Button Moon
| Button Moon | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Children's television series |
| Created by | Ian Allen |
| Narrated by | Robin Parkinson |
| Theme music composer | Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson |
| Composer(s) | Peter Goslin |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English, Czech, and Spanish |
| No. of series | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 91 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Charles Warren |
| Producer(s) | Stan Woodward |
| Running time | 10 mins |
| Release | |
| Original network | CITV |
| Original release | 8 December 1980 – 7 December 1988 |
Button Moon is a children's television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom in the 1980s on the ITV network. Thames Television produced each episode, which lasted ten minutes and featured the adventures of Mr. Spoon who, in each episode, travels to Button Moon in his homemade rocket ship. All the characters are based on kitchen utensils, as well as many of the props.
Once on Button Moon, which hangs in "blanket sky", they have an adventure, and look through Mr. Spoon's telescope at someone else such as the Hare and the Tortoise, before heading back to their home on 'Junk Planet'. Episodes also include Mr. Spoon's wife Mrs. Spoon, their daughter, Tina Tea-Spoon and her friend Eggbert. The series ended in 1988 after 91 episodes.
Production
Button Moon was originally conceived by Ian Allen as a stage show for Playboard Puppets in 1978. Allen adapted it into a TV series for Thames two years later. The first series of thirteen programmes was transmitted in 1980. A further six series of thirteen programmes followed, making a total of ninety-one different Button Moon adventures. The series was repeated on a yearly basis for Thames TV up until 1988. All 91 episodes have been shown on satellite channel UK Gold since spring 1993. Every episode was at least 10 minutes.
Narration was by Robin Parkinson. Puppeteers included Ian Allen, John Thirtle, Alistair Fullarton, Sue Dacre, Chris Leith, Judith Bucklow, Ian Brown, Tony Holthamand, and others. The incidental music for the series was written by Peter Goslin. The show's theme tune was composed and performed by Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson, who were married at the time.
A live stage show toured England in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.
Litigation
The creator of the show successfully sued the manufacturer of lookalike memorabilia in 2013.[1]
Episode list
Series 1 (1980-1981)
| Episode | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Three Little Pigs" | 8 December 1980 |
| Mrs. Spoon gives Mr. Spoon a present. It's a spaceship, so now he can fly to Button Moon. | ||
| 2 | "The Witch's Toast" | 15 December 1980 |
| Mr. Spoon flies from Junk Planet, through Blanket Sky to shining Button Moon. There he meets Captain Large and the Bottle Army. Through his telescope he spies a witch's magic. | ||
| 3 | "Billy Goat's Gruff" | 22 December 1980 |
| Mr. Spoon flies from his home on Junk Planet to Button Moon. | ||
| 4 | "Sid and Baby" | 29 December 1980 |
| Mr. Spoon lives with his family on Junk Planet. He has seen Button Moon shining in Blanket Sky and travels there in his spaceship. | ||
| 5 | "The Three Wishes" | 5 January 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon goes to see Captain Large and his army. He also meets Bertie and Gertie, who have three wishes. | ||
