112-428: The Secret Seven or Secret Seven Society is a fictional group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton and based on the publisher's children. They appear in one of several adolescent detective series which Blyton wrote. The Secret Seven consists of Peter (the society's head), Janet (Peter's sister), Pam, Barbara, Jack, Colin and George. Jack's sister Susie and her best friend Binkie make occasional appearances in
224-496: A Gothic mansion in Surrey belonging to Lord Ashcombe , and they began a romantic relationship. Blyton's marriage to Pollock was troubled for years, and according to Crowe's memoir, she had a series of affairs, including lesbian relationships with one of the children's nannies and with Lola Onslow, an artist who illustrated Blyton's 1924, titled The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies . In 1941, Blyton met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters,
336-551: A 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Its illustrator, Enid's schoolfriend Phyllis Chase collaborated on several of her early works. Also in that year, Blyton began writing in annuals for Cassell and George Newnes , and her first piece of writing, "Peronel and his Pot of Glue", was accepted for publication in Teachers' World . Further boosting her success, in 1923, her poems appeared alongside those of Rudyard Kipling , Walter de la Mare , and G. K. Chesterton in
448-440: A London surgeon with whom she began a serious affair. Pollock discovered the liaison and threatened to initiate divorce proceedings. Due to fears that exposure of her adultery would ruin her public image, it was ultimately agreed that Blyton would instead file for divorce against Pollock. According to Crowe's memoir, Blyton promised that if he admitted to infidelity, she would allow him parental access to their daughters; but after
560-610: A Noddy jigsaw series featuring cards appeared from 1963, with illustrations by Robert Lee. Arrow Games became the chief producer of Noddy jigsaws in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Whitman manufactured four new Secret Seven jigsaw puzzles in 1975 and produced four new Malory Towers ones two years later. In 1979, the company released a Famous Five adventure board game, the Famous Five Kirrin Island Treasure. Stephen Thraves wrote eight Famous Five adventure game books, published by Hodder & Stoughton in
672-641: A Treasure Island (1942), Five on Kirrin Island Again (1947) and Five Go Down to the Sea (1953). Capitalising on her success, with a loyal and ever-growing readership, Blyton produced a new edition of many of her series such as the Famous Five, the Five Find-Outers and St. Clare's every year in addition to many other novels, short stories and books. In 1946, Blyton launched the first in
784-452: A book series published between 1949 and 1963, illustrated by the Dutch artist Harmsen van der Beek from 1949 until his death in 1953, after which the work was continued by Peter Wienk . Television shows based on the character have run on British television since 1955. Noddy was created by Enid Blyton in 1949 as he appeared in the first book "Noddy goes to Toyland". Starting in 1962 since
896-618: A charge she vehemently denied. Blyton's work became increasingly controversial among literary critics, teachers, and parents beginning in the 1950s due to the alleged unchallenging nature of her writing and her themes, particularly in the Noddy series. Some libraries and schools banned her works, and from the 1930s until the 1950s, the BBC refused to broadcast her stories because of their perceived lack of literary merit. Her books have been criticised as elitist, sexist, racist, xenophobic, and at odds with
1008-578: A child. According to Blyton's daughter Gillian, the inspiration for the magic tree came from "thinking up a story one day, and suddenly she was walking in the enchanted wood and found the tree. In her imagination, she climbed up through the branches and met Moon-Face, Silky, the Saucepan Man and the rest of the characters. She had all she needed." As in the Wishing-Chair series, these fantasy books typically involve children being transported into
1120-403: A few minutes, with my portable typewriter on my knee – I make my mind a blank and wait – and then, as clearly as I would see real children, my characters stand before me in my mind's eye ... The first sentence comes straight into my mind, I don't have to think of it – I don't have to think of anything. In another letter to McKellar, she describes how in just five days she wrote
1232-618: A following that readers asked Blyton if they might form a fan club. She agreed, on condition that it serves a useful purpose, and suggested that it could raise funds for the Shaftesbury Society Babies' Home in Beaconsfield, on whose committee she had served since 1948. The club was established in 1952, and provided funds for equipping a Famous Five Ward at the home, a paddling pool , sun room, summer house, playground, birthday and Christmas celebrations, and visits to
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#17327809612781344-471: A form of escapism. Brandon Robshaw of The Independent refers to the Blyton universe as "crammed with colour and character", "self-contained and internally consistent", noting that Blyton exemplifies a strong mistrust of adults and figures of authority in her works, creating a world in which children govern. Gillian noted that in her mother's adventure, detective and school stories for older children, "the hook
1456-479: A happily married and devoted doctor's wife. After discovering she was pregnant in the spring of 1945, Blyton miscarried five months later, following a fall from a ladder. The baby would have been Darrell Waters's first child and the son for which they both longed. Her love of tennis included playing naked, with nude tennis "a common practice in those days among the more louche members of the middle classes". Blyton's health began to deteriorate in 1957, when, during
1568-422: A large market for Blyton books. The Noddy character was formerly owned by Chorion , who sold the rights on to DreamWorks Classics (a part of DreamWorks Animation which now a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ) in 2012. (Only 24 in the set) Separate Book: Noddy and Big-Ears (1952) On 17 November 2008, it was announced that Enid Blyton's granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, was to write a new Noddy book to celebrate
