One of the great things about reading blogs is how one post leads you to click on another and then you’re somewhere else reading something entirely different. It was a random link clicking session that took me to James and the Blue Cat, and some of the early concept art he did for Bob the Builder.
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| copyright James Henry |
It’s a fascinating blog post in that it details the creative process in designing what is now one of kids TV’s most iconic characters, the practical issues with hand and feet size for puppets, focus groups discussing things and so on. Take your time to do what I did and click through from an random blog post and have a read, you’ll be glad you did.
There was one part of the whole process that stuck in my mind though. And that was when Henry said:
“according to research, preschool kids are scared of facial hair… I don’t know what this research involved. I like to think it involved BBC execs wearing fake beards, hiding in bushes outside a preschool and when the bell goes they leap out and shout BOO at the kids… which would scare me too… so Bob had a shave.“
You can’t make up things like this and I’m so pleased Mr Henry decided to include it in his anecdote about the early designs for Bob. It does however give me a bit of a quandary. As a self confessed Man with a ‘tache I now have to consider whether I’m psychologically damaging my children due to my top lip topiary.
I think probably not. If nothing else it enhances the raspberry on the neck experience…