Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
Encyclopedia
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings is a British
children's animated
television
programme, featuring the adventures of a young child named Simon, who has a magic chalkboard
. Things that Simon draws upon the chalkboard become real in "The Land of Chalk Drawings", which Simon can enter by climbing over a fence near his home with a ladder, interacting with his chalk drawings, including his chalk-drawn friend Henry. Stories often revolve around the unintended effects that Simon's drawings have on the Land of Chalk Drawings, such as when an upset Simon draws a picture of his angry self, which proceeds to go on a rampage.
The programme is based upon the writings of Edward McLachlan. It was produced in the early 1970s by FilmFair
Productions in London
for Thames Television
, and was originally a 5 minute programme, broadcast around tea time in Britain
. The programme also became familiar to American audiences in the mid 1970s when it was featured on Captain Kangaroo
(where it was narrated by Bob Keeshan
instead of Bernard Cribbins
), later on Pinwheel, and after that, on Romper Room
. In Canada
it was narrated by Ernie Coombs
and shown on CBC Television
, while the Ontario
public network, TVOntario
, aired the original British version.
A new version, currently being broadcast on Teletoon, features a new theme song, an updated outfit for Simon, blue
and white
colours in Simon's home world, and replaces his friend Henry with a new friend, a girl named Lily. In this new version, Simon wears a stripe
d T-shirt
, shorts
and trainers
, instead of a necktie
.
's Saturday Night Live
by Mike Myers
. However, unlike the British series, the SNL sketches took place in Simon's bathtub, in which Simon shows, and discusses, drawings that correlate with his life.
Simon is also an award users can build on the popular internet game BrokenPictureTelephone. It is awarded to users by other users who feel the drawer has the drawing skills of a 4 year old.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
children's animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme, featuring the adventures of a young child named Simon, who has a magic chalkboard
Chalkboard
A chalkboard or blackboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Chalkboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone...
. Things that Simon draws upon the chalkboard become real in "The Land of Chalk Drawings", which Simon can enter by climbing over a fence near his home with a ladder, interacting with his chalk drawings, including his chalk-drawn friend Henry. Stories often revolve around the unintended effects that Simon's drawings have on the Land of Chalk Drawings, such as when an upset Simon draws a picture of his angry self, which proceeds to go on a rampage.
The programme is based upon the writings of Edward McLachlan. It was produced in the early 1970s by FilmFair
FilmFair
FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced stop motion children's television series and animated cartoons from the late 1960s until the mid-1990s...
Productions in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
, and was originally a 5 minute programme, broadcast around tea time in Britain
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...
. The programme also became familiar to American audiences in the mid 1970s when it was featured on Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
(where it was narrated by Bob Keeshan
Bob Keeshan
Robert James "Bob" Keeshan was an American television producer and actor. He is most notable as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of people during its 30-year run from 1955 to 1984.Keeshan also played the original...
instead of Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
), later on Pinwheel, and after that, on Romper Room
Romper Room
Romper Room is a children's television series that ran in the United States from 1953 to 1994 as well as at various times in Australia, Canada, Japan, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and the United Kingdom...
. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
it was narrated by Ernie Coombs
Ernie Coombs
Ernest "Ernie" Arthur Coombs, CM was a children's entertainer that starred in the Canadian television series Mr. Dressup....
and shown on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, while the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
public network, TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
, aired the original British version.
Episodes
- Simon and the Early Morning
- Simon and the Chalk Drawing Cars
- Simon and the Dinosaur
- Simon and the Knight
- Simon and the Rainbow
- Simon and the Pied Piper
- Simon and the Robot
- Simon and the Measles
- Simon and the Flags
- Simon and the Chalk Drawing Sports Day
- Simon and the Pop Singer
- Simon and the Detective
A new version, currently being broadcast on Teletoon, features a new theme song, an updated outfit for Simon, blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
colours in Simon's home world, and replaces his friend Henry with a new friend, a girl named Lily. In this new version, Simon wears a stripe
Stripe
Stripe or Stripes may refer to:* Stripes * Stripes * S.T.R.I.P.E., a fictional superhero* Striper, a fish* Stripes Convenience Stores* Data striping, a data storage technique...
d T-shirt
T-shirt
A T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
, shorts
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
and trainers
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....
, instead of a necktie
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
.
Simon in popular culture
The series was later parodied on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
by Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
. However, unlike the British series, the SNL sketches took place in Simon's bathtub, in which Simon shows, and discusses, drawings that correlate with his life.
Simon is also an award users can build on the popular internet game BrokenPictureTelephone. It is awarded to users by other users who feel the drawer has the drawing skills of a 4 year old.