1680-651: A lion, and he is allowed to stay in Toyland. Noddy gets his car in the second book. It is given to him after he helps solve a local mystery. The other toys can hear him coming by the distinctive "Parp Parp" sound of his car's horn and the jingle of the bell on his blue hat. Often he uses his car to visit all of the places in Toyland. When his taxi business is not doing so well, or when he needs help, Noddy turns to Big Ears. Big Ears will often lend him what he needs. On occasion, Noddy will allow people to make his head nod, in exchange for small items such as his morning milk. Noddy
1792-669: A little wooden boy from Toyland, first appeared in the Sunday Graphic on 5 June 1949, and in November that year Noddy Goes to Toyland , the first of at least two dozen books in the series, was published. The idea was conceived by one of Blyton's publishers, Sampson, Low, Marston and Company, who in 1949 arranged a meeting between Blyton and the Dutch illustrator Harmsen van der Beek . Despite having to communicate via an interpreter, he provided some initial sketches of how Toyland and its characters would be represented. Four days after
1904-529: A magazine that typically included the re-telling of legends, myths, stories and other articles for children. That same year, she was given her own column in Teachers' World , entitled "From my Window". Three years later, she began contributing a weekly page in the magazine, in which she published letters from her fox terrier dog Bobs. They proved to be so popular that in 1933 they were published in book form as Letters from Bobs , and sold ten thousand copies in
2016-427: A magical world in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, pixies and other mythological creatures. Blyton's first full-length adventure novel, The Secret Island , was published in 1938, featuring the characters of Jack, Mike, Peggy and Nora. Described by The Glasgow Herald as a " Robinson Crusoe -style adventure on an island in an English lake", The Secret Island was a lifelong favourite of Gillian's and spawned
2128-575: A mini-bus for disabled children at Stoke Mandeville Hospital . Blyton capitalised upon her commercial success as an author by negotiating agreements with jigsaw puzzle and games manufacturers from the late 1940s onwards; by the early 1960s, some 146 different companies were involved in merchandising Noddy alone. In 1948, Bestime released four jigsaw puzzles featuring her characters, and the first Enid Blyton board game appeared, Journey Through Fairyland , created by BGL. The first card game, Faraway Tree, appeared from Pepys in 1950. In 1954, Bestime released
2240-474: A parade. Smiler is dressed as Noddy complete with a smaller version of his car in order to tow a bouncy castle with the rest of the characters on it, but it deflated while they were taking part. Noddy being associated with small children's reading has led to "Noddy" being sometimes used as an adjective meaning "petty or trivial" (compare with " Mickey Mouse "), for example, in computer programming : " This simultaneous linear equation subroutine crashes out on
2352-422: A parents' meeting at her daughter's school, during which a young librarian had repeated the allegation, Blyton decided in 1955 to begin legal proceedings. The librarian was eventually forced to make a public apology in open court early the following year, but the rumours that Blyton operated "a 'company' of ghostwriters" persisted, as some found it difficult to believe that one woman working alone could produce such
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#17327809612782464-468: A publisher, with Winston Churchill , which may have reawakened the trauma Pollock suffered during World War I. With the outbreak of World War II, he became involved in the Home Guard and also re-encountered Ida Crowe , an aspiring writer 19 years his junior, whom he had first met years earlier. He made her an offer to join him as a secretary in his posting to a Home Guard training center at Denbies ,
2576-417: A round of golf, she started to feel faint and breathless, and, by 1960, she was displaying signs of dementia . Her agent, George Greenfield, recalled that it was "unthinkable" for the "most famous and successful of children's authors with her enormous energy and computerlike memory" to be losing her mind and suffering from what is now known as Alzheimer's disease in her mid-60s. Worsening Blyton's situation
2688-401: A set of clothing and a house. While Noddy is quite happy to be a toy, the citizens of Toyland are not sure that he actually is one. They put Noddy on trial and examine whether he is a toy or an ornament. Eventually, Noddy is declared a toy, but still has to convince the court that he is a good toy. The judge accepts that Noddy is good after a doll tells the court that he saved her little girl from
2800-515: A shed in the garden to discuss peculiar events in their local community. Blyton rewrote the stories so they could be adapted into cartoons, which appeared in Mickey Mouse Weekly in 1951 with illustrations by George Brook. The French author Evelyne Lallemand continued the series in the 1970s, producing an additional twelve books, nine of which were translated into English by Anthea Bell between 1983 and 1987. Blyton's Noddy , about
2912-509: A special issue of Teachers' World. Blyton's educational texts were influential in the 1920s and 1930s, with her most sizable being the three-volume The Teacher's Treasury (1926), the six-volume Modern Teaching (1928), the eight-volume Pictorial Knowledge (1930), and the four-volume Modern Teaching in the Infant School (1932). In July 1923, Blyton published Real Fairies , a collection of thirty-three poems written especially for
3024-476: A teacher. Blyton was introduced to the children at the nursery school and, recognising her natural affinity with them, enrolled in a National Froebel Union teacher training course at the school in September 1916. By this time, she had nearly terminated all contact with her family. Blyton's manuscripts were rejected by publishers on many occasions, which only made her more determined to succeed, saying, "It
3136-514: A teaching certificate with distinctions in zoology and principles of education; first class in botany, geography, practice and history of education, child hygiene, and classroom teaching; and second class in literature and elementary mathematics. In 1920, she moved to Southernhay, in Hook Road Surbiton , as nursery governess to the four sons of architect Horace Thompson and his wife Gertrude, with whom Blyton spent four happy years. With
