6 children's TV puppets you'll only remember if you grew up in the 80s or 90s, including rat who saved TV-am
Between them, they brought so much joy to a generation of youngsters
- They were among the biggest stars of their day
- These children’s TV puppets often outshone their human colleagues
- They even had a number of hit singles between them
Children today have CBBC’s Hacker T Dog, star of the viral ‘we’re just innocent men’ blooper, which has been viewed millions of times online.
But if you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you’ll remember these puppets, whose cheeky, lovable antics livened up children’s TV for a generation of youngsters.
They were among the biggest stars of their day, often outshining their human co-presenters and racking up a slew of hit singles between them.
From an alien duo from the planet Zog, who contributed to the anarchy on Big Breakfast, to a brash rat credited with saving a broadcaster’s bacon, how many of these much-loved children’s puppets from the 80s and 90s do you remember?
Gordon the Gopher
Few youngsters could have told you what a gopher was before this lovable rodent burst onto our screens in 1985.
Gordon the Gopher, AKA Gordon T Gopher, burrowed his way into our hearts alongside Phillip Schofield on CBBC.
He began life in the Broom Cupboard and proved so popular that he was promoted to the Saturday morning show Going Live!, presented by Schofield and Sarah Greene.
One of the most memorable episodes saw poor Gordon getting attacked by a puppy who was a guest on the show.
In 1991, he got his own series, though only 13 episodes were ever made.
Despite having once been best pals, Schofield attempted to consign Gordon to Room 101 when he appeared on the BBC comedy show in 2005, only for the popular puppet to be saved from oblivion by an audience vote.
The pair appeared to have reconciled by 2010, when Gordon appeared on This Morning to celebrate 25 years since Schofield first presented CBBC. Upon being reunited with his former companion, Schofield said: “I miss him.”
Edd the Duck
Edd the Duck replaced Gordon the Gopher in the Broom Cupboard on CBBC, alongside presenters Andy Crane and Andi Peters.
The larger-than-life character, with his green mohawk, even had his own nemesis in co-star Wilson the Butler, though all viewers got to see of Wilson were his arms and gloved hands.
Edd first appeared on TV in 1988 and soon made his mark. In 1990, he released a single called ‘Awesome Dood!, and in 1992 he was the official UK Olympic team mascot at the Barcelona Olympics.
Andi Peters said of his old feathered colleague: “It was a great partnership. We achieved a lot. People to this day ask me where he is. Edd is a very nice duck - there are no shock revelations. And he really did go to Cubs on Tuesdays!”
Zig and Zag
The zany alien duo, from the planet Zog, started out on the Irish broadcasting service RTÉ, where they made their debut in 1987 on the popular children’s show Dempsey’s Den.
In 1992, they crossed the sea to join the irreverent Channel 4 breakfast show, where Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin had the unenviable task of keeping them in check.
Zig and Zag were everywhere in the 90s, even scoring a top-five hit with the song Them Girls Them Girls, and they got their own children’s show on ITV.
Their popularity faded in the noughties, but they bounced back after securing a spot on the Big Brother’s Little Brother companion show in 2010, and they were given their own morning radio show, called Smells Like Saturday.
Roland Rat
They say you’re never more than six feet from a rat, and there was certainly no escaping this in-your-face rodent during the 80s.
Created by David Claridge, who also operated and voiced him, Roland Rat lived in The Ratcave beneath King’s Cross railway station in London, and his furry pals included girlfriend Glenis the Guinea Pig, Errol the Hamster and Kevin the Gerbil.
He even had his own car - the Ratmobile, a pink 1953 Ford Anglia - and a catchphrase: “Ehhhhhhhhhh, Rat fans!”
Roland first appeared on TV-am in April 1983 and helped transform the fortunes of the floundering breakfast TV broadcaster, boosting its audience from 100,000 to 1.8 million.
At the peak of his popularity, he achieved two top-40 hit singles, Rat Rapping and Love Me Tender.
His success earned him a high-profile transfer to the BBC in October 1985, when, with his characteristic confidence, he asserted: “I saved TV-am and now I'm here to save the BBC.”
He was given his own chat show, which he presented from The Ratcave, and appeared in spoofs of Sherlock Holmes and Batman. He also hosted the kids’ game show Roland’s Rat Race.
He continues to pop up on TV, though not as often as he once did.
In the late 90s, he appeared in the Channel 5 show L.A. RAT, which followed the adventures of Roland and his friends in Los Angeles. During the noughties, he made it onto Big Brother and The Weakest Link.
Orville the Duck
This green, nappy-wearing duckling with a squeaky voice was either adorable or irritating, depending upon your point of view.
Orville was the most famous sidekick of the ventriloquist Keith Harris, who named him after Orville Wright, one of the fathers of flight - an ironic choice given that Orville famously couldn’t fly.
Orville appeared on The Keith Harris Show on the BBC between 1982, alongside other puppets, including Cuddles the Monkey.
In 1983, the single Orville’s Song (I Wish I Could Fly) reached number 4 in the charts.
The pair faded from the public eye in the 90s, with Harris working at Butlins holiday camps, but in the noughties they had a cameo on Little Britain, won the Channel 5 reality show The Farm and appeared in the video for Tony Christie’s Is This the Way to Amarillo.
Keith Harris sadly died of cancer in April 2015.
Zippy, George and Bungle
The classic children’s show Rainbow first aired in 1972, but was a mainstay of 80s TV, running until 1992, before being revived briefly between 1994 and 1997.
The Thames Television series was Britain’s answer to Sesame Street and featured the squabbling puppets Zippy, George and Bungle, along with presenter Geoffrey Hayes, who replaced the initial host David Cook in 1974 and often had to act as peacemaker to settle his furry companions’ disputes.
Zippy was a cocky, loudmouthed character with a zip for a mouth, which would often be fastened when he got too much for the others.
George was a kind but shy pink hippo, who rarely spoke and often hid from view.
Bungle was a brown bear who was always grumbling, especially about Zippy, and had a sneaky streak.
Geoffrey Hayes, who sadly died in 2018, memorably put the show’s success down to its winning mix of ‘magic, innocence and imagination’.
Who do you think is the best children’s TV puppet of all time?
If you’re after more 80s nostalgia, not check out this look back at the most popular perfumes and aftershaves of their day?