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Bob Pelham initially started the company as Wonky Toys Ltd on 20 May 1947. The name came from Bob's Second World War military nickname, when he was known as "The Wonky Donkey
Officer" as he made small toy donkeys. The company originally started making "Waloukas", simple wooden toys held together with
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range from the 1950s (not to be confused with the later 1980s Alice); the range consists of Alice, Mad Hatter, March Hare, White Rabbit, Duchess (sometimes with a baby), Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, Knave of Hearts, Cook, Fish & Frog
Footman. Other rarities are SM Hank, Mr Turnip, Sarah
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Bob Pelham continued to head the company and was assisted by his wife Ann. After Bob's death on 19 June 1980, she continued with the business until 1986. In 2008 the Pelham
Puppets brand was revived by a former employee, David Leech, and he now produces a new line of puppets, some echoing former
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SL Bimbo – a clown with black tailcoat, white face with colourful markings, bow tie and black and white check trousers. There are two versions of Bimbo: one much earlier with a slightly larger head, ears and hands, and the later, more common, with smaller head, hands and
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string. Bob then moved on to making marionettes to sell to children, a new direction as previously marionettes had only been made for professionals. On 14 October 1948 the company changed its name to Pelham
Puppets to reflect the change in focus.
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The boxes the puppets were packed in usually denote the time period that the puppets were made. However the toys can be found in erroneous boxes, sometimes being sold in the wrong one having been repackaged in the shop by mistake after display.
160:. A fire in 1961 created a hiatus in manufacture and led to new ranges being introduced in 1963 and old lines being stopped. The factory was rebuilt and grew in size at the same location, until the site was sold and the factory moved in 1985 to
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SS Mitzi and Fritzi: Mitzi has a wide-brimmed hat with a felt flower, a black felt waist girdle, white top and a patterned skirt. Fritzi is in a red jacket, grey with red striped trousers, with a black felt hat and feather attached at the
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Pelham
Puppets are collectible, and those in good condition can change hands for significant amounts of money. There are a number of websites devoted to collecting these puppets.
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Pelham
Puppets also made puppets to order for the professional market, used by various companies in their shows. These tend to be larger, ranging from 18" to 2'6".
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SM Clown – wears a one-piece clown suit (sometimes with contrasting sides), has a pink face and coloured fur hair with a felt conical hat of bright colour.
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340:, SL Bull (1963 range), SL Cow (1963 range), SL Fox (1963 range), SM Huntsman, SM Villain, SM Harlequin and the very rare SL Tortoise (1963 range).
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One of the keys to the success of the company was the creation of the Pelpup Club for children, which helped to advertise the company's products.
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SS Tyrolean Boy and Girl – both wear a felt belt and braces which match their hats; the girl has felt flowers on hers; the boy wears shorts.
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SM Policeman – wears a blue UK 1950/ 60's policeman's uniform with a striped section on one sleeve and a truncheon in the opposite hand.
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1955–1961: yellow two-part tray boxes showing various puppets; one side has the Witch on the left and the Mad Hatter in the centre.
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were simple wooden marionette puppets made in
England by Bob Pelham (1919–1980), starting in 1947. While mainly known for making
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range, the same size as JC puppets except these tended to have larger heads and were the first to have printed faces.
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SL Wolf – wears a pair of trousers and a cape, the rest of his body is covered in grey fur (part of the 1963 range).
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SS Dutch Boy and Girl – both wear waistcoats and have check trousers or skirt with patches sewn on and felt hats.
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1968 onwards: the box has a sleeve with a full-length cellophane window cut into it, showing the puppet inside.
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range, 12-inch puppets with half wooden ball feet, wooden heads and waxed string holding the parts together.
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SM Witch – with a pink face, teeth in her moving mouth, a coloured apron, black dress and pointed hat.
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SL Witch – with green face, hands and red shoes. She wears a black dress and a black felt pointed hat.
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1947–1955: early boxes were two-part trays with lids made of brown card and a label glued to the lid.
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SS Clown – a one-piece clown suit and felt conical hat with fur for hair, usually brightly coloured.
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range, similar to the LS range but with wooden toggle feet and screw eyes holding the body together.
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range, with moving mouths, usually with larger wooden balls for heads but some have moulded heads.
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SS Gypsy – usually a red satin skirt with ricrac braid and a white top with round hoop earrings.
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was erected in
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range, usually with moulded heads and held together with either string or screw eyes.
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447:"Tributes paid to Bob Pelham the 'genius' puppet maker of Marlborough in Wiltshire"
133:. The company ceased to trade in 1993 and some of its products became collectable.
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1962 – mid 1980s: a similar yellow box; the Snake
Charmer replaces the Mad Hatter.
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range, smaller puppet again, much simpler and intended for infants and toddlers.
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224:(Junior Control) range, a smaller simpler puppet intended for younger children.
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range, glove puppets, usually with moulded heads and fabric or felt bodies.
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1980: the deluxe range box has a divided window and a dragon on its side.
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1969 onwards: the window is in two parts, with a logo on the divider.
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in the early 1990s, but the company went into liquidation in 1993.
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Puppets that are very common due to mass manufacturing are:
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range, a simple ventriloquist puppet, made from 1968 onwards.
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There are many ranges of Pelham puppets. The main ones are:
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1987: red and yellow candy-striped boxes reminiscent of a
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1963 onwards: the larger yellow two-part tray box has the
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A shop in
Ilfracombe that specialised in Pelham Puppets
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Swede, Colonel Beetroot from the television programme
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Victoria & Albert Museum. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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325:Some of the rarer Pelham puppets include the
382:booth; also the blue "collectors" series.
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
517:British companies disestablished in 1993
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491:The Magic of the Pelham MiniPup Puppets
164:, also in Wiltshire. It moved again to
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512:British companies established in 1947
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417:. Ramsbury: Crowood Press. p. 14.
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493:– World Collectors Net
158:Marlborough, Wiltshire
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411:Leech, David. (2008)
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131:ventriloquist puppets
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327:Alice in Wonderland
162:Collingbourne Ducis
281:Most common models
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38:Please help
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393:blue plaque
391:In 2019, a
364:Three Bears
184:Main models
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501:Categories
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399:References
66:newspapers
333:Whirligig
96:June 2018
229:Jumpette
179:Products
172:styles.
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434:Puppet.
257:Minipup
137:History
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