3248-467: A variety of foreign languages. They also introduced Noddy's new friend Whizz from Robot Village, who presses a button on his chest to play recordings of native speakers saying the new foreign words Noddy was to learn. The interstitials were featured on commercial breaks on Five and featured as segments for the American release of the show on PBS and Sprout. A CG animated series, called Noddy in Toyland ,
3360-420: A vehicle for the serialisation of Blyton's books. Her first Naughty Amelia Jane story, about an anti-heroine based on a doll owned by her daughter Gillian, was published in the magazine. Blyton stopped contributing in 1952, and it closed down the following year, shortly before the appearance of the new fortnightly Enid Blyton Magazine written entirely by Blyton. The first edition appeared on 18 March 1953, and
3472-480: A volume of work. Blyton felt a responsibility to provide her readers with a positive moral framework, and she encouraged them to support worthy causes. Her view, expressed in a 1957 article, was that children should help animals and other children rather than adults: [children] are not interested in helping adults; indeed, they think that adults themselves should tackle adult needs. But they are intensely interested in animals and other children and feel compassion for
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3584-526: Is a Christian parable along the lines of John Bunyan 's The Pilgrim's Progress (1698), with contemporary children as the main characters. In 1943, she published The Children's Life of Christ , a collection of fifty-nine short stories related to the life of Jesus , with her slant on popular biblical stories, from the Nativity and the Three Wise Men through to the trial , the crucifixion and
3696-511: Is a gentle-hearted, gold bear who often wears a bonnet with flowers and a skirt. She is young like Noddy, and very loving towards all of her friends and neighbours. Bumpy Dog is Tessie's pet. He loves to run up and "bump" people over. Noddy frequently gets annoyed with Bumpy but still likes him. Whenever Noddy threatens Bumpy, Tessie gets upset, and sometimes even begins to cry. The Tubby Bears live next door to Noddy. They are gold and chubby teddy bears. Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear frequently help Noddy. It
3808-624: Is a real nation located in the Arctic Circle . The King and Queen of Toyland are Frankenstein's Monster and Olympia, the automaton from The Tales of Hoffmann . Noddy, Big Ears and PC Plod are referred to in the Two Ronnies crossword sketch where Ronnie Corbett thinks their names are "Roddy, Big Ears, and PC Plop!" In an episode of Last of the Summer Wine , all of the characters are dressed up as fairy tale characters for
3920-485: Is best remembered for her Noddy , Famous Five , Secret Seven , the Five Find-Outers , and Malory Towers books, although she also wrote many others, including; St. Clare's , The Naughtiest Girl , and The Faraway Tree series. Her first book, Child Whispers , a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. Following the commercial success of her early novels, such as Adventures of
4032-572: Is capable of facing down wizards with his own spells, and is able to plead Noddy's case to Mr. Plod , the local policeman, when Noddy finds himself in legal peril. On rare occasions, however, Big Ears finds himself in trouble, in which case Noddy comes to his aid. Big Ears and Noddy have rarely quarreled seriously. Examples of such quarrels are when Big Ears harshly scolded the very sensitive Tessie Bear for failing to control her dog and when Noddy ran his car into Big Ears's clothes post and then drove away, dragging Big Ears's clean washing behind him. Tessie
4144-590: Is clear that Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear are the superiors of Noddy, as if he were a child. Their first names are never mentioned and Noddy always refers to them as Mr. and Mrs. They have one son, also named Tubby, who is occasionally referred to as Master Tubby. Tubby is naughty and is usually in trouble for breaking rules, being rude, or doing something wrong. Noddy often attempts to scold or punish Tubby, with little result. On one occasion, Tubby gets tired of always being bossed around and being punished and decides to run away to sea. Noddy and Bumpy accidentally join with him. By
4256-520: Is either dismissed or explained". Watson further notes how Blyton often used minimalist visual descriptions and introduced a few careless phrases such as "gleamed enchantingly" to appeal to her young readers. From the mid-1950s, rumours began to circulate that Blyton had not written all the books attributed to her, a charge she found particularly distressing. She published an appeal in her magazine asking children to let her know if they heard such stories and after one mother informed her that she had attended
4368-407: Is kind and honest, but he often gets into trouble, either through his own misunderstandings or because someone, usually one of the naughty goblins Sly or Gobbo, has played a trick on him. He is very childlike in his understanding of the world and often becomes confused as a result. For example, in the first Noddy book, Noddy and Big Ears are building Noddy's house for one. Noddy suggests that they build
4480-656: Is partly the struggle that helps you so much, that gives you determination, character, self-reliance –all things that help in any profession or trade, and most certainly in writing." In March 1916, her first poems were published in Nash's Magazine . She completed her teacher training course in December 1918 and, the following month, obtained a teaching appointment at Bickley Park School, a small, independent establishment for boys in Bickley , Kent. Two months later, Blyton received
4592-528: Is the strong storyline with plenty of cliffhangers, a trick she acquired from her years of writing serialised stories for children's magazines. There is always a strong moral framework in which bravery and loyalty are (eventually) rewarded". Blyton herself wrote that "my love of children is the whole foundation of all my work". Victor Watson, assistant director of Research at Homerton College, Cambridge , believes that Blyton's works reveal an "essential longing and potential associated with childhood", and notes how
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4704-713: The Enid Blyton Magazine , it attracted 100,000 members in three years. Such was Blyton's popularity among children that after she became Queen Bee in 1952, more than 20,000 additional members were recruited in her first year in office. The Enid Blyton Magazine Club was formed in 1953. Its primary objective was to raise funds to help those children with cerebral palsy who attended a centre in Cheyne Walk , in Chelsea, London, by furnishing an on-site hostel among other things. The Famous Five series gathered such
