Willo the Wisp - ClassicKidsTv.co.uk Willo the Wisp Jump to: navigation , search Willo the Wisp Title Willo the Wisp was a character based on the North European folklore legend of Will-o'the-Wisp (the ghost lights, or "corpse candles" seen on marshes). Created by Nick Spargo , originally for an educational cartoon for British Gas in 1975, explaining the way the gas network works in the UK. Kenneth Williams provided the very memorable voices. A series was produced comprising 26 5-minute episodes, with all characters voiced by Kenneth Williams as before. Willo the Wisp was the narrator in the programmes, with the main character being a fairy named Mavis Cruet. All episodes were set in Doyley Woods, Oxfordshire. Contents WILLO THE WISP In the early eighties, Williams provided the voices for a whole miriad of characters in the childrens cartoon, Willo the Wisp, invented and brought to life by Nicholas Spargo for the BBC. His face has been immortalised as the the Wisp, narrator of the stories about Doyle Woods (seen above), with all his major character voices appearing somewhere in the show.

It is a shame that the audio cassettes that the BBC produced are now unavailable, and that they have not seen fit to re-release them, however, the great news is that some of the series is now available on video and DVD from Kult Kids. They released 12 episodes a couple of years ago, but now they are ALL here for our enjoyment, and for the ludicrously low price of a tenner. The DVD is spectacular with a wonderful menu to view your favourite episode. Characters included: Mavis Cruet the Fairy. Alway trying hard to get her spells right, but somehow missing the mark all the time! Arthur the Caterpiller. Doyle Woods' know all with a voice very reminiscent of Arthur from On the Buses. Evil Edna, the nasty witch of the woods. This was one of the most blatant adverts for TV being a bad influence, and ironically was brought to life by the TV! Moog. My favourite of all the characters. A sort of cross between a dog and a cow (Moo!) and the stupidest inhabitant of the woods. Twit. A wonderful bird, that in this picture is love-sick. Carwash.

Truly inspired cat that strutted around Doyle Woods graces with Kenneths 'Noel Coward' voice - comes a close second to Moog as my Favourite. The series gave rise to a series of books very similar to the Mr Men range and a couple of annuals. There was also a cartoon strip in Buttons comic for a number of years a page of which can be seen below. The Hot, Hot Day Willo The Wisp — 80sNostalgia.com By Colonel K ⋅ September 3, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment Willo The Wisp is a strange ghost-like creature who with each episode tells a story about the characters in Doyley Wood. Mavis Cruet is a fat (sorry, big boned) pathetic fairy. Arthur is a caterpillar who isn’t the brightest in the world, but somehow does see to have a little more up top than the rest of them. Evil Edna is a grumpy old television set who will zap anyone into a frog just for the hell of it.

Then, there is of course Carwash, a cat with his pal The Moog, which I can only describe as a dog-like creature, although it actually looks more like a pig. Kenneth Williams provides all the voices as a rather bizarre tale unfolds about the day-to-day lives of these characters. All sounds and images, motion or still in this section © their original authors Youtube Intro. Willo the Wisp - Childrens TV | Jedi's Paradise Willo the Wisp Willo the Wisp is a Children’s TV cartoon that began in the 80’s. The series was based on a short animated advert that Nick Spargo created for British Gas called Super Natural Gas. The voice of Willo was still Kenneth Williams, but none of the other characters existed. Nick thought that Willo could become the storyteller of the adventures of a number of characters in Doyley Wood. He set about creating these characters, but it took a number of years before the original Willo the Wisp cartoon came to our screens (1981) as he had to convince the BBC and raise the funds for the show. It became a hit and Mavis, the fat fairy became a household name.

