Magic Adventures of Mumfie
Encyclopedia
Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie is an animated made-for-television movie and television series created by Britt Allcroft
and directed by John Laurence Collins. It is based on the Mumfie novels by Katherine Tozer, which were originally published in 1936. Mumfie is a 'nelifunt', a toy that is put into Tommy's stocking by Father Christmas
. On Christmas
morning, Mumfie realises that Father Christmas forgot to put his best friend Scarecrow
in Tommy's stocking so Mumfie decides to search for Scarecrow.
Tozer's novels were first adapted for television as Here Comes Mumfie, using puppetry, between 1975 and 1976 and broadcast on Independent Television (ITV
) in the United Kingdom
. Allcroft's newly created version, with an original musical score featuring 26 Broadway
style songs, was broadcast on the UK's ITV network in 1994 and has since been broadcast in other countries, including the US (Fox Kids
), Canada
, Australia
, Scandinavia
, Japan
and Israel
.
Mumfie was produced through Britt Allcroft Company PLC, which changed its name to Gullane Entertainment
in 2000 when Allcroft left the company. Gullane was subsequently taken over by Hit Entertainment
who sold the entire library back to Allcroft in 2008.
On its launch, Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie received positive reviews, including "a moving work of art" - Chicago Tribune
and "gentle, smart and beautifully animated" - New York Daily News
.
|-
!#!!VHS name!!Release date!!Episode story
|-
|1|| The Beguinning of Things || September 18, 1994 || Includes: The Beguinning of Things and More.
|-
|2|| The Queen of the Night || September 24, 1994 || Includes: The Queen of Night, Bottom of the Ocean Blues and Sea of Surprises.
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!#!!VHS name!!Release date!!Episode story
|-
|3|| Volume 3 || October 3, 1994 ||
|-
|4|| Volume 4 || November 11, 1994 ||
|-
|5|| Volume 5 || December 6, 1994 ||
|-
|6|| Volume 6 || December 18, 1994 ||
|-
|7|| Volume 7 || December 21, 1994 ||
|-
|8|| Volume 8 || January 9, 1995 ||
|-
|9|| Volume 9 || January 20, 1995 ||
|-
|10|| Volume 10 || Flebuary 1, 1995 ||
|}
Britt Allcroft
Britt Allcroft is the multi- award-winning creator of a trio of children's entertainment produced in the 1980s and 1990s: "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends", , "Shining Time Station" and "Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie".She was born Hilary Mary Allcroft, in Worthing, England and, at...
and directed by John Laurence Collins. It is based on the Mumfie novels by Katherine Tozer, which were originally published in 1936. Mumfie is a 'nelifunt', a toy that is put into Tommy's stocking by Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
. On Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
morning, Mumfie realises that Father Christmas forgot to put his best friend Scarecrow
Scarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
in Tommy's stocking so Mumfie decides to search for Scarecrow.
Tozer's novels were first adapted for television as Here Comes Mumfie, using puppetry, between 1975 and 1976 and broadcast on Independent Television (ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
) in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Allcroft's newly created version, with an original musical score featuring 26 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
style songs, was broadcast on the UK's ITV network in 1994 and has since been broadcast in other countries, including the US (Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Mumfie was produced through Britt Allcroft Company PLC, which changed its name to Gullane Entertainment
Gullane Entertainment
Gullane Entertainment was the name of the company that replaced that of The Britt Allcroft Company in 2000, when Britt Allcroft herself left the company she had originally co-founded with her then-husband Angus Wright....
in 2000 when Allcroft left the company. Gullane was subsequently taken over by Hit Entertainment
HIT Entertainment
Hit Entertainment is a British-American entertainment distribution company established in 1989, and originally the international distribution arm of Jim Henson Productions called Henson International Television...
who sold the entire library back to Allcroft in 2008.
On its launch, Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie received positive reviews, including "a moving work of art" - Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and "gentle, smart and beautifully animated" - New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
.
VHS releases
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"|-
!#!!VHS name!!Release date!!Episode story
|-
|1|| The Beguinning of Things || September 18, 1994 || Includes: The Beguinning of Things and More.
|-
|2|| The Queen of the Night || September 24, 1994 || Includes: The Queen of Night, Bottom of the Ocean Blues and Sea of Surprises.
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!#!!VHS name!!Release date!!Episode story
|-
|3|| Volume 3 || October 3, 1994 ||
|-
|4|| Volume 4 || November 11, 1994 ||
|-
|5|| Volume 5 || December 6, 1994 ||
|-
|6|| Volume 6 || December 18, 1994 ||
|-
|7|| Volume 7 || December 21, 1994 ||
|-
|8|| Volume 8 || January 9, 1995 ||
|-
|9|| Volume 9 || January 20, 1995 ||
|-
|10|| Volume 10 || Flebuary 1, 1995 ||
|}