4816-539: The Malory Towers series of six books based around the schoolgirl Darrell Rivers, First Term at Malory Towers , which became extremely popular, particularly with girls. The first book in Blyton's Barney Mysteries series, The Rockingdown Mystery , was published in 1949, as was the first of her fifteen Secret Seven novels. The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Colin, George, Jack, Pam and Barbara, who meet regularly in
4928-580: The Secret series . The following year Blyton released her first book in the Circus series and her initial book in the Amelia Jane series, Naughty Amelia Jane! According to Gillian, the main character was based on a large handmade doll given to her by her mother on her third birthday. During the 1940s, Blyton became a prolific author, her success enhanced by her "marketing, publicity and branding that
5040-774: The resurrection . Tales from the Bible was published the following year, followed by The Boy with the Loaves and Fishes in 1948. The first book in Blyton's Five Find-Outers series, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage , was published in 1943, as was the second book in the Faraway series, The Magic Faraway Tree , which in 2003 was voted 66th in the BBC 's Big Read poll to find the UK's favourite book. Several of Blyton's works during this period have seaside themes; John Jolly by
5152-664: The 1950s, with Big Noddy Books of larger format, and strip books. There were numerous spin-offs, also. Widely differing estimates can be found. The 24 original Noddy books by Enid Blyton were published between 1949 and 1963. Harmsen Van der Beek illustrated the first 7 Noddy books. After Beek's death in 1953 the original style was maintained by illustrators Robert Tyndall, Peter Wienk, Mary Brooks and Robert Lee. Sales of Noddy books are large, with an estimated 600,000 annual sales in France alone, and growing popularity in India and Portugal,
5264-460: The 1980s. The first adventure game book of the series, The Wreckers' Tower Game , was published in October 1984. On 28 August 1924, Blyton married Major Hugh Alexander Pollock , DSO (1888–1971) at Bromley Register Office, without inviting her family. They married shortly after his divorce from his first wife, with whom he had two sons, one of them already deceased. Pollock was an editor of
5376-454: The 60,000-word book The River of Adventure , the eighth in her Adventure Series , by listening to what she referred to as her "under-mind", which she contrasted with her "upper conscious mind". Blyton was unwilling to conduct any research or planning before beginning work on a new book, which coupled with the lack of variety in her life according to Druce, almost inevitably presented the danger that she might unconsciously, and did, plagiarise
5488-717: The Adventure series, The River of Adventure , and her seventh Secret Seven novel, Secret Seven Win Through . She completed the sixth and final book of the Malory Towers series, Last Term at Malory Towers , in 1951. Blyton published several further books featuring the character of Scamp the terrier, following on from The Adventures of Scamp , a novel she had released in 1943 under the nom de plume of Mary Pollock. Scamp Goes on Holiday (1952) and Scamp and Bimbo , Scamp at School , Scamp and Caroline and Scamp Goes to
5600-553: The Clown and Bom and the Rainbow (1959) and Bom Goes to Magic Town (1960). In 1958, she produced two annuals featuring the character, the first of which included twenty short stories, poems and picture strips. Many of Blyton's series, including Noddy and The Famous Five, continued to be successful in the 1960s; by 1962, 26 million copies of Noddy had been sold. Blyton concluded several of her long-running series in 1963, publishing
5712-442: The Noddy books, and the national archetype of a flatfooted copper. The first book explains Noddy's origins. He is made by a woodcarver in a toy shop but runs away after the man begins to make a wooden lion, which scares Noddy. As he wanders through the woods naked, penniless, and homeless, he meets Big Ears, a friendly brownie . Big Ears decides that Noddy is a toy and takes him to live in Toyland. He generously provides Noddy with
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#17327809612785824-521: The Noddy case when n = 1, but otherwise it works. " or " Remember to check all the Noddy cases. " In the United Kingdom, the word "plod" became a slang term to describe a police officer, or the police service, due to the success of the Noddy franchise, and its character Mr. Plod. For example, somebody could say, “I’m not having a good morning, I was driving to work and got pulled over by the plod for driving too fast”. The Ministry of Defence Police
5936-568: The Noddy series, Noddy and the Aeroplane , in February 1964. In May of the following year, she published Mixed Bag , a songbook with music written by her nephew Carey, and in August she released her last full-length books, The Man Who Stopped to Help and The Boy Who Came Back . Blyton cemented her reputation as a children's writer when in 1926 she took over the editing of Sunny Stories ,
6048-709: The Round Table , Tales of Ancient Greece and Tales of Robin Hood were published in 1930. In Tales of Ancient Greece Blyton retold 16 well-known ancient Greek myths, but used Latin rather than Greek names and invented conversations between characters. The Adventures of Odysseus , Tales of the Ancient Greeks and Persians and Tales of the Romans followed in 1934. The first of twenty-eight books in Blyton's Old Thatch series , The Talking Teapot and Other Tales ,
6160-469: The Sea (1943), a picture book intended for younger readers, was published in a booklet format by Evans Brothers . Other books with a maritime theme include The Secret of Cliff Castle and Smuggler Ben , both attributed to Mary Pollock in 1943; The Island of Adventure , the first in the Adventure series of eight novels from 1944 onwards; and various novels of the Famous Five series such as Five on
6272-520: The Toyland garage was replaced by Frenchman Monsieur Polly in the 1975 series, and, during the 1992–2000 series , by Mr. Sparks. Dinah Doll, a black female character, was added to the franchise by then. Noddy first appeared on stage at the 2660-seat Stoll Theatre in Kingsway , London, in 1954. The very large cast were all children or teenagers, mostly from the Italia Conti acting school . There
