Last weekend saw the Wombles mark 50 years of their first TV appearance – with a number of initiatives planned to celebrate the occasion.
Animated by Ivor Wood and Barry Leith, narrated by the Bernard Cribbins and with the theme tune composed by Mike Batt, the show – based on Elizabeth Beresford’s books – was voted by the British public as one the top 10 most popular BBC TV children’s programmes of all time.
Right from the beginning the Wombles’ adventures involved recycling and reusing the discarded things that they found on The Common, so they were undoubtedly ahead of their time.
The anniversary will be marked by the release of a digitally remastered version of the original Wombles animated series, commemorative coin and medal collections, a year-long partnership with Age UK (promoting its high street charity shops as local upcycling centres) and a host of events across the country that will see the characters re-connect with new audiences and amplify their relevance to new generations.
The Wombles will also be announcing a series of film, TV and theatrical production deals during the next few months, with the aim of streaming new content before the end of the year.
Since they we brought out of hibernation, at the beginning of 2020 the IP owners have focused on reintroducing the characters and their positive environmental message to a new generation. They have featured in a wide range of environmental campaigns including the annual Great British Spring Clean, #EcoSchoolsAtHome, WRAP’s recycling initiatives, tree planting, beach cleaning and upcycling and were the UK government’s mascots at COP26.
This approach has proven to be highly effective – a YouGov survey has revealed that 88% of the British public are aware of The Wombles and 64% agreed that because of the environmental crisis across the world, they are more relevant today than ever.
The Wombles want to become the standard bearers for sustainability within the licensing industry. Wombles fans are highly environmentally conscious and therefore expect that everything connected with the IP embraces sound environmental principles, including the partners they work with and the products to which they will apply their IP. They want to work with brands and manufacturers which are bringing innovative environmental products and services to the market.
They also want to support the sustainability efforts of larger companies – helping them tell their environmental story much more effectively.
Speaking on behalf of The Wombles, Great Uncle Bulgaria commented: “Wombles and humans have a shared mission – to encourage everyone to do their bit for the planet, including what we buy and what we do with the things that we buy when we no longer need them.”
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