The Shoe People


The Shoe People is an animated television series which was first broadcast in the UK in April 1987 on TV-am. It 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 it sold over 25 million Shoe People books.
The Shoe People was created by James Driscoll, who got the inspiration for the show from noticing that the style and appearance of people's shoes revealed things about their owners' personalities. He then wondered what stories these shoes could tell about themselves when they were new and when they had gradually worn out.
The theme song was written and sung by Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.

The story

In a shoe repair shop, a shoe mender tries to repair all the shoes he gets, but sometimes he cannot repair them all. He does not throw away these shoes; he puts them in the back room of the shop.
These join the other shoes and boots he could not bear to throw away and the ones where their owners never came back for them. 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 does not 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 when it settles, the shoes come to life and the back wall disappears and Shoe Town appears.
Just below Toecap Hill is Shoe Town, where all the shoes and boots live.
The characters were voiced by Philip Whitchurch and Jo Wyatt. Jo does the female voices in the sequel, The New Adventures of the Shoe People, while Phillip does all the male voices. Jo's father Martin also produced a vinyl record of the series as well as owning Bright Music, the company that produces the music for the series.

Characters

Original characters

The first series consisted of 26 episodes whichand were broadcast on TV-am as part of its 'Wide Awake Club' from April 1987.
#TitleSummary
1Can You Keep a Secret?The introduction of the Shoe People and Their places in their world of Shoe Town
2Sergeant MajorWe are introduced to Sergeant Major, his penchant for smartness and drill practice, and his trouble with his neighbour, Trampy.
3A Day at the SeasideSome of the Shoe People take a trip to the seaside, but Flip Flop gets washed out to sea and Charlie and Trampy must rescue her.
4TrampyWe are introduced to the kindly and generous Trampy, and his untidy lifestyle.
5Trampy's Birthday Surprise
6MargotMargot, the ballerina at Swan Lake Cottage, is fully introduced, and performs a garden ballet for her friends.
7CharlieWe are introduced to Charlie the clown, who lives at the Little Big Top. It also turns out that Sergeant Major wants a word with Charlie - has Charlie squirted him with his flower once too often?
8A Rainy Day Problem
9Tea at the Little Big Top
10Fun and Games in the Park
11Charlie's Car
12P.C. Boot to the Rescue
13Trampy's Dream
14The Fair Comes to Shoetown
15Delay at Shoetown Railway StationA tree falls across the track at the railway station, and Mr Potter, the station master, calls on the help of PC Boot and Sergeant Major. In the end, however, it is Charlie who comes up with the right solution.
16SneakerA simple job for Margot by Sneaker brings a warning from P.C Boot.
17The Windmill Has StoppedA nest is on the windmill. It's down to PC Boot and Charlie to find a solution for the sails to be moving again.
18A Job for WellingtonAfter a burst pipe in Shoetown Police Station, there is only one person fit enough to fix the leak and help PC Boot escape.
19Margot's MirrorOn a surprise visit to Margot's house, Charlie breaks a mirror by accident. The only way to replace it is to find one of his own mirrors from the circus, which does not have the normal "mirror" effect.
20The Missing Jumble
21The Paper ChaseAfter laying a paper trail for P.C Boot, Margot, Charlie and Baby Bootie, Trampy settles down for an afternoon nap. However Sergeant Major interrupts the trail mistaking the paper for litter, until he finds Trampy who explains about the trail. Can Sergeant Major save the day?
22Where's Baby Bootee
23Trampy Mows the LawnTrampy offers to mow Sergeant Major's lawn but all does not go to plan, which leaves the lawn looking like a pile of spaghetti. Charlie has an ingenious plan to help Trampy cover up the mistake.
24The Great Sledge RaceThe residents of Shoe Town gather on the hill for the Annual Great Sledge Race. With a number of different sledges, the competition is as close as it's ever been. However one resident doesn't have a sledge at all!
25The Mystery Tour
26Our Very Own Circus

''The New Adventures of the Shoe People''

A second series, The New Adventures of the Shoe People, showcasing many of the new characters, was broadcast on TVAM in 1992.
#TitleSummary
N/ACoconut Crazy
N/ABeehive Yourself
N/AGhosts in the Windmill
N/AThe Show Must Go On
N/AMarshall's Round Up
N/AYou're in the Army Now!
N/ARock and Rolled
N/AWellington On Ice
N/ASergeant Major's Spot of Bother
N/ASid's Marrow
N/AInjun Trouble
N/AWellington the Babysitter
N/ABack in the Old Ball Game
N/ASergeant Major Loses His Voice
N/ACharlie the Pilot
N/AFrom Russia With Snow
N/ARacing Uncertainties
N/AA Quiet Day in Shoetown
N/AFools for Fitness
N/AAnchors Aweigh
N/AShoes in Space
N/AThe Purple Ploople
N/ADr. Merryweather's Day Off
N/AMarshall's Bar-B-Q
N/AIce Cream Sundae
N/AAll At Sea

American dub

The Shoe People was broadcast in the United States on Nickelodeon as a segment on their television series for preschoolers Eureeka's Castle. The series was redubbed with American accents and a female narrator, and a female voice actress was added to the voice cast.