6384-545: The Tubby Bears. Big Ears, who brought Noddy to Toyland, is the most important figure in his life. Whenever he faces serious peril, it tends to be Big Ears who comes to the rescue, one way or another, and it is invariably Big Ears to whom Noddy turns for support and reassurance. Big Ears is not so much a parental figure, but more like a guardian, or perhaps Noddy's attorney. While kind to Noddy, Big Ears has an intimidating presence and voice that makes him feared by goblins. He
6496-470: The Wishing-Chair (1937) and The Enchanted Wood (1939), Blyton went on to build a literary empire, sometimes producing fifty books a year in addition to her prolific magazine and newspaper contributions. Her writing was unplanned and sprang largely from her unconscious mind ; she typed her stories as events unfolded before her. The sheer volume of her work and the speed with which she produced it led to rumours that Blyton employed an army of ghost writers ,
6608-659: The Zoo (1954) were illustrated by Pierre Probst. She introduced the character of Bom, a stylish toy drummer dressed in a bright red coat and helmet, alongside Noddy in TV Comic in July 1956. A book series began the same year with Bom the Little Toy Drummer , featuring illustrations by R. Paul-Hoye, and followed with Bom and His Magic Drumstick (1957), Bom Goes Adventuring and Bom Goes to Ho Ho Village (1958), Bom and
6720-685: The blind boys and girls, and for the spastics who are unable to walk or talk. Blyton and the members of the children's clubs she promoted via her magazines raised a great deal of money for various charities; according to Blyton, membership of her clubs meant "working for others, for no reward". The largest of the clubs she was involved with was the Busy Bees, the junior section of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals , which Blyton had actively supported since 1933. The club had been set up by Maria Dickin in 1934, and after Blyton publicised its existence in
6832-596: The book Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly , a character is nicknamed Noddy, while his best friend's nickname is Big Ears. IDW 's The Transformers introduced the character of "Tappet", a robot who is based on Noddy visually and clearly transforms into Noddy's classic car. The puppet of Big Ears from the 1955–1963 Noddy television series appeared as a member of the "Puppet Government" in The Goodies episode " The Goodies Rule – O.K.? ". In Alan Moore's series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen , Toyland
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#17327809612786944-678: The book department in the publishing firm George Newnes, which became Blyton's regular publisher. It was he who requested her to write a book about animals, resulting in The Zoo Book , completed in the month before their marriage. They initially lived in a flat in Chelsea before moving to Elfin Cottage in Beckenham in 1926, and then to Old Thatch in Bourne End (called Peterswood in her books) in 1929. Blyton's first daughter, Gillian ,
7056-686: The book with the exception of "Pretending", which had appeared earlier in Punch magazine. The following year, she published The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies , illustrated by Horace J. Knowles, and in 1926 the Book of Brownies . Several books of plays appeared in 1927, including A Book of Little Plays and The Play's the Thing with the illustrator Alfred Bestall . In the 1930s, Blyton developed an interest in writing stories related to various myths, including those of ancient Greece and Rome ; The Knights of
7168-436: The books she had read, including her own. Gillian has recalled that her mother "never knew where her stories came from", but that she used to talk about them "coming from her 'mind's eye ' ", as did William Wordsworth and Charles Dickens . Blyton had "thought it was made up of every experience she'd ever had, everything she's seen or heard or read, much of which had long disappeared from her conscious memory" but never knew
7280-462: The books; they hate the Secret Seven and delight in playing tricks designed to humiliate them, although this is partly fuelled by their almost obsessive desire to belong to the society. Unlike most other Blyton non-school series, this one takes place during the school term time because the characters go to day schools . Continuing Blyton's series, Pamela Butchart wrote two new adventures in
7392-481: The boundaries" in her books, and encompassed a range of genres even in her short stories. In a 1958 article published in The Author , she wrote that there were a "dozen or more different types of stories for children", and she had tried them all, but her favourites were those with a family at their centre. In a letter to the psychologist Peter McKellar, Blyton describes her writing technique: I shut my eyes for
7504-519: The character's 60th birthday. Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle (2009) was illustrated by Robert Tyndall, who has drawn the characters in the Noddy books since 1953, ever since the death of the original illustrator, Harmsen van der Beek . In the 1990s and early 2000s TV series adaptation, as well as a new series of books, Noddy has been updated, with the original Golliwog characters replaced by other sorts of toys. For example, Mr. Golly who ran
7616-509: The character's success, the character was named in France called "Oui-Oui", meaning Yes-Yes in French. It is said that Enid Blyton took inspiration for Noddy from the village of Studland in Dorset where she would holiday virtually every summer. A small copse nearby was said to be Noddy's Wood. PC Christopher Rhone whom Blyton met while he was on the beat came to be immortalised as PC Plod in
7728-504: The colour red acted as a "mental stimulus" for her. Stopping only for a short lunch break, she continued writing until five o'clock, by which time she would usually have produced 6,000–10,000 words. A 2,000 article in The Malay Mail considers Blyton's children to have "lived in a world shaped by the realities of post-war austerity", enjoying freedom without political correctness, which serves modern readers of Blyton's novels with
7840-474: The company Darrell Waters Ltd to manage her affairs. By the early 1950s, she had reached the peak of her output, often publishing more than fifty books a year, and she remained extremely prolific throughout much of the decade. By 1955, Blyton had written her fourteenth Famous Five novel, Five Have Plenty of Fun , her fifteenth Mary Mouse book, Mary Mouse in Nursery Rhyme Land , her eighth book in
