Hattytown Tales
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"Hattytown Tales" was a series of 52 stop-go animated puppet children's television programmes made by FilmFair (Ivor Wood) for Thames Television in the UK between 1969 and 1973. They were narrated by the series' creator and writer, Keith Chatfield. Books were published by World Distributors and it was featured in the Playland Comic (offshoot of Pippin) published by Polystyle Publications and in children's annuals for 10 years. "Hattytown Tales" was also often featured during the television program "Pinwheel" (which was widely broadcast on the U.S. television network Nickelodeon during the 1980's).
The residents of Hattytown were themselves hats; the hat chosen for each character generally symbolized his or her role in society, ethnicity, or attitude (the constable, Bobby, took the form of a constable's hat). Buildings in the town were also hat-shaped, with each building's form representing either its primary function or resident.
The main character, Sancho, was a Mexican sombrero hat with legs and eyes. Carrots, his best friend, was a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of his face. In one episode, an angry bird had made its nest in Sancho's car. Every time the Hattytown residents would try to move the bird, it snapped at them. At the end of the episode, the car door opened to reveal a nest of eggs that had recently hatched, explaining the bird's behavior.
Keith Chatfield is a successful author of children's books. His work includes the popular Issi Noho series about the adventures of a magic panda. This was also made into a television show for Thames Television and 52 episodes were transmitted between 1974 and 1978 with books published by Heinemann and Piccolo.
Category:Children's television series
