In the Night Garden... facts for kids
Quick facts for kids In the Night Garden... |
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| Created by | Andrew Davenport |
| Developed by |
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| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Derek Jacobi |
| Composer(s) | Andrew Davenport |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 100 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Running time | 30 minutes approx |
| Production company(s) | Ragdoll Productions BBC Worldwide |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | 19 March 2007 – 6 March 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | |
In the Night Garden... is a British preschool children's television series created, written and composed by Teletubbies co-creator Andrew Davenport for CBeebies and BBC Two and produced by Ragdoll Worldwide, a joint venture of Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide. The show was aimed at children aged from one to six years old. The programme is narrated by Derek Jacobi. It is filmed in live action and features a mix of actors in costume, stop motion, puppetry and CGI animation. The characters include Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka, the Tombliboos, the Pontipines, the Wottingers, the HaaHoos, the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk, the Ball and the Tittifers.
On YouTube, it has been dubbed into Spanish, Arabic, Polish, and Norwegian Bokmål.
Its Spanish-language dub is ‘El Jardín de los Sueños’, its Norwegian-language dub is ‘Drømmehagen’, and its Polish-language dub is ‘Dobranocny Ogród’.
In the Arabic dub, Upsy Daisy’s name is ‘Rayhanna’, and Makka Pakka’s name is ‘Nadif Nadif’ (literally meaning ‘clean clean’).
Contents
Production
Andrew Davenport stated in an interview with the Guardian that the key inspiration for the series was his own dream world as a child. This started coming into place in 2004 when Davenport created sketches for the characters of Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. The series would go on to be publicly announced a year later, and filming would eventually start in early 2005.
Chroma key sets would be constructed for use on the show. Backdrops would be used as well and would come in the form of a modified video of an actual forest. The show was filmed at Smatchley Wood, a private forest located in Warwickshire, England. Hundreds of props would be built too: the majority were spherical flowers resembling pom-poms as well as several types of oversized oval-shaped stones. Vector art for the show (e.g. the pictures of the characters and props on the gazebo and in the bedtime story) was all designed on Adobe Illustrator.
The constant usage of gigantic inflatable structures, hundreds of props, expensive chroma key, heavy costumes and radio controlled vehicles meant for an estimated amount of £145,000 per episode.
Overview
The show features a large cast of colourful characters with unusual names who live in a magical forest scattered with large daisies and brightly coloured flowers. The characters mostly speak short and repetitive phrases and each one has its own special song and dance. The garden is a sunny and colourful environment and the music is jaunty and music box-like. According to Wood:
"We wanted to explore the difference between being asleep and being awake from a child's point of view: the difference between closing your eyes and pretending to be asleep and closing your eyes and sleeping."
Each episode starts with a shot of a night sky with the stars appearing, followed by a shot of a child in bed, while the narrator introduces the programme's episode. The scene then cuts to Igglepiggle, in his boat, getting ready to travel to the Night Garden whilst the theme music plays. The camera pans up to the night sky, followed by brightly coloured flowers. Then we see Igglepiggle going to the gazebo to meet his friends. After that, the title appears on a bush and either the Ninky Nonk or the Pinky Ponk appears.
The episodes end with the Tittifers singing their song, and then one character gets ready to go to sleep. At the same time, they hear a bedtime story, which is generated by the magical gazebo that sits at the centre of the Night Garden. This story is a summary of the plot of the episode, which was animated using Adobe Animate (then known as Adobe Flash when the show was in production). Sometimes the characters all dance together under the Gazebo. Then we see all the characters except for Igglepiggle going to sleep, while Igglepiggle delivers his goodbye sequence. Then the theme music plays as the Night Garden turns and retreats into the night sky and Igglepiggle is seen asleep on his boat as the end credits roll over.
In the Night Garden... is intended to help children relax and achieve calming relationships with their parents. Producer Anne Wood also states: "We became very aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children which manifested itself in all kinds of directions, but the one big subject that came up, again and again, was bedtime. It's the classical time for tension between children who want to stay up and parents who want them to go to bed. So this is a programme about calming things down whereas most children's TV is about getting everything up."
In 2007 and 2008, the show won the Children's BAFTA for "Pre-School Live-Action," as well as being nominated in 2009.
Episodes
In the Night Garden... is a BBC pre-school children's television programme, first broadcast daily on the CBeebies channel, Series 1 was broadcast starting on 19 March 2007 on the Discover and Do and Bedtime Hour blocks, with series 2 following from 1 September 2008. In 2010, the BBC confirmed that it would not be commissioning a third series.
