British children's TV puppet character (1946–1955)
Muffin the Mule is an animated puppet animal character in a British 1946 to 1955 television show for children. The puppet was made in 1933 for Ann Hogarth. The original TV shows featuring the animal character himself were presented by Annette Mills, and broadcast live by the BBC from their studios at Alexandra Palace from autumn 1946 to winter 1954. Mills and the puppet continued with programmes that were broadcast until 1955, when Mills died. The television series then transferred to ITV in 1956 and 1957. A modern animated version of "Muffin the Mule" aired on the British CBeebies channel between autumn 2005 and early summer 2011 in the United Kingdom.
History.
The original mule puppet was created in 1933 by Punch and Judy puppet maker Fred Tickner for husband-and-wife puppeteers Jan Bussell (1909–1984) and Ann Hogarth to form part of a puppet circus for the Hogarth Puppet Theatre. The act was soon put away, and the puppet was not taken out again until 1946, when Bussell and Hogarth were working with TV presenter Annette Mills. She named the puppet mule "Muffin", and it first appeared on television in an edition of "For the Children" broadcast on 20 October 1946.
The character proved popular, and ran on BBC television until 1955 when the BBC decided to discontinue the show after Mills' death. Muffin reappeared on BBC television on 27 January 1957 with Jan Bussell as his companion.
Typically, Muffin danced on top of a piano as Mills played its black-and-white keys. Muffin was supported by a host of other puppet characters who appeared occasionally, including Kirri the Kiwi, Zebbie the Zebra, Hubert the Hippopotamus and Sally the Sea Lion to name just a few. A separate series of 15-minute episodes, "Muffin the Mule", was broadcast from 1952, along with his signature tune, called "We want Muffin". Muffin became a television star, and a wide range of spin-off merchandise was made using the Muffin character, including books, records, games and toys. Muffin also was made into one of the first licensed kids' rides. A die-cast movable puppet was produced by Lesney Products, "the first toy to be marketed under licence as a result of successful TV appearances."
In the early 1950s, a Fleetways weekly magazine, "Woman's Illustrated", featured on its children's page (Gnomes Club) stories about Muffin the Mule and/or his friends. Some were written by Annette Mills and illustrated by Molly Blake, Annette's daughter, such as "Muffin meets the Rear Light" in 1953; others did not state who the illustrator was, such as in 1953 "Muffin's Good Deed" by Mills, and many stories were written and illustrated only by Blake such as "Willie Disappears" (a Muffin story) on 20 August 1955.
Bussell and Hogarth, and later their daughter Sally McNally (1936–2004), continued to use Muffin the Mule in their own shows. Surviving original episodes of Muffin the Mule remain available on digital media in the United Kingdom. Archive footage of the original BBC series was shown on a television set in the 2006 "Doctor Who" story "The Idiot's Lantern".
Muffin was invited to take part in 2021's Children in Need night.
Book.
A book containing a selection of the stories was published in the Soviet Union in 1958. At least three cartoons based on it were made in 1974 and 1975. These cartoons and the book make Muffin a donkey rather than a mule.
2005-2011 TV series.
The rights to Muffin the Mule were bought by Maverick Entertainment in 2003, and a new 25-part animated version of "Muffin the Mule" was shown on the British CBeebies TV channel. First aired on September 14th 2005 and repeated until May 20th 2011. The new television series was also translated into Welsh as "Myffin y Mul" and broadcast in Wales on the S4C channel.
Episodes (2005-2011 TV series).
1. Wish Upon A Star (first-ever episode) - Despite stargazing one cool winter's night with Muffin the Mule and Monty the mischievous monkey making a five-pointed "star" out of "silver paper and cardboard" as well as Peregrine the penguin building a "highly powerful telescope" to study the stars and then seeing an alien that looks just like Willie the Worm, Louise the lamb learns that all real wishes must always be kept secret. Episode Animators: Brian Larkin, Paul Cowen
2. The Party - After Grace the Giraffe receives a grammophone from Postman Kangaroo, Louise the Lamb decides to prepare a party in her garden. She invites everyone in the village, including Monty the cheeky monkey. However, when Muffin agrees to help organize the party for Louise and make preparations, Monty the Monkey himself overhears and, after being given the job of delivering the invitations to everyone in Muffinham, he becomes too curious and opens up the six invitations whilst delivering them across the farm, causing him to disorganize them all by mistake. In the end, after Monty eventually apologizes to all the other animal residents for (accidentally) mixing up all the party invitations, Morris and Doris Mouse and the other Muffinham Village pals do the jobs that they were meant to do in the first place, allowing the party itself to take place without any chaos at all. Episode Animator: Laurent Grisel
3. Muffin's Day Off - It is a sunny spring day in Muffinham Village, and Muffin the Mule is looking forward to a relaxing picnic in the woods. Unfortunately, just about all of the other residents of Muffinham need Muffin to help him solve all their problems. Monty the Monkey cannot cross the raging river unaided, Peregrine the Penguin has lost his only pair of blue "reading glasses", Morris and Doris Mouse cannot decide whether to have red or pink roses beside their straw house's front door, and Grace the Giraffe's hooves are purple instead of grey and black. Muffin the Mule comes to the rescue before sharing his afternoon picnic with all his friends, including Monty the cheeky Monkey. Episode Animators: Brian Larkin, Paul Cowen
