Noggin the Nog

'In the Lands of the North, where the black rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the men of the Northlands sit by their great log fires and they tell a tale.'

Three times this week I have had conversations about Noggin. The books were written in the 1960's by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate and made into wonderful TV animation. My children loved the books and we would read them again and again until they were falling apart.

stuck together with tape to withstand another few readings

until I discovered The Dragons Friendly Society and bought a new boxed set

including a few books we didn't know about. Oliver Postgate's voice was so soothing and rich, the stories are simple tales of good triumphing over evil, the evil being the Wicked Nogbad the Bad, Noggin's Uncle (boo hiss)

seen here throttling Graculus, the great green bird who was always my own personal favourite character.
You could say we had Nogmania

yes - I think you could
I am not very good at importing things - but if you click on this link and scroll down a bit you can play the You Tube thingy with an introduction to one of the stories.
As we approach midsummers day and the most daylight we are going to have this year it seems appropriate to send you off to the Land of the Midnight Sun for a look into Noggins world.

Comments

[Heather Cawte]

I adore Noggin - I have the boxed set of the TV stories, and still (at 47) appreciate the gentle humour, the beautiful drawings, and Oliver Postgate's comforting voice :)

[Maddy]

D’you know what, you have dragged from my brain a childhood memory that I had long forgotten. I can remember these books, I can remember the characters,I must have read them age 7 or 8 when we lived in England. I must see if I can get them for my boys.

Thanks Katie.

[Molly]

Wow! What wonderful books--just by the looks of them, you can tell that they are full of great stories and amazing characters. So glad you shared them!

The wedding you attended last week looked like it must have been a lot of fun. I would've commented on it sooner, but have been bogged down with a move.

Hope you're doing well. Looking forward to more posts!

Molly

[Pamela]

Found your blog today and had a wonderful time poking around! Best to you, and I shall return sometime, if I may.

[rosie]

Oh, yes, I can hear that voice still: "The High King, Olaf the Lofty.." And wasn't Posgate also the genius behind Pogles' Wood?

[Elizabeth]

I adored Noggin the Nog when I was a child -I think Oliver Postgate's wonderfully soft and comforting tones had a lot to do with it. I'm sure I owe my love of remote, cold places - Iceland, Norway, Greenland, The Faroe Islands etc. to those wonderful tales of the little viking.

[kirsten]

those books look so fun! i haven't heard of them before - i must look them up!