Wombles set to return after 27 years as IP deal opens door to comeback

Move over Paddington Bear. After almost 30 years off screen, the Wombles – the furry, litter-picking creatures who live beneath Wimbledon Common – are set for a comeback. The characters, whose motto is “Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish”, are being revived after the consolidation of the brand’s intellectual property rights under The Blair Partnership, which will oversee its global development. The deal opens the door to new television, film, audio, publishing, theatre, live events, digital media and gaming projects for the first time since 1999, with plans aimed at nostalgic adults and a new generation of children. It comes at a time when environmental themes that once seemed quirky have become mainstream concerns, giving fresh relevance to the Wombles’s longstanding message about caring for the planet. Created by author Elisabeth Beresford in the late 1960s, the Wombles became a national phenomenon after the BBC adapted the books into a stop-motion television show that ran from 1973 to 1975. Two series of The Wombles were aired on BBC One accompanied by Mike Batt’s music, which included the show’s theme tune with the lyrics “Underground overground, Wombling free”. The characters were voiced by actor Bernard Cribbins, while the puppets were created by Ivor Wood. Although the original BBC series ended in 1975, the franchise proved resilient. …