Postman Pat [Animated TV Series] (1981)

Created for Britain's BBC1 in 1981, Postman Pat was a 15-minute children's show utilizing stop-motion animation and set in the mythical Yorkshire village of Greendale. The bushy-haired, needle-nosed titled character was the meticulously polite and endlessly resourceful Pat Clifton, the town's postman. In each episode, Pat's efforts to deliver mail were invariably complicated by unforeseen problems, at which point virtually every citizen in the tightly knit community pulled together to help Pat (or themselves) out. The object of this, of course, was to help the kiddies in the audience hone their own problem-solving and other cognitive skills. The huge and colorful "supporting cast" included Pat's pet cat, Jess; schoolkids Katy and Tom Pottage, Charlie Pringle, and Lucy Selby; local prelate Rev. Timms; farmers Alf Thompson, George Lancaster, and Peter Fogg; auto-shop owner Sam Waldron; handyman Ted Glen; waitress Nisha Bains; Police Constable Selby; and general practitioner Dr. Sylvia Gilbertson. Although Postman Pat was popular the world over under a variety of titles -- in Poland it was known as Listonosz Pat, in Holland it was Pieter Post, and in Iran it was Pat-e Postchi, etc. -- the series was not widely seen in America until September of 2005, when it was picked up for daily play by the HBO Family channel. The episodes seen during this run were not from the original 1980s version of Postman Pat, but instead from the 2003 revival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi