Andy Pandy

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British children's TV series (1950–1970, 2002)

title: "Andy Pandy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1950-british-television-series-debuts", "2002-british-television-series-endings", "1950s-british-children's-television-series", "1970s-british-children's-television-series", "2000s-british-children's-television-series", "bbc-children's-television-shows", "television-series-by-bbc-studios", "television-series-by-cosgrove-hall-films", "fictional-dolls-and-dummies", "television-characters-introduced-in-1950", "british-children's-animated-television-shows", "british-preschool-education-television-series", "british-stop-motion-animated-television-series", "british-television-shows-featuring-puppetry", "1950s-preschool-education-television-series", "1960s-preschool-education-television-series", "1970s-preschool-education-television-series", "british-english-language-television-shows", "british-television-series-revived-after-cancellation", "cbeebies-original-programming"] description: "British children's TV series (1950–1970, 2002)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Pandy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British children's TV series (1950–1970, 2002) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television"]

Field	Value
image	Andypandy.jpg
caption	From the 1952 Andy Pandy opening titles. The blocks turned to reveal the title one letter at a time.
runtime	15–16 minutes (Watch with Mother); 5 minutes (2002 revival)
opentheme	Andy Pandy Theme (2002)
endtheme	Andy Pandy Theme (instrumental; 2002)
country	United Kingdom
creator	Freda Lingstrom & Maria Bird
voices	2002 version: {{plainlist
narrated	{{plainlist
* Maria Bird (original version){{cite web	url
* Vera McKechnie (original and 1970 version){{cite web	last
company	Original series
BBC
2002 revival
Cosgrove Hall Films
BBC Worldwide
Ben Productions LLC
network	BBC Television Service/BBC1
network2	CBeebies
first_aired
last_aired
first_aired2
last_aired2
num_series	4
num_episodes	91
producer	David Boisseau
Peter Thompson
::

| image = Andypandy.jpg | caption = From the 1952 Andy Pandy opening titles. The blocks turned to reveal the title one letter at a time. | runtime = 15–16 minutes (Watch with Mother); 5 minutes (2002 revival) | opentheme = Andy Pandy Theme (2002) | endtheme = Andy Pandy Theme (instrumental; 2002) | country = United Kingdom | creator = Freda Lingstrom & Maria Bird | voices = 2002 version: {{plainlist|

Maria Darling
Jimmy Hibbert
Joanna Ruiz
David Holt | narrated = {{plainlist|
Maria Bird (original version)
Vera McKechnie (original and 1970 version)
Tom Conti (2002 version) | company = Original series BBC 2002 revival Cosgrove Hall Films BBC Worldwide Ben Productions LLC | network = BBC Television Service/BBC1 | network2 = CBeebies | first_aired = | last_aired = | first_aired2 = | last_aired2 = | num_series = 4 | num_episodes = 91 | producer = David Boisseau Peter Thompson Andy Pandy is a British children's television series that aired on BBC Television in 1950. Originally live, a series of 26 filmed programmes was shown until 1970, when a new series of 13 episodes was made. This series was the basis for a comic strip of the same name in the style of children's magazines Robin and Pippin.

The series was followed by a revival with 26 episodes (52 segments) in 2002. In total, 91 episodes were produced.

Original 1950 and 1970 versions

The original version of Andy Pandy premiered on BBC TV in 1950, on 11 July around 1952 and repeated continuously until 1969. In 1970, 13 new episodes were made in colour with Vera McKechnie as narrator.

A marionette who lived in a picnic basket, Andy was later joined by Teddy, a teddy bear, and Looby Loo, a rag doll, who came to life when Andy and Teddy were not around. Looby Loo sang "Here we go Looby Loo". All three lived in the same picnic basket. Each episode ended with a variation on the song: "Time to go home / Time to go home / Andy is waving goodbye."

It is said that the character's design was based on Paul Atterbury, the then young son of puppeteer Audrey Atterbury. A comic-strip version was published in Robin.

The production staff for the original series were:

Producer: Freda Lingstrom.
Narrator: Maria Bird and later in the 1970 remakes Vera McKechnie.
Writer/composer: Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird.
Singers: Gladys Whitred, Julia Williams and Maria Bird.
Puppeteers: Audrey Atterbury, Molly Gibson, Martin Grainger, The Stavordales and Christopher Leith (in the 1970 colour series).

By 1970, as BBC1 was by then transmitted in colour, 13 new episodes were produced and shown from 5 January 1970.

The series was parodied by Des O'Connor in his Dandy Sandy sketches with Harry Secombe and Britt Ekland.