Episodes
Season 1 (2007 – 2008)
| No. in series/Overall episode number |
Title | Synopsis | Air date | First to Go to Sleep | Dance Before Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Makka Pakka Washes Faces | Makka Pakka starts washing and cleaning up his friends around the garden. He especially washes the teeny tiny Pontipines, everybody loves having their faces washed! | 19 March 2007 | The Pontipines | No; There wasn't dance in this episode. |
| 2 | The Tombliboos’ Waving Game | The Tombliboos wave to everybody as they fly through the garden in the Pinky Ponk. | 20 March 2007 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 3 | Everybody All Aboard the Ninky Nonk | Everybody goes for a ride in the Ninky Nonk. The Ninky Nonk stops for Makka Pakka but he does not get in to ride, instead, he washes it. | 21 March 2007 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 4 | The Prettiest Flower | Igglepiggle takes Upsy Daisy on the Ninky Nonk to show her the flowers around the garden until they find the prettiest flower of all. | 22 March 2007 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 5 | Makka Pakka's Trumpet Makes a Funny Noise | Makka Pakka's Trumpet is making a funny noise, but what is happening to it? | 23 March 2007 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 6 | The Pontipines in Upsy Daisy's Bed | The Pontipines count up to five and go for a very long walk around the garden. The children find themselves in Upsy Daisy's Bed and Upsy Daisy sends them back to their house. | 26 March 2007 | Upsy Daisy | No; Upsy Daisy chases her bed after the Pontipines are gone. |
| 7 | Who's Next on the Pinky Ponk | The Tombliboos decide to ride in the Pinky Ponk, but no one notices the Pontipines arrive. They play a game of "who is next". In order of appearance are Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle, and finally, the Pontipines. | 27 March 2007 | Makka Pakka | Yes; The Pinky Ponk takes everybody to the Gazebo near the end of the episode. |
| 8 | Igglepiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch | Igglepiggle has lost his blanket. Upsy Daisy helps him look for it. The Gazebo knows where it is! | 28 March 2007 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 9 | The Ninky Nonk Wants a Kiss | Upsy Daisy kisses everything in the garden, including a tree, a Daisy, Igglepiggle, the Bridge, and Makka Pakka. She rides around the garden in the Ninky Nonk, visiting and kissing people and things. Suddenly, the Ninky Nonk stops and won't go. Upsy Daisy wonders why and then realises that the Ninky Nonk wants a kiss too. | 29 March 2007 | Upsy Daisy | No; the Ninky Nonk malfunctioned |
| 10 | Too Loud Tombliboos! Nice and Quiet | The Tombliboos are practising their music so loudly it can be heard all over the garden. | 30 March 2007 | The Pontipines | No; the Tombliboos played music instead. |
| 11 | Makka Pakka Gets Lost | Makka Pakka sets off through the garden looking for stones but he loses his way. | 3 April 2007 (first aired on BBC TWO) | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 12 | Jumping for Everybody | Upsy Daisy shows Igglepiggle how to jump. Soon everyone jumps around the garden! | 1 July 2007 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 13 | Hiding in the Flowerpots | The Pontipines play hides and seek. The children hide in the big flowerpot. The Tombliboos hide behind the small bush. | 4 April 2007 | The Pontipines and the Tombliboos | Yes |
| 14 | The Pinky Ponk Adventure | The Pinky Ponk gets stuck in a tree and tips up. Everybody slides up one end. They rock back and forth and tip the Pinky Ponk the other way. They slide up to the other end. The Pinky Ponk tips back and forth and everybody slides up and down, having great fun. At last, the Pinky Ponk breaks free. | 23 December 2007 | The Pontipines | No; the characters missed the dance. |
| 15 | The Tombliboos' Tower of Five | The Tombliboos are inside their bush, building with their very own bricks. They build a tower of 5 blocks. | 4 July 2007 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 16 | Igglepiggle's Mucky Patch | Igglepiggle falls flat and gets a mucky patch on his tummy. It soon spreads around the garden. | 2 July 2007 (first aired on BBC TWO) | Upsy Daisy | No; the characters were very busy. |
| 17 | Funny Noise Coming From the Pinky Ponk | The Tombliboos are riding in the Pinky Ponk, enjoying their Pinky Ponk Juice. Each of them makes a different funny noise when they sip their juice. | 12 June 2007 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 18 | Quiet Please Tombliboos, Upsy Daisy Wants to Sing! | Upsy Daisy sets up her special megaphone to sing. The Tombliboos play music, which disturbs her. They all perform with the Pontipines. | 18 June 2007 | Upsy Daisy | No; There wasn’t dance in this episode. |
| 19 | The Tombliboos Clean Their Teeth | The Tombliboos run all over the inside of their bush, looking for their toothbrushes. They are so happy that they tell the news to everybody around the garden. Makka Pakka washes their faces before bedtime begins. | 5 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | The Tombliboos | No; The Tombliboos brushed their teeth |
| 20 | Igglepiggle's Blanket Walks About by Itself! | Igglepiggle goes dancing. Igglepiggle's blanket has landed on Makka Pakka and seems to be running about by itself. The blanket drops and out comes Makka Pakka. Igglepiggle is so happy to have his blanket again. | 6 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 21 | The Pontipine Children in the Tombliboos' Trousers | The Pontipines go for a long walk to the Tombliboo house, where the children play a game. They go in the Tombliboos' trousers but they get stuck in Tombliboo Eee's.