This was due to the storylines and strange characters, but it was helped by the fantastic voice talents of Kenneth Williams and the music of Tony Kinsey. 26 original episodes were made. Willo the Wisp has been off our screens for a number of years, but it has returned in a new second series. 'The This time the voice talents of James Dreyfuss have been used (who starred in Thin Blue Line' and the 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme'). The style of animation hasn't changed, but characters have changed its a slightly. Such as a slimmer Mavis and a Flat Screen Evil Edna, so thumbs up from us. Story Down at Doyley Wood there are a number of strange friends who live there (apart from Evil Edna). Watching them is an enigmatic observer called Willo the Wisp. Willo the Wisp Characters Willo the Wisp He is a spooky Dingly Dell who is made of Methane Gas (or Natural Gas). He observes the strange inhabitants of Doyley Wood and recount all their stories back to us all. He also looks very similar to a famous actor called Kenneth Williams, I wonder why? When he can, he likes to dance through the forest.

Mavis Cruet She is the only fairy in the world that cannot fly. This is because she doesn't know how to fly (she thought her wings were for keeping off the rain!), but the main reason is because she is too heavy to fly! She became upset about this and Arthur thought he'd teach her how to fly, but it was no use, she had to diet. She did fly once the diet was over, but Evil Edna turned the tree she was flying near into a fairy cake tree. She gorged herself and her wings collapsed under the weight. That was the end of her flying career. She would love a handsome Prince to ride in and whisk her away, but it never happens. Falling in love, is another thing Mavis does quite often. Like all fairies, she has a magic wand, but it looks a little beaten up, maybe its because she is a bit untidy and it was squashed by a few of her things? But she has a reputation as a fairy whose magic nearly always goes wrong. Evil Edna does pick on her, once she turned her into a tree and another time she was listening to the sea in two sea shells and Edna stuck them to her head.

She looked like a Viqueen (the female equivalent of a Viking). So convincing was she, that she was kidnapped by a group of Viking Trolls. Mavis even thought Edna was being kind when she said that she could make her thin, but as usual, there was a twist, as looking at her she still looked, ahem, rotund. But when she turned sideways she was pencil thin. She won the Beauty Queen of the Universe competition, when Evil Edna turned her into a frog. This was mainly to do with Edna turning the judges into frogs too and they thought Mavis was the most beautiful frog they had ever seen. Arthur He is a caterpillar that is trying to sound posh and be clever, but fails. But he makes up for things with his quick, dry wit, that most of the others don't understand, but it makes us giggle. Evil Edna turned him into a frog when he interrupted her counting sheep (she was trying to get to sleep). Also he has a habit of not believing a word that Mavis says to him and he thinks that she is quite mad.

He can be quite brave (sometimes) and he even connected an electronic miracle (games machine), that he bought off a salesman, to Evil Edna while she was sleeping. Edna wasn't pleased when she found that Arthur could play a tennis game on her. He told her that she must undo the spell she had put on Mavis, or forever have tennis played on her. She agreed (after a while). He keeps waiting to turn into a moth and fly away. He was so fed up with waiting, that he hired a moth outfit and told everyone he had transformed. But it was plain to them all that he was a fibber, as he plummeted to earth with a bump. So he still waits for the day for it to happen for real. The Moog The Moog is a sort of dog, with very little brains. Now the inhabitants of Doyley Wood go on holiday once a year and the Moog has this sorted. He likes to go on package holidays and so packaged into a parcel and posted somewhere exotic. Once he found a pretty stick, which was in fact Mavis's Wand.

Moog just wanted Arthur to throw it for him, so he could bring it back, but instead he used it to bring Mavis back from the horrible Viking Trolls. But when Mavis got back she wasn't happy, as she was enjoying her time as a Viqueen. The Moog likes bones and once he licked a bone 3 times and a Genie appeared. He was stuck for a wish, as you see, Moog's can't think. So getting frustrated, he inadvertently said 'I wish Moog's could think' and so his wish was granted. So he made some kind wishes for some of the others and then he wished it would rain bones. But shock horror, he didn't know which bone was the magic one, so he couldn't stop it raining bones. The Moog made a mistake one day, when he drank one of Evil Edna's potions (well, he was thirsty) and he turned into a Werewolf. Luckily the tearing out of throats was not on the agenda (it is a children's programme) and he seemed his normal self inside. Poor Moog didn't understand why everyone ran away from him!

