Hattytown Tales

Hattytown Tales is a 52-episode stop motion children's television series produced by FilmFair for Thames Television. It aired in the United Kingdom between 1969 and 1973. Creator and writer Keith Chatfield narrated the series, and Ivor Wood directed it. Books were published by World Distributors and it was featured in the Playland Comic (offshoot of Pippin) published by Polystyle Publications and in children's annuals for 10 years.

Hattytown Tales was also often featured during the television programme Pinwheel (which was widely broadcast on the U.S. television network Nickelodeon during the 1980s).

Some residents of Hattytown

The residents of Hattytown were anthropomorphic hats. The style of hat each character was indicated its ethnicity, attitude, and role in Hattytown society. For instance, Bobby, the constable, resembles the hat of a constable. Buildings in the town are also hat-shaped; each building's form suggests either its primary function or resident.

The main character, Sancho, is a Mexican sombrero with legs and eyes. Carrots, his best friend, is a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of his face. In one episode, an angry bird makes its nest in Sancho's car. Every time the Hattytown residents try to move the bird, it snaps at them. At the end of the episode, the car door opens to reveal a nest of eggs that eventually hatch.

Episodes

Series 1 (1969)

• Mr Wimple's Breakfast Rolls
• Bobby's Flower Garden
• Carrot's Carrot
• King Ethelbert
• Milko's Day Off
• Simon's Magnifying Glass
• Going Fishing
• The Statue
• Sancho's Camera
• Posty's Old Boots
• You Cannot Please Everyone
• Wash Day
• The King's Portrait

Series 2 (1970)

• Saving Time
• Up and Away
• Creatures of Outer Space
• Almost Magic
• The Pillar Box
• The Royal Hattytown Guards
• Friendship
• The Picnic
• The Cannon
• Carrots for the Mayor
• Too Much of a Good Thing
• Hiccup Buns
• Bookworms

Series 3 (1973)

• Bobby's Security Patrol
• Mr. Bun the Master Baker
• The Walking Pillar Box
• The Fete
• A Note for the Milkman
• Sneezy Cheese
• Mrs. Bagwash and the King
• The Secret Tunnel
• It Pays to Advertise
• The Auction
• The Telephone Box
• A Taxi for Hire
• Mustafer the Hedgehog

VHS Releases

In the mid-1990's, Castle Communications released three videos with five episodes on each one. The copyright year on the back cover and the label is mistakenly printed as 1981 even tough all 13 Series 1 episodes of Hattytown Tales were broadcast on ATV in 1969 and the first two Series 2 episodes of Hattytown Tales were broadcast on ATV in 1970.

On 14th May 2001, Contender Entertainment Group released a single video it with the first three episodes on it in its 'kult kidz' range of classic children's shows from the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's that were released on video.

External links

• Keith Chatfield's website
• Hattytown Tales at the Internet Movie Database