"This is the second time nobody dances at the gazebo." |
9 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | The Pontipines | No; The Pontipines' Children got stuck in the trousers |
| 22 | Upsy Daisy's Big Loud Sing Song | Upsy Daisy chooses to sing through her megaphone, and the Pontipines cover their ears. Makka Pakka joins in playing his trumpet. Then they call the Pontipines on the Trubliphones. | 10 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 23 | Playing Hiding with Makka Pakka | The Tombliboos discover a new game – hiding in the garden. Where have they gone? | 11 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | The Tombliboos | No; the Tombliboos brush their teeth. |
| 24 | The Ball | A ball bounces around the garden visiting one character after another, even the Pontipines themselves. | 12 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | The Pontipines | No |
| 25 | Where is the Pinky Ponk Going? | Everyone in the Night Garden boards the Pinky Ponk for a very special journey. But where exactly is the Pinky Ponk heading to? | 13 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | The Tombliboos | No |
| 26 | Igglepiggle Looks For Upsy Daisy and Follows Her Bed | Igglepiggle drops his blanket. When he comes back to the Bridge, Upsy Daisy is gone. | 16 July 2007 (BBC TWO) | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 27 | Wave to the Wottingers | The Pontipines set out on a walk, but everywhere they go the Wottingers get there first. | 17 July 2007 (on BBC TWO) | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 28 | Runaway Og-Pog | Makka Pakka's Og-pog runs away by itself down the hill and a big chase ensues. The Pontipine children stop it with a rock. | 27 June 2007 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 29 | Upsy Daisy, Igglepiggle, the Bed & the Ball | While Upsy Daisy plays with the ball, Igglepiggle decides to go to sleep in her bed. | 27 August 2007 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 30 | Tombliboo Ooo Drinks Everyone Else’s Pinky Ponk Juice! | Tombliboo Ooo is more interested in drinking Pinky Ponk Juice. He later gets a stomach ache after drinking everybody's juice. | 10 October 2007 | The Tombliboos | No, The Characters missed the dance. (Except for Makka Pakka and the Pontipines) |
| 31 | Looking for Each Other | Igglepiggle can't find Upsy Daisy. With the help of the Tombliboos and Makka Pakka, the two friends find each other again. | 15 October 2007 (BBC TWO) | Upsy Daisy | No, although Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy dance near the gazebo near the end of the episode. |
| 32 | High and Low | The Tombliboos explore inside their house, which is full of interesting spaces. | 14 October 2008 (BBC TWO) | Makka Pakka | No |
| 33 | The Tombliboos Have a Very Busy Day | The Tombliboos spend all day riding the Pinky Ponk and cleaning their teeth. | 17 October 2007 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 34 | The Pontipines on the Ninky Nonk | Everyone goes for a ride on the Ninky Nonk. Each time someone goes on board, the Pontipines get left behind because they have never been on before, but eventually, they get on. | 5 April 2007 | The Pontipines | No; the characters missed the dance. |
| 35 | The Pontipines Find Igglepiggle's Blanket | Igglepiggle is dancing in the garden when he loses his blanket. | 9 October 2007 | The Pontipines | No |
| 36 | Igglepiggle's Accident | Igglepiggle trips over and scatters the stones which Makka Pakka has tidied. | 15 October 2007 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 37 | Upsy Daisy Kisses Everything | Upsy Daisy loves the garden so much that she frequently kisses everything around her. When she kisses things, the magic starts to happen. The bridge plays music, the flower grows and the tree sheds beautiful blossoms. | 16 October 2007 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 38 | Following | The Tombliboos are playing inside their house, but Tombliboo Eee cannot decide what to do. | 17 October 2007 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 39 | Makka Pakka and the Ball!/Look What The Ball Did! | The ball is bouncing all over the garden, knocking over Makka Pakka and his pile of five stones. | 18 October 2007 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 40 | The Tombliboos Build an Arch | Inside the Tombliboo house, the Tombliboos build an arch out of their bricks. Then the Pontipine Children build an Arch out of stones. | 19 October 2007 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 41 | Makka Pakka's Stone Concert | Makka Pakka discovers he can make musical notes by tapping different stones. | 22 October 2007 | Makka Pakka | No; Makka Pakka did his stone concert instead. |
| 42 | Hurry Up Tombliboos | The Tombliboos are in their house when Makka Pakka comes to call; he wants to wash their faces. In their haste to leave, Tombliboo Eee keeps going the wrong way. | 23 October 2007 | The Tombliboos | No; Tombliboo Eee kept going the wrong way to waste time. |
