The Raggy Dolls

The Raggy Dolls
Title card
Genre	Fantasy Children and family series Comedy drama Adventure
Created by	Melvyn Jacobson
Developed by	John Walker
Written by	Neil Innes
Voices of	Neil Innes
Narrated by	Neil Innes
Theme music composer	Neil Innes
Opening theme	Raggy Dolls, Dolls like you and me
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	9
No. of episodes	112
Production
Executive producer	John Marsden
Producer	Jo Kemp / Neil Molyneux / Joy Whitby
Running time	11 minutes
Production companies	Yorkshire Television (1986–1994) Orchid Productions (1987–1994)
Original release
Network	ITV (CITV)
Release	3 April 1986 (1986-04-03) – 20 December 1994 (1994-12-20)

The Raggy Dolls is a 1986-1994 British cartoon series which originally aired on ITV. The series is set in Mr Grimes' Toy Factory, where imperfect dolls are thrown into a reject bin. While unobserved by human eyes, the dolls come to life and climb out of the reject bin to have adventures. The series was designed to encourage children to think positively about physical disabilities. ^[1] 112 episodes were produced. ^[2]

Production history

The series was produced for Yorkshire Television from 3 April 1986 to 20 December 1994. It was created by Melvyn Jacobson, with scripts, narration, and music by Neil Innes. Yorkshire Television produced the first two series of The Raggy Dolls before awarding the commission to Orchid Productions Limited in 1987.

This was the first programme Yorkshire Television commissioned from an independent production company. Orchid Productions went on to produce over 100 more episodes of the series. The initial animator for Yorkshire TV was Roy Evans. After the move to Orchid Productions Mark Mason took over the role, animating and storyboarding 26 episodes, and storyboarding and directing other animators on a further 26 episodes before moving on to work on other children's shows.

He was replaced by Peter Hale from the 7th series onwards. The series was sold abroad to a number of other countries.

Characters

The Raggy Dolls

• Sad Sack – A sample of a design that was deemed too expensive to mass-produce; his appearance is somewhat different from that of the others. He is the oldest of the seven Raggy Dolls in the Reject Bin. As his name suggests, he is very gloomy and cynical, but he still values his friendship with the other dolls.
• Dotty - As the oldest next to the lethargic Sad Sack, she sees herself as the leader of the group and is often very bossy. She is so named because she accidentally had paint spilt on her hair and clothing. Dotty's main catchphrase is: "Good thinking!"
• Hi-Fi – He converses with stammer due to him being dropped during testing. It was also stated in the episode "The Trouble with Claude" that he was wired incorrectly, hence the stammer. He always wears headphones, which allow him to tune into radio and communication signals from seemingly any source.
• Lucy – Her limbs are inadequately attached with nylon thread. She is shy and easily frightened, but always kind-hearted and loyal to her friends. She can be brave on occasion, as first seen in the episode "Ghosts". She speaks with a Derbyshire accent.
• Back-To-Front – He is a handyman doll with a backward-facing head (as a result of the manufacturer putting his head on the wrong way round) and a love of machines. Always calm in a crisis, Back-To-Front's catchphrase is "No problem!".
• Claude – A French doll, who, unlike his companions, is actually perfect in every way. He fell out of a box of dolls being shipped to France and was left behind, being put in the bin out of a lack of other places. He speaks with a French accent and sometimes alternates between speaking English and French. He also has a notable talent for cooking.
• Princess – She should have been a beautiful princess doll, but the machine accidentally cut her hair and left her dress in rags. In the manner of a typical aristocrat, her voice is characterised by H-adding. As the opening titles indicate, Princess is the youngest of the original seven Raggy Dolls.
• Ragamuffin – A wandering traveller doll who had lost his owner and decided to spend his life taking in new sights and experiences. Introduced in the fifth series. ^[3]

Friends

• Pumpernickle – A Scarecrow who is a friend to the Raggy Dolls.
• Edward – Mr Grimes's lost teddy bear who becomes a good friend to the Raggy Dolls.
• Mr Marmalade – Mr Grimes's pet cat who has a playful trait.
• Hercules – An old farmhorse.
• Rupert the Roo – An Australian toy kangaroo who had been mailed from Australia until he had become a new friend to the Raggy Dolls.
• Natasha – A Russian Doll bought by Mrs Grimes.