One day he decided to do some thinking and he thought of throwing a tomato at Evil Edna, but the stupid Moog told Edna about his thought. So she asked the Moog to think very hard of himself, which he did. But he disappeared and appeared in this 'Thinks Cloud', which was bad news, as he was trapped in it. So Edna put him where all the other clouds were, in the sky. Luckily Arthur thought of a way to get him down and got Mavis to make it rain and once all the water had fallen, the clouds disappeared and the Moog fell to earth. In fact he fell straight on Edna. It serves her right! The Beast He was not always a beast and used to be a Prince. But Prince Humbert the Handsome made a terrible mistake one day, when he bumped into a Television Set while riding his bicycle through Doyley Wood. He wondered who had left a rotten old TV Set on the path, but it was Evil Edna and she didn't like being called rotten. So she turned him into the Beast, but his ordeal wasn't over as Arthur was trying to get Mavis to marry the beast (she was going to marry the next person or thing that came along).

Luckily Mavis wasn't into Beast's who couldn't pronounce their R's. Carwash Now Carwash is posh (compared to Arthur) and is not amused if he is called a pussycat. He keeps his feelings in check, apart from when Spring arrives. He sounds very much like Noel Coward, maybe they used to hang around together? For his holidays, he stays with a friend in Catford. Evil Edna Evil Edna is a Television Set, but no ordinary one. In fact she is a witch of extreme wickedness. But one day she was nice to everyone! The others in the wood couldn't believe their eyes and they had to find out why. It was quite simple, Edna was in love with a news reader on the TV. Not content with turning the Prince into a Beast, she even turned him into a large Ice Lolly because she was in a foul mood and it cheered her up. Now this doesn't sound too bad until you realise that he started to melt. Edna didn't come back to help and the Beast nearly melted to nothing, luckily Mavis and the Astronats magiced him back to the Beast, albeit smaller (well he had been melting).

She likes to call Mavis the 'Fat Fairy' and says to most people 'get out of my way!'. When she goes on holiday, she makes it rain everyday to upset everyone on the beach, so its best to know where she is going and then to go elsewhere. She got her comeuppance when Arthur asked a passing Wood Worm if he liked TV cabinets. The Wood Worm was very excited, so when he saw Edna, he had a feast eating her cabinet. She was not amused. She celebrates her birthday on Halloween. Willow the Wisp T-Shirts - NONE Willo the Wisp: 12 Stories from the BBC TV series (Audio Download): Amazon.co.uk: BBC Audiobooks Ltd, Kenneth Williams, BBC Worldwide Limited: Books By techpuppy TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on 29 Aug. 2009 Format: Audio CD Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? ) It might be slightly depressing to see a memory from your childhood (or even adolescence) now described as 'vintage' but luckily this CD is a perfect pick-me-up.

Kenneth Williams delivers 12 extraordinary routines of vocal-gymnastics in his own inimitable style and you can mostly forgive the occasional moment when the stories obviously lack some visual cue from the original animations. Williams always seemed in his element as a story-teller, playing every part, creating every character - a one-man theatre company. His episodes of Jackanory (along with Bernard Cribbins') are regarded as among the best and it would be great if the BBC made more of those available too. I'm not yet sure if my niece and nephew will find Willo the Wisp funny, but I really won't mind keeping it for myself if they don't! '80s Actual: Do You Remember That Quirky September Of 1981? Willo The Wisp, Mavis Cruet, Evil Edna, The Beast, Car Wash The Cat - And Others Too... Pages 26.10.09 Do You Remember That Quirky September Of 1981? Willo The Wisp, Mavis Cruet, Evil Edna, The Beast, Car Wash The Cat - And Others Too... 1981: Detail from the original opening titles of Willo The Wisp.

