The Adventures of Twizzle

The Adventures of Twizzle is a television show produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson. Conceived by author Roberta Leigh, later a co-producer, the children's show premiered in 1957. The show follows Twizzle and his companions on adventures. Twizzle has the ability to extend his arms and legs. Although 52 episodes of the show were created during the show's year-long run in 1957, only one of the episodes has managed to survive. This singular episode was released on the Space Patrol box set. The series was one of the first shows to use intricate puppetry which would prove important in later shows developed by Gerry Anderson.[2]

The Adventures of Twizzle
The Adventures of Twizzle title screenshot
Also known asTwizzle
Genre
Created byRoberta Leigh
Written byRoberta Leigh
Directed byGerry Anderson
Voices of
Narrated byNancy Nevinson
ComposersLeslie Clair, arranged by Barry Gray
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes52
Production
Producers
  • Gerry Anderson
  • Roberta Leigh
CinematographyArthur Provis
EditorDavid Elliott
Camera setupSingle
Running time13 mins approx. per episode
Production companies
DistributorAssociated-Rediffusion
Release
Original networkITV Network
Picture formatBlack and white
Audio formatMono
Original release13 November 1957 (1957-11-13)[1] –
10 June 1959 (1959-06-10)
Chronology
Followed byTorchy the Battery Boy

Overview

Twizzle's legs looked suspiciously like drinking straws with lines around them in a swirling pattern and undoubtedly the figure was pushed up from below while the straw-like legs were twisted around to give the "Twizzle" effect. In the first episode, Twizzle originally lived in a toy shop and cost two shillings and six pence (12.5p) and was nearly sold to a naughty girl named Sally Cross but he hid and escaped that night before the child returned the following day to buy him. He travelled some distance and the next night hides in a dog kennel where he finds Footso, a cat who has run away from home as the children made fun of his big feet.

Twizzle proved useful in a fire by saving a child on a high window when no ladder was available for which he was given a racing car as a reward but after crashing it he swapped it for a breakdown truck which he uses for rescuing toys. Footso had large feet which sometimes trip him up, hence his name. Later came Jiffy the Broomstick Man (a cross between a broom made of twigs and a suit wearing man who could sweep the floor on his own) who Twizzle and Footso rescued from the clutches of a stereotypical evil witch (who had threatened to burn him) when he flew up the chimney to escape her. The witch returned in a later episode and there was another narrow escape by all. Jiffy could fly by lying horizontal and would fly other people out of trouble. Twizzle and Footso built Straytown where stray toys (misfits) could live and lived in a cabin there. This theme was later carried over to Torchy the Battery Boy. Both ideas bear a resemblance to Peter Pan and Neverneverland.

All had their songs which were entertaining time-wasters, with Footso "dreaming of herrings and kippers and creamy cream" after which he'd say "Purr! Purr! Purr! Meowwll!", the latter loudly and then the show would continue (a theme Anderson later carried into Four Feather Falls). The songs were written by Roberta Leigh. There was also Chawky the white faced Golliwog who would complain: "Who wants a white-faced Golliwog?" and Candy Floss, a "Mamma Doll" who could not say "mamma" as well as Bouncy, a ball who had lost his bounce. There was also a thin Teddy Bear as well as a China Doll and a Jack in the Box. An occasional visitor to Straytown was The Toy Inspector who would check on the toys living there.

Episode guide
  1. Twizzle And Footso
  2. Twizzle And Footso Get Caught
  3. Twizzle Saves The Doll
  4. The Breakdown Van
  5. Footso Is Stolen
  6. Twizzle And The Golliwog
  7. Jiffy And The Chawky Quarrel
  8. Footso Disappears
  9. Twizzle And The Broken-Down Toy
  10. Twizzle Builds Stray Town
  11. A Flag For Stray Town
  12. Jiffy's New House
  13. Twizzle And Footso Go Fruit Picking
  14. Twizzle Has Some Fun
  15. Twizzle And Candy Floss Open A Cake Shop
  16. Twizzle Saves The Broken-Down Toys
  17. Twizzle Gets Lost
  18. Jiffy Opens A Barber Shop
  19. Another Racing Car
  20. Twizzle And His Friends Go To The Circus
  21. The Toys Go To School
  22. Bouncy The Ball
  23. Jack-In-The-Box
  24. Twizzle Catches Cold
  25. The Naughty Girl
  26. Jiffy's New Twigs
  27. Twizzle And The Snowman
  28. Twizzle And The Thin Teddy Bear
  29. The Lazy Broomstick Man
  30. Twizzle And The Polly Moppet
  31. Footso And The Magic Seeds
  32. Jiffy And The Polly Moppet Quarrel
  33. Footso Gets A New Tail
  34. Twizzle Is Naughty
  35. Twizzle Is Stolen
  36. Chawky Gets A Present
  37. Twizzle And The Toy Inspector
  38. Twizzle And The Naughty Breakdown Van
  39. Orange And The Banana Tree
  40. Jiffy's Birthday
  41. Polly Moppet Disappears
  42. Naughty Polly Moppet
  43. Footso And The Naughty Girl
  44. Stray Town Thief
  45. Twizzle Papers The Cabin
  46. Twizzle And Footso Go Camping
  47. Twizzle Goes To The Seaside
  48. Twizzle Goes To The Fair
  49. Twizzle Goes Fishing
  50. Twizzle Goes To The Zoo
  51. Candy Floss's Birthday
  52. Footso Has A Toothache

Annual

There was a British annual brought out in 1960 by Brin Brothers Ltd, called More Twizzle Adventure Stories, "The lovable T.V. character by Roberta Leigh". It had 91 pages of text stories and comic style stories (18 of them with the one page introduction). Illustrations were by F. Woof. Apart from the covers and frontispiece which are in full colour, the rest of the illustrations are black and white with one other colour (red, orange, blue or green). The annual is printed on cheap cardboard-like paper and is now very rare although it is not sought after by collectors.

References
  1. Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography by Simon Archer and Stan Nicholls; ISBN 0-09-978141-7
  2. "Adventures of Twizzle, The". Nostalgia Central.

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