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The Gingerbread Man (TV series)

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The Gingerbread Man
GenreChildren's television series
Created byDavid Wood
Written byDavid Wood
Directed byMartin Pullen
Creative directorAlan Murphy (art director)
Voices ofAndrew Sachs
Jacqueline Clarke David Wood
Narrated byAnton Rodgers (uncredited)
Theme music composerDavid Wood
ComposersPeter Pontzen
David Wood
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerDavid Yates
ProducerKath Swain
EditorAndi Sloss
Camera setupSimon Paul
Running time10 minutes per episode (approx.)
Production companiesFilmFair
Central Independent Television
Original release
NetworkITV
Release24 April (1992-04-24)[1] –
24 July 1992 (1992-07-24)

The Gingerbread Man is a British stop motion animated children's television series about a gingerbread man and his friends, who come to life in their home on the kitchen dresser when the Big Ones are asleep.[2]

The series was written by David Wood, adapted from his two-act musical play The Gingerbread Man, which premiered in 1976 at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon, Essex, and went on to great international success.[3] The play is inspired by "The Gingerbread Man", a 19th-century fairy tale.

The screen adaptation was co-produced by FilmFair and Central Independent Television in 1991, and broadcast on ITV in 1992. Andrew Sachs voiced the Gingerbread Man, Mr Salt the Sailor, Herr Von Cuckoo and Sleek The Mouse. Jacqueline Clarke voiced Miss Pepper and Old Tea Bag. Although uncredited, Anton Rodgers voiced the narrator. And also uncredited, David Wood voiced one of The Big Ones.

Characters and Voice Cast

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  • The Gingerbread Man (voiced by Andrew Sachs) - The title character who lives on the kitchen dresser with his friends.
  • Mr Salt (voiced by Andrew Sachs) - A sailor-like salt grinder who references sailing activities whenever he is woken up.
  • Miss Pepper (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke) - A pepper grinder who frequently asks Mr Salt to twist her grinder.
  • Herr Von Cuckoo (voiced by Andrew Sachs) - A German wooden Cuckoo from the kitchen's Cuckoo Clock who makes cuckoo sounds every hour.
  • Old Tea Bag (voiced by Jacqueline Clarke) - A bad-tempered old tea bag who lives in the teapot on the top shelf on the kitchen dresser.
  • Sleek The Mouse (voiced by Andrew Sachs) - A hungry gangster with a Brooklyn accent who is frequently seeking out food.
  • The Big Ones (voiced by David Wood and Jacqueline Clarke) - Two humans who live in the house with the Gingerbread Man. They are heard, but are never seen on screen. They mention their children in conversation.

Episodes

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  1. "The Arrival" Summary: The dresser folks find out that The Gingerbread Man is not finished.
  2. "Herr Von Cuckoo's Cuckoo" Summary: Herr Von Cuckoo has lost his voice.
  3. "Sleek the Mouse" Summary: Sleek tries to eat The Gingerbread Man.
  4. "Hide and Squeak" Summary: The dresser folks play hide and seek.
  5. "Poison" Summary: Herr Von Cuckoo gets poisoned by The Big Ones.
  6. "Party" Summary: The dresser folks have a party.
  7. "A Pinch of Salt" Summary: Mr. Salt refuses to wake up.
  8. "Locked Clock" Summary: Herr Von Cuckoo's clock is stuck.
  9. "Weekend Break" Summary: The Gingerbread Man accidentally breaks a plate.
  10. "Old Tea Bag in Danger" Summary: The Old Bag is in serious danger.
  11. "While the Cat's Away" Summary: When Mr. Salt and Miss Pepper are gone, The Gingerbread Man finds something to do.
  12. "It's Not Fair" Summary: The dresser folks have their own fair fun.
  13. "The Gingerbread Ghost" Summary: The Gingerbread Man becomes a ghost.

Home Media releases

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In the United Kingdom, some episodes were released on VHS tapes in the 1990s by PolyGram Video, 4 Front Video (Pocket Money Video) and distributed by Channel 5. For example, PolyGram Video released a VHS tape with the first 5 episodes on 28 April 1995. Various animation compilations on VHS included single episodes.

After including a portion of the series on its VHS animation compilation All Together Now (2001), Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first 5 episodes on a Region 2 DVD entitled The Gingerbread Man (12 April 2004), again distributed by PolyGram Video and Channel 5.  The entire series was finally issued on DVD when Abbey Home Media released the first 6 episodes on DVD on 27 March 2006, and the remaining seven episodes on a second DVD on 26 March 2007.

Notes

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  1. ^ "The Gingerbread Man". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  2. ^ Diamond, Frazer. "The Gingerbread Man". Toonhound. Frazer Diamond. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. ^ "The Gingerbread Man". David Wood: The National Children's Dramatist. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
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