The Shoe People

The Shoe People is an 80’s Children’s TV cartoon that was created by James Driscoll, who got the inspiration for the show from noticing that the style and appearance of peoples shoes told you about their owners personalities. He then wondered what stories these shoes could tell about themselves when they were new and had gradually worn out. He then started to come up with the characters for the stories. One of the characters - Trampy is based in James Driscoll's grandfather, who was a kind generous man. Once the stories were written, he needed someone to illustrate the stories and he eventually found Rob Lee, who was better known for drawing Superted. James then went around a number of people in the publishing world with his ideas and they were received well, but no one was willing to produce any Shoe People books. Eventually he talked to a local printer about producing some books himself. The printer gave him numerous prices depending on the quantity made. The more books you made, the cheaper it was, but jokingly the printer said if he made half a million books they would be really cheap. So to the shock of the printer, James took him up on having half a million books made, across 8 titles. Later on he met with Peter Elias Jones who was head of children's TV for Harlech TV. He liked the ideas, and urged him put the Shoe People on TV and to get an animated pilot created, but he would need an animation studio to produce it for him. He eventually found a studio called Fairwater Films, where he told the if they did the pilot and didn't rip him off, and the series was taken up, then he would use them to do the whole series. They agreed and did it at cost price. The series was taken up, so he upheld his side of the bargain. After a chance encounter, Justin Hayward the guitarist for the 'Moody Blues', agreed to write and perform the Theme Tune to the show. Also Philip Whitchurch narrated the series. In April 1987, the Shoe People was first broadcast on TV-AM, a breakfast show made by the ITV Channel in the UK. The Shoe People went on to be broadcast in 62 countries around the world. It was the first series from the West to be shown in the former Soviet Union and became so popular there, that they sold over 25 million Shoe People books! They couldn't afford to pay for the show, so James Driscoll, the creator of the show, decided to give it to them for free. Because of this act, he was even introduced to the leader of the Soviet Union - Mikayal Gorbachov. Also they couldn't afford the paper to produce the books, so he agreed to supply the paper for the first 8 million books, which sold out days later when they were published. The show went on to win the Gold Award at the International Film and Television Festival of New York in November 1987, in the Best Animation Category & it was nominated for a BAFTA in 1988. The characters have also been used in numerous fundraising campaigns. The Shoe People Characters Story In a Shoe Repairs Shop, not too far away. The Shoe Mender tries to repair all the shoes he gets, but sometimes he can't repair them all. But he doesn't throw away these shoes, he puts them in the back room of the shop (which is quite dusty). These join the other shoes and boots he couldn't bear to throw away and the ones where their owners never came back for them. But this room has a secret. Every night when the Shoe Mender locks up the shop, he makes sure the back room door is shut. This door doesn't shut very easily and when he slams it shut, the strangest thing happens. A large cloud of dust from the room fills the air and Shoes come to life and the back wall disappears and when it settles, the Shoe Town appears. Just below Toecap Hill is Shoe Town, where all the Shoes and Boots live, come and meet them all.... P.C. Boot He is the Policeman of Shoe Town and lives in 'Shoe Street Police Station'. I'm a bit surprised he has a police car, as Shoe Town isn't very big and he could easily walk to anywhere. He likes to over explain things, to the annoyance of others and talks with a little bit of a lisp. Charlie On the corner of Shoe Street lives Charlie. He is a Clown. He lives in a circus tent called 'The Little Big Top'. He likes to perform magic tricks and juggling, but best of all, he likes to make people laugh. The Shoe People have to be careful when talking to him, as he either pulls a face, or squirts water at them through his fake flower. He seems to have lots of unusual ideas that are useful for helping others in Shoe Town. Trampy He is a worn out Irish Boot which has a hole in its toecap and he's a bit scruffy.. He lives next door to Charlie in a house, with a crooked chimney, called 'Tumbledown House', which hasn't been painted or maintained in years and the garden is overgrown. He loves to relax and enjoy his natural garden and likes to keep the peace between the other inhabitants of Shoe Town. He likes to go on walks in the country with Margot & Baby Bootee and tell them stories. Plus he likes his friends from the countryside (the animal & insects) to come for tea. He has a soft spot for Margot, ever since he laid his eyes on her. Sergeant Major He lives in 'Drill Hall' and still thinks he is in the army (he was in the Foot Regiment). He likes everything to be neat and tidy and shouts a lot. The grass in his garden is mown in perfect lines (he even measures the width of them!) and all the plants stand to attention. The trouble is he lives next door to Trampy, and gets very cross when he sees the overgrown garden next door, and crosser when it grows into his garden!. At least once a day he complains to Trampy about it. He keeps saying to Charlie - 'Stupid Clown', but he always comes to watch his circus act. He hates being called Sarge. I think he needs to go on an anger management course, as he is always shouting at everybody and causing trouble. Margot She is a ballerina who lives in 'Swan Lake Cottage' and she loves to dance. She looks after Baby Bootee. When she first arrived at the Shoe Repair Shop, she had a big tear in her side and she thought she would never dance again. Luckily for her the Shoe Repairer had other ideas and he fixed her. She was then put back into the window of the shop to wait for the little girl who brought her in, to collect her, but she never came back. But now she has a new life in Shoe Town and she loves to put on shows for everyone. Wellington He loves being wet and lives in 'Puddle Villa'. He loves water so much that he has drilled holes in the guttering of his house and stands underneath it when it rains! He hates being called a Welly. Baby Bootee She is looked after by Margot at 'Swan Lake Cottage'. She doesn't do much else, apart from loving the Teddy that Charlie won for her at the fair. Sneaker He likes to sneak around and he takes things without asking people, hence why he looks like a burglar. He also likes to do odd jobs for people. If you look closely, there is wanted poster of him on the outside of 'Shoe Street Police Station'. He has his own yard. Guilder Van Der Clog She is a Dutch Clog who lives in a windmill. She also speaks with the worst Dutch accent that I have ever heard! Flip Flop Mr Potter Sid Slipper

The Shoe People Images (click to enlarge)

The Shoe People T-Shirts - NONE

The Shoe People DVDs Region 2 (Europe) The Shoe People DVDs Region 1 (USA) - NONE

The Shoe People Video

The Shoe People Episodes Series 1 (1987) 1. Can You Keep A Secret 2. Sergeant Major 3. A Day At The Seaside 4. Trampy 5. Trampy's Birthday Surprise 6. Margot 7. Charlie 8. A Rainy Day Problem 9. Tea At The Little Big Top 10. Fun And Games In The Park 11. Charlie's Car 12. P.C. Boot To The Rescue 13. Trampy's Dream 14. The Fair Comes To Shoetown 15. Delay at Shoetown Railway Station 16. Sneaker 17. The Windmill Has Stopped 18. A Job For Wellington 19. Margot's Mirror 20. The Missing Jumble 21. The Paper Chase 22. Where's Baby Bootee 23. Trampy Mows The Lawn 24. The Great Sledge Race 25. The Mystery Tour 26. Our Very Own Circus