Major Clanger has made a flying machine. With some ceremony the Clangers pump up the compressed air balloons which power it. Major Clanger takes his seat, the machine leaps into action and flaps itself to pieces. Major Clanger is disconsolate but Mother Clanger sends Small Clanger and Tiny Clanger to the soup-wells in their pole-car (a sort of wheeled punt) to fetch some green soup for him. Major Clanger drinks the soup and settles down for a rest. Meanwhile Small Clanger and Tiny Clanger go outside to look at the remains of the flying machine. Tiny Clanger knocks one of the power-balloons and it comes off and shoots up into the sky. This interests Small Clanger who grabs the empty balloon and runs to the soup-dragon and asks her to blow into the balloon with light-airs from her cooking. She does this. Small Clanger ties Tiny Clanger to the balloon and, holding on to the string himself, leaps through the caves in long leaps supported by the balloon. The other Clangers come and dance around them. Suddenly the string comes undone and Tiny Clanger rises to the roof where she remains, squeaking, while the Clangers try various ways of fetching her down. In the end they bounce Small Clanger trampolinically in a tablecloth until he bounces high enough to grab her
The Clangers net a passing object but it makes life a bit too exciting.
Some chickens are mild and friendly, or would like to be.
Music hath charms."... and it grows well too, which is fortunate because the soup-dragon ate most of it.
Visitors are always welcome... until they start eating the place.
Tiny Clanger finds a novel and melodious way to visit her friend.
Major Clanger’s boat rises at last, on wings of song.
The Clangers entertain some unexpected guests.
Even a dragon has feelings and must be cared for.
Be very careful what you plant. Some things grow very large and very loud.
The Clangers give their friend a beautiful voice but it does not make him popular with his own kind.
Even to Clangers, wealth does not always bring happiness.
The Clangers suffer from a shortage of consumer goods, but they prefer life that way.
A strange visitor gives the Clangers an unexpected gift.
However polite you are, some visitors just don’t enjoy themselves.
The Clangers’ caves are sweetly lit but Small Clanger is too inquisitive.
Some visitors are rather noisy and not easy to get rid of!
There are no daffodils on the Clangers’ planet but it’s not really as lonely as it looks.
Caring for a newcomer presents some problems.
Machines are useful but must be used carefully.
A garden can sometimes grow too well.
Vanity makes people a bit unsociable sometimes.
The froglets find a romantic way to remove an unwelcome guest.
Sometimes the place is too noisy to practice ones music.
One can find some use for most machines even when they don’t do just what they are supposed to.
There are concerts in the most unlikely places.
The Clangers teach children how the solar eclipse happens and how to stay safe.
CBeebies Stargazer Maggie has made a very interesting discovery with her telescope... a small blue planet, home to some new CBeebies friends - the Clangers! Tiny and Small take Maggie on a journey around their home, where we meet the whole Clanger family as well as the other wonderful inhabitants - the Soup Dragon, the Froglets, the Iron Chicken and the Sky Moos.
A Sky Moo gives Small Clanger a strangely shaped little thing that it has found in space. None of the Clangers has a clue what it is. Small decides to give it to the Iron Chicken for her nest, but as she is flying back down in the Music Boat she sees a big thing with a strange piece missing in its side. Reuniting the little thing and the big thing has a very surprising result!
When Major Clanger decides that the Soup Dragon must be fed-up with dishing up soup for them all every day, he invents a machine to collect the soup instead. But when he takes some soup without even asking the Soup Dragon, he overfills the machine and it gets stuck in the doorway. Only with the help of the Soup Dragon can it be freed, and as it is freed, it explodes everywhere. Perhaps sometimes it is best to leave things as they always were.
Major Clanger invents a knitting machine, thinking this will save Granny ever having to make the effort to knit again. But Granny likes knitting and when she sees the hideous garments the machine produces, she challenges it to a great knit-off to determine who is the best knitter.
It is Granny's birthday and all the Clangers are planning their presents for her. Small asks Major Clanger if he can help him invent something for her but Major says his work is too difficult for such a young Clanger. Small decides to invent something himself, something which involves puffballs, airfruit and three extremely acrobatic - or should we say aerobatic - froglets.
A strange little egg-shaped creature lands on the planet - an Eggbot. It sings a high note - doh. It proceeds to explore and gets stuck in a cave deep underground, where it is heard by the sleeping Clangers. They are amazed when they hear another note, a low doh, and find a giant Eggbot come to rescue the little Doh, with the help of six other singing Eggbots - Ray, Me, Fah, Soh, Lah and Te!
