''The Gingerbread Man'' is a

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

animated

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...

about a

gingerbread man A gingerbread man or a Gingerbread man cookie is a biscuit or cookie made from gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized form / caricature of a human being, although other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, et ...

and his friends, who come to life in their kitchen home when the Big Ones are asleep. The series was written by David Wood, adapted from his two-act

musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

'' The Gingerbread Man'', which premiered in 1976 at the Towngate Theatre in

Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

, and went on to great international success. The play is inspired by " The Gingerbread Man", a 19th-century fairy tale. The screen adaptation was co-produced 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 ...

and

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

in 1991, and broadcast on ITV in 1992.

Andrew Sachs Andreas Siegfried Sachs (7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016), known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor and writer. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Sp ...

voiced the Gingerbread Man, Mr Salt the Sailor, Herr Von Cuckoo and Sleek The Mouse. Jacqueline Clarke voiced Miss Pepper and Old Tea Bag. Although uncredited, Anton Rodgers voiced the

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

Characters and Voice Cast

* The

Gingerbread Man A gingerbread man or a Gingerbread man cookie is a biscuit or cookie made from gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized form / caricature of a human being, although other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, et ...

(voiced by

) - The title character who lives on the kitchen dresser with his friends. * Mr Salt (voiced by

) - A male sailor-like salt grinder who references sailing activities whenever he is woken up. * Miss Pepper (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke) - A female pepper grinder who frequently asks Mr Salt to twist her grinder. * Herr Von Cuckoo (voiced by

) - A German wooden Cuckoo from the kitchen's Cuckoo Clock who makes cuckoo sounds every hour. * Old

Tea Bag A tea bag, or the compound teabag, is a small, porous, sealed bag or packet, typically containing tea leaves or the leaves of other herbs, which is immersed in water to steep and make an infusion. Originally used only for tea (''Camellia ...

(voiced by Jacqueline Clarke) - A female bad-tempered old tea bag who lives in the

teapot A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea ba ...

on the top shelf on the kitchen dresser. * Sleek The Mouse (voiced by

) - A hungry gangster with a Brooklyn accent. * The Big Ones - Two

humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

who live in the house with the Gingerbread Man. They are heard, but are never seen on screen.

Episodes

# "The Arrival" # "Herr Von Cuckoo's Cuckoo" # "Sleek the Mouse" # "Hide and Squeak" # "Poison" # "Party" # "A Pinch of Salt" # "Locked Clock" # "Weekend Break" # "Old Tea Bag in Danger" # "While the Cat's Away" # "It's Not Fair" # "The Gingerbread Ghost"

Home Media releases

In the United Kingdom, some episodes were released on VHS tapes in the 1990s by PolyGram Video, 4 Front Video (Pocket Money Video) and distributed by Channel 5.. For example, PolyGram Video released a VHS tape with the first 5 episodes on 28 April 1995. Various animation compilations on VHS included single episodes. After including a portion of the series on its VHS animation compilation All Together Now (2001),

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...

released the first 5 episodes on a Region 2 DVD entitled The Gingerbread Man (12 April 2004), again distributed by PolyGram Video and Channel 5. The entire series was finally issued on DVD when Abbey Home Media released the first 6 episodes on DVD on 27 March 2006, and the remaining seven episodes on a second DVD on 26 March 2007.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gingerbread Man, The 1990s British children's television series 1992 British television series debuts 1992 British television series endings British children's animated fantasy television series ITV children's television shows English-language television shows British stop-motion animated television series Television series by FilmFair Television series by DHX Media Television series based on plays Television shows based on fairy tales Television shows produced by Central Independent Television 1990s British animated television series