Where are the Wombles?

I can't believe there isn't a permies thread about The Wombles!

Did I miss it?

Wellington

source


image source

I LOVE the wombles!

Here's the theme tune, which explains what they are all about...



Great Uncle Bulgaria still lives with me, supervising all my dragons and encouraging them to make good use of all the things that they find. You know, all the things that the everyday folk leave behind...

In fact, I believe he was responsible for organising a wombling party last year and was the one who drove the tractor to rescue the old 'Beware Trains' sign that got left behind decades ago when the railway bridge over the track was built and the mini level crossing abolished.

Here they are, the whole collection of the naughtiest of my plushies, with their new rescue. Which I think is either going to become an outdoor coffee table or repainted and put up near the house as a warning that the place is occupied by a train spotter. I might need to get a 'Here be Dragons' one to go with it...



He seemed to claim that we'd left not only the tractor lying around with the keys in it, but also my son's cordless angle-grinder. Which he then returned to him.

Of course, it's vaguely possible that my boys were in cahoots with them. But surely not...



It should look like this when it's finished...

Neat! I'm surprised I've never heard of this.

Any Brit who grew up since the 1970s would be familiar with the Wombles, but maybe they didn't make it big in the US? I never realised till I started researching that there was actually a Wombles film (with Bonnie Langford), but certainly remember jumping to the songs on our record player!
According to the lyrics of 'wombles everywhere' there are Wombles in America, but I guess as in the film, they just can't be seen by human people.

Permies characteristics of Wombles:
Clearing up rubbish and reusing it to make useful things
An underground home made from repurposed materials
Living in a cooperative community

what else?

Don't forget cooking with foraged ingredients!

Bramble pudding was a firm favourite in our family, though I never admitted to my son that I improvised the recipe instead of using Madam Cholet's proper one...

Burra Maluca wrote:I LOVE the wombles!

No need to ask what the favourite Wombling song is in your house!

Wellington goes to Waterloo

No, I didn't know the Wombles. I think they are typically British.
I do remember the children watched another series with this sort of puppets, the Freggles. And the Muppets were on TV here in the Netherlands too. But no Wombles, as far as I know. It's a pity!

"Woke up at 3am to interminable scuttling sound coming from my loft. Rang Council Pest Control Offices in the morning, and they sent a man round with equipment and small cages. He took one look upstairs, then came down and said "I'm terribly sorry, but you've got Wombles." I said that couldn't possibly be true, and he said: "Yes it is. Haven't you noticed your house has been that little bit neater recently?"" -Armando Ianucci

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:No, I didn't know the Wombles. I think they are typically British.
I do remember the children watched another series with this sort of puppets, the Freggles. And the Muppets were on TV here in the Netherlands too. But no Wombles, as far as I know. It's a pity!

Was it Freggles, or maybe Fraggles? Even with a different spelling, maybe the same. The Fraggles were an off-shoot of the Muppets, and quite popular for a while in the U.S.

Yeah, are we talking about this, or something else? -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraggle_Rock

Yes, that's what I mean. In Dutch they were called 'de Freggels', I thought then in English it would be 'Freggles', but indeed it's 'Fraggles'. Because the series was for children, it was all spoken in Dutch. The Muppets were more for adults, so they remained in English (with subtitling).
We had our own Dutch puppet shows too: 'Fabeltjeskrant' and 'Paulus de Boskabouter' (and maybe more).

Nancy Reading wrote: Permies characteristics of Wombles:
Clearing up rubbish and reusing it to make useful things
An underground home made from repurposed materials
Living in a cooperative community

what else?

I need a few of them on my homestead - will they out-compete rats, and take over their underground homes?

My spare parts collection is a little out of control, and I bet they'd help me put a lot of it to good use.

Wombles seem way more helpful than Fraggles.

Jay Angler wrote:

Nancy Reading wrote: Permies characteristics of Wombles:
Clearing up rubbish and reusing it to make useful things
An underground home made from repurposed materials
Living in a cooperative community

what else?

I need a few of them on my homestead - will they out-compete rats, and take over their underground homes?

My spare parts collection is a little out of control, and I bet they'd help me put a lot of it to good use.

Wombles seem way more helpful than Fraggles.

Agreed!! Nancy, would you mind putting in a good word for me? Is love to host some Wombles, and I've a lovely spot, I'm sure they'd love!

Jay Angler wrote:

Wombles seem way more helpful than Fraggles.

Yeah, but do Wombles sing incredibly catchy songs?

If they do, sign me up for some Wombles too!

Molly Kay wrote:Yeah, but do Wombles sing incredibly catchy songs?
If they do, sign me up for some Wombles too!

How about this one...



Underground, overground, wombling free
The wombles of Wimbledon Common are we
Making good use of the things that we find
Things that the everyday folks leave behind

Uncle Bulgaria, he can remember the days
When he wasn't behind the times
With his map of the world
Pick up the papers and take them to Tobermory

Wombles are organised, work as a team
Wombles are tidy and wombles are clean
Underground, overground, wombling free
The wombles of Wimbledon Common are we

People don't notice us, they never see
Under their noses a womble may be
Womble by night and we womble by day
Looking for litter to trundle away

We're so incredibly utterly devious
Making the most of everything
Even bottles and tins
Pick up the pieces and make them into something new
Is what we do

Underground, overground, wombling free
The wombles of Wimbledon Common are we
Making good use of the things that we find
Things that the everyday folks leave behind

I think there are more too - I'll rummage around and see what I can find. Meanwhile, in real life, Great Uncle Bulgaria is supervising the Skye Dragon eggs wondering when they will begin to hatch... ;)

And this one was on Top of the Pops!



When the sun doesn't shine and it's cloudy and gray
And it's only the beginning of the wombling day
And you've got to do the washing up for Madame Cholet

Remember, remember, remember, remember
Remember, remember, remember (member, member, member)

Remember you're a Womble
(Remember you're a Womble)

Remember you're a Womble
(Remember you're a Womble)

Remember you're a Womble
(Remember you're a Womble)

Remember you're a Womble
(Remember you're a Womble)

Remember, member, member, what a Womble, Womble, Womble you are

When it's foggy on the common and you just can't see
And I womble into you and you womble into me
Just remember we're so lucky to be wombling free

Remember, remember, remember, remember
Remember, remember, remember (member, member, member)

Remember, remember, remember, remember
Remember, remember, remember (member, member, member)

@Burra Maluca, that second song was very catchy! The first one, I suspect might grow on me.

But, I have to counter with the theme song from Fraggle Rock.

https://youtu.be/KLQS6xo40kI?si=MisnuRZT3pnIniN-