Tiny and Small plant a little plant in Mother's garden. They get impatient for it to grow, but have little idea what they're letting themselves in for.
Tiny's radio hat develops a fault, which means she cannot listen to her favourite nightly lullaby, so she decides to make up her own song instead.
As the air grows cold, a crystal shaped seed lands on the Clangers' planet. Granny helps Tiny to plant it and it quickly grows into a wonderful Crystal Tree. Other seeds fall and soon there is a small forest of them. Mother Clanger has heard that these amazing trees can sparkle and glow, but none of the Clangers know how this is done, until, completely by accident Tiny discovers that music is the answer.
Tiny and Small discover a strange tunnel that appears to suck things upwards. Revival of the classic animation about the adventures of a clan of friendly aliens living on a small blue planet.
Small notices that the Iron Chicken has become trapped by junk metal that has got caught in orbit around her nest, but Major comes up with a clever solution.
Tiny, Small, the Froglets and Baby Dragon have great fun playing games with the Cloud, but when Major calls them in for bed, the Cloud is left alone and sad.
Tiny and Small accidentally spill green soup all over Granny's best shawl, and when they ask Cloud and the froglets to help them clean up the mess, things only end up getting worse.
Tiny is stuck for ideas for a new tune to make up, so she asks Mother and Major what kind of tune they would most like to hear. Major wants something 'bold and stirring' while Mother would like something 'light and charming'. Tiny's best attempts to please them both come to nothing, until a ride on a Skymoo gives her the inspiration she needs.
Small Clanger finds a strange ball while out fishing in space. No one knows what it is so Major decides to put it on a shelf in his workshop. But a little while later he finds it in two hollow pieces on the ground - and the Soup Dragon discovers that something has been eating the copper trees.
Tiny Clanger has made up a lovely new tune to play with her singing flower friends. Mother Clanger thinks Tiny is very talented, but when Tiny suggests Mother should have a go, she gets very flustered and rushes off to her garden. But Major Clanger has a plan - and soon there is the sound of lovely music coming from the garden.
A Skymoo accidentally knocks the Iron Chicken out of her nest, and in falling to the surface of the Clangers' planet she hurts her wing. But although Major Clanger manages to mend it, she has lost her confidence and can't fly. It takes all the ingenuity of Small Clanger, and another intervention by the Skymoo, to get her back to her nest under her own wing power.
Small is really upset when, out fishing in the music boat with Major Clanger, he not only fails to catch anything but also misses seeing the two spectacular lights that streak across the sky - meteors, as Granny later tells him. Major Clanger determines to cheer Small up by inventing a 'meteor machine'.
Tiny and her flower friends are playing a lovely tune with the music trees when suddenly they hear a strange voice joining in; it seems to be coming from high in the sky. On investigation, Tiny discovers a lone flower singing as she travels alone through space on a rocky asteroid. Tiny discovers that the flower is lonely and comes up with a clever plan to help her.
The Iron Chicken tidies her nest and dumps a huge bundle of unwanted junk metal on to the Clangers' planet. At first Major wants to keep it but Mother thinks he has quite enough junk already. It is Small who comes up with an idea that will see the metal return into space transformed.
Baby Soup Dragon is upset because his mother won't let him use her big ladle and help make the soup. Tiny and Small tell him not to worry - he can help them instead. He does, and he enjoys it so much that he decides he wants to be a Clanger instead of a Soup Dragon. But after a little while, the Clangers are not so sure this is a good idea!
Tiny and Small find a box that has fallen from space. It contains just two circles of black cloth, but these are no ordinary circles - they are holes, and one leads to another. Tiny and Small are very excited and try to tell Major about their discovery, but he is too busy to listen and so they decide to do their own experiments, with quite amazing results.
Major Clanger has invented a machine for cleaning up the planet. But when he gets called away by Granny, Small and Tiny can't resist trying it for themselves. Unfortunately, it proves harder to control than they thought, and they accidentally suck up a swarm of Glow Buzzers. It takes all their ingenuity to rescue them!
Small decides that there should be a Dragon Day to thank the Soup Dragon for being so kind as to provide them with soup every day. The Soup Dragon is quite overcome, especially when everyone gives her presents. The Iron Chicken arrives late and exhausted, but it turns out that her present is the best of all.
