''Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings'' is a British children's
animated series
An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...
about the adventures of a young boy named Simon, who has a magic
blackboard. Things that Simon draws on the chalkboard become real in the Land of Chalk Drawings, which Simon can enter by climbing over a fence near his home with a ladder. The stories often revolve around the unintended effects that Simon's drawings have on the Land of Chalk Drawings, such as when an upset Simon draws a picture of his angry self, which goes on a rampage.
The programme is based upon a series of four children's books by Edward McLachlan. It was produced in the mid-1970s by
FilmFair
FilmFair was a British production company and animation studio that produced children's television series, animated cartoons, educational films, and television advertisements. The company made numerous stop motion films using puppets, clay animat ...
Productions in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
for
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992.
Thames Television broa ...
, and was originally a five-minute programme, broadcast around
tea time in Britain. It also became familiar to
American audiences in the mid-1970s when it was featured on ''
Captain Kangaroo
''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...
'' (where it was narrated by
Bob Keeshan
Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program '' Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longes ...
instead of
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Groun ...
), later on ''
Pinwheel'', and after that, on ''
Romper Room
''Romper Room'' is an American children's television series that was franchised and syndicated from 1953 to 1994. The program targeted preschoolers (children five years of age or younger), and was created and produced by Bert Claster and his p ...
''. In Canada, it aired on
TVOntario
TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario ...
. The performer of the theme song is unknown, as his/her name is not mentioned in the credits.
In 2002 the series was remade in Canada, with
Ernie Coombs as the narrator.
Original episodes
Series overview
Series 1
Series 2
2002 revival
A new series premiered in 2002 on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
in Canada with a new theme song, an updated and more casual outfit for Simon, a different colour scheme and narrated by
Ernie Coombs (in his final role; in a tragic subnote, he would suffer an ultimately-fatal stroke while recording his last sessions for the show ). It was co-produced by Cinar Animation and Shanghai Animation Film Studio and directed by Francois Perreault. Simon's friend Henry is replaced with a girl named Lily. In this new version, Simon wears a striped T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.
Parody
The series was later
parodied on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' by
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywoo ...
.
The sketches open with the same musical theme and lyrics, but take place in Simon's bathtub, where he shows and discusses his "drawerings" with viewers.
See also
* ''
The Magic Chalk
''The Magic Chalk'' () is a nonsensical children's novel written by Norwegian author Zinken Hopp in 1949. The novel has a slightly satirical tone and includes puzzles and poems.
Plot summary
A boy named Jon finds a piece of chalk, dropped by a ...
'' (1949)
* ''
ChalkZone'' (1998)
* ''
Harold and the Purple Crayon
''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' is a 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. Published by Harper Collins Publishers, it is Johnson's most popular book, and has led to a series of other books, as well as many adaptations.
Plot
The protagonist ...
'' (1955)
* ''
Penny Crayon
''Penny Crayon'' is a 1989 British children's television series that tells the adventures of a very intellectual and well-meaning (but occasionally mischievous) school-girl from London who loves to draw, and her escapades accompanied by her bes ...
'' (1989)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
''Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings''at TheChestnut.com. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
{{Teletoon
1970s British children's television series
2000s Canadian animated television series
1974 British television series debuts
1976 British television series endings
2002 Canadian television series debuts
2002 Chinese television series debuts
British children's animated fantasy television series
Canadian children's animated fantasy television series
Chinese children's animated fantasy television series
ITV children's television shows
Teletoon original programming
Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment
Television series by FilmFair
Television series by DHX Media
British television shows based on children's books
Canadian television shows based on children's books
English-language television shows
Chinese-language television shows
2002 Canadian television series endings
2002 Chinese television series endings
1970s British animated television series
YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming
Animated television series about children