The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley
CLASSIC BBC KID'S ANIMATION DEVISED & WRITTEN BY MICHAEL BOND
ON THIS PAGE.....Here we have the 1968 Herbs version of the iconic Chad Valley Give-a-Show toy.
The example shown is actually mine and it's survived remarkably unscathed I have to say.
Rather frustratingly,I can't actually remember what I thought of it at the time,or even how much I used it.
But,judging by the condition, the answer to both is probably "not very much".And,hand-on-heart,I'd probably swap it for some of my other toys that I wish I still had.
But,if you disposed of yours and actually wished you hadn't,then I hope this at least brings back some nice memories.
And if you're interested in some of the other sets that were produced,then check out the links further down.
You didn't have to buy another set if you fancied viewing some different slides.
Because all the Give-a-Show slides were available seperately too -in boxes,or on card-backed cellophane examples like the one above.But if you bought this particular set,you got the following.........
4 x The Herbs
4 x Pogles Wood -another early (and equally great) effort from messrs Posgate & Firmin,the creators of Bagpuss and The Clangers amongst others.
4 x Joe - a charming series yet often overlooked now,featuring a rosey-cheeked boy with a pudding basin haircut.
4 x Hector's House -like The Magic Roundabout,a surreal French import,only this time with a very annoying frog called Kiki and minus a fair bit of the charm (imho)
HOW IT MEASURES UP
All measurements are approximate and in imperial -as befits the era of course.
Box Size - 11" x 9" x 2.5" deep
Slides - 10.5" x 1.75"
Projector - 9.25" x 2.25"
Extras - the slot that took the slide strips provided horizontally could also be accessed from the top for individual 35mm slides (just in case you had any)
Projector Design - aside from a few design tweeks over the years,the most noticeable difference was simply that it appeared with either a red or blue body
Manufacturers Notes - " Plastic lens and reflectors are used and we ask users not to expect the perfect optical results obtained from an expensive lens." Fair enough,if a little obvious.But there's more..........
" The lens may look cloudy or scratched,but such apparent imperfections will affect the picture so slightly as to be barely noticeable." Hurrah !
Oh,and of course," Batteries not included ".Which is a bit like buying double glazing only to find the glass isn't included.
But when you got your "3 U2 flashlight batteries " (LR20's),they filled the full length of the lower tube.And,like all batteries
of the time,were universally expensive,frighteningly short-lived and just as quick to bleed all over the place at a moments
notice -a bit like the Duracell Bunny going down with mixamatosis.
So no batteries included,and no screen either.And despite the box note recommending the use of the underside of the lid,
the bedroom wall after lights-out was presumably the preferred option.
THE HERBS SLIDES - No.273 "Meet the Herbs" (below) No.274 "A Shake Up for Sage"
No.275 "Parsley's Magic Soup" and No.276 "A Lift Up for Dill"
As with all the Give-A-Show slides,telling a story in just 7 pics was always a challenge !
But the imagery was usually vivid and engaging.
None of the artwork's credited unfortunately.But The Herbs stuff looks similar to that used in the Pippin & Playland comics of the time. ( Remember them ? Check out the Memorabilia page for more. )
External Links
1) A labour of love by an enthusiast,with information on all the sets produced and more besides.HERE
2) An interesting pick n mix site that looks at the changing face of Woolworths over the decades, including a section on Chad Valley HERE