A little Hoot lands on the Clanger's planet and causes mayhem with his incessant mischievous hooting. The Clangers decide it has to go home. But with the Hoot Planet so far away, how can they attract its attention? Luckily, Major has just invented a make-it-louder machine that does the job perfectly.
Major Clanger has made special eclipse glasses for everyone to wear so they can watch a solar eclipse safely. But as the moon moves towards the sun, the Iron Chicken's nest blocks the view. Can the Clangers come up with a solution in time to see the wonderful solar eclipse?
It's a very cold day on the Clangers' planet. So cold, that the Iron Chicken has to come down to the living cave to get warm! But when a Sky Moo wants to do the same, she finds the doors are frozen shut and she can't get in. Granny comes to the rescue with a clever plan to keep her and the other Sky Moos warm.
When Tiny Clanger receives a message from the Iron Chicken that 'it's coming', she is mystified as to what the 'it' might be - and even more puzzled that no one will tell her. Everyone seems to be in on the secret, but in the end, Tiny gets a brilliant surprise!
Tiny and Small find a strange silver ball. When it bounces it glows and rings. It bounces into Mother's Garden and they are amazed to learn from her, that the ball is a living thing, like them. And Granny is convinced it must have friends nearby.
The Clangers help Granny make her knitting space more special. Major makes her a fan and Mother gives her a purple plant from her garden called Planty. But when Granny wakes up from her nap, Planty has moved. Tiny and Small try to solve the mystery.
A meteor shower of gemstones falls on the planet. Baby Soup Dragon beats Tiny and Small in a game to win them. The others continue the game without him and his stones, he realises that there is more fun to be had in playing than just winning.
Small is bored, Tiny, Major and Mother are all too busy. Mother suggests he asks Granny to play with him. He is doubtful, but he couldn't have been more mistaken as she takes him on an adventure to a place he has never seen before.
It is very hot in Mother's garden and all her flowers are wilting. Major has invented an auto-waterer to help but it doesn't work. Tiny comes up with a brilliant idea for watering the garden based on a marble-chute toy she has invented.
A special star passes over the planet and as it does, the star roses bloom. The star appears, but where are the roses? Could their absence have anything to do with the Skymoos that Tiny and Small hear on the other side of the planet?
Granny's comfy puffball chair gets punctured by a knitting needle. Major Clanger comes up with a better idea - he will make a chair for Granny. From the results of his handiwork he realises the sense of Granny's original request.
A radio falls out of the sky. Tiny, Small and Baby Soup Dragon don't know what it is, and are fascinated by the sounds that come from it. But it would have been better if Baby Soup Dragon hadn't decided to play with it in the middle of the night.
Small finds some 'space treasure' but doesn't know what it is for. Then Tiny too finds her own space treasure - a strange box. Only when they both realise that the two pieces might fit together, do they get to see the unexpectedly beautiful results.
A robot like a camera on wheels lands on the planet, flashing, bleeping and taking photos. At first the Clangers are scared of it but as they begin to accept it, they find it has a lot to show them about the universe and everywhere it has been.
Tiny makes up a lovely new tune to dance to. The Iron Chicken tries to join in but it is just too difficult for her to manage, so Tiny and Small come up with a much simpler rhythm that the Iron Chicken can dance to - The Chicken Waltz!
On their way to tea with the Iron Chicken, Major, Mother, Tiny and Small spot a fascinating new planet. Major insists on exploring it and they all become lost inside. Luckily, a passing Sky Moo spots their empty music boat and brings Granny to the rescue!
Small gives Tiny a lovely sparkly bag which he has caught when fishing in space. It is perfect for Tiny's panpipes. But when she goes to get her panpipes out of the bag, she is amazed to find it speaks, in sounds and shapes.
Small, Tiny and Baby Soup Dragon have a race around the planet. Baby Soup Dragon wins, but the Clangers don't know that he cheated! An orange Froglet sees it all and comes up with a clever way to teach Baby Soup Dragon a lesson.
Small, wearing a rainbow-striped scarf, catches seven coloured stones floating in space. The Iron Chicken has also found a strange metal disc in space. Do the stones and the disc somehow fit? The answer lies in the colours of the scarf.
Small and Major Clanger discover a bowl of glow honey that the glowbuzzers have left out in a crater. They take it inside to eat but find some very agitated glowbuzzers, who need them to put it back where they found it for a special visitor.
Tiny and Small discover the froglets sitting abnormally silent and calm in their cave, in front of three stones which glow blue and emit an unearthly sound. Major Clanger thinks these must be 'hush stones' - however, the effect is anything but calming.
