Larry was the "little guy who always came out on top"[1]

Toytown is a British media franchise for children, which consists of a long-running radio series broadcast for the Children's Hour written by S. G. Hulme Beaman, and two television adaptations. All together, 30 plays were written for it.

Although he was not the main character of the original works, Larry the Lamb became the main character, together with his clever sidekick, Dennis the Dachshund. Each story involves Ernest the Policeman, the disgruntled Mr Growser the Grocer[2] and the Mayor.

History

Around 1928, S. G. Hulme Beaman, originally an actor, began to create wooden toys in light of Germany losing its grip on the industry. These became popular with the children of his local area of Golders Green, and in 1928 he published the book Tales of Toytown, based on them. May Jenkin, who was "Aunt Elizabeth" for Children's Hour, came across the book and arranged for its six stories to be adapted for radio. The plays were successful, with Jenkin writing to Hulme Beaman demanding more,[3] who would formulate them using his original wooden toys.[4]

These plays were highly in-demand for Request Week during Children’s Hour, consistently heading votes for twenty years. Although Larry the Lamb did feature in the original stories, he was not the main character. This changed when Derek McCulloch, who narrated the series and voiced him all the way until the end of its run, asked Hulme Beaman to give Larry a bigger role.

Inspired by Walt Disney’s early cartoons, Hulme Beaman experimented with marionettes and animation with Pathé, adapting The Arkville Dragon for these mediums.[3] Sadly, Hulme Beaman died that same year of pneumonia,[4] however, as the BBC believed the best tribute would be to continue it,[5] his plays continued to be remounted until 1964, when Children’s Hour ended.[6]

Hulme Beaman's friend Hendrik Baker worked to keep Toytown popular, with a stage adaptation of The Cruise of the Toytown Belle, a musical play[3] written by David Wood,[7] vinyl records by EMI and a stop-motion series broadcast by the ITA Network[3] in 1972, and repeated until 1984.

In addition, from 1956 to 1958 Gordon Murray adapted eighteen of the 30 original plays in puppet form, deciding to use rod puppets to emulate Hulme Beaman's original models.[8]

Following Hendrik's death in 1991, Larry the Lamb Limited was dissolved, with his family doubting whether they still owned copyright for the series.[9]

Characters

  • Larry the Lamb - The protagonist and best friend of Dennis. Larry and Dennis are very mischievous and the closest thing Toytown has to hoodlums. On one occasion they vandalized the mayor's statue, and on another they convinced everyone there was a dragon on the loose (which by coincidence there really was).
  • Dennis the Dachshund. Clever friend of Larry. He speaks with a strong German accent and uses German word-order in his sentences. He is good at turning barrels and spit wheels. He dreams of being an Alsatian and particularly dislikes being called a "sausage dog".
  • Mr. Mayor - Toytown's chief official. He is rather pompous and has had a statue of himself placed in the town square. He has an inferiority complex about his short stature, and on one occasion asked the magician to make him "big". (The magician misheard him and turned him into a pig.)
  • Ernest the Policeman - Keeps "law and order" but rarely ever arrests anyone. He is always threatening to write down people's names and addresses in his notebook. He considers himself the mayor's deputy, and on one occasion set himself up as "mayor" while the real mayor was away on a rest cure.
  • Mr. Inventor - A brilliant engineer, capable of making almost anything. On one occasion however he was stumped at how to make an engine for the Mayor's car, and asked Larry and Dennis to provide the propulsion. He suffered the derision of Mr. Growser when this deception was revealed.
  • Mr. Noah - Keeps a menagerie of animals in his "Ark", who are usually up to no good.
  • Mr. Growser - A disagreeable old gentleman who is always finding things to complain about - usually the behavior of his fellow citizens. His favourite phrase is "It's disgraceful, it ought not to be allowed!"
  • The Magician - A sorcerer who makes a specialty of granting people's wishes. In one story Larry becomes his apprentice.
  • Captain Higgins - A very disciplinary man, who was originally a sentry guarding the Town Hall, but then he was appointed Captain during the Great Toytown War.
  • Peter Brass - Formerly known as Captain Brass, the pirate, although he later became a decorator, though still being involved in affairs of Dick the Highwayman and the Scum of Toytown.
  • Mrs. Goose - Owns a tea shop, which Larry and Dennis sometimes works for, and has an affinity for Ernest.
  • Letitia the Lambkin - A very young lamb, even more mischievous than Larry, who is often given the job of looking after her.
  • The Mayor of Arkville - The Mayor of Toytown's rival, who considers his place better, and is often attacked by Mr. Noah's animals.

Radio plays

The first radio performances were as follows:

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

Television episodes

1956-1958 series

  1. "The Tale of the Magician" - 17 January 1956
  2. "The Toytown Treasure" - 16 February 1956
  3. "Portrait of the Mayor" - 29 March 1956
  4. "The Great Toytown Mystery" - 5 October 1956
  5. "Dreadful Doings in Ark Street" - 19 October 1956
  6. "How the Wireless Came to Toytown" - 2 November 1956
  7. "The Great Toytown War" - 16 November 1956
  8. "The Enchanted Ark" - 30 November 1956
  9. "Conversion of Mr. Growser" - 11 January 1957
  10. "Larry the Plumber" - 4 April 1957
  11. "The Showing Up of Larry the Lamb" - 18 April 1957
  12. "Mr. Growser Moves" - 2 May 1957
  13. "The Arkville Dragon" - 16 May 1957
  14. "Pistols for Two" - 13 June 1957
  15. "Frightfulness at the Theatre Royal" - 27 June 1957
  16. "The Extraordinary Affair of Ernest the Policeman" - 18 October 1957
  17. "The Cruise of the Toytown Belle" - 11 September 1958
  18. "The Wreck of the Toytown Belle" - 18 September 1958

1972-1973 series

  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. "Frightfulness at 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. "The Enchanted Ark"
  26. "Dirty Work at the Dog & Whistle"

See also

The Noddy stories, written from 1949 to 1963 for children by author Enid Blyton, take place in a location called Toyland, which in some media is misnamed as Toytown.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Hartley, Ian. Goodnight Children ... Everywhere. (New York, Hippocrene: 1993) ISBN 0-88254-892-1
  2. ↑ Reference to Mr Grouser and the BBC approved spelling of his name.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Hendrik. The Book of Toytown and Larry the Lamb.
  4. 1 2 "Mr S. G. Hulme Beaman". The Guardian. 5 February 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Radio Times Issue 430 (Week Beginning 15th May 1932)". Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Exit Larry the Lamb as Children's Hour scrapped". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Larry the Lamb in Toytown - David Wood". Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Printed Media - Realm of Rubovia". Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Archive of Toytown and Larry the Lamb". Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Rudd, David (1995). "Noddy - His Secret History". Green Hedges Magazine. Evans Brothers Limited.
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