The Magic Key
Encyclopedia
The Magic Key is a series of books published for children as part of the Oxford Reading Tree, from Oxford University Press
. The books are written by Roderick Hunt
, illustrated by Alex Brychta, and primarily follow the lives of three children, Biff, Chip and Kipper Robinson, their parents and grandmother, and their dog
, Floppy. The series was first published in 1985 with a set of 30 stories, and there are now over 300. It is used by more than 80% of schools in the United Kingdom
, and has been translated into numerous languages in over 120 different countries. In 2000, it was made into a television series, produced by the BBC.
As well as Biff, Chip and Kipper Robinson, four other children also appear in the stories and occasionally find themselves in the adventures caused by the Magic Key, namely Wilf and Wilma Page, Nadim Shah (whose mother and father own the local corner shop which features in a couple of the stories), and Anneena Patel.
The series was shown as part of the BBC
Schools segments in the morning, then transferred to CBeebies
in 2004, and shown during 2004 and 2005.
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. The books are written by Roderick Hunt
Roderick Hunt
Roderick Hunt MBE is a British children's author. His most famous series of stories is The Magic Key, which was first written as a part of the Oxford Reading Tree in 1985. There were originally 30 stories, and there are now over 300. They are used by over 80% of British primary schools to help...
, illustrated by Alex Brychta, and primarily follow the lives of three children, Biff, Chip and Kipper Robinson, their parents and grandmother, and their dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, Floppy. The series was first published in 1985 with a set of 30 stories, and there are now over 300. It is used by more than 80% of schools 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...
, and has been translated into numerous languages in over 120 different countries. In 2000, it was made into a television series, produced by the BBC.
Premise
In the television show Floppy wears a collar around his neck with a golden key upon it. The key is magic, as the title suggests, and seems to do some strange things whenever Floppy wishes for something. It transports the children and sometimes their grandmother, to other worlds, where they have exciting adventures, such as dealing with trolls in an underground cavern, being characters inside a computer game, or finding the Fountain of Youth. In the books the key is kept in a box and Floppy does not go on all the adventures.As well as Biff, Chip and Kipper Robinson, four other children also appear in the stories and occasionally find themselves in the adventures caused by the Magic Key, namely Wilf and Wilma Page, Nadim Shah (whose mother and father own the local corner shop which features in a couple of the stories), and Anneena Patel.
Audience
The books are aimed at children from four to the age of nine, and could form part of an English language syllabus in line with the National Curriculum, designed to help children learn to speak and read Standard English.Adaptations
The books were developed into a television series consisting of 26 episodes, each featuring a different story, plus helpful hints towards teaching children good use of English.The series was shown as part of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Schools segments in the morning, then transferred to CBeebies
CBeebies
CBeebies is the brand used by the BBC for programming aimed at children 6 years and under. It is used as a themed strand in the UK on terrestrial television, as a separate free-to-air domestic British channel and used for international varients supported by advertising, subscription or both...
in 2004, and shown during 2004 and 2005.
Characters
- Kipper Robinson
- Biff Robinson
- Chip Robinson
- Mum
- Dad
- Floppy the dog
- Gran
- Wilf
- Wilma
- Nadim
- Anneena
TV tie-in book titles
- The Patchworker
- Troll Talk
- Tumbleweed Desert
- The Flying Circus
- Fabulous Fancy Foods
- Underwater World
- The Demon Drill
- Lug & the Giant Storks
Episodes
- HMS Sweet Tooth- September 4 2000
- Lug & the Giant Storks- September 11 2000
- The Rook King- September 18 2000
- Clutterland Band- September 25 2000
- Troll Talk- October 2 2000
- The Patchworker- October 9 2000
- Code Calling- October 16 2000
- Zandoodle & the Wheezlebang- October 23 2000
- Biff of the Jungle- October 30 2000
- Nadim's Machine- November 6 2000
- The Flying Circus- November 13 2000
- Fraser the Eraser- November 20 2000
- The Anneena Academy- November 27 2000
- Dragon Land- December 4 2000
- The Queen of Hearts- December 11 2000
- Floppy & the Puppies- January 8 2001
- The Giant & the Knee Nibblers- January 15 2001
- The Cream Cake Mystery- January 22 2001
- Master Hansel & Miss Gretal- January 29 2001
- The Sound Monster- February 5 2001
- Tumbleweed Desert- February 12 2001
- The Stone of Contentment- February 19 2001
- The Demon Drill- February 26 2001
- Fabulous Fancy Foods- March 5 2001
- The Fountain of Youth- March 12 2001
- Underwater World- March 19 2001