Pelham Puppets
Encyclopedia
Pelham Puppets were first made in the United Kingdom
from 1947 onwards under the title Wonky Toys Ltd the company changed its name in 1948 to the now better known Pelham Puppet brand. Mainly known for making marionette
s the company also manufactured glove puppets
, rod puppets and ventriloquist puppets
.
also in Wiltshire
and then again sold and moved to Gloucestershire
in the early 1990s but went into liquidation in 1993. In 2008 the Pelham Puppet company was revived by a former employee and the authorised historian of the Pelham Puppet company, David Leech of the original factory and now produces a new line of Pelham Puppets some echoing former styles and new characters also.
The name "Pelham" is taken from the creator Bob Pelham who was the founder of the company and continued to head the company until his death in 1980 assisted by his wife Ann Pelham who continued with the business until 1986.
The boxes the puppets were packed in usually denote the time period that the puppets were made.
Pelham Puppets also made puppets to order for the professional market and have been used by various companies in their shows.
Puppets that are very common due to mass manufacturing are the SS Gypsy, SL Wolf, SS Clown, SL Bimbo, SS Tyrolean Boy and Girl, SS Mitzi and Fritzi, SS Dutch Boy and Girl, Sl Bimbo SM and SL Witch.
Some of the rarer Pelham Puppets include The Alice in Wonderland range from the 1950s (not to be confused with the later 1980s Alice), SM Hank, Mr Turnip, Sarah Swede, Colonel Beetroot from the television programme Whirligig. Lettuce Leefe, Harris Tweed (character)
, SL Bull, SL Cow, SL Fox, SM Huntsman, SM Villain.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1947 onwards under the title Wonky Toys Ltd the company changed its name in 1948 to the now better known Pelham Puppet brand. Mainly known for making marionette
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
s the company also manufactured glove puppets
Hand puppet
A hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the leg or face that occupies the interior of the puppet. Glove puppets are a variation of hand puppets...
, rod puppets and ventriloquist puppets
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
.
History
The factory was initially based in Marlborough, Wiltshire and a fire in 1961 created a hiatus during manufacture and led to new ranges being introduced and old lines being stopped. The factory was rebuilt and grew in size on the same location until it was sold and moved in 1985 to Collingbourne DucisCollingbourne Ducis
Collingbourne Ducis is a village and civil parish on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It is one of several villages on the River Bourne, which is a seasonal river usually dry in summer.The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded a parish population of 849....
also in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and then again sold and moved to Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in the early 1990s but went into liquidation in 1993. In 2008 the Pelham Puppet company was revived by a former employee and the authorised historian of the Pelham Puppet company, David Leech of the original factory and now produces a new line of Pelham Puppets some echoing former styles and new characters also.
The name "Pelham" is taken from the creator Bob Pelham who was the founder of the company and continued to head the company until his death in 1980 assisted by his wife Ann Pelham who continued with the business until 1986.
Products
There are many ranges in Pelham Puppets but the main ones are- The LS range 12 inch puppets with half wooden ball feet, wooden heads and waxed string holding the parts together.
- The SS range, similar to the LS range but with wooden toggle feet and screw eyes holding the body together.
- The SL range, usually with moulded heads and either held together with string or screw eyes.
- The SM range with moving mouths usually made from larger wooden balls for heads but some have moulded heads.
- The JC range, a smaller simpler puppet intended for younger children.
- The Jumpette range, smaller puppet again, much simpler and intended for infants and toddlers.
- The A or Animal usually non anthropomorphic versions of animals.
- The Minipup a range of smaller animal puppets.
- The WH range, same size puppets as junior control pelham puppets except these tended to have larger heads and were the first pelham puppets to have printed faces.
- The Vent range, a simple ventriloquist puppet range of pelham puppets made from 1968 onwards.
The boxes the puppets were packed in usually denote the time period that the puppets were made.
- 1947 - 1955 early boxes were two part trays with lids made of brown card and a label glued to the lid
- 1955 - 1961 yellow two part tray boxes with printing showing various puppets on one side with the Witch it shows the Mad Hatter in the centre
- 1962 - mid 1980's a yellow two part box with a snake charmerSnake charmingSnake charming is the practice of pretending to hypnotise a snake by playing an instrument. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand...
replaces the Mad Hatter on the side with a Witch - 1963 onwards the larger yellow two part tray box has the three bearsThe Three Bears"The Story of the Three Bears" is a fairy tale first recorded in narrative form by British author and poet Robert Southey, and first published anonymously in a volume of his writings in 1837...
on the side - 1968 onwards the box has a sleeve with cellophane window cut into it showing the puppet inside initially the window was the whole length of the box but later in...
- 1969 it was divided in half to create two windows with the logo between.
- 1980The deluxe box was created with a central window and a dragon on the side
- 1987Saw the appearance of the red and yellow candy striped boxes reminiscent of a Punch and JudyPunch and JudyPunch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
booth and also the blue "collectors" series
Pelham Puppets also made puppets to order for the professional market and have been used by various companies in their shows.
Puppets that are very common due to mass manufacturing are the SS Gypsy, SL Wolf, SS Clown, SL Bimbo, SS Tyrolean Boy and Girl, SS Mitzi and Fritzi, SS Dutch Boy and Girl, Sl Bimbo SM and SL Witch.
Some of the rarer Pelham Puppets include The Alice in Wonderland range from the 1950s (not to be confused with the later 1980s Alice), SM Hank, Mr Turnip, Sarah Swede, Colonel Beetroot from the television programme Whirligig. Lettuce Leefe, Harris Tweed (character)
Harris Tweed (character)
Harris Tweed was a character in the comic strip Harris Tweed, Special Agent, later retitled as Harris Tweed - Super Sleuth, which appeared in The Eagle...
, SL Bull, SL Cow, SL Fox, SM Huntsman, SM Villain.