View source for Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings

{{Short description|British-Canadian children's TV series (1974–1976)}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings title card.png
| caption              = Title card
| alt_name             = 
| genre                = [[Children's television series]]
| creator              = [[Edward McLachlan]]
| writer               = Glyn Frewler
| director             = [[Ivor Wood]]
| narrated             = [[Bernard Cribbins]]
| theme_music_composer = [[Mike Batt]]
| composer             = Mike Batt
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| num_series           = 2
| num_episodes         = 24
| editor               = Helen Kelsey
| runtime              = 5 minutes
| company              = [[FilmFair | FilmFair London]]<br>[[Thames Television]]<ref>Check [[FilmFair#Productions|FilmFair]]</ref>
| channel              = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|df=y|1974|10|05}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|1976}}
| related              = 
}}
'''''Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings''''' is a British-Canadian children's [[animated series]] about the adventures of a young boy named Simon, who has a magic [[blackboard]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sheridan |first1=Simon |title=The A-Z of Classic Children's Television: From Alberto Frog to Zebedee |date=2004 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn Ltd |isbn=1903111277 |pages=230–232}}</ref> Things that Simon draws on the chalkboard become real in the Land of Chalk Drawings, a [[Parallel universes in fiction|parallel world]] which Simon can enter by climbing over a fence near his home with a ladder. The stories often revolve around the unintended effects that Simon's drawings have on the Land of Chalk Drawings, such as when an upset Simon draws a picture of his angry self, which goes on a rampage.

The programme is based upon a series of four children's books by [[Edward McLachlan]]. It was produced in the mid-1970s by [[FilmFair]] Productions in [[London]] for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] and was originally a five-minute programme, broadcast around [[tea time]] in Britain. Despite that, it was first screened in Canada during [[CBC Television|CBC]]'s [[Children's Cinema]] program on 5 October 1974 while selected ITV regions didn't start showing the program until 27 March 1976.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?date=1974-10&iid=2270&keyword=%22Simon+in+the+land+of+chalk+drawings%22|title="Simon in the land of chalk drawings" - Search - Newspapers.com™|website=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?date=1976-03&iid=2270&keyword=%22Simon+in+the+land+of+chalk+drawings%22|title="Simon in the land of chalk drawings" - Search - Newspapers.com™|website=Newspapers.com}}</ref> It also became familiar to [[North America]]n audiences in the mid-1970s when it was featured on ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'' (where it was narrated by [[Bob Keeshan]] instead of [[Bernard Cribbins]]), later on ''[[Pinwheel (TV show)|Pinwheel]]'', and after that, on ''[[Romper Room]]''. In Canada, it aired on [[TVOntario]]. The writer and performer of the theme song is [[Mike Batt]], with his first wife Wendy on vocals. Mike Batt also wrote the theme for ''[[The Wombles]]'', also produced by FilmFair and narrated by Bernard Cribbins.

==Original episodes==

=== Series overview ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Series
!Episodes
!First aired
!Last aired
|-
|1
|12
|5 October 1974
|1975
|-
|2
|12
|1975
|1976
|}

===Series 1===
{| class="wikitable"
!No.<br>overall
!No. in<br>series
!Title
|-
|1
|1
|"Simon Meets Henry"
|-
|2
|2
|"Simon Meets the Teacher and the Children"
|-
|3
|3
|"Simon and the Chalk Drawing Band"
|-
|4
|4
|"Simon and the Moon Rocket (part one)"
|-
|5
|5
|"Simon and the Moon Rocket (part two)" 
|-
|6
|6
|"Simon and the Caveman"
|-
|7
|7
|"Simon and the Sea"
|-
|8
|8
|"Simon and the Chameleon"
|-
|9
|9
|"Simon's Double"
|-
|10
|10
|"Simon and the Elephant"
|-
|11
|11
|"Simon and the Football Match"
|-
|12
|12
|"Simon and the Return Match"
|}

===Series 2===
{| class="wikitable"
!No.<br>overall
!No. in<br>series
!Title
|-
|13
|1
|"Simon and the Early Morning"
|-
|14
|2
|"Simon and the Chalk Drawing Cars"
|-
|15
|3
|"Simon and the Dinosaur"
|-
|16
|4
|"Simon and the Knight"
|-
|17
|5
|"Simon and the Rainbow" 
|-
|18
|6
|"Simon and the Pied Piper"
|-
|19
|7
|"Simon and the Robot"
|-
|20
|8
|"Simon and the Measles"
|-
|21
|9
|"Simon and the Flags"
|-
|22
|10
|"Simon and the Chalk Drawing Sports Day"
|-
|23
|11
|"Simon and the Pop Singer"
|-
|24
|12
|"Simon and the Detective"
|}