7952-525: The direction her stories would take. Blyton further explained in her biography that "If I tried to think out or invent the whole book, I could not do it. For one thing, it would bore me and for another, it would lack the 'verve' and the extraordinary touches and surprising ideas that flood out from my imagination." Blyton's daily routine varied little over the years. She usually began writing soon after breakfast, with her portable typewriter on her knee and her favourite red Moroccan shawl nearby; she believed that
8064-510: The divorce, he was denied contact with them, and Blyton made sure he was subsequently unable to find work in publishing. Pollock, having married Crowe on 26 October 1943, eventually resumed his heavy drinking and was forced to petition for bankruptcy in 1950. Blyton and Darrell Waters married at the City of Westminster Register Office on 20 October 1943. She changed the surname of her daughters to Darrell Waters and publicly embraced her new role as
8176-521: The eldest of whom was named Peter, had formed a secret society with their friends. They met in an old shed, used secret passwords and had badges inscribed with "SS". After corresponding with the real-life Peter, in 1948 Blyton published her first Secret Seven story, which describes how her fictional society came to be formed. This was a short story titled "The Secret of the Old Mill". It followed an earlier short story, "At Seaside Cottage", which introduced
8288-424: The end of the journey, Tubby misses his parents and brings them back presents from his trip, as an apology. Noddy has many run-ins with Mr. Plod. Some are caused by Noddy's lack of understanding of how Toyland works. Other times it is because of a case of mistaken identity, Mr. Plod is generally long-suffering towards Noddy and Noddy likes Mr. Plod and frequently goes out of his way to help him. Mr. Plod often catches
8400-542: The family had moved to a semi-detached house in Beckenham , then a village in Kent . A few months after her birth, Enid almost died from whooping cough but was nursed back to health by her father, whom she adored. Thomas Blyton ignited Enid's interest in nature; in her autobiography she wrote that he "loved flowers and birds and wild animals, and knew more about them than anyone I had ever met". He also passed on his interest in gardening, art, music, literature, and theatre, and
8512-570: The fictional Whyteleafe School. The first of her six novels in the St. Clare's series, The Twins at St. Clare's , appeared the following year, featuring the twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan. In 1942, Blyton released the first book in the Mary Mouse series, Mary Mouse and the Dolls' House , about a mouse exiled from her mousehole who becomes a maid at a dolls' house. Twenty-three books in
8624-596: The first four jigsaw puzzles of the Secret Seven, and the following year a Secret Seven card game appeared. Bestime released the Little Noddy Car Game in 1953 and the Little Noddy Leap Frog Game in 1955, and in 1956 American manufacturer Parker Brothers released Little Noddy's Taxi Game, a board game which features Noddy driving about town, picking up various characters. Bestime released its Plywood Noddy Jigsaws series in 1957 and
8736-640: The first week. Her most popular feature was "Round the Year with Enid Blyton", which consisted of forty-eight articles covering aspects of natural history such as weather, pond life, how to plant a school garden and how to make a bird table. Among Blyton's other nature projects was her monthly "Country Letter" feature that appeared in The Nature Lover magazine in 1935. Sunny Stories was renamed Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories in January 1937, and served as
8848-450: The five were involved with "unmasking hardened villains and solving serious crimes", although the novels were "hardly 'hard-boiled' thrillers". Blyton based the character of Georgina, a tomboy she described as "short-haired, freckled, sturdy, and snub-nosed" and "bold and daring, hot-tempered and loyal", on herself. Blyton had an interest in biblical narratives and retold Old and New Testament stories. The Land of Far-Beyond (1942)
8960-434: The last books of The Famous Five ( Five Are Together Again ) and The Secret Seven ( Fun for the Secret Seven ); she also produced three more Brer Rabbit books with the illustrator Grace Lodge: Brer Rabbit Again , Brer Rabbit Book , and Brer Rabbit's a Rascal . In 1962, many of her books were among the first to be published by Armada Books in paperback, making them more affordable to children. After 1963, Blyton's output
9072-512: The late 1970s and early 1980s, Evelyne Lallemand wrote an additional series of 11 books about the Secret Seven, nine of which were translated into English by Anthea Bell and published in paperback by Knight Books. The English translations were published between 1983 and 1986. The full French series is as follows: In 2018, Hodder Children's Books published The Secret Seven Mystery of the Skull by Pamela Butchart in an effort to augment sales of
9184-421: The leading characters, Peter and Janet, prior to the formation of the society. There followed a further five short stories and fifteen full-length books. The Secret Seven appeared in seven short stories by Blyton, including a mini-novella explaining how the society was formed. These were left uncollected until 1997, when all but "At Seaside Cottage" were published in a single volume by Hodder Children's Books under
9296-550: The magazine ran until September 1959. Noddy made his first appearance in the Sunday Graphic in 1949, the same year as Blyton's first daily Noddy strip for the London Evening Standard . It was illustrated by van der Beek until his death in 1953. Blyton worked in a wide range of fictional genres, from fairy tales to animal, nature, detective, mystery, and circus stories, but she often "blurred
9408-496: The meeting, Blyton sent the text of the first two Noddy books to her publisher, to be forwarded to van der Beek. The Noddy books became one of her most successful and best-known series, and were hugely popular in the 1950s. An extensive range of sub-series, spin-offs and strip books was produced throughout the decade, including Noddy's Library , Noddy's Garage of Books , Noddy's Castle of Books , Noddy's Toy Station of Books and Noddy's Shop of Books . In 1950, Blyton established