Humans

• Mr Oswald "Ozzie" Grimes – The owner of the toy factory.
• Cynthia – Appeared later in the series to be Mr Grimes's love interest, and later wife.
• Florrie Fosdyke – The kind but forgetful canteen manager of the factory.
• Farmer Brown – The farmer of One Pin Farm.
• Ethel Grimes – Mr Grimes's sister.
• Old Mrs Grimes - Mr Grimes and Ethel's Mother
• Oz and Boz – Ethel's badly-behaved sons (and Mr Grimes's nephews), known as the Terrible Twins.

Episodes

Series overview

Series	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	13		3 April 1986 (1986-04-03)	26 February 1987 (1987-02-26)
2	13		13 November 1987 (1987-11-13)	28 September 1988 (1988-09-28)
3	13		16 November 1988 (1988-11-16)	30 August 1989 (1989-08-30)
4	13		6 September 1989 (1989-09-06)	30 August 1990 (1990-08-30)
5	13		6 September 1990 (1990-09-06)	20 December 1990 (1990-12-20)
6	13		6 September 1991 (1991-09-06)	13 December 1991 (1991-12-13)
7	13		8 September 1992 (1992-09-08)	8 December 1992 (1992-12-08)
8	10		28 September 1993 (1993-09-28)	7 December 1993 (1993-12-07)
9	10		11 October 1994 (1994-10-11)	20 December 1994 (1994-12-20)

