See also
- Peter Gurney, a Guinea pig specialist who cared for Michael Bond’s own Guinea pig. [5]
Olga da Polga is a fictional guinea pig, who is the heroine of a BBC television series for CBeebies and a series of books for children.
The books were originally written by Michael Bond and published between 1971 and 2002. Unlike Bond's more famous character, Paddington Bear, Olga is a teller of tall tales in the style of Baron Munchausen. The typical plot of each story is that something fairly ordinary happens to Olga, and she gives her animal friends a wildly exaggerated version of events, subsequently revealed to be untrue by what the humans say.
Bond's books were memorably illustrated by Danish artist Hans Helweg, who was also well known for his "pulp fiction" covers for Pan paperbacks. [1] His illustrations are still strongly associated with Olga, although later editions have used different imagery including artwork by Catherine Rayner for Usborne. [2]
Olga was named after the Bond family's real guinea pig. In 2014, Guardian journalist Michelle Pauli met Olga number six. [3]
In 2022, the BBC commissioned 13 episodes of a live-action TV series of Olga da Polga for CBeebies, featuring Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill. A second series aired in 2023 on the channel. [4]
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig, also known as the cavy or domestic cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the genus Cavia in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the animal, but "guinea pig" is more commonly used in scientific and laboratory contexts. Despite their name, guinea pigs are not native to Guinea, nor are they closely related to pigs. They originated in the Andes region of South America. Studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated animals that do not exist naturally in the wild, descendants of a closely related cavy species such as C. tschudii. They were originally domesticated as livestock for a source of meat, and are still consumed in some parts of the world.
Blandings Castle is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being the seat of Lord Emsworth, home to many of his family and the setting for numerous tales and adventures. The stories were written between 1915 and 1975.
Balamory is a Scottish live-action children's programme on CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named Balamory. Four series were produced from 2002 to 2005 by BBC Scotland, with 253 episodes made. The programme was created by Brian Jameson.
The Chronicles of Prydain is a pentalogy of children's high fantasy Bildungsroman novels written by American author Lloyd Alexander and published by Henry Holt and Company. The series includes: The Book of Three (1964), The Black Cauldron (1965), The Castle of Llyr (1966), Taran Wanderer (1967), and The High King (1968). The Black Cauldron earned a 1966 Newbery Honor, and The High King won the 1969 Newbery Medal.
Thomas Michael Bond was an English author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold around the world, and the characters have also appeared in a popular film series and on television. His first book was published in 1958 and his last in 2017, a span of 59 years.
Gregory Edward Hemphill is a Scottish–Canadian comedian, actor, writer, and director. Born in Springburn, an inner–city district in Glasgow, Scotland, Hemphill moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the late 1970s before returning to Scotland in 1988.
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show among other actors such as Gregor Fisher and Tom Urie.
Pugad Baboy is a comic strip created by Filipino cartoonist Apolonio "Pol" Medina, Jr. The strip is about a Manila community of mostly obese people – "fat as pigs".
Rachel Gurney was an English actress. She began her career in the theatre towards the end of World War II and then expanded into television and film in the 1950s. She remained active, mostly in television and theatre work, into the early 1990s. She is best remembered for playing the elegant Lady Marjorie Bellamy in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.
Charlie and Lola are fictional children created by the English writer and illustrator Lauren Child in 2000. They were introduced in a series of picture books and later adapted as animated television characters. Lola is an energetic and imaginative little girl; Charlie is her kind and patient older brother who is always willing to help Lola learn and grow. Charlie and Lola's parents, as well as their friends' parents, are often mentioned, but never seen.
Julie Wilson Nimmo is a Scottish actress. She is known for portraying the roles of Miss Hoolie in the BBC Children's series Balamory, Mrs Sawdust in CBeebies show Olga Da Polga and DC Megan Squire in the BBC Scottish comedy series Scot Squad.
Andrew William Agnew is a Scottish actor, singer and director. He is best known for playing the role of PC Plum in the BAFTA award-winning CBeebies programme Balamory and Walter in Scot Squad.
Olga is a Russian female given name, derived from the Old Norse name Helga. It is used in Russia (Ольга), Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece and Cyprus, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Balkans, Western Europe and Latin America (Olga).
Pinky Dinky Doo is an animated children's television series created by Jim Jinkins. It was produced and co-owned by Jinkins' Cartoon Pizza and Sesame Workshop. The series was made in association with Discovery Kids Latin America, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. For the second season, Abrams Gentile Entertainment, and the Canadian studio Keyframe Digital Productions joined as production companies. Each episode follows an imaginative pink-haired girl named Pinky Dinky Doo, her brother Tyler and pet Mr. Guinea Pig as she makes up her own stories.
Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children's book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in more than twenty books written by British author Michael Bond, and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, David McKee, R. W. Alley and other artists.
Big Barn Farm is a British live-action and animated children's comedy television series following the lives of four young animals on a farm which uses a combination of live-action and animation. It was produced by The Foundation and commissioned by Michael Carrington for the BBC children's channel CBeebies. It was narrated by Ben Fairman in the first series and Dave Lamb in the second series.
Charlie and Lola is a British Flash-animated children's television series based on the popular children's picture book series of the same name by Lauren Child, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for CBeebies and Playhouse Disney. It ran for 3 series from 7 November 2005 to 24 April 2008, winning multiple BAFTA Children's Awards throughout its run. The animation uses a collage style that emulates the style of the original books.
Peter Rabbit is an animated comedy children's television series for preschool children that debuted on the Nick Jr. Channel on 14 December 2012, in the United States and on CBeebies and BBC One on 25 December 2012, in the United Kingdom. It is based on the character of the same name from Beatrix Potter's children’s books. The series debuted on American TV and iTunes on 14 December 2012, with the pilot episode debuting as a Christmas holiday special, titled Peter Rabbit's Christmas Tale, and the show was becoming a regular series on 19 February 2013, in the USA which was watched by three million viewers in the U.S. The first official DVD of Peter Rabbit was released on 28 May 2013, as a Walmart exclusive. It contains the programmes first eight episodes on a single disc. On 11 October 2013, Nickelodeon ordered a second series of 26 episodes. The series is also on the BBC Alba channel known as Peadar Kinnen. In Wales the series is known as Guto Gwningen dubbed into Welsh on S4C.
Scot Squad is a British television mockumentary series about a fictional Scottish police force, made in a fly on the wall style.
