''Sara and Hoppity'' is a children's

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

television series, created and produced by

Roberta Leigh Roberta Leigh was an assumed name for Rita Lewin (née Shulman) (22 December 1926 – 19 December 2014) who was a British author, artist, composer and television producer. She wrote romance fiction and children's stories under the pseudonyms Robe ...

. It was based on a series of four books written by Leigh and illustrated by Marion Wilson. Most of this series no longer exists in the archives, but the first episode and episode 46 are known to exist.

Background

The series ran from 27 February 1962 until 26 February 1963, with 52 episodes of about thirteen minutes. The copyright date on the first episode is 1960. The show was produced by

and directed by

Arthur Provis Arthur John Provis (10 March 1925 – 17 May 2016) was an English cinematographer and producer, best known for co-founding AP Films ("Anderson-Provis" Films) with Gerry Anderson. As a former Navy photographer forging a career operating rostrum ...

. The art director was Bill Palmer, and the editor was Peter Saunders. The puppets were made by Jack Whitehead and operated by Jane Tyson, Jane Phillips and Michael Whitehead. Roberta Leigh wrote the screenplay, music and lyrics. The music was arranged by Ronald Hanmer and the show was made by P. P. Productions of

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

for Roberta Leigh. Unlike some similar puppet shows of the time, the puppet strings were all but invisible.

Plot

Sara Brown lives with her parents, above their "Toy Hospital" shop. In the first episode an old man brings in a broken toy, which he has found in a goblin ring, to sell. The toy, called "Hoppity", can sing and dance, but it is a "falling over dance" as the toy only has one leg. Her parents want nothing to do with the toy, but Miss Julie who lives up in the attic and makes clothes for all the toys, gives Sara the money to buy Hoppity. The man accepts six pence. Sara washes the dirty toy and her father finds it a new leg, but one a little bit shorter than the other. Miss Julie gives her clothes for him, and her mother gives Hoppity two shiny glass beads for eyes. Her mother cuts off a little of Sara's hair and puts it on the bald doll's head. Miss Julie also gives Sara an apron with a pocket big enough for Hoppity. When

wound up Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistrib ...

, the toy dances and sings annoying "Diddly dum, diddly dee" song, which Sara somehow understands. Being very naughty, Hoppity's ideas often lead Sara into trouble. For example, in the first episode, she cuts all the flowers from an expensive hat, belonging to her step aunt Matilda, to put in a vase on the dining table.

External links

Fan website
(archived 29-August-2011) * 1962 British television series debuts 1963 British television series endings 1960s British children's television series Black-and-white British television shows ITV children's television shows Fictional dolls and dummies British television shows featuring puppetry Television shows produced by Associated-Rediffusion English-language television shows {{child-tv-prog-stub