Series 1
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
1	101	3 April 1986	The Flying Machine	The Raggy Dolls see a radio-controlled aeroplane fly overhead and, when it crash-lands, decide to fix it up and fly in it.
2	102	10 April 1986	The Big Top	The Raggy Dolls wind up inside a circus tent and perform stunts as they try to make their way out.
3	103	17 April 1986	The Pigeon Race	Whilst Hi-Fi and Back-to-Front are out for a walk, they meet a homing pigeon that has become injured whilst tangled on some electric wires and they go to help him, with the help of the other dolls.
4	104	24 April 1986	The War of the Wizards	With Back-to-Front's magic tricks being out of practice, Hi-Fi uses his metal detector to uncover a chest that has a real magic book in it, in which Back-to-Front uses to fix his head, but the book soon causes problems.
5	105	1 May 1986	The Special Offer	The Raggy Dolls were taken to a toy shop in London and were made as special offers to anyone who buys a video game. However, despite this new life, they did not want to give up their friendship when being bought individually, which is what happens when Lucy had been bought by a rich girl.
6	106	8 May 1986	The Litter Bugs	After Sad Sack gets chased by a duckling, the Raggy Dolls discover that the peaceful area of a field they are in is being littered by a careless family on a picnic.
7	201	20 November 1986	The Dark Wood	When visiting the Dark Wood, the Raggy Dolls come to realise that the wood is under threat because of a poacher.
8	202	27 November 1986	The Funfair	A man called Toby Martin came and took the Raggy Dolls to a Fun Fair; they were then put on hooks as prizes for the coconut shy. However, as they saw the coconuts get hit by the balls, they soon see that there is something funny about Toby Martin.
9	203	4 December 1986	Too Many Cooks	Claude is a very good cook for the Raggy Dolls, but when he saw Florrie Fosdyke bake a cake for the factory competition, he was then disgusted with her poor efforts. So the gang decide to help her out by replacing it with an even better cake.
10	204	11 December 1986	After the Storm	After a storm has passed, the Raggy Dolls go to see Pumpernickle but find him on the ground. They also notice that Farmer Brown is not around to help the animals, and with the help of Rufus the sheepdog, they find him stuck in an old mineshaft and help to rescue him.
11	205	18 December 1986	Christmas Dolls	One snowy Christmas Eve, the Raggy Dolls decided to go tobogganing in the snow, but poor Sad Sack meanwhile wished he was still back in bed. And they end up crashing into the doors of a children's hospital, where they become temporary Christmas presents to sick children.
12	206	19 February 1987	The Trouble with Claude	After hearing about a French Week being held in Bunce's Emporium, the Raggy Dolls decided to go there to have a look, but as they did, Claude got into a lot of trouble when he had wandered off. From there he gets lost and meets another French doll called Babette.
13	207	26 February 1987	Happy Binday	It is Princess's "binday", and she feels that she is being ignored as her friends get the preparations ready in secret. She decides to award them with a flight on Owl.
Series 2
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
14	301	13 November 1987	The Genius	An American artist, Andre G. Hamburger needs inspiration for his new work and takes Dotty and Back-to-Front. Only when Hi-Fi rescues them, do they end up making his art even more famous.
15	302	20 November 1987	Speaking French	Claude teaches the Raggy Dolls French. At first, Princess tries, then the rest of the Raggy Dolls except Sad Sack, who thought it is silly until he comes across a troubled French doll in an apple tree.
16	303	27 November 1987	The Winter Swan	The Raggy Dolls find a Swan in distress one cold winter's night and decide to help it.
17	304	4 December 1987	The Terrible Twins	Mr Grimes's nephews come to visit him for the weekend and cause problems not just for him, but for the Raggy Dolls as well.
18	305	11 December 1987	Sports Day	The Raggy Dolls were having a Sports Day, and everyone is enjoying it, except for poor Sad Sack.
19	306	8 January 1988	To the Rescue	The Raggy Dolls help to repair a knitted doll that they find thrown away at the dump.
20	401	19 August 1988	Spring Toys	Mr Grimes is running out of ideas, and it is up to the Raggy Dolls to find some more, in order to keep his business running.
21	402	26 August 1988	A Trip to the Sea	Mr Grimes goes to the seaside for his holiday, and the Raggy Dolls follow.
22	403	2 September 1988	The Royal Tour	Princess feels like she is not royal enough, so the Raggy Dolls dress her up in royalty and give her a royal tour around the countryside, but things do not go according to plan when her coronet is stolen by a magpie and a fierce bull sees her red dress.
23	404	7 September 1988	Onion Soup	Claude gets himself into trouble, when he went after Onion soup, made by Florrie, and ends up being put inside a saucepan.
24	405	14 September 1988	Moving House	Dotty decides that the dolls should move to a new home. But when night falls and a storm takes place, she climbs inside a tree to shelter. When the other Raggy Dolls hear she is in trouble, they build a raft and set off to the rescue.
