Noddy

Noddy is a character created by the English children's author Enid Blyton, and the star of a series of illustrated children's books. He is a wooden toy with a childlike view of the world who lives in the imaginary setting of Toyland, where he works as a taxi driver. He drives a yellow car with red mudguards and shares his life with a cast of toy characters, among them Big Ears, a brownie who is his best friend, and Mr. Plod, the local policeman.

The series began in 1949, at the request of the publisher David White of Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd., who wanted a strong, central character to rival the work of Walt Disney. White had been struck by drawings by the Dutch illustrator Harmsen van der Beek, which showed small figures and houses among bluebells. He arranged a meeting so that Blyton and the artist could work together. Blyton described the character she had in mind, emerging from Toyland, and Harmsen quickly sketched a small wooden toy in a long hat topped with a bell, which the author felt closely matched her vision. The meeting produced several characters and the basic concept of the series.

The first stories appeared in newspapers during 1949, and the first book, Noddy Goes to Toyland, was published that November. The series eventually ran to at least two dozen titles, along with sub-series and spin-off books. In the 1950s it became one of Blyton's most successful works and was hugely popular with children, who seemed to identify with the character. Harmsen van der Beek illustrated the books until his death in 1953, after which other artists continued the series.

Noddy was adapted for television from 1955 onwards and enjoyed a long commercial life through games, jigsaws and many other products, as well as repeated television adaptations in later decades. Blyton published her last Noddy book in 1964. After her death her works passed through several corporate owners, and in 2009 the character's sixtieth anniversary was marked by a new book written by her granddaughter and a CGI-animated series.