Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Noddy

Noddy is a fictional character created by British children's author Enid Blyton.

One of the most enduring and best-loved of children's characters, Noddy is a little wooden doll who lives in Toyland. His best friend is Big-Ears - a gnome. Noddy lives next to a family of teddy bears, and owns a self-aware car. Noddy originally appeared in a series of illustrated books, but later became popular with a new generation of children as a result of an animated television adaptation.

Written at a time of segregation, the original Noddy stories feature "Gollywogs" - black-faced woollen dolls who are responsible for much of the crime and evil in Toyland. These dolls were popular in the UK at the time the stories were written, but have fallen out of use because of the better awareness of race relations.

Recently, in the TV series and a new series of books, Noddy has become up-to-date, with Gollywogs featuring more as friendly neighbours.