It wasn't in quite the same league as The Magic Roundabout, but in my humble opinion Willo The Wisp, a creation of one Nicholas Spargo and brought to us courtesy of the BBC in 1981, was the best piece of pre-Evening News whimsy since Florence and Dougal made their screen debuts in 1965! Here we see the Willo The Wisp characters displayed on the back cover of a book based on the series. The show's star was the voice, or should that be voices, of the very excellent Kenneth Williams. Willo The Wisp, a floaty, smoggy little thing, popped up at the start of each programme to narrate the latest tale from Doyley Wood. The origins of this character can be traced back to a ten minute British Gas tuition film called Super Natural Gas, in 1975. Nicholas Spargo, a highly experienced script writer and animator, who had set up his own company - Nicholas Cartoon Films - with his wife Mary in 1954, thought that the British Gas character could be developed, but it was a long and arduous process.

A new setting, new characters, financing, new animation and backgrounds - all had to be sorted. But finally, in that quirky September of 1981, Willo debuted on our TV screens in the scenic setting of Doyley Wood. This is a real wood in Oxfordshire, England. Don't bother going there to seek out the Wisp and his friends though. They all keep well out of the way when the likes of us are around. Sliding down a moonbeam with Willo The Wisp. Willo the Wisp seemed to benefit from its lengthy gestation period, because what was launched upon us unsuspecting viewers in 1981 was rather brilliant, and earned huge ratings for a BBC teatime five minute show. So, what was it all about? We'll start with Willo himself. He was a bit of a gossip, giving us telly viewers a daily up-date on the doings of the local residents. But he seldom became involved in the happenings himself, and seldom interacted with the other characters. A teatime treat! Willo the Wisp appears to give us all the latest gossip. In the decade when Frankie went to Hollywood, Car Wash went to Catford.

I was so intrigued, I wrote a short story on the subject. Car Wash - the figurine! The other somewhat odd characters who lived in Doyley Wood in the '80s TV series included Mavis Cruet, a fat, good natured, but largely ineffectual fairy; Mavis's great friend and confidante, the gloriously down-to-earth Arthur the caterpillar; The Beast - previously Prince Humbert the Handsome; Car Wash (sometimes written Carwash) - the bespectacled, posh and slightly supercilious cat - who went on holiday, staying with a very dear friend in CATford; and the dog-like Moog, very good natured but not the brightest of sparks ("DON'T THINK, MOOG, DON'T THINK!"). The adorable Moog, a loveable creature indeed. Well, he wasn't quite so loveable when he got a You-Know-What, but never mind. Detail from the box cover of a 1980s Willo The Wisp jigsaw puzzle: the Astrognats blast off, watched by The Beast, Mavis Cruet, Willo, Evil Edna and Arthur the caterpillar.

They boldly went where no gnat had gone before. Dear old Arthur the caterpillar was such a good pal to Mave the fairy, but his dearest wish was to become a moth. Well, it takes all kinds to make a world. Sadly, when Arthur built a chrysalis, squatters moved in. He was quite proud of his appendages, and not pleased when they got singed off by a small but belligerent dragon. Last, but by no means least on our list of 1981 Doyley Woodians is Evil Edna, a wicked witch who looked like a telly. Why? Ask me another! Edna performed her wicked spells by zapping people with her set-top aerial antennae. Mind you, she didn't have it easy. There was that dreadful time her feet went rusty at the seaside, and what about the time she went all the way to Cockfosters? I ask you! I ate this programme with a big spoon! Glorious! "Sucks boo to you!" She didn't mince her words didn't Edna. Did Car Wash the cat go to a car wash when he wanted to clean himself up? Really, what an uncouth idea!