25	406	21 September 1988	Factory Mice	After giving a baby mouse some of their picnic food, the Raggy Dolls tell it where they got it. The next day, the factory is overtaken by a huge hoard of mice, and they now have to find a way on getting rid of them.
26	407	28 September 1988	A Trip to France	The Raggy Dolls sail on a toy boat and end up lost at sea. They reach a beach which Claude thinks is France, and camp there before sailing back home. In the end, Dotty discovers they were on an island in the middle of the sea.
Series 3
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
27	501	16 November 1988	Hot Air Balloon	One day, The Raggy Dolls were having a great time watching clouds, it was then disturbed when a hot air balloon landed in the big field. The pilot left a boy in charge and while he went for help, the boy accidentally clambered in and got unconscious as the balloon took off by high winds, and it is up to them to save the boy.
28	502	23 November 1988	Ghosts	One night, Lucy wanted to be brave for once, she managed to succeed when she and the other Raggy Dolls met up with some spooky skeleton Raggy Dolls.
29	503	30 November 1988	The Tree House	The Raggy Dolls decided to build a Tree House as their hang-out place, but whilst they were building, they noticed that a Magpie had been stealing jewelry from Mr Grimes’ Toy Factory.
30	504	7 December 1988	The Memory Machine	Claude had come up with an idea for all The Raggy Dolls to dance for the evenings, and whilst they were planning to do that, they then found in the reject bin a Memory Machine with faulty answers. They managed to fix it up, in return of it lighting up the disco.
31	505	14 December 1988	Doll Overboard	The Raggy Dolls decided to go for a sail, only for them to have a rough time with speed boats.
32	506	21 December 1988	The Unlucky Hedgehog	One autumn, The Raggy Dolls decided to camouflage their tree house, but as they were gathering things together, they eventually came to find a stubborn hedgehog, living in a bonfire in which would soon be alight.
33	601	19 July 1989	Easter Bunny	The Raggy Dolls find out what happens when a greedy bunny has too many chocolate eggs.
34	602	26 July 1989	In Days of Old	Sad Sack was having trouble drawing a picture, so he decided to read a book about a magic sword, which then caused him to have the most amazing dream of his life.
35	603	2 August 1989	The Old Clock Lady	Grimes Soft Toys are having a clearout. The Raggy Dolls find themselves thrown in a skip and taken to the town dump. A poor old lady visits the dump looking for scrap items to sell so that she can make some money to buy herself food and drink. She spots the Raggy Dolls in the skip and takes them home with her. In return for her kindness, the Raggy Dolls help the old lady by repairing all the broken clocks that she has so that she can sell them.
36	604	9 August 1989	Peace and Quiet	It was a peaceful day in their new treehouse until they were interrupted by jets and aeroplanes.
37	605	16 August 1989	We are Not Amused	The Raggy Dolls have found an amusement park but they soon discovered that it is not much fun at all.
38	606	23 August 1989	The Lost Puppy	Mr Grimes was looking after his sister's naughty pet puppy as the Raggy Dolls had soon spotted him getting into all kinds of trouble and gets lost.
39	607	30 August 1989	Horse Sense	One day, The Raggy Dolls found something strange in the Big Field, which turns out to be Horse Jumps for a Welsh Pony, belonging to Farmer Brown's daughter that then had an accident. The Raggy Dolls come to the rescue, once again.
Series 4
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
40	608	6 September 1989	The Terrible Storm	After the terrible storm was brewing, the Raggy Dolls must fix their new treehouse.
41	609	13 September 1989	The Stolen Parrot	The Raggy Dolls must help a parrot who had been birdnapped by poachers.
42	610	20 September 1989	Crazy Golf	Mr Grimes had found a game of golf, so the Raggy Dolls must make a game of crazy golf for themselves.
43	701	28 June 1990	Pumpernickle's Party	The Raggy Dolls try to help Pumpernickle by scaring all the crows away.
44	702	5 July 1990	So Safari	Mr. Grimes's terrible twin nephews were on a trip to the zoo as the Raggy Dolls followed with the help of the other animals.
45	703	12 July 1990	Making Faces	Deciding to cheer Sad Sack up, the Raggy Dolls had made a puppet show to make him believe himself.
46	704	19 July 1990	The Old Windmill	The Raggy Dolls had found an old windmill as they soon discovered it.
47	705	26 July 1990	The Little Carthorse	The Raggy Dolls have met a little carthorse who does not know who he is with a little help from Hercules the farm horse.
48	706	2 August 1990	Making Jam	The Raggy Dolls were all harvesting crabapples and blackberries and they decide to make jam with them.
49	707	9 August 1990	The Teddy Bear's Picnic	While the Raggy Dolls were having a picnic lunch, they meet Mr Grimes's long lost teddy bear named Old Edward who had been lost for a long time as they tried to help him out.
50	708	16 August 1990	Mr Marmalade	The Raggy Dolls had quite enough of Mr Marmalade's tricks after he had scared them, as they made their way to the factory, they were terrified by a rat so Mr. Marmalade tries to rescue them by scaring the rat away.
