The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley
CLASSIC BBC KID'S ANIMATION DEVISED & WRITTEN BY MICHAEL BOND
PARSLEY THE LION & THE HERBS
This has 2 Herb's episodes:-
The Birthday Party
Tarragon and the Egg.
PLUS 7 from The Adventures of Parsley:-
Sage's Birthday : Buried Bones : The Conch Shell : Putting on a Show :
Works of Art by Dill : The Crystal Ball : Dill's Day : The Quiz.
Extras : None Runtime : 52 mins
This first transfer to dvd was courtesy of Universal back in 2005.And it proved to be
a one-off until AbbeyHomeMedia took up the baton.Picture quality isn't as good as those later ones,but it's still chalk and cheese in comparison to the VHS.
THE HERBS - " PARSLEY'S TAIL "
This one has 5 Herb's episodes -the 1st 5 that were broadcast ( in broadcast order )
1) Parsley's Tail
2) Sage's Nest Blows Down
3) Belladonna the Witch
4) Tarragon and the Eggs
5) The Chives Catch Colds.
Extras : "Meet The Herbs"-3 character biogs. & "Tarragon's Test"-a quiz.
Runtime : 70 mins
Cat Number : AHEDVD3152
A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE 4 DVD's ABOVE
- They've all been released by AbbeyHomeMedia who have the exclusive dvd rights.(DVD 1 was by Universal)
- Whilst obviously being aimed at a new pre-school audience,there's no acknowledgement of the adult nostalgia market in the extras.
- The "first time on dvd" sleeve quotes on the first 2 actually mean the first time each series has appeared seperately on its' own dvd.Although they are admittedly the first to be released by AbbeyHomeMedia,as Universal were responsible for their very first transfer to dvd (below)
- Episode duplication : The fact that 2 companies have been involved means there's been some duplication. With The Herbs' episode,"Tarragon and the Egg" being featured twice,along with these 4 Adventures of Parsley ones:- "Sage's Birthday","Buried Bones","the Conch Shell" and "Putting on a Show"
The first and most obvious thing to say is that it's nice to see some more episodes finally getting a digital dustdown.
Despite being digitally tweeked though,the quality of the footage is still variable,with some episodes clearly emerging better than others.With the most noticeable signs of inconsistency being the up and down exposure levels and the fluctuating levels of sharpness and clarity.
But this could be down to a limited budget rather than any failings on the part of the technology currently available.
So there's good reason to hope that better quality versions are still possible.
I'm not sure what the excuse with the extras is though.
2 main problems here.
Firstly,the decision to ignore the nostalgic mums and dads who are buying for themselves as much as their kids.
And secondly,the assumption that targeting pre-schoolers absolves you of the need to try.
Because what's served up here won't keep them interested for longer than the 5 minutes it took to throw them together.
Desperately uninspired stuff.And whilst I know it's just a sideshow to the main event,if you're going to advertise "extras" at all,then don't short-change parents and treat kids as idiots.Because,even in the absence of a decent budget,a little bit of flair and imagination can go a long way.
Assuming you have the people who possess those qualities of course.
THE ADVENTURES OF PARSLEY - " COWBOYS AND INDIANS "
This one has 12 Advens of Parsley eps.-the 1st 12 broadcast ( in broadcast order )
Cowboys and Indians : Aunt Mint's Barbecue Party : Toothache:
Dill's Who's Who Entry : Parsley's Invention of a Mechanical Dog:
Holiday's at Home : Parsley at a Loose End : Dill's Restaurant : Sage's Birthday:
Buried Bones : The Conch Shell : Putting on a Show
Extras : "Parsley & Pals"-3 character biogs & "Parsley's Puzzlers"-a quiz.
Runtime : 60 Mins
Cat Number : AHEDVD3172
THE HERBS -" THE SNAKE CHARMER "
This one has 5 Herb's episodes
1) Pashana Bedhi,the Snake Charmer
2) Miss Jessop Tidies Up
3) Parsley & the Circus Lion
4) Sage's Singing Lesson
5) Strawberry Picking
Extras : v.similar to 2 below (ie.v.basic)
Runtime : 50 Mins
Cat Number : AHEDVD3208
THE ADVENS OF P -"WORKS OF ART BY DILL"
This one has 8 Advens of Parsley eps.
1.Works of Art by Dill 2.The Crystal Ball
3.Dill's Day 4.The Quiz 5.Dill's Television
6.Eggs & the Golf Ball 7.On Strike
8.The Pop Group
Extras : v.similar to 2 below (ie.v.basic)
Runtime : 60 Mins
Cat Number : AHEDVD3207
THESE 2 DVD's BOTH RELEASED ON 12th FEBRUARY,2007
THESE 2 DVD's BOTH RELEASED ON 27th FEBRUARY,2006
THE 1ST,INITIAL DVD RELEASE ( DELETED AUTUMN 2005 )
The first 2 were given away free by Express Newspapers in August 2007.With the 3rd following in January 2008 courtesy of The Times.
A promotional blitz by distributor, AbbeyHomeMedia,that also featured other dvds of series from their back-catalogue.And designed to inspire people to go out and buy more product,and preferably from Abbey's own site.Although as it only sells stuff they have the rights to and isn't any cheaper than the big online retailers,then you may wonder why anyone would bother.But it was a great way of re-igniting grown-up interest and hopefully managed to persuade a few of their kids that "old" isn't necessarily naff,and that animation isn't all about CGI.
"Santa's Favourites" was a compilation dvd released at the end of 2006,featuring seasonal episodes from lots of different Filmfair series -including one from The Adventures of Parsley.So a similar idea to the giveaways,except that this was a commercial release.
And how's this for a cv that most similar sized animation companies would kill for.......
The Adventures of Parsley,The Wombles,Paddington Bear,Huxley Pig,Nellie the Elephant,The Perishers and Moschops.
Moschops ? Well,I confess I'd never heard of it .But it was a mid-80's effort featuring colourful and cuddly dinosaurs.....and why not !
COMPLETE BOXSET - MAY 2008
BEFORE CONSIDERING ANY OF THE EXISTING RELEASES LISTED BELOW,PLEASE BE AWARE THAT, FINALLY..........
A FULL BOXSET FEATURING EVERY EPISODE FROM BOTH SERIES IS ON THE WAY - 3hr 20mins ON 2 DISCS (no extras)
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE -19 th MAY
R.R.P of14.99. BUT HMV.CO.UK and PLAY.COM both have it for 8.99 with free delivery.....AMAZON.CO.UK for 11.24.......
and the distributors ABBEYHOMEMEDIA have it on their own site too.
Not that they're competitive on price.But they deserve a direct link because they're also responsible for bringing most of Filmfair's back
catalogue to dvd,nevermind just The Herbs.So,hats off to them for that.And every sale is a vindication of their decision to do so.......
whether you buy directly from them or not. ABBEYKIDS.CO.UK
ADDITIONAL RELEASES
DAILY EXPRESS PROMO's
Herbs - 2 episodes
Advens of Parsley - 6 episodes
TIMES PROMO
Herbs - 5 episodes
SANTA's FAVOURITES
a seasonal compilation