Major invents a new two-seater rocket for special trips. When he and Small look through the telescope, they see just the place - a golden planet. Unfortunately Tiny discovers that the golden planet they see is not what it appears to be.
Major Clanger is making too much noise in his workshop and Mother is fed up with it. She suggests they should swap jobs. But Granny's attempt to make the soup proves tricky, and the less said about the Soup Dragon's knitting the better.
Mother Wol asks the Iron Chicken if she will look after her three little Wols while she goes to get some things for her new nest. The Iron Chicken is happy to do so, but she hasn't counted on them being so boisterous.
Small is unhappy with his drawing, so he finds a place to practise in peace. Major Clanger discovers some wonderful wall pictures in an underground cave and invites everyone to see them, but it turns out that Small has seen the pictures before.
The Froglets produce a purple blob out of the Top Hat, and Tiny loves it! The blob is noisy and bouncy, and when Tiny and Small discover it can split in two, and the two can split into four, and four into eight and so on, soon all the caves are alive with bouncing blobs!
The new table Major has made collapses, spilling soup everywhere. Tiny and Small are sent off to fetch some more soup, but the soup trolley crashes into a new bump in the path on the way to the soup wells. Major finds a new use for his collapsed table.
Three pale things - a shell, a spiral and a cone - drift towards the planet seeking music, heat and light to revive them. Tiny and Small have seen them before and know just what to do. Will they be able to revive the new pale star-shaped thing?
Mother Clanger closes her garden to visitors to get a bit of peace. She never imagined the problems this would cause for the Soup Dragon and, ultimately, for Major Clanger.
A strange flying creature visits the Clangers' planet and starts eating up any music it can find - until the sounds of the Hoot Planet prove too much for it to swallow.
The Hoot Planet is visiting the Clangers. But something odd has happened to the lovely music it usually plays. And then wool starts raining down from the sky. How strange.
The cloud has been on holiday in space, but returns freezing cold and snowing, not raining. Tiny comes up with a clever plan to warm the cloud up.
Major Clanger makes a new garden trolley for Mother, and when she accidentally wheels it over his foot, it turns out to be more useful than he could ever have imagined!
The froglets are playing chase with Tiny on her scooter, but Small can't run fast enough to keep up, so he makes his own space hopper. But unexpectedly it hops him into orbit!
The Iron Chicken invites the Wols to supper, and goes to fetch some blue string pudding from the Clangers. But when she gets back home, she finds her nest has disappeared!
Small Clanger is fishing in the music boat and catches a beautiful silver seed. Mother and Tiny help him to plant it and it grows into a very shy little plant.
A strange robot block lands on the Clangers' planet. It takes soil samples and produces a plan. It soon becomes clear it is looking for a place to build new tower blocks.
Mother Clanger has grown a beautiful new flower. But when Tiny, Small and Major see it they realise it is the source of the horrible smell they have been experiencing.
It's the Clangers' cleaning day. All the Clangers are doing a good job dusting but how will they reach all the dustweeds they can see on the ceiling of the living cave?
A strange object falls into the Iron Chicken's nest. No one knows what it is, until Major Clangers finds something in his workshop that seems to be a part of the same thing.
A tin bird lands on the Clangers' planet. It explores the planet as if it is looking for something. Tiny and Small think it must want to build a nest, and decide to help.
Major, Mother, Granny and the Soup Dragon go on a trip, leaving the Iron Chicken in charge.
A space tortoise is woken up by a mysterious tune Tiny first heard coming from the sky.
Tiny and Small are in the music boat. They find a sticky green pod on a Sky Moo's snout.
Major makes Baby Soup Dragon a one-dragon band kit. It turns out not to be a good idea.
In space, Tiny and Small discover the memory box Mother made when she was a little girl.
Two hoots come to visit the Clangers. Tiny wants Big Hoot to play a duet with her.
Major invents a system so he can hear the other Clangers when they call him for soup.
Major invents something new, but what can it be for? Tiny and Small give him an idea!
A purple froglet has appeared, and the other froglets don't know what to make of it.
Major invents a machine that can send bubbles containing voice messages out into space.
Animation about a family of small creatures who live on, and inside, a planet. The Soup Dragon cheers Tiny up when the Iron Chicken goes away on a trip.
Granny, Tiny and Small find a forgotten tunnel leading somewhere unexpected.