9520-537: The mischief makers on his police bicycle, by blowing his whistle and shouting "Halt in the name of Plod!!" before locking the culprits up in his jail. Early Noddy books have become collectibles , along with other Blytons. The total number is hard to count: the Noddy Library (Sampson Low) of two dozen titles, which became the New Noddy Library when revised, was just part of a big production in
9632-478: The more progressive environment that was emerging in post-World War II Britain, but updated versions of her books have continued to be popular since her death in 1968. She felt she had a responsibility to provide her readers with a strong moral framework, so she encouraged them to support worthy causes. In particular, through the clubs she set up or supported, she encouraged and organised them to raise funds for animal and paediatric charities. The story of Blyton's life
9744-460: The opening pages of The Mountain of Adventure present a "deeply appealing ideal of childhood". He argues that Blyton's work differs from that of many other authors in its approach, describing the narrative of The Famous Five series for instance as "like a powerful spotlight, it seeks to illuminate, to explain, to demystify. It takes its readers on a roller-coaster story in which the darkness is always banished; everything puzzling, arbitrary, evocative
9856-670: The pair often went on nature walks, much to the disapproval of Enid's mother, who showed little interest in her daughter's pursuits. Enid was devastated when her father left the family shortly after her 13th birthday to live with another woman. Enid and her mother did not have a good relationship, and after she left home, Enid gave people the impression that her mother was dead. Enid did not attend either of her parents' funerals. From 1907 to 1915, Blyton attended St Christopher's School in Beckenham, where she enjoyed physical activities and became school tennis champion and lacrosse captain. She
9968-544: The pantomime. By the late 1950s, Blyton's clubs had a membership of 500,000, and raised £35,000 in the six years of the Enid Blyton Magazine' s run. By 1974, the Famous Five Club had a membership of 220,000 and was growing at the rate of 6,000 new members a year. The Beaconsfield home that was set up to support was closed in 1967, but the club continued to raise funds for other paediatric charities, including an Enid Blyton bed at Great Ormond Street Hospital and
10080-846: The piano, which she mastered well enough for him to believe she might follow in his sister's footsteps and become a professional musician. Blyton considered enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music , but decided she was better suited to becoming a writer. After finishing school, in 1915, as head girl, she moved out of the family home to live with her friend Mary Attenborough, before going to stay with George and Emily Hunt at Seckford Hall , near Woodbridge , in Suffolk. Seckford Hall, with its allegedly haunted room and secret passageway, provided inspiration for her later writing. At Woodbridge Congregational Church, Blyton met Ida Hunt, who taught at Ipswich High School and suggested she train there as
10192-579: The roof first, in case it rains. With no understanding of gravity or of the need for roof supports, this is perfectly logical to him. (In fact, this is not so silly. Some multi-story buildings start with the roof, which is then raised on hydraulic jacks, and the story beneath is built, and then the roof is raised again, and so on. This is the Upbrella method.) As the series continues, Noddy becomes wiser but without losing his charm and lovable naivety. Noddy's best friends are Big Ears, Tessie Bear, Bumpy Dog, and
10304-591: The series were produced between 1942 and 1964; 10,000 copies were sold in 1942 alone. The same year, Blyton published the first novel in the Famous Five series , Five on a Treasure Island , with illustrations by Eileen Soper . Its popularity resulted in twenty-one books between then and 1963, and the characters of Julian, Dick, Anne, George (Georgina) and Timmy the dog became household names in Britain. Matthew Grenby, author of Children's Literature , states that
10416-459: The series, adding elements of horror. The names Secret Seven and Famous Five had already been used by the author Charles Hamilton , under the pen-name Frank Richards, in his long-running series of stories featuring Billy Bunter and Greyfriars School . The Secret Seven was the name of a secret society that featured in a series of eleven stories published in The Magnet magazine in 1934;
10528-641: The series. This was followed in 2019 by The Secret Seven and the Mystery of the Theatre Ghost . The first ever stage adaptation based on The Secret Seven opened in Chester at the city's new Storyhouse theatre from 1 December 2017. It received good reviews. A dramatized audio drama adaptation of several Secret Seven books was published by Rainbow Communications in 1983. Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968)
10640-746: The shortage of area schools, neighbouring children soon joined her charges, and a small school developed at the house. In 1920, Blyton moved to Chessington and began writing in her spare time. The following year, she won the Saturday Westminster Review writing competition with her essay "On the Popular Fallacy that to the Pure All Things are Pure". Publications such as The Londoner , Home Weekly and The Bystander began to show an interest in her short stories and poems. Blyton's first book, Child Whispers ,
10752-561: The subterfuge to her and her publisher, with the result that all six books published under the name of Mary Pollock – two in 1940 and four in 1943 – were reissued under Blyton's name. Later in 1940, Blyton published the first of her boarding school story books and the first novel in the Naughtiest Girl series, The Naughtiest Girl in the School , which followed the exploits of the mischievous schoolgirl Elizabeth Allen at
10864-435: The term "Famous Five" dates from 1910 and is applied to a group of the leading characters: Harry Wharton, Frank Nugent, Bob Cherry, Johnny Bull and Hurree Jamset Ram Singh. It is not clear whether Enid Blyton was influenced by Hamilton's work. Blyton's elder daughter, Gillian Baverstock, describes a conversation between the author and her publisher that led to the inception of Blyton's Secret Seven. The publisher's own children,
10976-444: The title of Secret Seven: Short Story Collection . Scamper – Janet and Peter's pet dog and beloved companion. He is not an official member of the Secret Seven, but the children count him as one, due to his regular usefulness in the denouement of the stories. He has temporarily filled in for members when they have left the group for any reason. He is a friendly golden English Cocker Spaniel . He loves food, especially biscuits. In
