The
Green Cross Code is a
brandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
created by the UK National Road Safety Committee (now the
Royal Society for the Prevention of AccidentsThe Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a British charity which aims to promote safety. It is particularly known for its vocal campaigns on issues of road safety, in particular Tufty the road crossing squirrel, and the Green Cross Code; and on issues of occupational health and...
, RoSPA) to raise awareness of pedestrian road safety in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The multimedia Green Cross Code campaign began in 1970 and continues today.
The Green Cross Code replaced the earlier Kerb Drill pedestrian safety campaign; the Kerb Drill's military style ("Halt! Quick march!") was deemed confusing to children by safety authorities.
Prior to the introduction of the Green Cross campaign, a series of puppet animation
public information filmPublic Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
s featuring Tufty Fluffytail and narrated by
Bernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins is an English character actor and musical comedian.-Career:Born in Derker, Oldham, he served an apprenticeship at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, taking a break during his years of study to undertake National Service with the Parachute Regiment in his late teens.Cribbins made his...
were in regular broadcast rotation across the UK.
The
Green Cross Code is a
brandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
created by the UK National Road Safety Committee (now the
Royal Society for the Prevention of AccidentsThe Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is a British charity which aims to promote safety. It is particularly known for its vocal campaigns on issues of road safety, in particular Tufty the road crossing squirrel, and the Green Cross Code; and on issues of occupational health and...
, RoSPA) to raise awareness of pedestrian road safety in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
. The multimedia Green Cross Code campaign began in 1970 and continues today.
The Green Cross Code replaced the earlier Kerb Drill pedestrian safety campaign; the Kerb Drill's military style ("Halt! Quick march!") was deemed confusing to children by safety authorities.
Tufty
Prior to the introduction of the Green Cross campaign, a series of puppet animation
public information filmPublic Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
s featuring Tufty Fluffytail and narrated by
Bernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins is an English character actor and musical comedian.-Career:Born in Derker, Oldham, he served an apprenticeship at the Oldham Repertory Theatre, taking a break during his years of study to undertake National Service with the Parachute Regiment in his late teens.Cribbins made his...
were in regular broadcast rotation across the UK. Tufty Fluffytail, a childlike
Red SquirrelThe red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel . A tree-dwelling omnivorous rodent, the red squirrel is common throughout Eurasia....
character, was created in 1953 by Elsie Mills
MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
to introduce clear and simple safety messages to children. The success of the character led to the creation in 1961 of the Tufty Club for children under five years of age. Under its auspices more than 30,000 Tufty books about road safety were issued to parents. At its peak there were nearly 25,000 branches of the Tufty Club throughout the UK, and by the early 1970s an estimated two million children were members. The movement continued well into the 1980s and is well remembered today.
The Green Cross Code
The Green Cross Code itself is a short step-by-step procedure designed to enable pedestrians to cross streets safely. While the Code has undergone several changes over the years, the basic tenets ("Stop, Look, Listen, Think" or "Stop Look Listen Live".) have remained more or less the same. The 2005 version of the Green Cross Code reads as follows:
- THINK! Find the safest place to cross, then stop.
- STOP.! Stand on the pavement near the kerb
A curb or kerb is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway...
.
- USE YOUR EYES AND EARS! Look all around for traffic, and listen.
- WAIT UNTIL IT'S SAFE TO CROSS! If traffic is coming, let it pass.
- LOOK AND LISTEN! When it's safe, walk straight across the road.
- ARRIVE ALIVE! Keep looking and listening
The Green Cross Code Man
The
Green Cross Code Man (sometimes known simply as "Green Cross") is a costumed
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
character created in 1975 as an aid to teaching young children the Green Cross Code, and for promoting general road safety. British
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
David ProwseDavid Prowse, MBE is an English former bodybuilder, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for his role as playing the physical form of Darth Vader, who was voiced by James Earl Jones. In Britain, he is also remembered as having played the Green Cross Code man.At peak, Prowse stood around 6' 5"...
MBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
, a bodybuilder and former
Mr. UniverseMr. Universe may mean:Bodybuilding contests:* NABBA Mr. Universe, part of the Universe Championships* IFBB Mr. Universe, now the World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships* AAU Mr. Universe, organised by the Amateur Athletic Union...
(and the actor best known for his portrayal of
Darth VaderDarth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars...
in the
Star WarsStar Wars is an epic space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals...
films) is famous for his realisation of the character in a well-known series of
Public Information FilmPublic Information Films are a series of government commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the UK. The US equivalent is the Public Service Announcement .-Subjects:...
s (PIFs) sponsored by the
Central Office of InformationThe Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...
for the UK
Department of the EnvironmentThe Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
. The light-hearted spots ran on UK
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
from 1975 to 1990. In the films, the Green Cross Code Man character has the power to
teleportTeleport may refer to:*the act of teleportation, or a portal for same*Teleport, an earth station for a communications satellite*Telewest Broadband's video on demand*Teleport , a keyboard/mouse sharing software for Mac OS X...
from his monitoring station at
Green Cross Control to any location where youths are in need of pedestrian safety instruction. He accomplishes this by use of a wristwatch-like
"Dematerialiser" device. On these missions he is sometimes accompanied by a whimsical robot companion. His signature exclamation of surprise or disbelief is "Green Crosses!" and his slogan is "I won't be there when
you cross the road / So always use the Green Cross Code." John Yorkston the chairman of Dunfermline Athletic Football club was the man pipped at the post for the role by Prowse.
Other campaigns
In 1976, actor
Jon PertweeJohn Devon Roland Pertwee , better known as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, where he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974 and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
, famous as the
Third DoctorThe Third Doctor is the name given to the third incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor; seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who...
on the TV series
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box...
, appeared in a PIF for the Green Cross Code introducing the
mnemonicA mnemonic device is a mind memory and/or learning aid. Commonly, mnemonics are verbal—such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something—but may be visual, kinesthetic or auditory. Mnemonics rely on associations between easy-to-remember constructs which can be...
"SPLINK", which appeared to stand for:
- (Find a) Safe (place to cross)
- (Stand on the) Pavement
- Look (for traffic)
- If (traffic is coming, let it pass)
- (When there is) No (traffic near, walk across the road)
- Keep (looking and listening for traffic as you cross).
Don't Step Out Campaign
In 1983, the television adverts employed a "Green Cross Code"
rapRapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment...
based on the hit "
The Message"The Message" is an old school hip hop song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Sugar Hill Records released it as a single in 1982 and it was later featured on an album named The Message....
" by
Grandmaster FlashJoseph Saddler better known as Grandmaster Flash, is an American hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. He is also a nephew to the great Former Feather Weight Champion of the World, the late Sandy Saddler...
. The original lyrics of "Don't push me cos I'm close to the edge" were replaced with "Don't step out when you're close to the edge."
External links
- Hedgehogs.gov.uk (The 2005 Green Cross Code website)
- RoSPA
- Think! Road Safety (UK Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
)
- Official Website of David Prowse
David Prowse, MBE is an English former bodybuilder, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for his role as playing the physical form of Darth Vader, who was voiced by James Earl Jones. In Britain, he is also remembered as having played the Green Cross Code man.At peak, Prowse stood around 6' 5"...
- Public information films from the BBC