2002 revival

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/AndyPandyBradford.jpg" caption="Stop motion set from the revival series on display at the [[National Science and Media Museum]], with Andy Pandy, Looby Loo and Teddy"] ::

In 2002, BBC produced a revival of 52 episodes with the use of stop-motion animation instead of string puppets: the original nursery and garden were expanded to an entire village, with Andy (now voiced by Maria Darling), Teddy (now voiced by Jimmy Hibbert) and Looby Loo (now voiced by Joanna Ruiz) now owning individual houses, as well as four new characters that were introduced in the series: Missy Hissy (voiced by Maria Darling) a red-and-yellow snake; Tiffo, a teal-and-purple dog (vocals performed by David Holt); Bilbo (also voiced by David Holt), a sailor; and Orbie (vocals performed by Joanna Ruiz), a yellow-and-blue ball. Tom Conti narrated the new series.

Though the emphasis of the original series was on music and movement, the emphasis of the 2002 series was on making and doing. The series was animated and produced by Cosgrove Hall Films and Ben Productions (the latter also producing the 2001 remake of Bill and Ben aka Flower Pot Men).

Episodes from the original series

Series 1 (1950)

Series 2 (1970)

Episodes from the revival series

This is a list of episodes in each series with songs every two episodes (if any):

Series 1

Series 2

UK VHS and DVD releases

::data[format=table]

VHS or DVD title	Release date	Episodes
Andy Pandy (BBCV 4205)	5 December 1988	Red Engine, Sailing Boats, Trampoline, Hobby Horses
Andy Pandy 2: Tales from the Toybox (BBCV 4361)	4 June 1990	Jack in a Box, Looby Loo Has a Cold, Tea Party, Tricycle
The Very Best of Andy Pandy (BBCV 5110)	6 September 1993	Trampoline, Jack in a Box, Red Engine, Tea Party, Hobby Horses
Andy Pandy: Meet Andy Pandy and His Friends (BBCV 7341)	30 September 2002	The Balloon, The Man from the Moon, Andy Pandy's Band, A Flying Feather, The Birthday Cake, A String in the Tail, The Bubble, Teddy Gets the Wind Up, A Noisy Supper, The Box That Chimed
Andy Pandy: Charming Stories (BBCV 7399)	21 April 2003	Hide and Seek, Tiffo and His Stick, A Lick of Paint, Puppeteer Pandy, Andy Pandy's Musical Box, The Big Spring Clean, Teddy's Sunglasses, The Nest, Hubble Bubble, Bell Ringers
Andy Pandy: Teddy's Sunglasses and Other Stories	2006	Bell Ringers, The Bubble, The Nest, Teddy's Sunglasses, The Big Spring Clean, A Lick of Paint
Andy Pandy: Hide and Seek	8 September 2008	Hide and Seek, Song: Hopscotch, The Balloon, The Puddle, Song: Honey, The Picnic, The Man from the Moon, Song: Musical Chairs, Andy Pandy's Band, Tiffo and His Stick, Song: Painting, A Lick of Paint, A Flying Feather, Song: Boxes, Puppeteer Pandy
Andy Pandy: The Birthday Cake	8 September 2008	The Birthday Cake, Song: Gardening, A String in the Tale, Andy Pandy's Musical Box, Song: Looby Loo, The Big Spring Clean, The Bubble, Song: Playground, Teddy Gets the Wind Up, A Noisy Supper, Song: Tickle, Potato Prints, Teddy's Sunglasses, Song: Camping, Growing Pains
::

References

"Andy Pandy, 11 July 1950". History of the BBC.
McGown, Alistair. (2003–2014). "Andy Pandy (1950–1959)". BFI Screenonline.
[http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/watchwm/watchwm.htm Watch with Mother]
as part of the ''[[For the Children]]'' strand (later ''[[Watch with Mother]]'') narrated by [[Maria Bird]] who also narrated the black & white 1950s original broadcasts of ''[[Flower Pot Men]]'', ''[[The Woodentops (TV series). The Woodentops]]'' and ''[[Bizzy Lizzy]]''.{{Citation needed. (February 2022 Initially it was broadcast live, but it was realised that if the programmes were filmed, they could be repeated. 26 fifteen-minute episodes were filmed on [[16 mm film). link. (7 March 2009)
"Final airing of black and white episodes".
(2004). "The A–Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee". Reynolds & Hearn Ltd.
"Watch with Mother".
{{usurped
[http://www.telegoons.org/rubovia/Bios/Bio_AA.htm Audrey Atterbury on Telegoons.org] {{webarchive. link. (8 September 2009)
Evans, Jeff. (1995). "The Guinness Television Encyclopedia". [[Guinness Publishing]].
[http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/tv/children/watchwm/watchwm.htm Watch with Mother site reference]
"Watch with Mother episode guide".

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