| 6 | "Storks" | 12 January 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon sees the stars playing a game. He also sees two strange birds and a camel who help to bring happiness to a sad princess. | ||
| 7 | "Tin-Who-Tea-What" | 19 January 1981 |
| When Tina gets a bump on her head, she cannot remember who she is. Maybe Mr. Spoon can help. But soon, things go wrong. | ||
| 8 | "Scruffy and the Bone" | 26 January 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon helps a pair of scissors which have accidentally cut a thread holding Button Moon in Blanket Sky. Through his telescope he sees two unusual dancers and Scruffy and Basil, two dogs which play hunt the bone. | ||
| 9 | "The Grasshopper and the Ants" | 2 February 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon sees a lazy grasshopper and some busy ants preparing for the winter. | ||
| 10 | "The Magic Wand" | 9 February 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon finds a magic wand whilst travelling to Button Moon. Meanwhile, Mrs. Spoon plans a picnic for Egbert. | ||
| 11 | "The Hare and the Tortoise" | 16 February 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon, who lives with his family on Junk Planet, takes his daughter, Tina Teaspoon, to Button Moon. They find some talking umbrellas there and through a telescope see a hare and a tortoise having a race. | ||
| 12 | "The Fox and the Hen" | 23 February 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon travels to Button Moon where he finds a wardrobe and helps to make a sad dress happy. | ||
| 13 | "House For Sale" | 2 March 1981 |
| Mr. Spoon and his family watch a performance of the Paper Circus. Then through their telescope they see Scruffy the dog, whose best friend is moving away. | ||
Series 2 (1981-1982)
| Episode | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "A Witch Comes To Stay" | 29 December 1981 |
| The Spoon family travel to Button Moon where the Vacuum cleaner is sucking up fallen stardust. When they look through the telescope they see Brew the witch preparing for her mother to visit. | ||
| 15 | "The Caterpillar Who Loved His Greens" | 5 January 1982 |
| Mr Spoon takes Tina to Button Moon. There they see a single glove who has lost her partner. Tina meets Reggie Veggie, a man made out of vegetables. Through the telescope they see a caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly. | ||
| 16 | "The New Canoe" | 12 January 1982 |
| It is snowing all over Blanket Sky. Whilst Tina and Mrs Spoon stay home to build a snowman, Mr Spoon visits Button Moon. There he sees the bottle army trying to keep warm in the snow and through the telescope. | ||
| 17 | "The Biggest Tomato In The World" | 19 January 1982 |
| Tina T Spoon is playing hide and seek with Mr and Mrs Spoon in the garden then Mr Spoons and Tina go to Button Moon where they find Vacuum Cleaner where he puts the morning post and the newspaper on the doormat, through the telescope they see Bertie and Gertie where her fairy god mother grants her 3 wishes and she 1st wishes that Bertie had the biggest tomatoes to enter in the vegetable competition but they don't get there in time and lose but Gertie wins a prize for the hat she made. | ||
| 18 | "Scruffy and the Sparrow" | 26 January 1982 |
| Mr Spoon flies to Button Moon in his spaceship where he finds Vacuum Cleaner and Small Bottle are cleaning the castle pipes. Through his telescope Mr Spoon sees Scruffy the dog, who is singing like a bird. | ||
| 19 | "The Dragon Has a Cold" | 2 February 1982 |