11088-479: Was a full theatre orchestra. The finale was a scene at the "Faraway Tree", with many of the children dressed as fairies, flying on wires. It ran for several years, but the Stoll was knocked down and replaced by an office block in the late 1950s. The Peacock Theatre was built in the basement of the new building, but Noddy did not return. In 1963, Noddy was featured in the animated short film Noddy Goes to Toyland , it
11200-418: Was an English children's writer , whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been translated into ninety languages. As at June 2019, Blyton held the 4th place for the most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics, including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives. She
11312-478: Was born on 15 July 1931, and after a miscarriage in 1934, she gave birth to a second daughter, Imogen, on 27 October 1935. In 1938, she and her family moved to a house in Beaconsfield , named Green Hedges by Blyton's readers, following a competition in her magazine. By the mid-1930s, Pollock had become a secret alcoholic, withdrawing increasingly from public life —possibly triggered through his meetings, as
11424-693: Was dramatised in Enid , a BBC television film featuring Helena Bonham Carter in the title role. It was first broadcast in the UK on BBC Four in 2009. Enid Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in East Dulwich , south London, United Kingdom, the eldest of three children, to Thomas Carey Blyton (1870–1920), a cutlery salesman (recorded in the 1911 census with the occupation of "Mantle Manufacturer dealer [in] women's suits, skirts, etc.") and his wife Theresa Mary ( née Harrison; 1874–1950). Enid's younger brothers, Hanly (1899–1983) and Carey (1902–1976), were born after
11536-470: Was far ahead of its time". In 1940, Blyton published two books – Three Boys and a Circus and Children of Kidillin – under the pseudonym of Mary Pollock (middle name plus first married name), in addition to the eleven published under her name that year. So popular were Pollock's books that one reviewer was prompted to observe that "Enid Blyton had better look to her laurels". But Blyton's readers were not so easily deceived and many complained about
11648-508: Was generally confined to short stories and books intended for very young readers, such as Learn to Count with Noddy and Learn to Tell Time with Noddy in 1965, and Stories for Bedtime and the Sunshine Picture Story Book collection in 1966. Her declining health and a falling off in readership among older children have been put forward as the principal reasons for this change in trend. Blyton published her last book in
11760-424: Was her husband's declining health throughout the 1960s; he suffered from severe arthritis in his neck and hips, deafness, and became increasingly ill-tempered and erratic until his death on 15 September 1967. Noddy (character) Noddy is an English character created by English children's author Enid Blyton . He is a wooden toy doll depicted as having a childlike view of the world. Noddy first appeared in
11872-543: Was made in 2009 by Chorion and produced by Brown Bag Films in Ireland. This series incorporates Whizz from "Say it with Noddy" as a full-time character. Sly and Gobbo's cousins, Sneaky and Stealth, are introduced and usually work alongside them. The full series is available digitally on iTunes . In 2012, Chorion sold the Noddy character to ClassicMedia, which in turn was bought out by DreamWorks Animation, leading to another CG animated series, named Noddy, Toyland Detective
11984-509: Was named Make Way for Noddy . This was created by Chorion , in association with SD Entertainment and the 100 episodes were produced in 2001 externally. In 2004, A live show called "Noddy Live!" that takes a live tour around the UK from December 21, 2004 until March 5 2005, and returns on December 21 until December 29 in the same year. In 2005, a set of 100 new two-minute TV interstitials were created by Chorion. These interstitials, entitled Say it with Noddy , feature Noddy learning words in
12096-423: Was not keen on all the academic subjects but excelled in writing and, in 1911, entered Arthur Mee 's children's poetry competition. Mee offered to print her verses, encouraging her to produce more. Blyton's mother considered her efforts at writing to be a "waste of time and money", but she was encouraged to persevere by Mabel Attenborough, the aunt of school friend Mary Potter . Blyton's father taught her to play
12208-724: Was produced by Arthur Humberstone for Enid Blyton. In 1993, a stage production of Noddy opened at the New Wimbledon Theatre , followed by a long UK national tour, including a Christmas season in London at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith , and was released on home video in 1994. The production was presented by Clarion Productions. The production was written and directed by David Wood with scene and costume designs by Susie Calcutt. The original cast included Eric Potts as Big Ears and Karen Briffett as Noddy. The show
12320-481: Was produced by French producer/distributor Gaumont Animation , in association with DreamWorks Animation Television , and in partnership with France Télévisions . It premiered on Channel Five 's preschool block Milkshake! on 18 April 2016. There was a spoof page of "Noddy-ana" in Hot Rod magazine (U.K.), in about 1976–1978; Noddy had a hot rod , and Big Ears smoked, and was very disrespectful to Mr. Plod. In
12432-598: Was published in 1934, the same year as Brer Rabbit Retold ; (Brer Rabbit originally featured in Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris ), her first serial story and first full-length book, Adventures of the Wishing-Chair , followed in 1937. The Enchanted Wood , the first book in the Faraway Tree series , published in 1939, is about a magic tree inspired by the Norse mythology that had fascinated Blyton as
12544-630: Was very well received among critics, audiences and even Enid Blyton 's daughter Gillian Baverstock . David Wood adapted a successful sequel to the play entitled "Noddy and the Tootle" which opened at the Wimbledon Theatre and endured on a long UK National Tour in 1995–1996. Karen Briffett reprised her role as Noddy and Big Ears was played by Jonathan Broxholme . This production was too presented by Clarion Productions. The characters returned during September 2002 for an animated series, which
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