| 43 | Wake Up Igglepiggle | IgglePiggle tucks up in Upsy Daisy's bed. When she returns he has to jump out quickly. | 24 October 2007 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 44 | Washing the Haahoos | The smallest Pontipines and the biggest Haahoos are clean when Makka Pakka washes their faces. But the Tombliboos are especially clean because they also have great fun cleaning their teeth. | 25 October 2007 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 45 | Where's Upsy Daisy Gone? | Upsy Daisy teaches IgglePiggle how to play hide-and-seek. | 26 October 2007 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 46 | Over and Under/Up and Down | Everyone is riding on the Pinky Ponk when the Ding Dong Alarm goes off. It flies up and above a tree, then down below a branch. | 29 October 2007 | The Pontipines | No; the characters missed the dance. |
| 47 | Upsy Daisy's Tiring Walk | Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy go for a very long walk. | 30 October 2007 | Upsy Daisy | Yes; although Upsy Daisy was too tired. |
| 48 | Makka Pakka's Present | Makka Pakka makes a pile of six stones and then shows it to everyone. | 31 October 2007 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 49 | Igglepiggle Goes Visiting | Igglepiggle goes to visit his friends, but when he goes to visit the Pontipines, he can't find them because they are very small. | 1 November 2007 | The Pontipines | No |
| 50 | Tombliboo Trousers | The Tombliboos are having fun in the garden, but their trousers keep falling, even on the Ninky Nonk. | 29 June 2007 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 51 | Where's your Uff-Uff Makka Pakka? | Makka Pakka is washing the ball until the ball bounces on his back and he accidentally lets his Uff-Uff fly away. It falls into Upsy Daisy's Bed. After dancing, Upsy Daisy finds it on her bed and returns it to him. | 10 March 2008 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 52 | Dinner in the Ninky Nonk | The Pontipines take their dinner on the Ninky Nonk and go on a bouncy ride all over the Garden. The inevitable bouncy ride has comic consequences as they travel upside-down along the branches and around the garden. The dinner gets over the Pontipines and they go home for a wash. | 11 March 2008 | The Pontipines | Yes; The Pontipines get clean for the dance |
| 53 | Igglepiggle's Tiddle | A mysterious jet of water, a tiddle, appears suddenly next to Igglepiggle. He controls it by stamping his feet three times. | 12 March 2008 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 54 | Tombliboo Eee Gets Lost | Tombliboo Eee becomes lost and separated from the other two Tombliboos, Unn and Ooo. | 13 March 2008 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 55 | Shshsh! Upsy Daisy's having a rest! (Series 1 Finale) | Upsy Daisy wants to rest in her bed but is disturbed by one character after another. | 14 March 2008 | Upsy Daisy | No; Upsy Daisy was too tired |
Season 2 (2008 – 2009)
| No. in Series | Overall episode number | Title | Description | Air Date | First To Go To Sleep | Dance Before Bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 56 | Slow Down Everybody! (Series 2 Premiere) | The Tombliboos are playing their music so fast that everybody does everything very fast. | 1 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 2 | 57 | Be Careful Tombliboos! | While travelling in the Pinky Ponk, it hits and gets stuck up a tree and tips up that the Pinky Ponk juice containers mess the Tombliboos' trousers. | 2 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 3 | 58 | Igglepiggle's Noisy Day | Everything in the garden is so noisy that Igglepiggle moves away to find a peaceful place. | 3 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 4 | 59 | The Pontipine Children on the Roof | The Pontipines take a ride on the Ninky Nonk, but Mr. and Mrs. Pontipine can't find the children. It turns out those naughty dollies are riding on the roof of the Pontipine carriage. | 4 September 2008 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 5 | 60 | Upsy Daisy Dances With the Pinky Ponk | Upsy Daisy shows her love for everything in the garden by dancing. She dances with the Pinky Ponk. The Pinky Ponk imitates her every move as they create a happy pas de deux. | 5 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | Yes; the Gazebo is in the plot of the episode. The alternate version of the Dance is used. |
| 6 | 61 | The Tombliboos Swap Trousers | The Tombliboos' trousers get mixed up everywhere. It happens on the Ninky Nonk and the Pinky Ponk but they swap them back. | 8 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | No; the Tombliboos clean their teeth instead. |
