Sunday 24 September 2017

Give them a twist a flick of the wrist



Merely because the wonderful Paul O'Grady (under sufferance, I might add) played them on his Radio 2 show this evening, so I am reminded of the "wonder" that was Pinky and Perky - the squeaky singing pig-puppets that I remember so well from my childhood. So I just had to share...

First up, the song Mr O'Grady gritted his teeth through - their version of a traditional sing-along Music Hall standard:


...followed by something that I am not entirely convinced is the genuine article, but made me chuckle:


Facts:
  • The puppets were the creation of Czechoslovakian immigrants Jan and Vlasta Dalibor [Vlasta only died last year at the grand old age of 95], who apparently chose pigs because they are a lucky symbol in the Czech Republic.
  • Their vocals were sung by session singers such as Michael John and Mike Sammes [omnipresent backing vocalist in the 60s and 70s, whose harmonies appeared behind an eclectic range of artists including Olivia Newton-John, Ken Dodd, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones and even the Beatles; and whose Singers voiced the theme tune to Stingray and numerous advertising jingles], then speeded-up.
  • Appearing as guests on top-rated kids' classics such as Crackerjack, and in a succession of their own shows (both on the BBC and ITV), they were a massive staple of children's telly over three decades - and even appeared on a US television show alongside The Beatles and Morecambe and Wise.
  • Their double-side 1971 single Bridget the Midget/Rosetta was the very first record I ever owned [I have an excuse; I was only eight]!
  • For some bizarre reason only known to the sort of unimaginative types that commission such things, Pinky and Perky were "reimagined" in 2008 as a CGI "cartoon" series. [Why?!]

14 comments:

  1. Those coconuts were creepy as hell looking. I will have nightmare tonight of them chasing me around now.

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    Replies
    1. You are used to chasing nuts, rather than being chased by them, I'm sure. Jx

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  2. Yes, the cocoanuts look like that little monster
    thingy that attacked Karen Black in Trilogy of Terror.

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    Replies
    1. I love that film! Many of the puppets of that era were terrifying - try "Pogles Wood" or "the Singing Ringing Tree", for example. It's amazing we survived with our nerves intact... Jx

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  3. Pinky and Perky are the subject of an Alexei Sayle routine about how 60s kids TV can only be explained by TV execs who'd suffered post traumatic stress disorder after the war

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    Replies
    1. Alexei Sayle, the great iconoclast... Jx

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  4. And he really does know how to lug a grievance around for years

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    Replies
    1. He wouldn't be Alexei Sayle if he was nice and fluffy, truth be told... Jx

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  5. Of course not - and whatever his particular personality disorders are he knows how to make great entertainment out of thrm

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    Replies
    1. He grates after a while, but I agree... Jx

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  6. I had the Pinky and Perky album until my Dad disposed of it and replaced it with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
    Sx

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    Replies
    1. I can only imagine why he "disposed" of such a musical classic :-)

      Jx

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  7. My big sister and I loved them when we were little but I cant bear to watch them now.

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    Replies
    1. Them and their progeny of child-friendly beasts over the generations - such as "Hartley Hare", "Orville", "Roland Rat" and "Zig & Zag"... Jx

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