The Adventures of Twizzle
Twizzle, a toy boy with extending legs and arms, meets a new toy
golliwog in the toy shop. The golliwog is intrigued by Twizzle's
extending legs and arms.
The next day a bad-tempered girl enters the toy shop to buy Twizzle.
He is very expensive at 2/-6d but the girl haggles the shopkeeper down
to 2/-. Frightened by the girl, Twizzle hides in the
jack-in-the-box.
That
night, Teddy Bear advises Twizzle to run away or the girl will come back
and buy him.
Twizzle escapes from the toy shop and after much walking takes
shelter in a dog kennel. The kennel's owner, a cat called Footso, enters
the kennel and they introduce themselves.
They become friends and, once rested, decide to set off in search of
adventure.
The
Adventures of Twizzle was made by the newly-formed AP Films, an
independent production company formed by Gerry Anderson, Arthur Provis,
Reg Hill and Sylvia Tamm.
The fledgling outfit had originally intended to make cinema films,
but the expected offers of work failed to materialise and, with mounting
debts, AP Films couldn't afford to be choosy about its commissions.
The string puppet characters inhabiting Twizzle's world were brutally
simple constructions.
Thick strings jerked crude papier maché heads to
indicate which character was talking, and their "walk" looked
amateurish even by the standards of The Flowerpot Men.
But Twizzle and his gang were a hit and within seven years AP Films
would be thrilling children with Thunderbirds (ITV,
1965-66).
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