No, he did not! It's curtains! Willo The Wisp curtains, that is. A page from 'Holidays' - one of the series of books which accompanied the series. Arthur the caterpillar is enthusiastic at the prospect of climbing a tree for his holiday - after all, his father always went on climbing holidays, and if it was good enough for Dad... Car Wash, heading for Catford, decides tree climbing sounds dull. I wonder if Car Wash was an admirer of the Catford Centre Cat? Mind you, he might have thought it vulgar... he was a bit of a Noël Coward type, our Car Wash. Twit was one of the local birds. When Mavis tried to make his pin-up bird reality, disaster followed... Evil Edna - busy being evil to Car Wash the clever cat, the adorable (but never clever) Moog, Mavis Cruet - the fat fairy - and Arthur, the down-to-earth caterpillar. Kenneth Williams, who gave voices to all the Doyley Wood characters so brilliantly, was a complex man, very much a creature of moods.

He wrote of the series in preparation in April 1980: Must say, I admire Nick Spargo's industry and inventiveness! His ideas are charming. When Mr Williams performed the dialogue for the final episode on Thursday, 5 March, 1981, he wrote: Met Nick Spargo and the rest and we did the last 'Willo' script; it was an amusing one too, apropos Christmas and Mavis Cruet hanging up BOTH her stockings. Nick produced a bottle of champagne and we all had a celebration drink for the occasion of the 26th and final script. On viewing an episode on 23 September 1981, Mr Williams lamented: Watched 'Willo The Wisp' and one's heart sank 'cos one realised that it's 1) technically indifferent with recording levels wrong 2) it lacks drive and energy 3) there's nothing with which the young can identify 4) the jokes aren't good enough. Oh! One could go on and on. But the show was a tremendous success, with an appeal to both young and old which also crossed class barriers.

Mr Williams was surprised on 5 November 1982: When I was walking down Bolsover St some men were digging in the road and they cried out 'Here's old Willo The Wisp!' as I came along and shouted 'Hallo Kenny!' I'd never have thought navvies would watch 'Willo'! It's extraordinary the audience television attracts. Mr Williams also acquired at least one new fan through Willo The Wisp - me! I'd never liked the Carry On films, which had brought the man fame, but Willo The Wisp was so excellent and Mr Williams's character voices so wonderful that I joined his vast audience of admirers. Kenneth Williams with presenter Sarah Greene and Evil Edna, Arthur the caterpillar and Mavis Cruet on 'Blue Peter', circa 1982. Mavis Cruet - called "fat fairy person" by Evil Edna, Mave didn't like being called 'fat'. She preferred 'obese' because she didn't know what it meant. Mavis was too fat, er, sorry, I mean obese, to fly and her magic wasn't as powerful as Edna's, but she was very kind hearted and always meant well.

Even if her magic didn't always turn out that way. Bless her. Mavis was a great romantic and wanted to be married, but sadly her Prince Charming never arrived. The cover of a 1980s Willo The Wisp book - Evil Edna turned nasty with handsome Prince Humbert, and The Beast was born. Wugged Wocks? If only he could pronounce his r's! Here, he's about to become an ice lolly. Edna scared me a bit. Well, I was only sixteen at the time! Evil Edna got her own storybook in 1984. Posted by "Willo the Wisp" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb Doctor Strange Confirmed to Appear in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ 15 hours ago trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 5 out of 5 people found the following review useful: The Best British Kids Programme Ever Author: reg-4 12 April 1999 This was a fantastic little series.

Kenneth Williams did a great job providing all the voices for the characters: Willow the Wisp, the narrator; Arthur the Caterpillar; Mavis the Fairy; and Evil Edna, the wicked witch of a TV (subliminal message alert). Great. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Spot on. from United Kingdom 19 August 2001 It's usually the case that you rediscover an old show that you watched as a kiddie, only to be hugely disappointed because it's not as funny or exciting as you remember it. This isn't one of those shows! Why 'Willo The Wisp' isn't shown anymore is a mystery, because it's so good!! Not exactly state of the art animation, but the short stories are often very funny, and Kenneth Williams' characterizations are spot on. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Was the above review useful to you?