51	709	23 August 1990	The Treasure Hunt	Mr Marmalade and the Raggy Dolls had given them clues as they were on a search to find a hidden treasure.
52	710	30 August 1990	Rupert the Roo	Sad Sack had met a toy kangaroo, Rupert the Roo who had been mailed from Australia, so the Raggy Dolls try to help him out before heading back to Australia.
Series 5
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
53	711	6 September 1990	Witch is Which?	When a witch tries to spoil their Halloween Party the other Raggy Dolls think her magic is the surprise laser show promised by Back-To-Front and Hi-Fi, and their laughter drives the witch away. When the boys explain their show did not work, the Raggy Dolls make sure to laugh all the way home.
54	712	13 September 1990	Bonfire Night	The Raggy Dolls explain the significance of 5 November to Claude and set out to watch the firework display. Claude is captured by some boys who are planning their own bonfire in an abandoned paint factory. They tie Claude to a rocket, and light their bonfire, oblivious of the sparks, which set the factory alight. Hi-Fi calls the Fire Brigade, but before they arrive a spark sets off the boys' box of fireworks and drives them away. In the commotion, the Raggy Dolls free Claude, just before a spark ignites the rocket.
55	713	20 September 1990	Rainbow's End	Princess learns that good friends are worth more than a whole pot of gold.
56	714	27 September 1990	Lost in Space	The Raggy Dolls were being kidnapped by some aliens and Hi-Fi befriends an alien who stammers just like him.
57	715	4 October 1990	Roman Ramblers	The Raggy Dolls go hiking but get lost in the hot sun. Luckily, the Romans have left handy signposts to help them find their way again. Sad Sack dreams that they are all back in Roman times.
58	716	11 October 1990	The Great Expedition	The Raggy Dolls were in the jungle and meet a lonely gorilla.
59	717	18 October 1990	The Twitcher	The Raggy Dolls find out who is the Twitcher.
60	718	25 October 1990	Too Bossy	Dotty learns a valuable lesson about being bossy today.
61	719	1 November 1990	The Toy Fair	The Raggy Dolls were at the toy fair and the monkey causes chaos and took over the store.
62	720	8 November 1990	Ragamuffin	The Raggy Dolls meets Ragamuffin who is a wandering traveller doll who had lost his owner and decided to spend his life taking in new sights and experiences of his adventures.
63	721	15 November 1990	Grand Prix Dolls	Ragamuffin and the Raggy Dolls were playing Grand Prix games.
64	722	22 November 1990	Fond Farewells	The Raggy Dolls gives Ragamuffin a teary farewell.
65	723	20 December 1990	Doctor Dolls	The Raggy Dolls were playing doctors and nurses.
Series 6
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
66	801	6 September 1991	Old Fashioned Dolls	The Raggy Dolls teach Edward about old-fashioned things from the past.
67	802	13 September 1991	Lady Luck	The Raggy Dolls meets a mysterious woman called Lady Luck who takes them on an adventure they will never forget.
68	803	20 September 1991	Invisible Dolls	The Raggy Dolls are invisible today.
69	804	27 September 1991	The Great Outdoors	The Raggy Dolls decide to hitch a ride with Mr. Grimes when he goes camping. After setting up their homemade tents and sleeping bags, they notice that a rock climber is in trouble. The Raggy Dolls come to the rescue.
70	805	18 October 1991	The Lonely Echo	While staying in the countryside, the Raggy Dolls meet a lonely cliff.
71	806	25 October 1991	Homeward Bound	The Raggy Dolls learns that there is no place like home.
74	807	1 November 1991	Railway Dolls	The Raggy Dolls are having a lovely time at the railway station.
75	808	8 November 1991	Windy Weather	The wind blows a young crow out of its nest. With the help of Back-To-Front's kite and a helpful cow, the Raggy Dolls manage to return him to the treetop.
76	809	15 November 1991	Purple Diamonds	When the Raggy Dolls dig up a troublesome rock they think they have discovered valuable purple diamonds. They dream of what they would do with their riches, until Mr. Marmalade, the factory cat, explains that is only amethyst, and worth very little.
77	810	22 November 1991	The Giant Bumblebee	Mr. Grimes' sister leaves the terrible twins Oz and Boz with Mr Grimes. He suggests they collect insects to study, but when the Raggy Dolls find that they have trapped the insects in a jar without airholes they dress up Sad Sack as a giant bumblebee to teach the twins a lesson.
78	811	29 November 1991	The Return of the Roo	The Raggy Dolls were excited when Rupert returns from Australia.
70	812	6 December 1991	The Boomerang Games	Rupert teaches the Raggy Dolls how to use a boomerang.
Series 7
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
80	901	8 September 1992	The Royal County Show	The Raggy Dolls and Rupert the Roo are at the Royal County Show.
81	902	15 September 1992	Open Day	The Raggy Dolls and Rupert the Roo were at Open Day with great results.
82	903	22 September 1992	The Town Carnival	The Raggy Dolls are at the town carnival with over-the-top results.
83	904	29 September 1992	Cave Dolls	The Raggy Dolls dream they were in Stone Age.
84	905	6 October 1992	Barbeque Ball	The Raggy Dolls are having a barbecue ball and Claude asks Princess if she would like to dance.
