Timbuctoo


Timbuctoo is a series of 25 children's books, written and illustrated by Roger Hargreaves, better known for his Mr. Men and Little Miss series. It was published from 1978 to 1979, with selected reprints in 1993 and 1999. The books tell the stories of a group of animals, each of whom is named after the sound that their particular animal makes. An animated series of Timbuctoo was shown on CITV which ran from 9 January 1998 to 16 April 1999, narrated by Ronnie Corbett.

Books

The original set of 25 books named after their main character were published in 1978 and 1979, along with board books, shaped story books and three Timbuctoo Annuals. In 1999 eight of the books were reprinted with new illustrations to promote the television show, along with a new character, Bray.
The first twelve books were also published in Dutch, and the eight 1999 versions published in Greek.

1978

  • Woof
  • Meow
  • Oink
  • Chirp
  • Trumpet
  • Squeak
  • Moo
  • Buzz
  • Neigh
  • Roar
  • Snap
  • Hiss
Four of the books were republished in 1993.

1979

  • Croak
  • Cluck
  • Growl
  • Honk
  • Chatter
  • Quack
  • Sniff
  • Bleat
  • Hoot
  • Grizzle
  • Puff
  • Squawk
  • Baa
There was also a set of Timbuctoo Shape Books released, including Oink, Neigh, Growl, Roar, Squeak, Trumpet, Cluck and Puff.

1997

  • Bray
Bray was an additional character created and written by Roger's son Adam. This was because standard TV series are often produced in 13 or 26 episode series and an additional character was required to reach 26 episodes. Eight of the original books were reprinted in 1999, with new illustrations, to accompany the TV series. While Bray was listed on the back cover along with the rest of the cast, only Buzz, Cluck, Growl, Meow, Neigh, Oink, Snap and Trumpet were reprinted.

Television adaptation

The Timbuctoo animated television show was broadcast from January 1998 to April 1999. It ran on CITV for two series and was based on the characters of the book series.
Series 1 was released on VHS as Neigh Finds a New Home and Other Stories in March 1999 and Series 2 released as Woof Has Forgotten How to Bark and Other Stories in February 2000. A total of 26 episodes were produced.

Series overview

Series 1 (1998)

  1. "Neigh Finds a New Home"
  2. "Honk Goes Swimming"
  3. "Snap Learns a New Game"
  4. "Cluck Gets a Letter"
  5. "Moo Has a Birthday Party"
  6. "Chirp Learns to Fly"
  7. "Croak Learns to Swim"
  8. "Oink and the Big Apple"
  9. "Squeak has a Big Day Out"
  10. "Bleat Takes the Ball By the Horns"
  11. "Grizzle Gets the Giggles"
  12. "Hoot Slips up at Question Time"
  13. "Meow Goes Fishing"

Series 2 (1999)

  1. "Woof Has Forgotten How to Bark"
  2. "Hiss is Hopping Mad"
  3. "Chatter and His Long Tail"
  4. "Puff Buys Some Paint"
  5. "Roar Sets Out to Frighten Timbuctoo"
  6. "Trumpet Goes to the Seaside"
  7. "Quack Dreams of a New Beak"
  8. "Buzz is a Very Busy Bee"
  9. "Growl Has a Fright"
  10. "Baa Goes Shopping"
  11. "Sniff Runs Out of Carrots"
  12. "Bray Sleeps Through Christmas"
  13. "Squawk Joins the Choir"