Author Enid Blyton‘s wooden toy character Noddy first appeared in the Sunday Graphic on 5th June 1949, with art by Harmsen van der Beek.
The first two books were serialised in the Sunday Graphic, starting with the second book, Hurrah for Little Noddy (5th June to 31st July 1949, AmazonUK Affiliate Link to facsimile edition), followed by Noddy Goes to Toyland, from 7th August to 25th September 1949. The books were first published by Sampson Low in 1950.
In all, Blyton wrote a total of 24 Noddy books, published between 1949 and 1963 which were illustrated by the Dutch artist Harmsen van der Beek until his death in 1953, then continued by his assistant, Peter Wienk, who would draw the character’s adventures for 17 years.
Noddy and the Magig Goldfish, gouache with watercolour and pencil by Harmsen van der Beek, on thin card, an original illustration depicting the cover design for Noddy and the Magic Goldfish, (the word magic erroneously spelt ‘magig’ on this design), published by Sampson Low, 1953 | Image via Dominic Winter Auctioneers
Enid Blyton was already a prolific author by the time she created Noddy, the story of a wooden boy who lived in the magical world of Toyland, characterised by his innocent and kind-hearted nature. While some contemporary elements of the original stories are controversial today (we’re well aware certain characters are no longer part of Noddy’s world today, golliwogs now replaced by goblins), the character went on to feature in stage plays (the first in 1955), on television and in comics – and retains a global fan following, as does Blyton herself.
Together with his best friend Big Ears, the whimsical Toyland setting created a world that’s sparked many an imagination.
• Noddy Goes to Toyland – 2016 Facsimile edition (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• Hurrah for Little Noddy – 2016 Facsimile edition (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• Noddy Classic Storybooks – Facsimile editions (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Head downthetubes to…
• Wikipedia: The Sunday Graphic (1915 – 1960)
The Sunday Graphic was a weekly tabloid newspaper published in Fleet Street, founded in 1915 as the Sunday Herald and later renamed the Illustrated Sunday Herald. It changed its name to the Sunday Graphic in 1927, becoming the sister paper of the Daily Graphic. In 1931 it was merged with the Sunday News. It ceased publication on 4 December 1960.
Comic archivist Philip Rushton notes that over the years, the Sunday Graphic and its various spin-offs featured some of the best ever British comic strips by the likes of Randolph Caldecott and Charles and Henry Brock, yet few people today have ever seen them. The brand is presumably owned today by DMG Media, who purchased Associated Newspapers
• The Graphic is available digitally via The British Newspaper Archive (Subscription Required)
• Search eBay: The Sunday Graphic
• Celebrating Enid Blyton – article by Susannah Fullerton (see also “Noddy first appears”)
• The Gale Review: Noddy in Archiveland
Charting the highs, lows and controversy surrounding both character and author
• Lambiek: Harmsen van der Beek
Harmsen van Beek was the father of Flipje van Tiel, The Netherlands’ most famous advertising comic
• Popucom: Noddy’s Other Half – Harmsen van der Beek
Wienk began his career as an illustrator after escaping from captivity in East Germany in 1945
• Comic Oddities: Noddy’s Tall Books (1960)
Comic creator Lew Stringer on the very first comics he read
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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Excellent run-down, John, on a character who is a teeny bit younger than I am. This is one instance where I credit Beek with the inspiration and Enid with hi-jacking the credit – Dave