The Association for the Increased Appreciation of Great Britain Society
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Finger Mouse
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Not many fingers have become celebrities in Britain. This one did. Consisting of nothing more than a forefinger and two pieces of paper, he rocked the world of finger mousing becoming a teen idol with the kids lapping up his 'give em the finger' attitude. Sadly, the show was withdrawn from the air after Finger Mouse's name was widely interpreted as having sexual connotations. Like Kurt Cobain, Finger Mouse was taken away from us at the height of his fame.
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Zippy
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Zippy was the most famous, yet misunderstood puppet Britain has ever known. With his zip up mouth, (favoured to a teflon-vecro one at an eleventh hour decision), he became an absolute sensation. But underneath the tomfoolery and the zip, were quite literally, the tears of a clown. Accredited as being the inspiration for Liam Gallagher, he was forever loved and loathed by fans for his attitude towards George - "A pink puff" and Bungle - "Bungle Bonce", but his onscreen venom hid a life falling apart at the seams. As part of the cast of the children's show 'Rainbow', he was immortal, but like John Toshack, on his own he was nothing. Rainbow was one of the most successful children's shows ever, but Zippy never shrugged off his perceived xenophobic and ignorant attitude which eventually resulted in an off-air incident late after a show when three men attacked him near his Chelsea home, welding his zip-mouth together with a blow torch. Talking through the aid of a speech synthesiser, his devil-may-care attitude was never the same again, and Rainbow was finally pulled off the air in 1988 making a failed comeback in 1995. Zippy now eats through a straw and is currently embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with the Rainbow singers, Rod, Jane and Freddy, over the rights to their only hit, "Bungle in the Jungle".
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Willy Fog
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Quite simply, the Chris Eubank of cartoons. With his monacle, pocket watch and walking cane, he became the answer Britain had been looking for since Sean Connery - James Bond 007. Smooth, swarve, sophisticated and the quintessential English gentleman, he led Rigadon and his princess bride to navigate the world in 80 days (despite having to go by rickshaw from Bangladesh to Bangkok). Sadly and unbelievably, Willy Fog was also taken off the air when his name was criticised by TV chiefs as having sexual connotations. Willy stepped down like the gentleman he was, but many consider that was the point in history when Political Correctness went too far. The world may never see a bigger Willy.
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