85	906	13 October 1992	High and Dry	Sad Sack accidentally steers 'The Spirit of Adventure' into a sandbank, but this leads him to discover a secret cave on the beach.
86	907	27 October 1992	Smugglers Cave	Sad Sack befriends a ghost of the fisherman who tells stories of the seven seas.
88	908	3 November 1992	William the Conker	The Raggy Dolls play conkers.
89	909	10 November 1992	Bonnie Scotland	The Raggy Dolls travel to Scotland.
90	910	17 November 1992	On the Town	The Raggy Dolls were going to London with Ragamuffin.
91	911	24 November 1992	Danger, Men at Work	While holidaying in London, there is trouble for the Raggy Dolls and the workmen.
92	912	1 December 1992	Sight Seeing Dolls	The Raggy Dolls tour London with their friend Ragamuffin.
93	913	8 December 1992	Dolls on Wheels	Hi-Fi and Back to Front build a skateboard but have trouble finding the right wheels for the job. Rupert the Roo brings them the wheels from Mr. Grimes's tea trolley. Sad Sack doubts that these are the best wheels for a skateboard, and it looks like he may be right.
Series 8
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
93	1001	28 September 1993	Robot Canteen	After Florrie had gone to do some shopping, Mr Grimes had hired a robot to do the hard work as the Raggy Dolls try to devise a plan to get Florrie back.
94	1002	5 October 1993	Mister Mole	The Raggy Dolls have met a mole while having their picnic lunch together.
95	1003	12 October 1993	The Empty House	While testing on an aeroplane until it had landed on an empty house when the Raggy Dolls try to find it before heading back home with a flight of an owl.
96	1004	19 October 1993	Mon Repose	Mr. Grimes was having a holiday near the seaside, but it does not work at all when the Raggy Dolls try to help people from getting washed away by the sea.
97	1005	26 October 1993	The Runaway Monkey	The Raggy Dolls have made their plans to catch a mischievous monkey.
98	1006	2 November 1993	Lucy's Greenhouse	When slugs eat the cabbages in Lucy's garden, the Raggy Dolls make a greenhouse for her. Overcome by the heat she dreams she shrinks in size and meets many strange plants and insects. The Raggy Dolls rescue her, but she realises even pests have to eat.
99	1007	9 November 1993	The Horrible Princesses	Three haughty princess dolls make fun of Princess, but the Raggy Dolls convince them that a terrible wizard is on their trail so they could teach them all a lesson.
100	1008	16 November 1993	The Town Gala	The Raggy Dolls watch Cynthia and Mr. Grimes doing a skydive at the town gala.
101	1009	23 November 1993	Mr Grimes in Love	The Raggy Dolls decide to write a love letter to Mr. Grimes thinking it was from Cynthia Popplethwaite.
102	1010	7 December 1993	Wedding Bells	Mr. Grimes is too shy to declare his feelings to Cynthia Popplethwaite, so the Raggy Dolls play cupid. When Mr. Grimes and Cynthia get married, she brings the Raggy Dolls with her to the cottage so they can all live happily ever after.
Series 9
#	Prod	Air date	Title	Summary
103	1101	11 October 1994	Off on a Honeymoon	The Raggy Dolls were very proud of Mr. Grimes after he got married with Mrs.Grimes until they have decided to go on a honeymoon as the Raggy Dolls have followed them inside their suitcase.
104	1102	18 October 1994	A Mediterranean Cruise	When they have made it to Spain by a Cruise Liner, Princess was being captured by a monkey so it was up to the Raggy Dolls to save her before heading back to the Cruise Liner with some help from the seagulls.
105	1103	25 October 1994	Stormy Weather	The Raggy Dolls decided to make a paddling pool to swim in it as the great big weather came and it worked out very well for the Raggy Dolls.
106	1104	1 November 1994	When in Rome	When they have made it to Italy, the Raggy Dolls try to help the Italian alley cat by finding the lost kitten.
107	1105	8 November 1994	Just a Minotaur	While inside the secret Temple leaving crisps and peanuts for a trail until they have found a lizard who knew the way out until the Minotaur was only just Mr. Grimes carrying a bicycle thanks to one of Back-to-Front's funny pranks on them.
108	1106	15 November 1994	The Eyes of Rami	When they went to Egypt, the Raggy Dolls were being tricked by a Scorpion until they have met an Egyptian princess doll named Shehabi who helped them find the emeralds for the eyes of the Princess Rami statue before it magically headed them back home in the Reject bin.
109	1107	22 November 1994	Elephants do Forget	The Raggy Dolls and Mr. Marmalade help the baby elephant by trying to remember everything by scaring it with a help of a little mouse that Mr.Marmalade had caught.
110	1108	6 December 1994	What's the Time?	The Raggy Dolls try to help Sad Sack try to remember the time has come.
111	1109	13 December 1994	The Russian Doll	Natasha, a Russian Doll of seven in the care of Mrs. Grimes, gets friendly with the Raggy Dolls, Rupert the Roo, and Old Edward.
112	1110	20 December 1994	Bored	The final episode of the series has Rupert the Roo bored of Natasha and Old Edward, so he decides to join the Raggy Dolls with a ride on a boat until they have discovered some famous actresses and actors were filming on the bridge of the water pond as they saw him, the actor threw him out over the bridge and Rupert finds out that he was not bored anymore.

