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Keith McGowan

Penny Smith of the Herald Sun teamed with photographer Chris Groenhout to present this story on Keith McGowan.

Reproduced courtesy of the Home Guide - Page 29, April 26, 2003

Click here to see an enlargement of this photo

Noddy of Approval

Enid Blyton's creation has a special place in the heart of a radio legend

A broadcaster for 46 years, Keith McGowan, in his words, is a "60-year-old collector of many things".

Keith's apartment is crammed with ephemera. Some are rare, such as his first edition Royal Doulton Toby jugs, some unsightly, about 500 baseball caps, some charming, such as his collection of miniature plates, and some amusing, such as his collection of Noddy memorabilia.

Housed on a bracket of shelves jammed above a collection of floppy teddies and souvenir ornaments, are rare Noddy toys, plastic eggs cups, china figurines, badges, playing cards and mechanical toys. He even has some Noddy bed sheets.

Enid Blyton, who enjoyed phenomenal success with adventure stories for children since 1992, created Noddy in 1922.

Publisher David White, of Sampson Low, Marston and Company Ltd, wanted her to create a popular character for younger children.

Noddy was the result of a collaboration with Dutch artists Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van Beek, who had illustrated Enid's Fourth Holiday Book that year.

She explained to her publisher two years after his request: "I have finished two little Noddy books about a little wooden toy and here they are."

"I have written them with a view to giving van Beek all the scope possible for his particular genius ... I don't want to tell him how to interpret anything because he was will do it much better if he has a pefectly free hand."

Noddy Goes To Toyland is a story of toys, pixies, goblins, Toyland brick houses and market places. It was an instant success.

Noddy toys and games quickly followed and, by Christmas 1958, more than 20 million books had been sold and there were more than 50 licensees of merchandising material in England alone selling hundreds of products.

Few who grew up during that era can forget the antics of Big Ears, Golly and Noddy in the little yellow car.

As he born in the '40s, Keith's obsession is easy to understand. His collection began with a rubber toy effigy of Noddy from the '50s.

It was quickly followed by Noddy egg cups, toys and books.

He has tried to concentrate the collection on the period before Noddy, his golliwog friend, and his relationship with Big Ears, were ruled politically incorrect.

Noddy books were banned from public libraries and primary schools.

But today more than 120 million Noddy books have been sold.

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