| Mr. Spoon takes off early in the morning to Button Moon, through his telescope he sees Brew the witch and her dragon who has a cold. | ||
| 20 | "The Flying Jam Sandwich" | 9 February 1982 |
| When Mr Spoon lands his spaceship on Button Moon, the blast from the engine blows little Fluff into outer space and on to a star. Mr Spoon comes up with an idea to save him but needs the help of. | ||
| 21 | "The Persian Market" | 16 February 1982 |
| 22 | "Music In the Air" | 23 February 1982 |
| 23 | "Scruffy At the Seaside" | 2 March 1982 |
| 24 | "The Little Red Hen" | 9 March 1982 |
| 25 | "Getting Away With It All" | 16 March 1982 |
| 26 | "The Nose That Went Honk" | 23 March 1982 |
Series 3 (1983)
27 3-01 05/Oct/83 Looking For Button Moon
28 3-02 12/Oct/83 Tina Teaspoon and the School Mouse (10 min)
29 3-03 19/Oct/83 A Day Trip To Button Moon
30 3-04 26/Oct/83 Shoebox Station (10 min)
31 3-05 02/Nov/83 Two Sticky Mugs (10 min)
32 3-06 09/Nov/83 Button Hole Pond (10 min)
33 3-07 16/Nov/83 The Scouts' Garden Fete (10 min)
34 3-08 23/Nov/83 Queenie Jelly (10 min)
35 3-09 30/Nov/83 Painting The Pipes (10 min)
36 3-10 07/Dec/83 Freddy Teddy (10 min)
37 3-11 14/Dec/83 The Clown Who Lost His Smile (10 min)
38 3-12 21/Dec/83 Happy Birthday Mrs Spoon (10 min)
39 3-13 28/Dec/83 Bundle and Fluff (10 min)
Series 4 (1985)
40 4-01 30/Jan/85 Egbert Goes To Button Moon (10 min)
41 4-02 06/Feb/85 The Spaceship Breaks Down (10 min)
42 4-03 13/Feb/85 Playing Games On Button Moon (10 min)
43 4-04 20/Feb/85 The Gravy Boat (10 min)
44 4-05 27/Feb/85 Sticky Sweets (10 min)
45 4-06 06/Mar/85 Picnic On Button Moon (10 min)
46 4-07 13/Mar/85 The Cake Fairy Goes Ice Skating
47 4-08 20/Mar/85 Rag Doll Marries A Dinosaur (10 min)
48 4-09 27/Mar/85 Egbert Goes Camping (10 min)
49 4-10 03/Apr/85 Banana Birds (10 min)
50 4-11 10/Apr/85 Pink And Purple Dinosaur (10 min)
51 4-12 17/Apr/85 The Shark In The Bath (10 min)
52 4-13 24/Apr/85 The Paper Parade (10 min)
Series 5 (1986)
Series 5 (1986)
53 5-01 07/Jan/86 A Hole In Blanket Sky (10 min)
54 5-02 14/Jan/86 Egbert Wants To Help (10 min)
55 5-03 21/Jan/86 Tutti Frutti Ice Cream (10 min)
56 5-04 28/Jan/86 Granny Spoon and the Missing Apple Pie (10 min)
57 5-05 04/Feb/86 Rain Stopped Play (10 min)
58 5-06 11/Feb/86 Bottle Party (10 min)
59 5-07 18/Feb/86 Paperchase On Button Moon (10 min)
60 5-08 25/Feb/86 Winter Sports For The Frozen Vegetables (10 min)
61 5-09 04/Mar/86 Ding A Ling Ice Cream (10 min)
62 5-10 11/Mar/86 Blue Button Moon (10 min)
63 5-11 18/Mar/86 Crazy Games (10 min)
64 5-12 25/Mar/86 The Royal Handkerchief Ballet (10 min)
65 5-13 01/Apr/86 The Holiday Weekend (10 min)
Series 6 (1987)
Series 6 (1987)
66 6-01 06/Jan/87 The Good Luck Bird (10 min)
67 6-02 13/Jan/87 Hose On Charlie's Nose (10 min)
68 6-03 20/Jan/87 Planet Doughnut (10 min)
69 6-04 27/Jan/87 Rag Doll Has A Cold (10 min)
70 6-05 03/Feb/87 Honeymoon (10 min)
71 6-06 10/Feb/87 Mrs Spoon's Jumble Sale (10 min)
72 6-07 17/Feb/87 Buttonhole Pond (10 min)
73 6-08 24/Feb/87 Missing Martha Muggins (10 min)
74 6-09 03/Mar/87 Barn Dance (10 min)
75 6-10 10/Mar/87 Bobbing Bottle (10 min)
76 6-11 17/Mar/87 Cows On Button Moon (10 min)
77 6-12 24/Mar/87 Cinders And The Magic Beans (10 min)
78 6-13 31/Mar/87 Queenie Jelly Loses Her Cherries (10 min)
Series 7 (1988)
Series 7 (1988)
79 7-01 08/Sep/88 Button Moon Boat Race (10 min)
80 7-02 15/Sep/88 Vacuum Cleaner For Sale (10 min)
81 7-03 22/Sep/88 Benny Bin (10 min)
82 7-04 29/Sep/88 Little Bottle Floats Away (10 min)
83 7-05 06/Oct/88 Button Moon Talent Show (10 min)
