PREVIEW

Original dolls of Andy Pandy, Looby Loo, and Teddy are heading to auction as the beloved children’s show marks its 75th anniversary.

Launched on 11 July 1950, Andy Pandy was one of television’s first programmes created especially for children, ushering in a golden age of children’s entertainment.

The programme’s charm and gentle tone soon made it a hit. Andy Pandy became the first programme in the Watch with Mother series, which began in 1953. The weekly series was designed to reassure parents by encouraging viewing “under the watchful eyes of mothers”.
In this spirit, Andy Pandy followed the gentle games and adventures of its blue-and-white-suited main character, joined by friends Looby Loo, a rag doll, and Teddy. The show’s enduring appeal lay in its simple stories, soothing songs and the invitation for children to join in the play at home.

The success of Andy Pandy 75 years ago helped pave the way for decades of popular children’s television.

Andy Pandy was the brainchild of the BBC’s Head of Children’s Programmes, Freda Lingstrom, and her colleague Maria Bird. Having previously worked on children’s radio, the Kent-based duo were well placed to pioneer television for younger audiences.

The endearing characters were brought to life at the BBC’s puppet studio at Lime Grove. After many years on screen, the original string puppets were retired to Lingstrom’s home, Chartwell Lodge in Kent.

When Lingstrom’s long-time cleaner left in the 1970s, she was presented with several of the original puppets as a parting gift – including Andy Pandy himself. The puppet is one of only two known originals, the other held by the Museum of London.

The puppets have since been cherished by the cleaner’s family, but are now set to go under the hammer with Kent-based auction house C&T. Andy Pandy will be sold alongside Looby Loo and Teddy, forming a complete trio that symbolises the early days of British children’s television – as loved today as they were three-quarters of a century ago.

Andy Pandy and friends will feature in C&T’s Fine Dolls, Teddy Bears, Juvenalia & Related Pieces sale on Wednesday 19 November 2025.