| 7 | 62 | Kicking the Ball | Upsy Daisy is the best at kicking the ball. She shows it to Igglepiggle. | 9 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | No (the episode), Yes (in the background at the end of the episode) |
| 8 | 63 | Where are the Tombliboos' Toothbrushes? | The Pontipine children cannot be found. At the same time, the Tombliboos' toothbrushes just will not stay put. What is going on? | 10 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 9 | 64 | The Pontipines' Picnic | The Pontipines are looking for the perfect place to have a picnic. They invite the Wottingers over, but the Wottingers take a very long time to arrive. | 11 September 2008 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 10 | 65 | Upsy Daisy's Funny Bed | After waking Upsy Daisy, Igglepiggle goes with her for a walk in the garden, but Upsy Daisy's Bed wants to go with her. | 12 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 11 | 66 | Upsy Daisy's Special Stone | Upsy Daisy gives her special stone from Makka Pakka to Igglepiggle to look after while she goes for a ride on the Ninky Nonk. | 15 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 12 | 67 | Makka Pakka's Piles of Three | Makka Pakka is making piles of stones, but he needs another one to make three piles along with Upsy Daisy. | 16 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | No; the Tombliboos make a pile of three blocks instead. |
| 13 | 68 | Running About | Everybody is running about in the garden so much that Makka Pakka can't wash faces. | 17 September 2008 | Makka Pakka | No; Makka Pakka was too tired to do the dance |
| 14 | 69 | Trousers on the Ninky Nonk | The Tombliboos' trousers are blown off and fly around the Ninky Nonk, the Tombliboos forgot their trousers and leave them behind on the Ninky Nonk. | 18 September 2008 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 15 | 70 | Where are the Wottingers? | After having their faces washed by Makka Pakka, the Pontipines go to visit the Wottingers. The Wottingers are not in the house; where could they be? | 19 September 2008 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 16 | 71 | Windy Day in the Garden | It is a very windy day and the trees are blowing from side to side. Igglepiggle's blanket flies off and lands on Upsy Daisy, while the Tombliboos trousers fly off the washing line and get stuck on the roof. | 22 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
| 17 | 72 | Tombliboo Ooo Brings the Ball Indoors | The Tombliboos play with the ball indoors until it flies out the window. | 23 September 2008 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 18 | 73 | What a Funny Ninky Nonk | The Tombliboos take a ride on the Ninky Nonk and everybody tries to catch the Ninky Nonk, even the teeny tiny Pontipines. | 24 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | No; the characters missed the dance. |
| 19 | 74 | Mr. Pontipine's Moustache Flies Away | While the Pontipines are eating dinner, Mr. Pontipine's moustache flies off and gets stuck to the chimney, then to the bridge, then to the gazebo! It is blown onto the Pinky Ponk. The Pinky Ponk blows the moustache onto Mrs Pontipine and she gives Mr. Pontipine his moustache back. | 25 September 2008 | The Pontipines | Yes; Mrs. Pontipine gives Mr. Pontipine his moustache back |
| 20 | 75 | Make Up Your Mind Upsy Daisy | Upsy Daisy can't decide whether to sing or play with the ball or ride the Ninky Nonk or Pinky Ponk. | 26 September 2008 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 21 | 76 | Catch The Ninky Nonk, Tombliboos! | Makka Pakka is taking a ride on the Ninky Nonk. The Tombliboos ride on the Pinky Ponk and decide to join him. | 29 September 2008 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 22 | 77 | Hide and Seek | The Pontipine children hide from the Wottingers and they all end up in Upsy Daisy's bed. | 30 September 2008 | The Pontipines | No; The Pontipines and Wottingers waved goodbye to each other instead. |
| 23 | 78 | What Loud Music, Tombliboos! | Igglepiggle discovers musical stepping stones. | 1 October 2008 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 24 | 79 | Where Can Igglepiggle Have a Rest? | Igglepiggle is trying to find somewhere soft to have a rest. | 2 October 2008 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 25 | 80 | Waving from the Ninky Nonk | The Ninky Nonk travels around the garden and soon everybody gets on board. | 3 October 2008 | The Pontipines | No; the characters missed the dance. |
| 26 | 81 | Where Did Makka Pakka's Sponge Go? | Makka Pakka trips over a stone and his sponge flies off and lands in Upsy Daisy's megaphone, Upsy Daisy goes to find Makka Pakka and restore the sponge to him. | 9 February 2009 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 27 | 82 | Ninky Nonk Dinner Swap | The Pontipines take their dinner aboard the Ninky Nonk. | 10 February 2009 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 28 | 83 | Trubliphone Fun | The Pontipines are out for a walk in the garden and hear lots of noise. But Igglepiggle was lost. | 11 February 2009 | The Pontipines | No |
