Munch Bunch

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Munch Bunch book cover

The Munch Bunch is the title of a series of children's books, written by British author Denis Bond (under the pen name Giles Reed) and illustrated by Angela Mitson, a teenager who had created the characters. They were published between 1979 and 1984 by Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. in the United Kingdom and Rourke Publications, Inc. in the United States. The Munch Bunch are a group of unwanted vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts who were swept to the corner of a shop but ran away together and set up home in and around an old, forgotten garden shed.

The Munch Bunch were not dissimilar to The Garden Gang, created by teen author Jayne Fisher between 1979 and 1983 and published by Ladybird Books.

Television series

There was also a 1980 marionette/puppet-based television show, produced by long-time Gerry Anderson associates Mary Turner and John Read for ITC Entertainment, that featured the characters from the books. The stories for the television series were different from those contained in the books and were written mainly by Bond (this time under his real name), though other writers such as Rosemary Kingsland also contributed. The series characters were voiced by the husband-and-wife team of Judy Bennett and Charles Collingwood probably best known for their work in The Archers. 52 ten-minute editions were produced.

  • Series 1: 12 editions,first shown from 24 September 1980
  • Series 2: 13 editions, first shown from 25 March 1981
  • Series 3: 21 editions, first shown from 30 September 1981
  • Series 4: 6 editions, first shown from 7 April 1982

Deletion

The books went out of print in the mid-to-late 1980s after a fire at Studio Publications apparently destroyed all the original artwork, and the brand name only survived as a range of yoghurts. These had been launched circa 1981 to coincide with the launch of the television series, with Mitson's characters as well as a few non-book characters such as Jenny Cherry and Charlie Chocolate but by the 1990s had struck out completely in their own right retaining only the logo and a few character names.

The brand did enjoy something a resurgence in the UK during the mid-1990s, largely thanks to a popular TV commercial for the Munch Bunch "pot shots" range (a petits-filous type yoghurt aimed at the young) set in a pool hall which ran from May 1994 until February 1996, although this renewal in popularity proved short-lived, and only three of the Munch Bunch characters were featured in the "pot shots" range. A completely different series of Munch Bunch books was published in 1998 by Ladybird Books in the UK to tie in with the yoghurts following the resurgence brought about by the TV commercials of 1994-96. Denis Bond and Angela Mitson had nothing to do with these and the characters were different although a few were similarly named e.g. Sally Strawberry.

The Munch Bunch yoghurt brand name itself nevertheless still continues to this day under the Nestlé umbrella, although it is now almost completely unrecognisable from the 1980s and 1990s, with the "fruit and veg" characters having been dropped completely and replaced by a "cow" mascot named Munch.

The original books continue to sell second-hand on Amazon, eBay and other websites.

Original character series 1979-82

  • Aubrey Aubergine
  • Adam Avocado
  • The Banana Bunch
  • Barnabus Beetroot
  • Billy Blackberry
  • Bounce (spring onion)
  • Button and Tiny (mushrooms)
  • Casper Carrot
  • Chunky Pineapple
  • Corky Coconut
  • Corny-on-the-Cob
  • Dick Turnip
  • Emma Apple
  • Lizzie Leek
  • Lucy Lemon
  • Merv Marrow
  • Nurse Plum
  • Olive
  • Olly Onion
  • Peanut
  • Pedro Orange
  • Pete Pepper
  • Penny Parsnip
  • Percy Prune
  • Pippa Pear
  • Professor Peabody
  • Rory Rhubarb
  • Rozzy Raspberry
  • Runner Bean
  • Sally Strawberry
  • Scruff Gooseberry
  • Spud (Potato)
  • Supercool (cucumber)
  • Suzie Celery
  • Tom Tomato
  • Wally Walnut

US character name differences

  • Aubrey Aubergine - Eddie Eggplant
  • Barnabus Beetroot - Barnabus Beet
  • Merv Marrow - Zack Zucchini

1979 group 'Munch Bunch' book series

  • Meet the Munch Bunch
  • The Munch Bunch at the Seaside
  • The Munch Bunch Have a Party
  • The Munch Bunch Go Camping
  • The Munch Bunch Welcomes New Friends (1982)

1983 series

  • Pete Pepper's Trip to the Zoo
  • Casper Carrot's Big Mistake
  • Lucy Lemon and the Birthday Post
  • Aubrey Aubergine and the Grandfather Clock
  • Spud's Sports Day
  • Adam Avocado and the Picnic Basket
  • Barnabus Beetroot's Blue Umbrella
  • Penny Parsnip Starts a School
  • The Banana Bunch Have Half a Holiday
  • Button and Tiny Buy Bicycles
  • Nurse Plum's Busy Week
  • Peanut Goes to the Circus
  • Emma Apple's Jumble Sale (1985)

1984 series

  • Spud and the Big Red Balloon
  • Sally Strawberry and the Painted Snake
  • Olly Onion's Fancy Dress Party
  • Casper Carrot's New Blue Jumper
  • Dick Turnip and the Crazy Clowns
  • Rozzy Raspberry's Wallpaper Machine
  • Billy Blackberry's Secret Tunnel
  • Corny-on-the-Cob's Not so Funny Day
  • Rory Rhubarb and the River Monster
  • Merv Marrow's New Police Car
  • Scruff Gooseberry and the Wishing Well
  • Emma Apple's Late Birthday Party

New Zealand character series 1985

  • Charlie Kumara
  • Kiri Kiwifruit
  • Patty Passionfruit
  • Ted Tamarillo

Yoghurt tie-in series 1998

  • Andy Apricot
  • Barney Banana
  • Bertie Blackcurrant
  • Ollie Orange
  • Rozzy Raspberry (different character though identically named)
  • Sally Strawberry (different character though identically named)

See also

References

    External links

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