Do You Remember Doogal and Ermintrude?

[PeppeRaskell1]

Just saw the ads for a movie called Doogal that's coming out this Friday. I thought it looked familiar, and then I remembered this cartoon from the old Pinwheel show (from the pre-Nick Jr. years before Dora and Diego and Blue).

The cartoon would always open with some kids riding a carousel, and then we'd see a girl named Florence meet up with a Jack-in-the-box kind of character named Zebedee (he'd end every sentence with "Turn-a-ka-ting" or something like that), and then we meet pompous candy-lover Doogal (who'd always be up to some sort of scheme like opening a supermarket, a pizza parlor, or an ice rink where the ice is made out of ice cream). Ermintrude would always mispronounce Doogal's name ("Mr. Moogle"), Flappy (the rabbit) was always dozing off, and Brian (a snail) was always eating some sort of plants that was always being called "salad."

Do any of you older kids remember this?

[Delthayre]

Almost strangely, I don't. Then again, I really haven't any memories of Pinwheel.

What I do know is that what is titled Doogal in the U.S.A. was The Magical Roundabout in the UK (and I think something else in France, whence it came), but had a different cast (for example, Tom Baker voiced the character done by Jon Stewart in the U.S.A. version) and presumably different writing (ack!).

[Rasputin]

The Magic Roundabout was originally a French childrens' TV program back in the...late '60s/early '70s I think...that was re-dubbed for British consumption. In the re-dubbing process it gained a strange, dream-like quality that carried over to the knowing subversiveness of the dialogue. It became a cult classic amongst British kids (and reputedly many adults, since it aired just before the 6 'o Clock News on the BBC).

Obviously, it managed to end up on Pinwheel in the 'states. How did it get on?