| 29 | 84 | Makka Pakka's Circle of Friends | Igglepiggle comes across a stone and decides to find Makka Pakka and give it to him. | 12 February 2009 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 30 | 85 | Long and Ponky Ride in the Pinky Ponk | The Tombliboos are riding the Pinky Ponk, and throughout the ride, as everybody else gets on, it keeps hitting everything in sight. | 13 February 2009 | The Tombliboos | No (the episode), Yes (the format of the Pinky Ponk) |
| 31 | 86 | Sad and Happy Tombliboos | Tombliboo Ooo is building a tower of bricks. Tombliboo Eee spots her favourite brick in Ooo's tower and knocks it over trying to get her brick. | 16 February 2009 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 32 | 87 | Upsy Daisy Dances with the Pontipines | Upsy Daisy dances with the Tombliboos and the Pontipines, and she even dances with Igglepiggle before the dance. | 17 February 2009 | Upsy Daisy | Yes; the Gazebo is in the plot of the episode. The alternate version of the Dance plays. |
| 33 | 88 | Mind the Haahoos | The Pontipines and Wottingers are out for a walk in a garden. Mrs. Pontipine spots the Ninky Nonk through her binoculars. The Pontipines hang out with the Wottingers, ride the Ninky Nonk, and try not to harm the Haahoos. | 18 February 2009 | The Pontipines | No; the characters missed the dance. (Except for the Tombliboos). |
| 34 | 89 | Wake Up Ball | Igglepiggle takes the ball and everybody chases him through the garden. | 19 February 2009 | Upsy Daisy | Yes |
| 35 | 90 | Upsy Daisy Forgets Her Stone | Everybody takes stones from Makka Pakka's pile of 5 stones. The teeny tiny Pontipines take Makka Pakka's last stone. | 20 February 2009 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 36 | 91 | Long-Distance Ball Game | Upsy Daisy kicks the ball and it crashes into the Pontipines' tree. | 23 February 2009 | Upsy Daisy | No |
| 37 | 92 | The Wottingers' Hiding Game | The Pontipines are playing hide and seek with the Wottingers. They can't find them until they come back home. | 24 February 2009 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 38 | 93 | Upsy Daisy Only Wants To Sing | Upsy Daisy is singing with her megaphone in the garden. Makka Pakka wants to wash Upsy Daisy's face and Igglepiggle wants to play with Upsy Daisy, but she won't let them because she is busy. | 25 February 2009 | Makka Pakka | No |
| 39 | 94 | The Tombliboos' Busy Ninky Nonk Day | The Tombliboos ride the Ninky Nonk and it stops in some very lovely parts of the garden. However, when they play with the ball, the Ninky Nonk goes off without them and is out of control. | 26 February 2009 | The Tombliboos | No |
| 40 | 95 | The Pinky Ponk and the Ball | The Pontipines throw the ball at the Pinky Ponk and send everyone sliding from one end to the other. It then gets knocked upside down. | 27 February 2009 | The Pontipines | No; although the Pontipines dance at the gazebo near the end of the episode. |
| 41 | 96 | Sneezing/What A Big Sneeze Makka Pakka! | Everybody in the garden sneezes. Makka Pakka does a big sneeze that blows the pinky ponk into a tree, with Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy inside! | 2 March 2009 | Makka Pakka | Yes |
| 42 | 97 | Ninky Nonk Or Pinky Ponk | The Tombliboos cannot decide whether to ride in the Pinky Ponk or the Ninky Nonk. They ride the Pinky Ponk until it starts to malfunction. | 3 March 2009 | The Tombliboos | No; the Gazebo and the Pinky Ponk malfunctioned. |
| 43 | 98 | Oh Look! It's the Wottingers! | The Wottingers and the Pontipines look for each other, but cannot find each other at all. | 4 March 2009 | The Pontipines | Yes |
| 44 | 99 | Upsy Daisy Dances With the Haahoos | Upsy Daisy dances with the Haahoos. Everybody likes the performance so everybody joins in for the dance. | 5 March 2009 | Upsy Daisy | Yes; the Gazebo is in the plot of the episode. The alternate version of the dance plays. |
| 45 | 100 | Fall Down Ball (Series 2 Finale) | The Tombliboos ride on the Pinky Ponk for a while around the garden. The ball wants to play with the Tombliboos, but they would rather play with their bricks, build their own arch, and avoid the ball. | 6 March 2009 | The Tombliboos | Yes |
Gazebo Problem Solving Pictures
In some episodes, when a problem needs solving, the gazebo spins and chooses a picture until it finds one associated to a solution that will solve the problem.
- "Episode 8: Igglepiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch" - Igglepiggle's Blanket and Makka Pakka Blowing His Trumpet.
- "Episode 9: The Ninky Nonk Wants A Kiss" - All 6 Things.
- "Episode 16: Igglepiggle's Mucky Patch". - Makka Pakka.
- "Episode 35: The Pontipines Find Igglepiggle's Blanket" - The Pontipines.
- "Episode 36: Igglepiggle's Accident" - Makka Pakka.
