Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

[Marillion]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

the 60s saw the launch of Polystyle Publications' magazine Pippin, a junior companion to their TV Comic.

I used to watch 'Watch with Mother' in the late 60s - and for the first year or two after starting school as well - during the school holidays. I also used to read Pippin (with The Pogles on the front cover) before progressing to TV Comic at the age of 7. I didn't know Pippin was also published by Polystyle. Both comics had Tich and Quackers in them (the original Ray Allen show became an animated cartoon later, which I just about remember, and the comic strip was based on the cartoon).

[Wil]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Being born in '64 I really was a child of Trumpton, Pogles' Wood etc. but they still ran The Woodentops and Bill and Ben while I was watching as a toddler. My school was only 5 minutes walk away so I'd come home for lunch each day (right through secondary school - never had a school meal in my life) and still catch the Watch With Mother slot well into the '70s when I'd have to head back just as it was starting at 1:45, just after Pebble Mill. To this day, one of my favourite pieces of music is Johnny Pearson's ending theme to Mary, Mungo and Midge. It never fails to immediately conjour up those '70s school lunchtimes with my Mum.

I guess because I saw them so regularly, even when I was older I never got those programmes jumbled up with other short shows that went out, either just before the news, at 5:40 - stuff like Barbapapa, Roobarb and Noah and Nellie or the ones that went out earlier in the kids afternoon TV slot like Crystal Tips, Ludwig or The Mole. All great shows, though. The like and variety of which we don't see much anymore.

[Krazy]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Very Similar to Chris. I watched Watch with Mother.
The BBC began broadcasting television programmes aimed specifically at children in 1946. These were broadcast under the catchall title of “For The Children” and aired around 5 o'clock each day. Among the favourites was Annette Mills with the stories of her puppet friends including Muffin the Mule.
An experiment in the Summer of 1950 saw a programme aimed at the pre-school audience at home with mother. Airing at the tail end of entertainment made for housewives, Andy Pandy was a puppet toddler who would encourage the real toddlers watching to join in his songs and dancing.
The four trial films proved a success and more episodes were made and heavily repeated on successive Tuesday afternoons under the banner For The Very Young. Andy gained a second weekly airing on Thursdays in Summer 1952 but it was clear that more series for toddlers were needed.
Andy Pandy was joined by Bill and Ben, the mischievous Flower Pot Men, in December 1952. At this time Head of Children's Programmes Freda Lingstrom hoped that Andy and The Flower Pot Men would be joined before long by more playmates in the new year and hinted these programmes might well be aired under the new title Watch With Mother.
It wasn't until 1953, with the expansion of programmes to three afternoons a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) that the Watch With Mother title finally came into use. The banner was intended to deflect fears that television might become a nursemaid to children and encourage 'bad mothering'.
Later additions included Picture Book and Rag, Tag and Bobtail, the adventures of a hedgehog, mouse and rabbit. At last the service became daily with the first episode of The Woodentops on Friday 9 September 1955.
The classic Watch With Mother line-up was now in place: Picture Book on Monday; Andy Pandy - Tuesday; The Flower Pot Men - Wednesday; Rag, Tag and Bobtail - Thursday; The Woodentops - Friday. This pattern would remain largely unchanged and be repeated countless times for a decade.
A new generation of series were ushered in with the 60s, including Tales of the Riverbank, Joe and yet more puppet/animated series such as Camberwick Green, Trumpton, Chigley, and Pogles' Wood. The mid-60s saw a change in the broadcast pattern, with airings now at 10.30am, 1.30pm or sometimes both.
With a colour television service imminent many of the series were now being made in colour with a view to future repeats. All of the Watch With Mother characters had been quite heavily merchandised since the 50s; the 60s saw the launch of Polystyle Publications' magazine Pippin, a junior companion to their TV Comic.
The early 70s brought in such delights as Fingerbobs, Mary, Mungo and Midge, Mr Benn and the imported Barnaby but it also saw the end of the longstanding banner title. The use of the words Watch With Mother became increasingly rare in Radio Times through 1972 and by early 1973 had disappeared entirely.
In the 70s, post-Women's Lib, the title seemed dated. Many children watched at playgroup or with child-minders while mother went out to work. The pre-school slot continued nameless through the decade, firmly cemented in its post-lunchtime slot.
Only the occasional use of a see-saw graphic device in Radio Times in Autumn 1977 tried to link the disparate programmes together. On 1 October 1980 the abstract title See-Saw was used for a double bill of King Rollo and Bric-a-Brac before quickly spreading to become an umbrella title for all series through the week.

[vanhelsing]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

On The Farm
Some Canadian one about a boy and his father on a canoeing trip
Barnaby Bear
BOD
Heads and tails
The Brian Cant Trumpton ones
The Christopher Liilicrap (What was he thinking with a name like that???) one about the circus
Was Barbapapa on at the same time?
Ragtime

[Grosh62]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

I fondly remember all the progs mentioned on here.

I adored Tales From The Riverbank starring Hammy Hamster, Roderick Rat and my favourite GP the Guinea Pig.

Another favourite character of mine was Tog from Pogles Wood.

Pogle's Wood was Special

[stockportyears]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Are you getting mixed up with Itsy and Bitsy on Paperplay?

Weird I see this comment tonight, I was just watching an old vid of Paperplay on YouTube.

Itsy and Bitsy rule. Here they are in action.

As I said in the video's comments, the people voicing them were perfect - they sound just like insistent little infant school children, except in weird spider mode. :-)

(I'm SeventiesMania, btw).

[kazboot]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

I fondly remember all the progs mentioned on here.

I adored Tales From The Riverbank starring Hammy Hamster, Roderick Rat and my favourite GP the Guinea Pig.

Another favourite character of mine was Tog from Pogles Wood.

[amethyst]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Andy pandy with teddy bear looby looe

The Wooden tops twins spotty dog on the farm yard it was great

Bill and Ben flower pot men and weed

I used to cry when andy pandy used to finishsee you tomorrow

[emily13]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Just had a look at them....oh dear. Lets pretend is nothing like i thought i was! The memory must be playing tricks! The song was the same but i thought it had a catipillar???

I couldn't find it on youtube but there was definitely a caterpillar, red and yellow, made out of ball shapes maybe? on metal sticks you weren't supposed to see, on a black background.

[Kiop]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

I don't remember anything from pre-school, I was under 4 years old!

However, if you mean pre-school programmes that I watched when I was at school then I recall the following:-

Camberwick Green, Trumpton, Chigley.

Pogul's Wood

Teddy Edward

Lamb Chop

Mr Ben

Pipkins

Fingerbobs (Fingermouse)

Play School, Play Away

Crystal Tips & Alastair

I remember many more since then, but these are the earliest. I'm not really old enough to remember Wooden Tops or Muffin the Mule, etc. "Not really old enough" - heck, that makes me feel really good!

[HG]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

well thanks for corrupting me

anytime

[nessie]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

I dont get an offer like that everyday

well thanks for corrupting me

[HG]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

Are you getting mixed up with Itsy and Bitsy on Paperplay?

[nessie]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

You can watch the credits to picture box and lets pretend on youtube Nessie

Just had a look at them....oh dear. Lets pretend is nothing like i thought i was! The memory must be playing tricks! The song was the same but i thought it had a catipillar???

But picture box was still quite freaky just like a remembered it!

[HG]

Re: Watch With Mother - Preschool? What can You remember

no i dont know a rude version of button moon. I know one of fraggle rock but not button moon. Please corrupt me!

I dont get an offer like that everyday