Playhour
Encyclopedia
Playhour was a British
children's comic published between 16 October 1954 and 15 August 1987, a run of approximately 1,700 weekly issues.
Originally published under the title Playhour Pictures, the title was shortened with issue 32 to Playhour. Playhour was intended as a companion to Jack and Jill
, initially aimed at a slightly older audience. The lead strip in its early days was Prince, the Wonder Dog of the Golden West, drawn by Sep E. Scott. With issue 32 (21 May 1955) it lowered its target age-group and introduced comic strips based on A. A. Milne
's Winnie-the-Pooh
and Kenneth Grahame
's The Wind in the Willows
, both drawn by Peter Woolcock.
1956 saw the arrival of Sonny and Sally of Happy Valley, two children (and their pet lamb) who were to be associated with the title until its demise in 1987; Sonny and Sally wrote the weekly editorial letter and children writing to the editorial address (Cosy Corner, The Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London E.C.4 — the address of the publisher, Amalgamated Press) would receive replies signed by Sonny and Sally.
The stories of Sonny and Sally (drawn by Hugh McNeill) were initially related in rhyming couplets, as were a number of other early stories, although by the end of the 1970s the stories were written in normal prose form. Others were told in captions below the illustrations as Playhour avoided the use of word balloons
common in contemporary British comics, a relic of pre-war
nursery comics such as Puck and Rainbow.
Playhour contained a mixture of original tales for young children and adaptations of well known fairy tales (drawn by Nadir Quinto, Ron Embleton
, Jesus Blasco
and others). Some of the long-running characters include:
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...
children's comic published between 16 October 1954 and 15 August 1987, a run of approximately 1,700 weekly issues.
Originally published under the title Playhour Pictures, the title was shortened with issue 32 to Playhour. Playhour was intended as a companion to Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill (comic)
Jack and Jill was a British children's comic published between 27 February 1954 and 29 June 1985, a run of approximately 1,640 issues.The title was derived from the nursery rhyme of the same title but the characters 'Jack and Jill of Buttercup Farm' were otherwise unrelated...
, initially aimed at a slightly older audience. The lead strip in its early days was Prince, the Wonder Dog of the Golden West, drawn by Sep E. Scott. With issue 32 (21 May 1955) it lowered its target age-group and introduced comic strips based on A. A. Milne
A. A. Milne
Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.-Biography:A. A...
's Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh , and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner...
and Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows , one of the classics of children's literature. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon; both books were later adapted into Disney films....
's The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows
The Wind in the Willows is a classic of children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow moving and fast paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animal characters in a pastoral version of England...
, both drawn by Peter Woolcock.
1956 saw the arrival of Sonny and Sally of Happy Valley, two children (and their pet lamb) who were to be associated with the title until its demise in 1987; Sonny and Sally wrote the weekly editorial letter and children writing to the editorial address (Cosy Corner, The Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London E.C.4 — the address of the publisher, Amalgamated Press) would receive replies signed by Sonny and Sally.
The stories of Sonny and Sally (drawn by Hugh McNeill) were initially related in rhyming couplets, as were a number of other early stories, although by the end of the 1970s the stories were written in normal prose form. Others were told in captions below the illustrations as Playhour avoided the use of word balloons
Speech balloon
Speech balloons are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comic strips and cartoons to allow words to be understood as representing the speech or thoughts of a given character in the comic...
common in contemporary British comics, a relic of pre-war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
nursery comics such as Puck and Rainbow.
Playhour contained a mixture of original tales for young children and adaptations of well known fairy tales (drawn by Nadir Quinto, Ron Embleton
Ron Embleton
Ronald Sydney Embleton was a British comics artist and illustrator whose work was much admired by fans and editors alike...
, Jesus Blasco
Jesús Blasco
Jesús Blasco was a Spanish author and artist of comic books, whose career covered most of the conventional history of comic strips. He worked extensively in British comics in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
and others). Some of the long-running characters include:
- Billy Brock's Schooldays
- Jolly Days with Dicky and Dolly
- The Merry Tales of Mimi and Marmy
- The Wonderful Tales of Willow Wood
- Wink and Blink, the Playful Puppies
- Little Red Squirrel
- The Travels of Gulliver Guinea-Pig
- Tiger Tim and the Bruin Boys
- Bunny Cuddles
- Norman Gnome
- SootySootySooty is a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the...
, based on the TV series - Leo the Friendly Lion
- Tommy Trouble
- The Magic RoundaboutThe Magic RoundaboutThe Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
, based on the TV series - Num Num and His Funny Family
- Pinky and PerkyPinky and PerkyPinky and Perky is an animated children's television series first broadcast by the BBC in 1957, revived in 2008 as a CGI animation.-Original series:...
, based on the TV series - Mr Men, based on the children's book-series