The Clangers are visited by a rare, strange and beautiful creature - a moon whale.
Tiny, Small and Baby Soup Dragon are outside playing when they hear the sound of something approaching from space. They look up and gaze in awe as they see a large space module hurtling towards the planet. It gets slower and slower as it nears them until eventually it lands a little way away, a door opens and from out of it steps a strange creature in a space suit – they don’t know what it is but we can see it’s a human astronaut! They rush back underground to tell the others.
The Iron Chicken is in her nest singing along to her radio, when suddenly it stops working. Major Clanger is fishing nearby and tries to repair it on the spot but in the end decides he will have to take it to his workshop. The Iron Chicken is distraught but Granny assures her that Major knows what he’s doing, and reluctantly the Iron Chicken returns to her nest where she receives a visit from the Wols, who suggest they create their own radio station – Radio Wol. It is a huge success.
Major is busy in his workshop and three froglets are helping. When he’s finished, Major is so pleased he gives each froglet a medal to thank them for their help. When the other froglets see the medals they all want one. But Major has no more work to do, and there are no more medals. The medal wearing froglets now see themselves as better than the other froglets, and soon the two groups are not talking to each other. It takes all of Major’s and Granny’s cunning to settle this froglet dispute.
It feels like an earthquake shakes the Clangers’ planet. Major and Small go out to investigate. The music trees’ notes have been shaken off, so Small puts them back on, before discovering what has happened to cause this - the eggbot has crashed onto the planet and is stuck in a crater. Meanwhile, Tiny discovers that the notes on the music trees are now in the wrong order. Small has an idea that if he can rescue the eggbot, the eggbot will be able to help get the notes back in the right order.
Tiny is poorly but Small thinks that some music might make her feel better. And he’s right!
Small comes to the rescue when Granny, Major, Mother and the Soup Dragon get into trouble.
Small finds a strange looking object in space. He gives it to Mother as a present for her garden – an ornament. But this is more than an ornament as Mother is the first to discover. This ornament can memorise tunes it hears - Mother singing, and the singing flowers, Tiny’s panpiping and even the music trees. And most amazingly, it plays them back together in perfect harmony. And the Clangers have a final surprise when it plays them musical sounds that they have never heard before!
Nothing is going right for any of the Clangers today. Mother’s new plant is drooping, Tiny’s new tune doesn’t sound very good, Granny’s knitting colours clash, Major’s rocket has broken down and Small’s night light has run out of glow honey. But suddenly a wave of beautiful coloured light from a strange star passes over the planet and has a magical effect - everything changes for the better. All the Clangers are delighted until they notice that the star is fading away before their very eyes.
The Skymoos have collected bits of metal from the Iron Chicken’s nest and are building a special nest of their own on the Clangers’ planet. The Clangers are intrigued - who can it be for? Tiny decides to decorate it with flowers from Mother’s garden, and Granny makes a special blanket for the nest. Soon a large group of Skymoos arrives. All the Clangers go indoors to give the Skymoos some peace. Granny realises something special is about to happen - the birth of a Baby Skymoo.
It’s Small’s birthday. Tiny is planning to put on a special show for him, which involves using her scooter and calling on help from the froglets and the singing flowers. But her scooter has developed a squeak. She calls on Major to help her mend it, but when Small accidentally overhears them talking about a scooter, he thinks that must be what he is getting for his present and he’s very pleased. But what he ends up with is not quite what he expected - but much more exciting.
Small is out fishing and Baby Soup Dragon is helping his mum, so Tiny has no-one to play with. He plays catch by himself but it’s not much fun. Major Clanger notices that Tiny looks bored and makes him a special cone-shaped gadget which launches a cotton ball up into the air for the user to catch in the cone. Mother calls Tiny to ask for some help in the garden and Tiny leaves the gadget on the floor while she goes off to help her mum. But when she gets back, the gadget has disappeared.
Tiny has invited the Wols for a day out on the Clangers Planet. She has planned a whole lot of activities for them all. She is going to show them her bedcave, introduce them to everyone they haven’t met before, give them soup to eat and then end with a wonderful musical extravaganza. But she hadn’t counted on the Wols curiosity and soon the Wols are leading Small and Tiny a merry chase. But all’s well that ends well – at least until Major Clanger decides to join in the music.
