Wombles are nvironmentalists and icons of creative upcycling
The Wombles of Wimbledon Common were first introduced in the books of Elisabeth Beresford in 1968. For the 1973 television series, animator Ivor Wood devised a more distinctive two-foot-high rodent with brown velvet snout and grey fur. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways. Although Wombles live in every country in the world, Beresford’s stories are primarily concerned with the lives of the inhabitants of the burrow on Wimbledon Common in London, England.
Most stories centred on the ingenuity of Wombles Wellington or Tobermory in making all manner of wacky inventions from the discarded bits and pieces humans leave behind, exploiting the contraptions’ capacity for slapstick.
It was the 1977 feature film Wombling Free (d. Lionel Jeffries) that pushed the notion of the Wombles as champions of ecology. Bonnie Langford starred as a little girl who could see the Wombles while adults could not – the film was peculiar for utilising six-foot-high Wombles alongside human actors. These costumes had seen previous use as stage costumes to promote the phenomenal career of a Wombles pop group led by Mike Batt.
Growing awareness of ecological issues in the 1990s prompted a Wombles comeback. Their green credentials were most proudly displayed in a 1991 half-hour special, ‘The Wandering Wombles’, which saw them protect Brazilian rainforests and Kenyan elephants.
The Womble motto is “Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish”. This environmentally friendly message reflects the ever-growing environmental need for recycling and sustainability.
Created by Cawston CoE Primary Academy (visit website)
Made from newspaper, wool and old carpet tiles,
Located at St Agnes’ Church, Cawston, Norwich, NR10 4AJ (visit website)
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