Changes by Nick Jr.

When all of the 26 episodes of The Shoe People in 1987 aired on Nick Jr. from 2001 to 2002, the Fairwater Films/The Shoe People Ltd copyright in 1987 was replaced by FilmFair Ltd, with the restoration handled by CiNAR Studios UK. FilmFair's copyright can be seen at the end of each episode on The Shoe People Complete Series DVD. The same FilmFair copyright screen can also be seen on the 1992 version of the said programme, also on Nick Jr., when they aired the later series in spring 2002.

VHS releases

Since their broadcasts on TV-am in 1987, Tempo Video released 24 of the 26 episodes on video, except for "The Mystery Tour" and "Our Very Own Circus" which went on a 30-minute video in 1988 with Sgt Major, Margot, Sneaker and Trampy's Dream.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
The Shoe People 5 October 1987Can You Keep A Secret?, Sergeant Major, A Day at the Seaside, Trampy, Trampy's Birthday Surprise, Margot, Charlie, A Rainy Day Problem
The Shoe People- P.C. Boot to the Rescue 1 February 1988Tea at the Little Big Top, Fun and Games in the Park, Charlie's New Car, P.C. Boot to the Rescue, Trampy's Dream, The Fair Comes To Shoe Town, Delay at Shoe Town Railway Station, Sneaker
The Shoe People- Shoe Town Stories 5 September 1988The Windmill Has Stopped, A Job for Wellington, Margot's Mirror, The Missing Jumble, The Paper Chase, Where's Baby Bootee?, The Great Sledge Race, Trampy Mows the Lawn

Between 1989 and 1990 W.m. Collins Sons and Co.Ltd released a couple of special edition videos.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
The Best of The Shoe People 4 September 1989Charlie's Car, Trampy's Dream, The Fair Comes to Shoe Town, Delay at Shoe Town Railway Station, Sneaker, Can You Keep A Secret, A Day At the Seaside, Margot, A Rainy Day Problem, Where's Baby Bootee?, The Great Sledge Race, Trampy Mows the Lawn
The Shoe People Bumper Video 2 April 1990The Mystery Tour, Sneaker, Trampy Mows the Lawn, Margot's Mirror, Trampy's Birthday Surprise, Trampy's Dream, Sergeant Major, The Windmill Has Stopped, A Day at the Seaside, Charlie's Car, The Missing Jumble, Our Very Own Circus, Where's Baby Bootee?

In late 1989, MSD Video Ltd released a single video containing eight stories from the series which was distributed by Wm. Collins for and on behalf of Avon Cosmetics.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
The Shoe People: Favourite Stories 4 September 1989Can You Keep A Secret?, Sergeant Major, A Day at the Seaside, Trampy, The Windmill Has Stopped, A Job for Wellington, Margot's Mirror, The Missing Jumble

On 5 November 1990, Wienerworld Presentations released two combined videos with 13 stories on each.
VHS video titleYear of releaseEpisodes
The Shoe People Bumper Special 5 November 1990Can you Keep a Secret?, Trampy, Trampy's Dream, Delay at Shoe Town Railway Station, PC Boot to the Rescue, the Mystery Tour, a Job for Wellington, Margot, a Rainy Day Problem, Charlie, Where's Baby Bootee?, Charlie's Car, the Fair comes to Shoe Town
Great Adventures of the Shoe People 5 November 1990A Day at the Seaside, Sergeant Major, Trampy Mows the Lawn, Sneaker, the Missing Jumble, Trampy's Birthday Surprise, Margot's Mirror, The Paper Chase, Tea at the Little Big Top, The Great Sledge Race, Fun and Games in the Park, The Windmill has Stopped, Our Very Own Circus

There were no video releases of The New Adventures of the Shoe People. The first series is available on DVD. Other products included books and plush toys along with a special edition chocolate bar issued by Cadbury.

Title by country

A children's educational computer game, First Class with the Shoe People, was released for various platforms in 1991 by Gremlin Interactive.