Transmission guide

• Series 1a: 6 editions from 3 April 1986 – 8 May 1986
• Series 1b: 7 editions from 20 November 1986 – 26 February 1987
• Series 2a: 6 editions 13 November 1987 – 8 January 1988
• Series 2b: 7 editions from 19 August 1988 – 28 September 1988
• Series 3a: 6 editions from 16 November 1988 – 21 December 1988
• Series 3b: 7 editions from 19 July 1989 – 30 August 1989
• Series 4a: 3 editions from 6 September 1989 – 20 September 1989
• Series 4b: 10 editions from 28 June 1990 – 30 August 1990
• Series 5: 13 editions from 6 September 1990 – 20 December 1990
• Series 6: 13 editions from 6 September 1991 – 13 December 1991
• Series 7: 13 editions from 8 September 1992 – 8 December 1992
• Series 8: 10 editions from 28 September 1993 – 7 December 1993
• Series 9: 10 editions from 11 October 1994 – 20 December 1994

Later broadcasts

After the series ended, The Raggy Dolls later aired on digital television on the defunct children's network Carlton Kids and then on free-for-air satellite television on Tiny Pop.

The series was broadcast to many countries worldwide, with the exception of the United States.

Merchandise

Three videos (with 5 programmes each) were released during the late 80s by Castle Communications Plc, each featuring a selection of episodes from the first two series narrated by Neil Innes. They were later re-released in Australia during the early 90s by Castle Communications Australasia.

• The Raggy Dolls (CAV 1008) – "The Big Top", "After the Storm", "The Dark Wood", "The Genius", "The Winter Swan".
• The Raggy Dolls 2 (CAV 1014) – "The Flying Machine", "The Pigeon Race", "The Fun Fair", "Too Many Cooks", "The Terrible Twins". ^[4]
• The Raggy Dolls 3 (CVI 1022) – "Spring Toys", "A Trip to the Sea", "A Royal Tour", "Onion Soup", "Moving House".

In the Spring of 1993, 4 Front Video released one cassette under 'Pocket Money Video' range (Cat No. 0867323) with six great episodes -
"The Flying Machine", "The Pigeon Race", "The Fun Fair", "Spring Toys", "A Trip to the Sea", "A Royal Tour".

The complete first series of The Raggy Dolls was released on DVD on 21 June 2010 through Revelation Films; the complete second series was available from 18 October 2010; the complete third series was available from 7 February 2011; the complete fourth series was released on 6 June 2011, but the complete fifth series was never released.

Books

A series of at least 10 books were published in 1990 by both Boxtree Limited (in association with Yorkshire Television Limited) and ABC Enterprises (for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation). The books were written or adapted by Neil Innes and illustrated by Steve Smallman. Titles include:

• The Big Top
• The Flying Machine
• The Hot Air Balloon
• In Days of Old
• Moving House
• The Pigeon Race
• The Royal Tour
• The Stolen Parrot
• The Tree House
• A Trip to the Sea
• We Are Not Amused
• The War Of The Wizards

References

1. Brewer, Susan (2013). Famous Character Dolls. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN   9781783376223 . Retrieved 19 June 2020.
2. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 53. ISBN   9781476672939.
3. "Raggy Dolls". 80scartoons.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
4. "Raggy Dolls 2 [VHS]". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2015.

External links

• The Raggy Dolls at IMDb
• Toonhound page on the series
• 80sNostalgia – The Raggy Dolls
• The Raggy Dolls at epguides.com