84 7-06 13/Oct/88 Mr and Mrs Spoon's Anniversary (10 min)
85 7-07 20/Oct/88 Mice Play On Button Moon (10 min)
86 7-08 27/Oct/88 Dotty Teapot (10 min)
87 7-09 03/Nov/88 Rag Doll Moves House (10 min)
88 7-10 10/Nov/88 What's The Matter With Marrow? (10 min)
89 7-11 17/Nov/88 Egbert's Birthday (10 min)
90 7-12 24/Nov/88 Cold Cows On Button Moon (10 min)
91 7-13 01/Dec/88 The Snoring Princess (10 min)
92 7-14 07/Dec/88 Goodbye Button Moon (10 min)
VHS and DVD releases
| Title | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Button Moon | 17 July 1987 | Includes: Good Luck Bird, Persian Market, Barn Dance, Music in the Air, and Cinders and the Magic Beans. |
| Picnic on Button Moon | 5 October 1987 | Includes: Picnic on Button Moon, The Cake Fairy Goes Skating, Happy Birthday Mrs Spoon, Tutti Fruitti Ice Cream, and The Royal Handkerchief Ballet. |
| Winter Sports on Button Moon | 5 October 1987 | Includes: The Holiday Weekend, Bottle Party, Queenie Jelly Loses Her Cherries, Blue Button Moon, and WInter Sports for the Frozen Vegetables. |
| Button Moon: Sticky Sweets + The Paper Parade | 4 January 1988 | Includes: Sticky Sweets, The Spaceship Breaks Down, Egbert Goes To Button Moon, Playing Games On Button Moon, The Gravy Boat, The Paper Parade, Banana Birds, Egbert Goes Camping, Pink and Purple Dinosaur, and The Shark In The Bath. |
| Touchdown on Button Moon | 4 April 1988 | Includes: Hose On Charlie's Nose, Planet Doughnut, Rag Doll Has A Cold, Mrs Spoon's Jumble Sale, and Bobbing Bottle. |
| A Day Trip on Button Moon | 7 November 1988 | Includes: A Day Trip on Button Moon, Painting the Pipes, Shoebox Station, Freddy Marks, and Two Sticky Mugs. |
| Paperchase on Button Moon | 7 November 1988 | Includes: Paperchase on Button Moon, Honeymoon, and Ding-A-Ling Ice Cream. |
| Talent Show On Button Moon | 6 March 1989 | Includes: Talent Show On Button Moon and A Hole In Blanket Sky. |
| Crazy Games On Button Moon | 24 April 1989 | Includes: Crazy Games, Egbert Wants to Help, Rain Stopped Play, Granny Spoon and the Missing Apple Pie, and Missing Martha Muggins. |
| Looking for Button Moon | 1 May 1989 | Includes: Looking for Button Moon, Shoebox Station, Rag Doll Marries A Dinosaur, The Clown Who Lost His Smile, and Getting Away From It All. |
| Mice Play On Button Moon | 1 May 1989 | Includes: Mice Play On Button Moon, The Scouts Garden Fete, Egbert Goes Camping, The New Canoe, The Little Red Hen. |
| Panto On Button Moon | 2 October 1989 | Includes: The Snoring Princess, Little Bottle Floats Away, Mr & Mrs Spoon's Anniversary, Rag Doll Moves House, and Egbert's Birthday. |
| Animals on Button Moon | 2 April 1990 | Includes: The Three Pigs, Billy Goat's Gruff, The Fox and the Hen, Scruffy and the Bone, and The Hare and the Tortoise. |
| Favourite Stories on Button Moon | 2 July 1990 | Includes: Vacuum Cleaner For Sale, Benny Ben, Dotty Teapot, What's the Matter with Marrow? and Cold Cows on Button Moon. |
"Button Moon - Boat Race" was released on 6 July 2009 in the UK. It comprised 10 episodes:
(Series 1): The Good Luck Bird; The Persian Market; Barn Dance; Music in the Air; Cinders and the Magic Beans
(Other series): Button Hole Pond; Cows on Button Moon; Buttonhole Pond; Boat Race; and Buttonhole Pond
(iTunes): Season 6 of Button Moon can now be purchased on iTunes UK.
References
External links
- Button Moon Theme Tune at themesfromtv.com
- Button Moon at Toonhound.com
- Character list
- Button Moon at the Internet Movie Database
- Button Moon at TV.com