- "Episode 51: Where's Your Uff-Uff Makka Pakka? - Makka Pakka with his Uff-Uff.
- "Episode 54: Tombliboo Eee Gets Lost" - Tombliboo Eee and Upsy Daisy's megaphone.
- "Episode 67: Makka Pakka's Piles of Three" - Makka Pakka.
- "Episode 75: Make Up Your Mind Upsy Daisy" - Igglepiggle.
- "Episode 78: What Loud Music, Tombliboos!" - Upsy Daisy's megaphone and Makka Pakka's trumpet together.
- "Episode 81: Where Did Makka Pakka's Sponge Go?" - Makka Pakka with his Sponge.
- "Episode 86: Sad and Happy Tombliboos" - The Tombliboos’ drums.
Cast
- Derek Jacobi as Narrator
- Nick Kellington as Igglepiggle
- Rebecca Hyland as Upsy Daisy
- Justyn Towler as Makka Pakka
- Andy Wareham as Tombliboo Unn
- Isaac Blake (Series 1)/Holly Denoon (Series 2) as Tombliboo Ooo
- Elisa Laghi as Tombliboo Eee
Critics
One parent petitioner was quoted by The Daily Telegraph commenting: "My four-year-old refused to believe it was bedtime because In the Night Garden... hadn't been on and it was daylight outside.", this is because the show was removed from CBeebies' Bedtime Hour for a while in 2008.
Telecast and home media
In the United Kingdom, In the Night Garden... debuted on 19 March 2007 and aired its final episode on 6 March 2009. From 23 April until 10 June 2007, the show took a break from airing on the CBeebies channel although it was still shown on BBC Two. From 11 June 2007 until 28 March 2008, the show aired on the CBeebies channel every day, including weekends, at 6:25pm in the "Bedtime Hour" slot, in addition to earlier 11am showings on BBC Two on weekday mornings. From 29 March until 29 August 2008, In The Night Garden... was removed from its 6:25pm "Bedtime Hour" slot, which resulted in a nationwide fan petition outside the BBC's Television Centre studios asking for the programme to be re-instated to its normal slot. The show returned to the daily "Bedtime Hour" slot at 6.20pm as of 30 August 2008 and began showing the second series (beginning with "Slow Down Everybody") on 1 September 2008. From 3 January until 4 September 2009, the show was moved to a 6:00pm transmission time but was still retained in the “Bedtime Hour” slot. From 5 September 2009 onwards; to this day, the show remains in the 6:20pm slot and is traditionally the last full-length programme of the day before the bedtime story segment.
DVDs
Several Region 2 DVDs have been released in the United Kingdom by BBC Worldwide since September 2007:
| List of DVDS | Episodes |
|---|---|
| Who's Here? (10 September 2007) | Makka Pakka Washes Faces
The Tombliboos’ Waving Game Everybody All Aboard the Ninky Nonk The Prettiest Flower Makka Pakka's Trumpet Makes a Funny Noise |
| Hello Igglepiggle! (5 November 2007) | IgglePiggle's Blanket in Makka Pakka's Ditch
IgglePiggle's Blanket Walks About by Itself IgglePiggle’s Mucky Patch The Pinky Ponk Adventure Jumping for Everybody |
| Hello Upsy Daisy! (18 February 2008) | Quiet Please Tombliboos, Upsy Daisy Wants to Sing! Upsy Daisy Kisses Everything Upsy Daisy's Big Loud Sing Song Igglepiggle Looks For Upsy Daisy and Follows Her Bed The Ninky Nonk Wants a Kiss |
| Hello Makka Pakka! (19 May 2008) | Makka Pakka's Stone Concert Makka Pakka's Present Runaway Og-Pog! Washing the Haahoos Makka Pakka Gets Lost! |
| Hello Tombliboos! (8 September 2008) | Too Loud Tombliboos! Nice and Quiet! The Tombliboos' Busy Day Tombliboo Trousers Tombliboo Ooo Drinks Everyone Else’s Pinky Ponk Juice The Tombliboo Tower of 5 |
| Isn't That a Pip? (3 November 2008) | The Pontipine Children on the Roof Looking For Each Other Slow Down Everybody! Igglepiggle Goes Visiting Where is the Pinky Ponk Going? |
| Look at That! (23 March 2009) | Igglepiggle's Tiddle Makka Pakka's Piles of Three Where are the Wottingers? Mr. Pontipine's Moustache Flies Away What Loud Music, Tombliboos! |
| What Fun! (2 November 2009) | Sneezing Hide and Seek Mind the Haahoos The Pontipines Find Igglepiggle's Blanket Upsy Daisy Dances with the Pinky Ponk |
| All Together! (15 March 2010) | Waving from the Ninky Nonk Playing Hiding with Makka Pakka Wake Up Ball Over and Under Sad and Happy Tombliboos! |
| Best Friends! (6 September 2010) | Upsy Daisy's Tiring Walk Trubliphone Fun Shshsh! Upsy Daisy's Having a Rest! Who’s Next on The Pinky Ponk? Makka Pakka's Circle of Friends |
| All Aboard! (6 June 2011) | Ninky Nonk Or Pinky Ponk? Upsy Daisy's Special Stone Ninky Nonk Dinner Swap The Tombliboos Swap Trousers Igglepiggle's Accident |