2 out of 3 people found the following review useful: excellent children's series of shorts from United Kingdom 1 February 2005 When 'Willo the Wisp' ran at teatimes in the early 1980s, BBC television was a much better place - these charming and waspish five-minute cartoons were enhanced by the delightfully fruity tones of the incomparable Kenneth Williams telling the tale. What it was about escapes me now but I do remember Willo was a ghost and there was a grouchy television set named Evil Edna - fabulous cartoon work on all fronts. I know the series was revived with James Dreyfus narrating but I can't imagine it would have worked. The 80s version? Pure class - one of the top ten children's TV programmes of all time. Was the above review useful to you? Early '80s Magic At Teatimes... from England 4 April 2015 I was sixteen when the series originally aired in the autumn of 1981, but it was one of those shows, although apparently aimed at young children, which held wide appeal.

I particularly liked the characters of the Wisp, Mavis, Carwash and Evil Edna. In fact, even at my somewhat advanced age, I was a bit scared of Edna! The events in Doyley Woods were avidly followed by many of my friends and family - age range from about six to eighty-three! Kenneth Williams was excellent - his range of voices revealed a side to his talents I never knew existed - each one made the individual characters live. Willo The Wisp is a show which now evokes powerful memories of its debut year for me - 1981, the year when Rubik's Cube was king, CB radio was made legal (in the UK), and Space Invaders were everywhere. Happy memories - wonderful show! If only Mavis Cruet could wave her magic wand and make me sixteen again! Was the above review useful to you? First-rate cartoon series. from United Kingdom 11 June 2005 This is a fine cartoon series, the sort which anyone of any age can enjoy, so I can't understand for the life of me why the DVD is no longer available (along with Alias the Jester, which is another comical cartoon series).

The titular character, whose name is based on that curious glowing sometimes seen in forests, is a ghostly figure who narrates tales of the forest which involve the characters who live there. These involve a nutritionally-challenged fairy, a witch who looks like a TV with a face, a troll-like beast who used to be a prince and a cat called Carwash. First rate cartoon with imaginative stories and characters, and comedy film veteran Kenneth Williams is great as the voices. Was the above review useful to you? The best children's programme of all time (bar Bagpuss) from Sheffield, England 5 January 2003 I absolutely loved this - I used to go miles out of my way just to free up those five minutes before tea time when Willo the wisp was shown. It had all those magic ingredients that spark a child's imagination - a wicked villain (Evil Edna), an omniscient narrator (the wisp) and a flawed protagonist (Mavis the fat fairy). There was also the Moog, which inspired my friend so much that she determined to call every dog she ever owned by that fantastic name the Moog.

I think to a certain extent we never quite forget the characters who by their presence on the small screen introduce us to magic and the world outside reality. They have stayed with me to the extent that now at the grand age of my mid twenties I am going to go and spend £10.99 on the complete Willo the wisp on video. Was the above review useful to you? Willo the Wisp (TV Series 1981– ) - IMDb IMDb Community LATEST HEADLINES There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A series of 5 minute cartoons about a group of inhabitants of a forest. Willo the Wisp is a sprite formed from gas who narrates each story. Other characters included Evil Edna (a witch ...

See full summary » Star: a list of 275 titles created 27 Feb 2011 a list of 89 titles created 11 Feb 2012 a list of 132 titles created 31 May 2013 a list of 2647 titles created 05 Jul 2013 a list of 39 titles created 29 Apr 2014 Title: Willo the Wisp (1981– ) 7.7/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The Wombles (TV Series 1973) Animation | Family The misadventures of a fantasy folk community dedicated to cleaning up litter and put it to their own use. Stars: Bernard Cribbins, Dieter Hallervorden Popular British children's animation series, repeated almost constantly since 1971. Mr Benn is the ordinary, bowler-hatted office worker who lives in the ordinary suburban street of Festive...

