Welcome
Welcome to the home of button moon and the button moon trust.
When the children’s series landed on our TV screens in 1982, it immediately won a place in the hearts of its viewers. Each week the Spoon Family, (Mr Spoon, Mrs Spoon, Tina T. Spoon and her friend Eggbert) would set off on an exciting adventure, flying through blanket sky to reach their friends on button moon.
As well as the Spoon family, the series created a host of other loveable characters such as the feisty Ragdoll, her cuddly friend Freddy Teddy and the ever resourceful Bottle Army, with Captain Large in charge.
The TV series ran on Thames Television from 1980 to 1988 and the 7 series amassed an incredible 91, 11-minute episodes. A significant part of the show’s appeal was the accessibility of the characters, which could be recreated from recycled items from any home.
So it will come as no surprise that as well as the TV series, the shows fans were also eager to meet Mr Spoon and his family in person. So, button moon went on the road, touring the UK’s theatres, until 1994, with a number of highly visual and entertaining shows including: The Snoring Princess and Little Red Riding Hood.
The Creators
The creator of button moon is writer and puppeteer Ian Allen. Together with his creative and life partner, the late John Thirtle, the two were a potent team. Ian wrote the compelling television scripts, and worked with John designing characters, which John then expertly built.
Playboard Puppets
Playboard Puppets was founded in 1971, when two young puppeteers, John Thirtle and Ian Allen, first decided to join forces. The company grew from small scale productions in libraries and parks, to spectacular large scale theatre shows. This made Playboard Puppets the leading touring puppet theatre in the UK, during the 80’s and early 90’s.
Playboard was the first puppet company to be awarded an annual grant by Arts Council England. From 1982 to 1994 the company toured with button moon the live show. Each years produced a new live theatre show based on the characters from the TV series. Each show featured the Spoon family, blasting off to button moon where they had adventures with other imaginative and diverse puppet characters – all made from an eclectic range of bottles, spoons and even a few plastic bananas!
THE BUTTON MOON TRUST
The button moon trust was created in 2015 to aid people living with Autism or associated neurodiverse disorders. The charity is currently organising Creative Puppet Courses, which will be held in London and at it’s home – The Black Barn in Norfolk. Find us on Google.
The button moon trust is a registered charity (no. 1167152) and is managed by a board of trustees.
