Mayor
26. Dirty Work at the Dog & Whistle

References

1. Hartley, Ian. Goodnight Children ... Everywhere. (New York, Hippocrene: 1993) ISBN 0-88254-892-1
2. Further information about the series
3. Other examples of his work
4. See examples of 1970s annuals
5. Brief characterisation
6. Reference to Mr Grouser and the BBC approved spelling of his name.
7. Stories from Toytown Featuring Larry the Lamb at Toonhound

External links

• Comprehensive article about Toytown at ukonline