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Trivia The Willo The Wisp character, voiced by Kenneth Williams, was created by Nick Spargo for an animated short film called "Supernatural Gas" in 1975. Spargo wanted to develop the character further, and, in September 1981, the "Willo The Wisp" TV series made its debut on BBC 1 in the UK. This established the setting of Doyley Woods, and the other characters - Mavis Cruet the fairy, Carwash the cat, Evil Edna - the witch who was also a television set, and so on. The series was revived in 2005. See more » Quotes Grizelda The Witch : [Grizelda walks in with a well on her body] If I hear anybody laugh, one wise crack, one snicker out of any of you and I'll turn you into a toad.

[Arthur starts to snicker and laugh out loud to the point where Grizelda zaps him and turns him into a toad] (England) – See all my reviews I was sixteen when the series originally aired in the autumn of 1981, but it was one of those shows, although apparently aimed at young children, which held wide appeal. I particularly liked the characters of the Wisp, Mavis, Carwash and Evil Edna. In fact, even at my somewhat advanced age, I was a bit scared of Edna! The events in Doyley Woods were avidly followed by many of my friends and family - age range from about six to eighty-three! Kenneth Williams was excellent - his range of voices revealed a side to his talents I never knew existed - each one made the individual characters live. Willo The Wisp is a show which now evokes powerful memories of its debut year for me - 1981, the year when Rubik's Cube was king, CB radio was made legal (in the UK), and Space Invaders were everywhere. Happy memories - wonderful show! If only Mavis Cruet could wave her magic wand and make me sixteen again! 0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes _Black_Acrylic: Willo the Wisp Tuesday, 24 July 2012 Willo the Wisp A series of 5 minute cartoons about a group of inhabitants of a forest. Willo the Wisp is a sprite formed from gas who narrates each story. Other characters included Evil Edna (a witch shaped like a TV), Mavis (a rather overweight fairy), The Moog, The Argonauts (strange alien things that flew around in a mushroom), etc. Willo the Wisp is a British cartoon series originally produced in 1981. In the first series, Kenneth Williams provided voices for all of the characters, which included these main characters: Willo the Wisp, the narrator. A blue floating ghost-like creature, Willo had a long pointed nose which caricatured that of Williams. The name refers to the ghostly light will-o'-the-wisp from folklore. Arthur the caterpillar (as a gruff cockney). Mavis Cruet, a plump clumsy fairy with erratic magical powers. Evil Edna, a witch in the form of a walking, talking television set who could zap people with her aerials.

Carwash, a snooty bespectacled cat with a character based on Noël Coward. The Moog, a supposed "dog" who is unable to think for himself. Twit, a small bird. The series was written and directed by Nick Spargo and produced by Nicholas Cartoon Films in association with the BBC and Tellytales Enterprises. The character of Willo the Wisp originated in an educational animation created by Nick Spargo for British Gas plc in 1975 and the stories were set in Doyley Woods, a small beech wood in Oxfordshire, near the director's home. Each of the original 26 episodes lasted approximately 5 minutes and were broadcast at 5:35pm on BBC1, a tradition as short cartoons were always shown between the end of the main children's BBC drama or sitcom for that afternoon, and the BBC Evening news at 5:40pm. Of the U.K. cartoons, my favorite was Willo the Wisp, with Kenneth Williams doing all the voices and the late Nick Spargo writing and directing. I still like that one. British TV cartoons had their ups and downs, but at their best they had a trippy absurdity that U.S.

kids' cartoons weren't allowed to have at the time, and they could even fit in a little bit of political and social commentary: "Evil Edna," the most popular and famous character, was both a parody of Margaret Thatcher and a warning of the dangers of letting TV control your life. Debuting in a 1975 animated special for British Gas - Super Natural Gas, obviously - the Willo The Wisp character soon made it to the 5.35pm slot in his own animated show, of which twenty-six episodes were produced. Ah...a time before Neighbours, when children's television extended all the way to the news but, like that later show, Willo The Wisp attracted a mix of kids and adults within its audience. Where one group was doubtless attracted by the bright colours, funny little stories and the mostly sweet characters, adults would have noted Kenneth Williams' arch and witty narration and would have tuned in to hear a distinctly adult tone within a children's animated show.

