Sali Mali is a popular
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
children's book and television character, originally created by author
Mary Vaughan Jones
Mary Vaughan Jones (28 May 1918–April/May/June 1983) was a celebrated Welsh children's author and schoolteacher.
She was born at 'Firs Cottage', Maenan near Llanrwst in 1918, and died in the Rhuddlan area, Clwyd in 1983.
Jones authored a ...
and illustrated by Rowena Wyn Jones during the 1960s and 1970s. Many
Welsh-speaking children learnt to read by reading Sali Mali books.
Books
Following the death of Mary Vaughan Jones, many of her original books were re-published. The copyright belonged to
Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion until the publisher was bought by
Gomer Press
Gomer Press (Welsh: ''Gwasg Gomer'') is a family printing (and formerly publishing) company based in Llandysul, west Wales. It was the largest publishing house in Wales.
History
The company was first established in 1892 and began as a general sto ...
in 2009.
Characters are:
*Sali Mali
*Jac Do (Jackdaw)
*Jaci Soch
*Jac y Jwc
*Jini
*Tomos Caradog (Thomas Caradog)
*Nicw Nacw
*Pry Bach Tew
*Siani Flewog
*Dwmplen Malwoden
*Morgan and Magi Ann
*Mop Golchi Llestri (Dish Washing Mop)
*Llwy Bren (Wooden Spoon)
*Sosban Fach (Small Saucepan)
Many new titles for children were authored by Dylan Williams and illustrated by Simon Bradbury. One of these books courted controversy in December 2007, when ''Sali Mali a'r Hwdi Chwim'' was published, in the story Sali Mali's
iPod is stolen by a
hoodie
A hoodie (in some cases spelled hoody and alternatively known as a hooded sweatshirt) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodie ...
. Several bookshops boycotted the book by refusing to stock it.
Television series
An animated Sali Mali series was produced by
Siriol Productions
Calon (Welsh for 'heart') is the trading name of Mount Stuart Media Ltd., a British animation television production company based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, which primarily produced animation series in Welsh for S4C. The company was form ...
and Cymru Cyfru and
Calon for
S4C in 2000. The theme tune to this was sung by
Cerys Matthews
Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s.
Matthews programmes an ...
(Angharad Bisby in some versions), and the series is narrated by
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...
. Sali Mali had broadcast in English on
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
. The show also aired on Channel 4 and has also been sold to
Scandinavian counties.
A preschool children's television series, Caffi Sali Mali, was produced by Siânco for
S4C in 1994. There was also a spin-off of this series called ''Slot Syniadau Sali''. It was written by Ifana Savill using the characters created by Mary Vaughan Jones, including Sali Mali's pet bird, Jac-do, and her good friend, Jac y Jwc. This series is produced using actors in costumes and puppets. Sali Mali runs a cafe in the small village of "Pentre Bach" (English ''Little Village''). A follow-up series,
Pentre Bach
''Pentre Bach'' ("Little Village") is a Welsh language television soap-opera for young children, shown on S4C as part of the daily '' Planed Plant Bach'' ("Little Children's Planet") block. The series is based on the characters created by Ma ...
, which consisted of 52 episodes and aired on 6 September 2004, was filmed using a purpose-built village, located in Blaenpennal, which is also a
guest centre run by Ifana and Adrian Savill. The rights to the series were bought by
Al-Jazeera in April 2006, to be shown across the Middle East in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
.
Languages are:
* English
* German
* Danish
* Welsh
* Arabic
* Norwegian
* Spanish
* Polish
* Korean
* Scot Gaelic
Episodes
* Autumn Leaves
* Little Lamb Lost
* Dirty Feet
* Time Flies
* Windy Day
* Stowaway Guest
* Leaving Home
* Christmas Eve
* Digging for Treasure
* Splash Day
* Wet Paint
* Hot and Bothered
* Playing in the Snow
* Snowed In
* Hide and Eek
* Who Ate The Lettuce?
* Twins
* Hot Day
* Say Cheese
* Lost Friends
* Easter Eggstravaganza
* Blackberry Belly
* A Model Model
* Chimney Weep
* Snow Fun
* Mushroom Madness
* Have An Ice-Day
* Feeding the Birds
* Sing Along A-Sali
* Achoo
* Naughty Day
* Spring Clean
* Mama Jackdaw
* One, Two, Three
* At The Seaside
* Let's Go Camping
* Happy Birthday, Jackdaw
* Falling Leaves
* Bake A Cake
* Balloon Race
* How Does Your Garden Grow
* The Storm
* The Visitors
* Snap!
* Making Music
* The New Teddy
* Sticky Toffee
* Boo!
* Making Masks
* Keep Fit
* All Tied Up
* He's Been Framed
References
A list of the Sali Mali titles currently in print can be found at http://www.gomer.co.uk/index.php/books-for-children/sali-mali.html
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Welsh children's literature
British children's animated television shows
Television shows based on children's books
2000s British animated television series
2000s British children's television series
S4C original programming
Nick Jr. original programming
Channel 4 original programming
English-language television shows
1969 children's books