==2002 revival==
{{Infobox television
| image                = <!-- include ALT text per [[WP:ALT]] guideline -->
| caption              =
| alt_name             = 
| genre                = [[Children's television]]
| creator              = 
| developer            = 
| writer               = 
| director             = 
| creative_director    = 
| starring             = 
| voices               = 
| narrated             = [[Ernie Coombs]] (Canadian version)
| theme_music_composer = 
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = Canada<br>China
| language             = English
| num_series           = 1
| num_episodes         = 13 (65 shorts)
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = 
| producer             = 
| editor               = 
| location             = 
| cinematography       = 
| camera               = 
| runtime              = 5 minutes
| company              = [[Cookie Jar Group|CINAR Corporation]]<br>Shanghai Animation Film Studio
| channel              = [[Teletoon]]<br>OTV ([[Shanghai Media Group]])
| first_aired          = {{Start date|df=yes|2002|09|02}}<ref name=fall2002>{{cite press release |date=28 August 2002 |title=Fall 2002 Highlights: Teletoon |url=http://www.channelcanada.com/canadian-channels/specialty-channels/teletoon/fall-2002-highlights-teletoon |url-status=live |location=[[Toronto]] |publisher=[[Teletoon]] |agency=Channel Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021080011/http://www.channelcanada.com/canadian-channels/specialty-channels/teletoon/fall-2002-highlights-teletoon |archive-date=21 October 2013 }}</ref>
| last_aired           = {{End date|df=yes|2002|09|18}}<ref name=crtclogs>{{Cite FTP |url=ftp://support.crtc.gc.ca/logs/|server=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]]|url-status=dead|title=Television Program Logs|date=2016-03-02}} [https://archive.org/details/support_crtc_gc_ca15052016 Alt URL]</ref> 
}}

A new series premiered in 2002 on [[Teletoon]] in Canada with a new theme song, a new character in that of Lily, who was added to make the show appeal to girl viewers,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kidscreen.com/2002/04/01/classic-20020401/|title=Producers resurrect antiquated heroes to brave the new programming reality}}</ref> an updated and more casual outfit for Simon, a different colour scheme and narrated by [[Ernie Coombs]].

{{Clear right}}

==Parody==
The series was later [[Saturday Night Live TV show sketches#Simon|parodied on]] [[NBC]]'s ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' by [[Mike Myers (actor)|Mike Myers]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Connell |first1=Mark |title=Modern Brides & Modern Grooms: A Guide to Planning Straight, Gay, and Other Nontraditional Twenty-First-Century Weddings |date=2017 |publisher=Skyhorse |isbn=9781510711525 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VJX1DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT53}}</ref> The sketches open with the same musical theme and similar lyrics, but take place in Simon's bathtub, where he shows and discusses his "drawerings" with viewers.

==See also==
* ''[[The Magic Chalk]]'' (1949)
* ''[[ChalkZone]]'' (1998/2002)
* ''[[Harold and the Purple Crayon]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Penny Crayon]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Zaczarowany ołówek]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0291665}}
* {{IMDb title|0364874|Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings (2002)}}
* [http://www.thechestnut.com/simon/simon.htm ''Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings''] at TheChestnut.com. Retrieved 5 January 2014.

{{FilmFair}}
{{Teletoon}}

[[Category:1970s British children's television series]]
[[Category:2000s Canadian children's television series]]
[[Category:2000s Canadian animated television series]]
[[Category:1970s preschool education television series]]
[[Category:2000s preschool education television series]]
[[Category:Animated preschool education television series]]
[[Category:British preschool education television series]]
[[Category:Canadian preschool education television series]]
[[Category:1974 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1974 animated television series debuts]]
[[Category:1976 British television series endings]]
[[Category:2002 Canadian television series debuts]]
[[Category:British children's animated fantasy television series]]
[[Category:Canadian children's animated fantasy television series]]
[[Category:ITV children's television shows]]
[[Category:Teletoon original programming]]
[[Category:Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment]]
[[Category:Television series by FilmFair]]
[[Category:Television series by WildBrain]]
[[Category:British television shows based on children's books]]
[[Category:Canadian television shows based on children's books]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:2002 Canadian television series endings]]
[[Category:1970s British animated television series]]
[[Category:YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming]]
[[Category:Animated television series about children]]
[[Category:ITV animated television series]]
[[Category:Animated television series about parallel universes]]