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Daily Fable, The

ANTHROPOMORPHIC PAPER puppetry. The theme song featured a bunch of kid voices singing “Hello to Mr. Owl, What’s happening today in Fable Land ?” to which Mr. Owl would reply “More news from our fable land”. There were two brothers who were woodworking beavers, a wolf called Boris who spoke like Bela Lugosi and had a penchant for playing the accordion, a rabbity thing called Zippy the Hare (who ran for Prime Minister of the wood), George the Guinea Pig, Mr Crow, Miss Stork (who briefly became queen), a depressed carrier pigeon, Miss Ant, Harold the Bear, Shelley the Tortoise, Mr Cunningham the Fox, Myra and Martha the hamsters, Fulton the trout et al. Five minutes long.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Matty

    January 23, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    mmmmmm.’and now…… heads under wings…. beaks under blankets….. eyes tightly closed ….’ owl opens one eye and checks us out ….. ‘ Good night!’

    Yes I remember it. Boris the Wolf was a character.

  2. Stephen ramsey

    June 22, 2010 at 11:08 am

    Me and some friends were trying to think of the name of this program. We knew it was broadcast in the 70’s in the UK and was transmitted about five to six in the evening just before the news.

  3. Graham Williams

    July 5, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    I’d almost forgotten about this – used to be in Comprehensive School when it was screened, and while I was far too old for it I admit to being fascinated at its excesses – so bad it was brilliant!

  4. Diana Morgan

    December 9, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    Would still like to know the name of this programme. Thought it was on at lunchtime as my daughter used to watch it and cry everytime the owl said – night night Mr Owl.

  5. Neil Davies

    March 24, 2011 at 3:48 am

    Loved it – my friends and I used to discuss, in all seriousness, the contents of the latest episode, and mimic the voices, in the pub most evenings. One of the gang would become Town Mayor some decades on, and his favourite character was Mr Cunningham. So, yes, it was very instructive.

  6. Paul Hughes

    August 21, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    I used to love the programme. It was called ‘The Daily Fable’. I still remember the whole of the intro. song (how sad is that?)
    (animals from wood) Hello to mr Owl, whats happening today, in Fable land?
    (Mr Owl). More news from our Fable Land.
    (animals) The stories we adore, you tell to us and more
    (Owl). I guess that’s what you’re waiting for.
    For animals are lofty dreamers, just like humans crafty schemers. Generous, jealous humble brand, but their fun you understand?
    (animals) we know, let’s go.
    To daily Fable Land

  7. Paul Hughes

    August 21, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Sorry but I have remembered a couple more lines from the song

    (animals from wood) Hello to mr Owl, whats happening today, in Fable land?
    (Mr Owl). More news from our Fable Land.
    (animals) The stories we adore, you tell to us and more
    (Owl). I guess that’s what you’re waiting for.
    For animals are lofty dreamers, just like humans crafty schemers. Generous, jealous humble brand, but their fun you understand?
    This daily fable will unfold with all the stories to be told.
    (animals) we know, let’s go.
    To daily Fable Land

  8. Paul Hughes

    August 21, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    OK. One last go. I think I have the song right now.

    (animals from wood) Hello to mr Owl, whats happening today, in Fable land?
    (Mr Owl). More news from our Fable Land.
    (animals) The stories we adore, you tell to us and more
    (Owl). I guess that’s what you’re waiting for.
    This daily fable will unfold with all the stories to be told.
    (animals) All new too true, we listen then to you.
    (Owl) For animals are lofty dreamers, just like humans crafty schemers. Generous, jealous humble brand, but their fun you understand?
    (animals) we know, let’s go.
    To daily Fable Land

  9. doubledutch

    September 17, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    It was called the Fabeltjes Krant and ran from 1968 ( when I was 12 ) to 1992 and was compulsive viewing for our family when growing up in Holland. My dad always joked he couldn’t go to sleep if he hadn’t seen an episode that night to great hilarity of my brother and me. I don’t know what the english version was like, but in Dutch the characters were well observed and the story lines witty and a great observation of human interaction translated into animal behaviour. Very popular and compulsive tea time viewing!

  10. Caroline Wood

    October 4, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    I remember this programme my sister and I always felt compelled to watch it although neither of us really liked it. What was it the owl said at the end, it sounded something like orky dickie duck bert! ?

  11. Janet

    July 23, 2013 at 2:45 am

    I loved this programme, bearing in mind I was 2 years old when it began. I used to ask for it by saying I wanted to see the wee man with the winks – the owl who always gave a wink at end, and said right all you little people, heads under wings, beaks under blankets, all eyes closed – goodnight! My dad taped the programme – on an audio tape – might even have used his reel-to-reel and then transferred it to cassette tape as this was pre-video – and I would listen to the little 5 minute stories. I loved the little song at beginning – hello there Mr Owl what’s happening today in fable land – those stories you’ve been told, the wonders too behold in your fable land. I remember it always was on for 5 minutes before Crossroads came on as that was my parents soap and we watched it as a family eating out tea round the telly.

  12. Martin Anderson

    December 17, 2013 at 7:29 pm

    I loved this, but I know no-one else who remembers it. I associate it with Crossroads as my mum never watched BBC at that time of night!. Mr Owl sang the song and Mr Crow had the attitude! Always laughed and the stories were pitched for adults and children. Pity can’t find the English-dubbed programmes on You Tube. Only the original Dutch versions can be viewed. Does anyone know if the originals can be viewed in English?

  13. cathie craig

    February 2, 2014 at 1:48 am

    i asked everybody about this programme and nobody can remember it i was beginning to think i dreamt it up

  14. Bryant Roberts

    May 19, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    This programme was broadcast in Hong Kong in the late 1960s. It was sponsored by Phillips and was called the Phillips Puppett Theatre

  15. Paul van der Werf

    February 3, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    It’s from my country the Netherlands… De Fabeltjeskrant…
    I am a huge fan of the programm and since I saw it the 1st time, I love owls verry much.

    At the moment I am searching for the Tune in diffrent Languages… Among the missing ones is the Englisch version. Can anybody here help me out?

  16. Earna Winslow

    May 17, 2015 at 9:08 pm

    A while back my husband and I were remembering the song from “Fabeltjes Krant” and wondering if our 50 year old “children” still understood the words. We spoke Dutch well enough to get by but our preschool children spoke it fluently. We watched the children’s show every night when we lived in the Netherlands in 1968-1970.
    Lo and behold last night (while cleaning the attic we found a small hanging banner (old, yellow and a little stained) of Meneer de Uil sitting on a tree branch holding his fabeltjes krant. We felt like we had unearthed a treasure. Funny, uh? And quit a coincidence.

  17. ladyskyflake

    July 26, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    Didn’t Mr Owl sometimes address his tv audience directly as ‘dear little box-watchers’?

  18. Gordon Williams

    July 14, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Been looking for years can you download it anywhere

  19. Graham Cumming

    February 3, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    There are now a dozen consecutive English language episodes available on You Tube – lovingly transferred from and old Betamax tape, so a bit fuzzy in places.

    First one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PGtPsn_s-0&t=64s

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