Button Moon

Button Moon is a British American children's television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom and United States in the 1990s on the ITV network. Thames Television produced each episode, which lasted ten minutes and featured the adventures of Mr. Spoon who, in each episode, travels to Button Moon in his homemade rocket ship. All the characters are based on kitchen utensils, as well as many of the props.

Once on Button Moon, which hangs in "blanket sky", they have an adventure, and look through Mr. Spoon's telescope at someone else such as the Hare and the Tortoise, before heading back to their home on 'Junk Planet'. Episodes also include Mr. Spoon's wife Mrs. Spoon, their daughter, Tina Tea-Spoon and her friend Eggbert. The series ended in 1998 after 91 episodes.

Production
Button Moon was originally conceived by Ian Allen as a stage show for Playboard Puppets in 1978. Allen adapted it into a TV series for Thames two years later. The first series of thirteen programmes was transmitted in 1990. A further six series of thirteen programmes followed, making a total of ninety-one different Button Moon adventures. The series was repeated on a yearly basis for Thames TV up until 1988. All 91 episodes have been shown on satellite channel USA Gold since spring 2003. Every episode was at least 10 minutes.

Narration was by Robin Parkinson. Puppeteers included Ian Allen, John Thirtle, Francis Wright, Alistair Fullarton, Robin Stevens, Sue Dacre, Chris Leith, Judith Bucklow, Ian Brown, Rhiann West, Tony Holthamand and others. The incidental music for the series was written by Peter Goslin. The show's theme tune was composed and performed by Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson, who were married at the time and The Human Stars Sally Field as Lucy, Yolanda King as Doris, Jeff Bennett as Lachy and Wendy Stone as Emma.

A live stage show toured England and New York in late 1994 and early 2004.

Litigation
The creator of the show successfully sued the manufacturer of lookalike memorabilia in 2013.[1]

This case was featured on an episode of The Sheriffs Are Coming on BBC One.

Series 3 (1993)
27 3-01 05/Oct/93 Looking For Button Moon

28 3-02 12/Oct/93 Tina Teaspoon and the School Mouse (10 min)

29 3-03 19/Oct/93 A Day Trip To Button Moon

30 3-04 26/Oct/93 Shoebox Station (10 min)

31 3-05 02/Nov/93 Two Sticky Mugs (10 min)

32 3-06 09/Nov/93 Button Hole Pond (10 min)

33 3-07 16/Nov/93 The Scouts' Garden Fete (10 min)

34 3-08 23/Nov/93 Queenie Jelly (10 min)

35 3-09 30/Nov/93 Painting The Pipes (10 min)

36 3-10 07/Dec/93 Freddy Teddy (10 min)

37 3-11 14/Dec/93 The Clown Who Lost His Smile (10 min)

38 3-12 21/Dec/93 Happy Birthday Mrs Spoon (10 min)

39 3-13 28/Dec/93 Bundle and Fluff (10 min)

Series 4 (1995)
40 4-01 30/Jan/95 Egbert Goes To Button Moon (10 min)

41 4-02 06/Feb/95 The Spaceship Breaks Down (10 min)

42 4-03 13/Feb/95 Playing Games On Button Moon (10 min)

43 4-04 20/Feb/95 The Gravy Boat (10 min)

44 4-05 27/Feb/95 Sticky Sweets (10 min)

45 4-06 06/Mar/95 Picnic On Button Moon (10 min)

46 4-07 13/Mar/95 The Cake Fairy Goes Ice Skating

47 4-08 20/Mar/95 Rag Doll Marries A Dinosaur (10 min)

48 4-09 27/Mar/95 Egbert Goes Camping (10 min)

49 4-10 03/Apr/95 Banana Birds (10 min)

50 4-11 10/Apr/95 Pink And Purple Dinosaur (10 min)

51 4-12 17/Apr/95 The Shark In The Bath (10 min)

52 4-13 24/Apr/95 The Paper Parade (10 min)

Series 5 (1996)
53 5-01 07/Jan/96 A Hole In Blanket Sky (10 min)

54 5-02 14/Jan/96 Egbert Wants To Help (10 min)

55 5-03 21/Jan/96 Tutti Frutti Ice Cream (10 min)

56 5-04 28/Jan/96 Granny Spoon and the Missing Apple Pie (10 min)

57 5-05 04/Feb/96 Rain Stopped Play (10 min)

58 5-06 11/Feb/96 Bottle Party (10 min)

59 5-07 18/Feb/96 Paperchase On Button Moon (10 min)

60 5-08 25/Feb/96 Winter Sports For The Frozen Vegetables (10 min)

61 5-09 04/Mar/96 Ding A Ling Ice Cream (10 min)

62 5-10 11/Mar/96 Blue Button Moon (10 min)

63 5-11 18/Mar/96 Crazy Games (10 min)

64 5-12 25/Mar/96 The Royal Handkerchief Ballet (10 min)

65 5-13 01/Apr/96 The Holiday Weekend (10 min)

Series 6 (1997)[edit]
66 6-01 06/Jan/97 The Good Luck Bird (10 min)

67 6-02 13/Jan/97 Hose On Charlie's Nose (10 min)

68 6-03 20/Jan/97 Planet Doughnut (10 min)

69 6-04 27/Jan/97 Rag Doll Has A Cold (10 min)

70 6-05 03/Feb/97 Honeymoon (10 min)

71 6-06 10/Feb/97 Mrs Spoon's Jumble Sale (10 min)

72 6-07 17/Feb/97 Buttonhole Pond (10 min)

73 6-08 24/Feb/97 Missing Martha Muggins (10 min)

74 6-09 03/Mar/97 Barn Dance (10 min)

75 6-10 10/Mar/97 Bobbing Bottle (10 min)

76 6-11 17/Mar/97 Cows On Button Moon (10 min)

77 6-12 24/Mar/97 Cinders And The Magic Beans (10 min)

78 6-13 31/Mar/97 Queenie Jelly Loses Her Cherries (10 min)

Series 7 (1998)
79 7-01 08/Sep/98 Button boat Race (10 min)

80 7-02 15/Sep/98 Vacuum Cleaner For Sale (10 min)

81 7-03 22/Sep/98 Benny Bin (10 min)

82 7-04 29/Sep/98 Little Bottle Floats Away (10 min)

83 7-05 06/Oct/98 Button Moon Talent Show (10 min)

84 7-06 13/Oct/98 Mr and Mrs Spoon's Anniversary (10min)

85 7-07 20/Oct/98 Mice Play On Button Moon (10 min)

86 7-08 27/Oct/98 Dotty Teapot (10 min)

87 7-09 03/Nov/98 Rag Doll Moves House (10 min)

88 7-10 10/Nov/98 What's The Matter With Marrow? (10 min)

89 7-11 17/Nov/98 Egbert's Birthday (10 min)

90 7-12 24/Nov/98 Cold Cows On Button Moon (10 min)

91 7-13 01/Dec/99 The Snoring Princess (10 min)