Flashback Friday - Raggy Dolls

Raggy Dolls

It's not much of a life when you're just a pretty face,

Just to be whoever you are is no disgrace,

Don't be scared if you don't fit in...

Look who's in the reject bin!

I used the love the Raggy Dolls in the 80's and 90's (and still do as we have some of the DVD's).  Following the adventures of rejected toys from Mr Grimes' factory and their adventures.    It taught children to respect people who were different.

The Raggy Dolls consisted of 112 animated episodes and ran from 1986 - 1994.  Each 5 minute episode was produced for Yorkshire Television.



The main Raggy Doll characters appeared throughout the series:

Sad Sack was very gloomy and cynical.  His design was too expensive to mass produce so he was rejected.

Dotty often acted in a bossy manner. She accidentally had paint spilt on her hair and clothing. 

Hi-Fi had a stammer due to him being dropped during testing.  He always wears headphones.

Lucy was not stitched correctly. She was a shy character who has easily frightened, but was very kind-hearted.

Back-To-Front was a handyman doll with a backward-facing head (as a result of the manufacturer putting his head on the wrong-way round) and a love of mechanics. 

Claude was a French doll, perfect in every way. The only reason he ended up with the Raggy Dolls was because he fell out of a box of dolls being shipped to France and was left behind.  He speaks with a French accent, and sometimes alternates between speaking English and French.

Princess was created out of 'odds and ends' due to lack of material from manufacturer so she wasn't a perfect doll.

Other Characters that appeared in the Raggy Dolls in various episodes......

From the 5th series Ragamuffin was introduced.  He was a wandering traveller doll who'd lost his owner and decided to spend his life taking in new sights and experiences. 

Pumpernickle was a Scarecrow friend to the Raggy Dolls.who had a cousin called Cousin Tabitha. 

Mr Oswald "Ozzie" Grimes was the owner of Mr Grime's toy factory

Cynthia was Mr Grime's love interest, and later wife.

Edward was Mr Grime's lost teddy bear who becomes a good friend to the Raggy Dolls.

Mr Marmalade is Mr Grime's pet cat.

The Little Carthorse was, as the name suggests a toy horse.

Barbette was a French doll that Claude met during a French exhibition.

Farmer Brown was the farmer of One Pin Farm.

Rufus was Farmer Brown's Sheepdog.

Rupert the Roo was an Australian toy kangaroo who becomes a friend to the Raggy Dolls.

Florrie Fosdyke was A kind cafeteria lady who was mostly very forgetful.

Andre G. Hamburger was an artist from New York who'd took Dotty and Back-to-Front for inspiration ideas for his work.

Toby Martin was a swindler who used the Raggy Dolls as prizes in his swindled coconut shy

Mr Barsley was a man who owned Belgravia Toys in London.

So if you got a bump on your nose or a lump on your toes, do not despair,

Be like the Raggy Dolls, and say I just don't care,

'Cause Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),

Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),

Are happy just to be, 

Raggy Dolls, Raggy Dolls,

Dolls like you and me!