Ragdoll Productions
Ragdoll Productions (or Ragdoll Ltd) is a UK company that produces children's television shows. It was founded in 1984 by Anne Wood,[1] who later devised many of their television series, seen (in the case of Teletubbies) in 111 countries and translated into 41 languages.
Before 1984, Ragdoll's founder Anne Wood made children's programmes for Yorkshire Television and TV-am. Ragdoll Ltd is a privately owned family company founded in 1984 by Anne Wood. In 2006 Ragdoll and BBC Worldwide formed a joint venture, Ragdoll Worldwide to manage and exploit Ragdoll programming. The slogan for the company is "Works for children."
Productions
The following are some of Ragdoll's productions, accompanied by a brief description and vital statistics:
- Pob's Programme — first broadcast in 1985, 5 series, 82 episodes. The company's first official production featuring Pob, who has large ears and a woolly jumper.
- Playbox - first broadcast 1988, 1 series, 20 episodes. About a dog & a cat who live in a box.
- Rosie and Jim — first broadcast in 1990, 8 series, 175 episodes. Children's comedy featuring two mischievous ragdolls who magically come to life when the narrowboat owner is away.
- Brum — first broadcast in 1991. 6 series, 78 episodes. About a small car that comes to life and goes around helping the inhabitants of the nearby town.
- Open a Door — first broadcast 1992. An international project producing 5-minute children's films.
- Blips - first broadcast 2005. 2 series, 26 episodes.
- Tots TV — first shown in 1993, 8 series, 276 episodes. The adventures of puppets Tilly, Tom, and Tiny where they live in their magical house in the woods with their friend Donkey and of course Sniffles. Tilly spokes French (Spanish in the American broadcast, and English in the French broadcast), thus introducing children to a second language. Earned Ragdoll two BAFTA awards.
- Teletubbies — first broadcast in 1997, production on Teletubbies ended in 2001 after 365 episodes. A show about the adventures of four characters, the Teletubbies, Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po where they live over the hills called "Teletubbyland". Re runs on CBeebies
- Boohbah — first broadcast in 2003. 104 episodes. An exercise programme aimed at 3-6 year-olds.
- In the Night Garden — First broadcast in 2007; intended for children aged 1-4. 100×30 minutes commissioned by the BBC and shown on CBeebies.
- Tronji — first broadcast in 2009, is aimed at children aged 6-8. 30×30 minutes commissioned by the BBC and shown on CBBC.
- Dipdap - first broadcast in 2010, a 52×3 minute programme about a drawn character on a drawn line and shown on CBeebies.
- The Adventures of Abney & Teal - first broadcast in 2011, a 52×11 minute programme about two friends and shown on CBeebies.
Shop
There was a Ragdoll shop in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, which stocked a range of merchandise relating to Ragdoll's television series (the shop is now closed).
References
External links