| Out For A Walk! (5 September 2011) | Upsy Daisy's Funny Bed The Ball Wave to the Wottingers! The Pontipines in Upsy Daisy’s Bed Igglepiggle's Noisy Noises. |
| What Lovely Music! (28 May 2012) | Tombliboo Eee Gets Lost! Make Up Your Mind Upsy Daisy! Following Upsy Daisy Dances With The Haahoos Long Distance Ball Game |
| Wake Up Igglepiggle! (7 April 2014) | Wake Up Igglepiggle Where Can Igglepiggle Have A Rest? Oh Look It's The Wottingers! Dinner In The Ninky Nonk The Tombliboos Clean Their Teeth |
The boxset Hello Everybody! (24 November 2008) includes "Hello Igglepiggle", "Hello Upsy Daisy", "Hello Makka Pakka", & "Hello Tombliboos"
Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2007
- Awarded Best Children's Live-Action Series
- The website for the programme was nominated for Best Interactive Site
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2008
- Awarded Best Pre-School Live Action Series
- BAFTA Children's Awards 2009
- Nominated for Best Pre-School Live Action
Merchandising
In the Night Garden... has books, DVDs, toys and magazines that have been marketed since 2007.
Books
In 2007, Ladybird Books published a full In the Night Garden range of books, some had lifted the flap features (The Prettiest Flower, 2007) and some had sounds from the programme (What a Noisy Pinky Ponk!, 2009), these usually retailed for £8.99 when they were released from BBC Books/Ragdoll Productions.
Toys
The show's producers, Ragdoll Productions, signed a deal to make the toy producer Hasbro a global partner before the show was first aired and merchandise was first made available in July 2007. The range includes small Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka stuffed toys and a small Ninky Nonk train with detachable carriages. Wheeled toy licensee MV Sports & Leisure Limited produced a range of scooters and trikes. Play-Doh made some dough that came packaged with an Igglepiggle-shaped cut-out.
In the spring of 2008, several new toys arrived, including roll-along characters, Talking Cuddly Makka Pakka, Ninky Nonk Pop-up tent and more. Hasbro won the 2008 "Best Licensed Toy or Game range" Licensing Award for their In The Night Garden... range.
In January 2009, a spokesman for the BBC confirmed that they had asked Hasbro to change the CGI skin colour of the Upsy Daisy CGI doll following "a handful of complaints". The doll was originally released with a noticeably lighter complexion than seen in the television series, as it was based on the animated version of Upsy Daisy.
In 2010, more new toys were released like the Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy set that contained a copy of the Series 2 episode The Pontipines' Picnic (2008) on DVD as well as an electronic Ninky Nonk (which made the actual sounds from the Show) and a Playmat that had: the Bridge, the Tombliboo Bush (with The Tombliboos and their beds), the Gazebo and the Pinky Ponk.
A different company, Golden Bear Toys have also made a range of In The Night Garden... toys, featuring Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle. These include the "Musical Ninky Nonk Bubble Train" and the "Igglepiggle Wind-up Musical Boat."
On 1 October 2019, the "In the Night Garden Igglepiggle Peek-a-boo Clip-on Toy" made by Golden Bear Toys was recalled due to a possible choking hazard to young children.
Live theatrical show
In the Night Garden...Live! started a first UK tour in July 2010. The show took place in an inflatable, purpose-built ‘show-dome’. The show debuted and premiered in Liverpool and moved on to London, Glasgow and Birmingham. In the Night Garden...Live! has toured the United Kingdom every summer.
In 2018, the shows ended and the inflatable ‘show-dome’ would no longer be around. This may be because 1,000 tickets were sold to go.
ZinkyZonk Specials
A spin-off special series, titled In the Night Garden... ZinkyZonk Specials was announced by WildBrain in September 2022. The six 15-minute specials are CGI-animated in Canada by WildBrain Studios, with an initial broadcast deal made with Hop! Channel in Israel. The series first premiered in Australia on ABC Kids in September 2022.
The specials centre on a brand new character called the Zonk, who sends the characters off to the magical world of the ZonkeyZoney so they can relax in peace. The series is fully animated in 3D CGI animation, unlike the original series which was a mix of CGI, 2D animation and live-action.
See also
In Spanish: El Jardín de los Sueños para niños
