Noddy in Toytown

Noddy is a timeless children's character, and in the early 1990s he was the star of one of Children's BBC's most successful programmes, Noddy's Toyland Adventures.

So to support Mr Blobby in grabbing children's hearts at Crinkley Bottom, an entire exhibition was devoted to everyone's favourite cheeky little rascal.

Noddy in Toytown was a relatively small attraction, located in the Laundry House adjacent to Cricket House. Starting off in the imposing woodland caves that was home to the naughty goblins, the attraction was a simple walk-around journey through Toytown and its various inhabitants.

The displays within the attraction depicts scenes from various Noddy stories, such as 'Noddy and the Magic Rubber', which showed Master Tubby erasing his house. Each scene was accompanied by a plaque displaying some text from Enid Blyton's books, such as 'Noddy went to visit his friend Big Ears. 'Isn't it a lovely day' said Noddy.' Numerous Noddys were used in the displays to depict as many scenes as possible, while animated models of characters such as PC Plod, Clockwork Mouse and Dinah Doll also appeared.

Unlike the sturdy, permanent fixtures of Mr Blobby's House, Noddy in Toytown was surrounded rather oddly by blue tarpaulin, resembling the interior of a circus. The walk-through attraction also ended in a small café, which wasn't a particularly grand finale to such a major part of the Crinkley Bottom park.

The characters on display within the attraction were designed and created by David Aldridge Animations, who also made a similar set of animations for a Postman Pat exhibition in Longleat, Wiltshire and contributed to the animations featured within the TV's Family Favourites ride. While all of the animations were placed behind small barriers and scenery, visitors werefrequently hopping over the boundaries to get a photo with their favourite Toytown characters.

In addition to Noddy in Toytown, the characters of Noddy and Big Ears appeared as costumed staff members, walking around the park to greet children. Originally these costumes resembled the Bisto children, but by 1996 they were more realistic and friendly-looking. Once Blobbyland was removed from the park in 1997, Noddy became the mascot for the park, resulting in Noddy Days and events.

AFTER CRINKLEY BOTTOM

Following the acquisition of Cricket St Thomas by Warner Hotels in late 1998, the exhibit was closed to the public and dismantled to make way for the new hotel buildings. The whereabouts of the animations remains unknown, although a few pieces were moved to the TV's Family Favourites water ride in 1997 to replace to Noel's House Party finale. David Aldridge’s storage warehouse in Dorchester was destroyed by fire in 2010, so in the unlikely event the animations were returned to their creators they sadly would have ended up in ashes.

 Do you remember noddy in toytown? If you have any photos, videos or memories you'd like to share, please contact us.