110_ButtonMoon.qxp_Layout 1 20/11/2019 12:36 Page 3
The TV legend that inspired a local charity
ABOVE: Rehearsing the Button Moon TV series in the 1980s are puppeteers Alistair Fullerton, Ian Allen (the show’s creator), and John Thirtle
The creator of a beloved television programme now uses his puppeteering skills to help children who are facing tough times
W
e’re off to Button Moon, we’ll follow Mr Spoon!” For anyone who was a child in the 1980s, those words will instantly transport them back to sitting in front of the television, absorbed in a charming world of ‘homemade’ puppets. And it was the programme’s enduring popularity that led to the founding of the Button Moon Trust, a Norwich-based charity dedicated to using puppetry to help children and supporting animal welfare charities. “I feel so lucky to be able to use the legacy of Button Moon to give something back,” says Ian Allen, the creator of Button Moon and founder and chairperson of the Button Moon Trust. “I’ve spent so many years creating puppet shows for children and got so much from it; it’s wonderful to be able
KLmagazine December 2019
to use the affection people still have for the programme to help children today.” Button Moon started life as a stage show in 1978 devised by Ian for Playboard Puppets, the company he founded with fellow puppeteer John Thirtle in 1971. It was adapted for television two years later and ran for seven series with a total of 91 different Button Moon adventures, all written by Ian. Aimed at young children, each episode featured the Spoon family, who fly to Button Moon where they have adventures with other puppet characters (all made from plastic bottles, wooden spoons and even plastic bananas!) before returning safely home. The delightful stories soon made Button Moon a hit, and it was shown on channels around the world. The puppets were made from household
items and the familiarity appealed to children – the thrill of recognising that Mr Spoon’s rocket was a tin of a wellknown brand of baked beans will be a memory for lots of us! Alongside the television series, Playboard Puppets toured with a live version of Button Moon from 1982 to 1994, producing a brand new version of the show every year. It was the first puppet company to be awarded an annual grant by Arts Council England, and Playboard Puppets have made frequent appearances on other TV programmes and commercials including: Playschool, Rainbow, T-Bag, Are you Awake Yet, Not the Nine O’Clock News, Who Dares Wins, The Morecambe and Wise Show, That’s Life, Spitting Image and the award-winning Drop the Dead Donkey. Film contributions include: The Muppets,
111