ROBERT HARROP
CAMBERWICK GREEN
APPLES GALORE
PUGH & WORKER
LIMITED EDITION 1200
In 1997, Robert Harrop introduced a collection of figurines based on the charming characters from the TV series created by Gordon Murray. This nostalgic range has become firm favourites with an ever-growing section of Robert Harrop customers. Every model that is introduced has the approval of Gordon Murray himself, whose letter below outlines the history of Camberwick Green.
As quoted in collectors catalogue:
Dear Collector, It is now 38 years since I walked round and round the local park, desperately trying to squeeze out ideas for a new children's television series. An opportunity had arrived. Thirteen episodes of 15 minutes. I would have to make a pilot film at my own expense and submit 12 other synopses. I considered a cosy little family of bears, living in a cosy little house, with one or two cosy neighbours dropping in. I rejected it after only one circuit of the park. Ambition reared its head. No! I would make a spectacular! A musical spectacular! With lots of characters and no star parts! The star would be the location - a rural village - and everyone would be nice, and kind, and helpful, and happy. I started to make a small puppet, the postman. He would be a link between settings, with an easily-recognisable uniform. Bearing in mind that I would have to start a one-man puppet factory turning out many characters in a limited time, I gave him a ping-pong head with added nose, ears, eyes and hair. This would be the standard adult male character. The nose and hair could be varied, plus moustaches, beards and spectacles as required. The body and clothes were polyurethane foam on a skeleton of aluminium wire, which has no spring in it. I made copies of the patterns so that they could be adapted to suit other characters. With the postman standing before me, I started writing the first script - Camberwick Green, episode one.......
Sculpture comes brand new in box, mint condition, never been displayed, only opened to check for damage.
