The island of Timbuctoo plays host to 26 anthropomorphised animals, each
    of whom take their name from the noises they make. Hence we have a sort
    of dog called Woof, a sort of cat called Meow, a sort of cow called Moo,
    and - well - you get the idea. There's a full list of characters for you, below.
    Each character stars in their own wee story, and many of their pals pop
    up in each other's stories, enhancing the whole community feel. And what
    a snuggly community this is. Each critter gets their very own episode in which
    a problem is solved or an issue resolved, with the help of their pals.

    If the concept feels a little familiar, that's because Timbuctoo was created
    by Roger Hargreaves, he of Misterland fame, and these characters first
    appeared in a series of books published in 1978-1979. The book format
    followed that of the Mr Men too, namely, small square collectable publications,
    each featuring a resident animal on a white background, with their titular
    name above. Oh, and the characters wear little bowler hats and tan coloured
    brogues, just like their predecessors.

    The animated series reached our tv screens in 1997, and familiarity looms
    large here, as well, because it was produced by Terry Ward and his Flicks
    Films, who had already brought the Mr Men and those Little Misses to life.
    Ronnie Corbett stepped in as our storyteller/narrator, this time around.
    Originally, there were only 25 Timbuctoo book stars, but tv schedulers in the
    UK are very keen on 13 episode commissions, and multiples thereof. Thus a
    new - erm - Timbuctooian took to the screen in the form of Bray, who's a
    sort of donkey.

    People too, in Timbuctoo

    Actually, to say that Timbuctoo is an island full of mery animals isn't really true.
    There are a few humans here, popping up in the tales. There's the Timbuctoo
    Wizard, for starters, the Timbuctoo Farmer and a Timbuctoo Postman...

    Timbuc-who?

    Don't get confused now. Timbuctu is a famous city in Mali, and Timbuctoo,
    California is a famous gold mining town. And there are no talking animals in
    either location...

 

   

   Allsorts

   The stars of Timbuctoo aren't quite animals or people. They're sort of
   inbetween...

   Baa is a sort of sheep           Meow is a sort of cat
   Bleat is a sort of goat           Moo is a sort of cow
   Bray is a sort of donkey         Neigh is a sort of horse
   Buzz is a sort of bee               Oink is a sort of pig
   Chatter is a sort of monkey    Puff is a sort of panda
   Chirp is a sort of bird            Quack is a sort of duck
   Cluck is a sort of chicken       Roar is a sort of lion
   Croak is a sort of frog            Snap is a sort of crocodile
   Grizzle a sort of bear             Sniff is a sort of rabbit
   Growl is a sort of tiger           Squawk is a sort of parrot
   Hiss is a sort of snake          Squeak is a sort of mouse
   Honk is a sort of seal             Trumpet is a sort of elephant
   Hoot is a sort of owl            Woof is a sort of dog

 

   Episode titles

   Series One
   Neigh Finds a New Home
   Honk Goes Swimming
   Snap Learns a New Game
   Cluck Gets a Letter
   Moo Has a Birthday Party
   Chirp Learns to Fly
   Croak Learns to Swim
   Oink and the Big Apple
   Squeak Has a Big Day out
   Bleat Takes the Ball by the Horns
   Grizzle Gets the Giggles
   Hoot Slips Up at Question Time
   Meow Goes Fishing

   Series Two
   Woof has Forgotten How to Bark
   Hiss is Hopping Mad
   Chatter and His Long Tail
   Puff Buys Some Paint
   Roar Sets Out to Frighten Timbuctoo
   Trumpet Goes to the Seaside
   Quack Dreams of a New Beak
   Buzz is a Very Busy Bee
   Growl Has a Fright
   Baa Goes shopping
   Sniff Runs Out of Carrots
   Bray Sleeps Through Christmas
   Squawk Joins the Choir

 

     Timbuctoo on DVD

     Sadly, the series isn't currently available on disc...


 

    Timbuctoo
     by Roger Hargreaves

    director & producer:    Terry Ward
    executive producer:    John Marsden
    music:                        Mark London, Francis Haines
    scripts:                       Richard Everett
    layout artist:              Janet Nunn
    animation:                  Dee Honeybun, Dennis Hunt,
                                     Bill Lee, Mike Lodge, Reg Lodge,
                                     Geoff Loynes, Barry Parker,
                                     Steve Roberts, Tony Walters
    storyboard &
     background design:    Terry Ward
    design consultant:      Adam Hargreaves
    computer operators:   Wayne Alexander, Andy Dixon,
                                     Dominic Houldey, Rachael King,
                                     Paul Taberer, Tania Ward
    track reading:             Ken Morgan
    dubbing mixer:           Nigel Edwards
    animation 
     co-ordinator:              Gavin Nicolls
    computer supervisor:  Andy Dixon
    character voices
     & narration:                Ronnie Corbett

 

     On the web


      Mr Men Info
      Peter Gray is a BIG fan of Roger & Adam Hargreaves, and
      you'll find more on all the Hargreaves' creations on his tidy blog...



 
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