"In his autobiography Oliver Postgate declares that he does not exist - that he is a means, not an end. To a cat of my intellectual prowess it is clear that this is philosophically unsound, because he obviously must be there in order to say that he is not. And anyway, if he were, or rather weren't, where would that leave us, his figments? . . . So we, the inhabitants of his films, lovingly put together with paint and paper, glue, Meccano and used yogurt pots by our creator, Peter Firmin, hereby claim unequivocal and absolute existence and invite you to enjoy the glory of that fact . . . viz and to wit:

Ivor was first made as a set of 6 black and white films for Associated Rediffusion Ltd in 1959, which were followed by 26 more in the following four years. Then, in 1975, they were remade in colour for the BBC as a set of 40 films. These are the ones that are now being shown on Channel 5 TV and Nickelodeon. They are also available as a complete VIDEO.

For information on any of our films please visit our friend Nigel Baker's Official Smallfilms Treasury website at: www.smallfilms.co.uk

Five Sagas of Noggin the Nog were made in black and white for the BBC between 1959 and 1965. In 1980, one of these, Noggin and the Ice Dragon, and a new one, Noggin and the Pie, were made in colour. None of these have been seen on television for many years, but recently 'The Dragons' Friendly Society has published them as a VIDEO and issued a new edition of the twelve original BOOKS (along with other esoteric material appertaining to life in the Northlands). These can be found at www.dragons-friendly-society.co.uk

For more Noginformation contact our friend Neil's site:
www.nogginthenog.co.uk

This elusive family of penguin-type persons were knitted by Peter's sister Gloria and in the early 1960s inhabited the unused corners of Peter and Joan Firmin's barn. Eighteen single-frame puppet films were made about them, often (foolishly) out of doors, where the light is constantly changing. They were shown for a time on ITV , but in spite of Vernon Elliott's delicious and hilarious music, they have not been seen since. However, the Dragons' Friendly Society has has prised open the rusty film-cans and made a magnificent DVD.

The Pogles lived in the root of a tree in the wood at the top of the field behind Oliver's house. They were a quiet country couple who did not care for magic, but unfortunately, being mythical, they became tangled with a rather distinguished witch. Six episodes of these puppet films were made for the BBC which only showed them once because they were frightened of the witch. For nearly thirty years the films lay unseen in Smallfilms shed, until Loaf of The Dragon's Friendly Society rescued them and has made of them a VIDEO (which, be warned, is quite scary!) Eight stories derived from this first one, a cycle of exciting tales of almost classical scariness, were originally printed in The Pogle Annuals 1967-1974. These have now been assembled and are to be soon to be published.

Recovered from its encounter with the witch, and satisfied that she would not reappear, the BBC commissioned two sets of films entitled Pogles Wood. The Pogles, now with a much enlarged family and the services of an often tipsy magic Plant, provided 26 much-loved films for Watch with Mother. With the advent of colour television, however, black and white films ceased to be shown except when it rained during coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament. So, apart from one small and short-lived set of videos, these too languished in the vaults until Loaf of the Dragon's Friendly Society rescued them and has made some of them into a VIDEO

For more Pogle information please consult Jeff's website:
www.pogleswood.org

Oliver Postgate, our means, is a mere person rather than a glorious fiction, but perhaps he is worthy of mention .

He has recently written his autobiography, depicting his passage from grinning show-off to grisly old git, a journey that includes not only a prison sentence but also a thirty-year period working with Peter Firmin in cow-shed and pig-sty, making small films. Among a multitude of incongruous activities, he and his partner Naomi wrote and painted a Bayeux-tapestry type illumination of the life and death of Thomas Becket, one of Christopher Columbus, and a vast mural of a scurrilous history of Canterbury, as well as a detective novel which nobody would publish.

As for Oliver's preposterous statement that he doesn't exist, he says I've got it wrong and wants me to quote from H. Fingarette, an American psychologist. So here it is:-

. . . .make what you can of that! I'm just a cat.