Peter Firmin: puppeteer behind Bagpuss and the Clangers

Peter Firmin, who died at the age of 89, was the puppeteer and the artist who, along with his friend and colleague Oliver Postgate, created a panoply of popular programs at the age of 18. Gold of the British children's television

. , including The Clangers Bagpuss Ivor the Motor and Noggin the Nog captivated children in the sixties and seventies and continued to delight young people 39; aujourd & # 39; hui.

Firmin was born in 1928 in the port city of Harwich, Essex. He trained at the Colchester School of Art and then moved to the Central School of Art and Design as a speaker. It is here that Firmin was introduced to Postgate, who sought a designer for his Alexander the Mouse (1958). From the start, they specialized in frame-by-frame animation, a meticulous production method where each image is filmed and a single film filmed before moving on to the next shot.

Their first major project together as their production company, Smallfilms, was Ivor the Engine the story of a Welsh steam locomotive and its driver, Jones the Steam, whose Postgate later confessed the inspiration. BBC production of Dylan Thomas Under Milk Wood . The series of 32 hand-drawn animated episodes was first shown in black and white in 1959 and resurrected in color for another 40 episodes in 1976.

The art of Firmin, with the warm voice and Postgate's sweet, and business savvy, makes a winning combination, as Firmin said: "I can do a lot of things, but there is a limit. I've always relied on Oliver. He was very good technically. He could sell things to people. I would not have done all that alone. I think partnerships are really the thing. "

Noggin the Nog was shown on BBC television in 1959. It told the story of a Viking prince who crosses the sea in search of a bride. Only his throne is usurped by a bad uncle.The character came to Firmin after seeing the Lewis chess players during a visit to the British Museum.He recalled: "I come from Harwich, in Essex, and I had an uncle in Denmark and I had been there with a youth party just after the war.I was just thinking about the Viking sagas because a lot of they are connected to the east coast of England. "

The Clangers were born in 1969, the year of the first steps of humanity on the Moon. Made in a barn on the small estate of Firmin in Kent, the pink wool extraterrestrials, who lived on a moon made of cheese, were knitted by his wife Joan – the pair was married in 1952 and had six girls.

The characteristic hissing voice of the Clangers, and the buzz of the Dragon Soup, were voiced by Postgate, who also narrated each of the episodes.

Bagpuss was, in his designer words, "an old cat in flabby, baggy, and somewhat loose-stitched fabric", the favorite toy of Emily – played by the eight-year-old daughter of Firmin – who runs a store where nothing is for sale. Although only 13 episodes were made, he was elected the BBC's favorite animal for kids.

Firmin was amazed at their continued success: "Every year we thought," next year we will be out of work because we have nothing to do ", and the BBC would say So, "Well, darling, what will be next year? And it must be better than last year," and we told them what we would do and they would say, "Very good darling, go ahead." and do it. "

In 2007, the couple was featured jointly with the JM Barrie Award for Children's Arts in recognition of their" lifetime achievement in the joy of children " Postgate died the following year.Firmin received a special award at the British Academy Children's Awards in 2014, recognizing his outstanding contribution to children's entertainment.

Firmin and the Postgate's creations continued to delight audiences in the 21st century. Noggin the Nog [1] 9459006] became a play at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014. Director John Wright noted at the time: "It's so English, not Scandinavian at all.