Even in 1981, with his best years, such as those when he was a regular in the Carry On films, behind him, Williams could still attract an audience who realised that, like Peter Cook, he was always best when simply being himself. And so it proves in Willo The Wisp, with the waspish Williams providing a pointed narration, via a character animated to bear a remarkable similarity to the actor, as well as the voices for the cast. His Arthur is a down-to-earth little caterpillar who is at his happiest when munching on a blade of grass but whose search for an easy life is foiled both by his own inability to metamorphose into a moth as well as the desperate schemes of those around him, such as Mavis the fairy, the Moog, the Beast and Carwash the cat. Hence, an episode such as The Flight Of Mavis, features Arthur reaping the benefits of the summer harvest whilst, beside him, poor little Mavis starves herself until she is light enough to take to the sky. Until, that is, Evil Edna intervenes and the appearance of a Fairy Cake Tree spells an end to Mavis' airborne adventure.

Of course, watching it now, one cannot help but be struck by Evil Edna, the TV-shaped witch, who is, with the exception of one episode, never anything less than mean to her co-habitants in Doyley Wood. Were it any more obvious, each episode would have been accompanied by a warning on the dangers of television and, as such, Willo The Wisp harks back to a time when watching too much television was only considered slightly less hazardous than a return of the Black Death and so this, alongside the BBC's Why Don't You..., asked of the view why they continued to do something as dull as watch television. Indeed, the role of Evil Edna the television set is to spoil the enjoyment of the more innocent pastimes enjoyed by the other creatures in Doyley Wood. It all looks to be rather quaint now, given that many parents would dearly love for their children to be sat inside watching television in preference to being at risk from the paedophiles that the News Of The World suggest live on every street in the land but watching it is a happy little experience, immeasurably helped by the jaunty theme tune that opens and closes each episode.

Willo the Wisp (UK) - ShareTV Willo the Wisp (UK) Remove Show A series of 5 minute cartoons about a group of inhabitants of a forest. Willo the Wisp is a sprite formed from gas who narrates each story. Other characters included Evil Edna (a witch shaped like a TV), Mavis (a rather overweight fairy), The Moog, The Argonauts (strange alien things that flew around in a mushroom), More Trivia The character Willo the Wisp, as voiced by Kenneth Williams, originally appeared in 1975 in a short animation called "Super Natural Gas" for British Gas. This animation is included in the… [show] The character Willo the Wisp, as voiced by Kenneth Williams, originally appeared in 1975 in a short animation called "Super Natural Gas" for British Gas. This animation is included in the 2005 DVD release of the series. The character first appeared in the Doyley Woods setting for the 1981 TV series.

[hide] In the posthumously-published book 'The Kenneth Williams Diaries', Williams professed to a dislike for the show, considering it too slow-paced and technically indifferent to capture… [show] In the posthumously-published book 'The Kenneth Williams Diaries', Williams professed to a dislike for the show, considering it too slow-paced and technically indifferent to capture children's imaginations. The runaway success of the series, combined with the cult following it acquired among adults, consequently proved him wrong. [hide] The Willo The Wisp character, voiced by Kenneth Williams, was created by Nick Spargo for an animated short film called "Supernatural Gas" in 1975. Spargo wanted to develop the character… [show] The Willo The Wisp character, voiced by Kenneth Williams, was created by Nick Spargo for an animated short film called "Supernatural Gas" in 1975. Spargo wanted to develop the character further, and, in September 1981, the "Willo The Wisp" TV series made its debut on BBC 1 in the UK.

This established the setting of Doyley Woods, and the other characters - Mavis Cruet the fairy, Carwash the cat, Evil Edna - the witch who was also a television set, and so on. The series was revived in 2005.

Question: Mavis Cruet, Evil Edna and The Moog are all characters in which children’s cartoon television series?
Answer: Willo the Wisp