On the 12th February, our lovely friend Bagpuss, the most important, the most beautiful, the most magical saggy old cloth cat in the whole wide world, celebrated his 50th anniversary.
We were honoured to mark the day, working with our long-standing client, international media group and rights owner, Coolabi, working to place interviews with Emily Firmin, who played Emily in the show and Daniel Postgate, both children of the late Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, who created the show 50 years ago.
The anniversary was a huge success, with 47 pieces of targeted high- quality coverage via a range of key national, regional, consumer, business and broadcast titles with potential reach of over 430 million.
Highlights included the Radio Times, the Guardian How We Made It, The Times Relative Values, BBC News, ITV News, Channel 5 News, and BBC Radio 6’s Radcliffe and Maconie dedicated an entire show to celebrate.
Just thirteen episodes of the iconic Smallfilms animation were created by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, which live on in the hearts of the British public, and to this day Bagpuss is considered one of the greatest ever TV shows. The remastered show was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2023 by Fabulous Films, a long standing UK/US distributor specialising in classic and cult television and is available to stream on Britbox and ITVX, plus iTunes, Amazon and more.
To mark the moment, leading distributors of collectable coins and stamps, The Westminster Collection, released a brand new collection of five 50p coins in base metal and sterling silver with quotes from the show.
Guernsey Post will issue a set of four commemorative stamps, on the 25th July, including souvenir sheets, first day covers and a presentation pack. Rainbow Designs, creators of high quality, forever toys, inspired by the beloved characters from children’s literature, has launched a new range of Bagpuss plush toys
Bagpuss – The 50th Anniversary Edition, is a special edition Bagpuss from Steiff, the inventors of the teddy bear, exclusive to Danbury Mint. And Practical Publishing will be releasing a Bagpuss collection available at CraftStash, featuring cutting dies, beautiful printed papers and toppers.
Dedicated news about the products created to commemorate the moment were placed in Skwigly, Total Licensing, Licensing.biz, Animation For Adults, Animation Magazine, License Global and Planet Radio.
The celebrations continue as The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge is hosting The Smallfilms Gallery, renamed in honour of the studio, a family gallery showcasing work by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate, who created their iconic children’s programmes from their studio near Canterbury. The exhibition, created in close conjunction with the Firmin and Postgate families and Dr Chris Pallant, Canterbury Christ Church University features the original Bagpuss, and many of the original film props.
As he enters his 50th year, Bagpuss continues his role as mascot to Hospices of Hope, the only UK charity dedicated to supporting hospice care in South and East Europe.