4. No Place Like Home - It is a warm summer's day in Muffinham Village and Morris and Doris Mouse are both planning a surprise for Peter the dog - they are going to build him a brand new dog kennel to live in with the help of Muffin and all his crazy animal friends. However, when Peter overhears Morris and Doris Mouse talking about him moving away, he mistakenly thinks that they no longer want him to live with them in their straw house and nonetheless decides to find somewhere else in Muffinham to live. However, after visiting first Peregrine the Penguin, then Grace the giraffe, then Louise the Lamb, then Oswald the Ostrich and Willie the clever Worm and finally Monty the cheeky monkey, Peter the dog runs away and hides in the woods. In the end, it is Muffin the Mule who leads Peter to his new dog-kennel not far from Morris and Doris' garden and is relieved. Episode Animator: Chris Evans
5. Peregrine Helps Out - One chilly autumn day in Muffinham, 4 of the village residents have problems. A noisy seagull is building a nest on top of Grace the Giraffe's lighthouse roof, Willie the clever Worm is fed up of always moving slowly around the village, Louise the Lamb's drainpipe is broken and the bung for Morris and Doris' water butt is "rotten". Peregrine the Penguin is annoyed that everyone in Muffinham Village always goes to Muffin the Mule with all their problems, but is delighted when he is finally asked for some advice, despite him eventually making an aircraft for Willie the Worm, which unknowingly solves everyone's problems in an unusual way before finally crashing head-on into the circular hole in the front of Morris and Doris' water butt with a big bang, damaging it. Episode Animator: Geoff Loynes
6. Moving House - Poor Oswald the Ostrich is desperate to fly and Peregrine the Penguin's new slinger machine gets him up in the air quicker than a gun's bullet. Unfortunately, Oswald himself crash lands into Peter the dog's kennel without warning him. Peregrine is only trying to help, but despite babysitting Peter in his igloo, his actions leave Muffin homeless too, when, that night, the caravan that he lives in rolls down the hill, along with Muffin himself fast asleep on board, in spite of Muffin suddenly forgetting clean about Morris and Doris' armchairs, which Morris and Doris Mouse tell Muffin earlier about "falling to bits". Episode Animator: Mark Mason
7. Whodunnit? - Things keep on mysteriously disappearing without a trace in Muffinham Village, first Peregrine the Penguin's best pen, Louise the Lamb's only wool curlers, then Morris Mouse's thief and that it was only Peter the dog who was trying to keep the things safe all along by just burying them underground. Episode Animator: Les Gibbard
8. Oswald's Garden Party - Oswald the Ostrich plans a bumper garden party for all his friends in Muffinham Village and he wants to grow everyone's favourite food. Unfortunately, his big, clumsy feet accidentally squash all the seeds and plants. Willie the worm does his best to help out, and, along with his other worm friends, he comes up with a very good solution:- soft, crumbly compost. Episode Animator: Mark Mason
9. Oswald's Big Egg - It's a warm spring day in Muffinham Village, but Monty the Monkey is desperate for someone in Muffinham to bake him a cake, despite him being asked by Willie the Worm to scare away some hungry crows which are attacking Oswald the Ostrich's garden. Episode Animator: Chris Evans
10. Muffin's Photo Shoot - Muffin the Mule decides to take some publicity photographs of all of his friends, in spite of Grace the Giraffe taking a quick shower near the nearby beach to be able to look perfect for the special occasion, and Louise the Lamb wanting Grace's sparkly necklace which she unfortunately loses, but Peregrine the Penguin eventually finds it stuck inside his "old leaf-blowing machine", along with several fallen tree leaves, which he kindly lends to Morris and Doris Mouse earlier, despite eventually trying unsuccessfully to empty the machine itself when it finally becomes full of old, fallen tree leaves. Episode Animator: Barry Parker
11. Muffin's Mules United - Muffin the Mule keeps fit by skipping with some skipping ropes, and everyone in Muffinham village wants to know how they can join in and get fit too. "Team sports" is the answer, so Muffin starts his own football team called "Muffin's Mules United". During their first-ever training session, however, Muffin and his friends discover that they don't have a goal-keeper, so they try to persuade the fitness-shy Grace the giraffe to go between the goal-posts - but she is just not that keen on doing anything too strenuous. However, when Peter the Dog runs off the football pitch, Grace the giraffe goes to get him back, and when she does - she is Muffin's football team's star player, and all is well. Episode Animator: Mark Mason
12. Apple Pie Order - It is a rather cold autumn day in Muffinham Village, and Monty the monkey is mischievously stealing some apples from Morris Mouse's trees. Muffin and Morris Mouse come up with ghostly plans to catch the thief, despite Louise the Lamb planning to go to Grace the Giraffe's lighthouse for tea and having to look her best. Doris Mouse, on the other hand, wants to make some home-made apple pies for everyone else in the village, which she eventually does. Episode Animators: Brian Larkin, Paul Cowen
13. Muffin's Harvest Home - It is the Muffinham Harvest Home Supper, and everyone in the village is busy cooking. Muffin the Mule is in his field, harvesting his oats, Grace the Giraffe is making toffee apples in her lighthouse and Oswald the Ostrich and Willie the Worm are making deliveries using only a wheelbarrow (made out of wood). Monty the Monkey has no choice but to help Louise the Lamb to make carrot cake, which he reluctantly does, before finding Doris Mouse's pink jelly bag, which he steals earlier on. Episode Animator: Laurent Grisel
14. If the Cap Fits - Brrrr! It is a very breezy autumn day in Muffinham Village, and while Muffin the Mule is galloping to Louise the Lamb's rescue, a sudden gust of wind blows his only thinking cap away without him and Peter the Pup noticing. How can poor Muffin solve any problems