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.png) Original cover illustration by Margaret Gordon for "The Wombles to the Rescue" (1974) | |
| Author | Elisabeth Beresford |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Margaret Gordon (initial book illustrations) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Puffin Books |
| Published | 1968–1976 |
| Media type | Print, audiobook |
| No. of books | 6 |
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968.[1] They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways. Although Wombles supposedly live in every country in the world, Beresford's stories are primarily concerned with the lives of the inhabitants of the burrow on Wimbledon Common in London, England.
The characters gained a higher national profile in the UK in the mid-1970s as a result of the popularity of a BBC-commissioned children's television show which used stop-motion animation. A number of spin-off novelty songs also became hits in the British music charts. The Wombles pop group was the idea of British singer and composer Mike Batt.
The Womble motto is "Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish". This environmentally friendly message was a reflection of the growing environmental movement of the 1970s.[2]
- ^ "Underground, Overground – The Wombles get wired". BBC. 17 February 1998. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ Childs, Martin (3 January 2011). "Elisabeth Beresford: Children's author who created the Wombles". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 August 2011.