While out practising her flying, Baby Skymoo is relying on the Cloud to catch her if her flying abilities let her down. And the Cloud is happy to help. But this time Baby Skymoo flies in another direction, and the Cloud isn’t there to help. Helpless, Baby Skymoo falls through one of the holes in the Clangers’ planet and lands up in Mother’s garden. She isn’t hurt, but how is she going to get back out of the underground caves and find her mother again? Luckily, the Cloud is summoned to the rescue.
A strange, flying metal caravan lands on the Clangers' planet. It turns out to be a travelling shop, and its owner is a robot salesman. He has things he thinks the Clangers will like, and he's right - they do. However, they don't realise at first that the salesman wants to be paid. And when they do, they of course don't have any money. The dilemma is resolved when the robot spots the one thing he would really like in return. Unfortunately, though, that thing turns out to be Tiny's precious radio hat!
Out fishing in the music boat, Small catches a strange-looking object. He doesn't know what it is, but he thinks Tiny might like it, so he gives it to her as a present. At first she is really pleased and puts it in her bedcave. But when she tries to get to sleep, it makes strange shadows on the wall and becomes rather scary. Tiny decides she must get rid of it. But this is not as simple a job as it sounds! Wherever she puts it, it has a mysterious habit of coming back to her bedcave...
A meteor shower is about to hit the Clangers' planet. Major and Small shelter on the Iron Chicken's nest, while the others find cover in the living cave. But when the shower stops, they find that a giant meteor has fallen and blocked the double doors to the inside. With Major and Small not yet back, Mother, Granny and Tiny have to think of a way to remove the boulder themselves. They make their way to Major's workshop to see if they can invent a machine to help.
Major invents a Clanger finder, but it is not very useful – it always finds the Clanger who is holding it. Major is disappointed – he hadn't thought of that. But Granny comes up with a better suggestion to keep him busy: he could mend their clock, which hasn't worked for some time. Major Clanger has a think, then brightens up immediately. He can do better than that – he will build a new clock, and it will be his best invention ever. But it turns out the others don't agree.
Major invents a giant magnet. Everything metal flies towards it, from soup tankards to knitting needles. Mother and Granny tell Major to take it outside where it can't do any harm. But then the Iron Chicken lands, and after an unfortunate incident where she gets stuck to the magnet, she tells Major, Tiny and Small about a strange sound she has heard in space. They investigate and find a moon whale trapped in an old metal rocket booster. The magnet turns out to be the perfect thing for the rescue.
When Tiny is out fishing in the music boat, she catches four strange metal objects. They are a bit like hoots but much smaller. She takes them home to show Small, but when Small arrives and looks in the music boat with Tiny, the metal things have gone. Where could they be? Could they be living things? Tiny and Small don’t have to wait long for an answer. They can hear a 'tooty' noise nearby, and when Tiny plays a tune on her panpipes, the toots join in. Before long, toots and hoots are playing together.
Major’s spanner, Mother’s trowel, even Baby Soup Dragon’s cotton ball disappear on the same day. One moment they are there, the next moment they have disappeared! Tiny and Small search for them everywhere but with no luck. Granny decides to take their mind off the mystery by telling them a story about a hunt for treasure. And this gives Major, Mother and Granny an idea – they will set up a special treasure hunt for the little ones. This leads to unexpected results and a very happy ending.
There's going to be a dance fiesta on the Clangers’ planet with a glitterball trophy for the winner. Baby Skymoo really wants to take part, but she is a bit shy and isn't sure if she can dance very well. For the first few dances, Baby Skymoo just watches from the sidelines as Major leads a military twostep, the froglets indulge in some hip hop and Major and Mother excel in a tango. It is only in the final dance, a Viennese waltz, that Baby Skymoo lets go and shows her real dancing talent.
Baby Soup Dragon gets his tail stuck in the doors leading to the living cave. Annoyed, he wonders why he has a tail at all. His mother tells him it’s for balance, but as this seems a boring idea, Baby Soup Dragon determines that he will explore other possible uses. He tries using his tail as a cotton ball bat, as a steering aid, and even for fanning away glowbuzzers like a skymoo. But in the end he finds, in an exciting discovery, that balancing is not such a boring thing after all.
Tiny and Small are playing cotton ball, but the game keeps getting interrupted by froglets jumping out of the top hat. This distracts Tiny, and she ends up carelessly flipping the ball into the hat to see where it will go. But when she looks into the hat, she finds there is nothing there. Curious as to where it has gone, she climbs into the hat and finds herself in a world of top hats, where each hat is the portal to a strange new place. She only gets back home with the help of the blobs!
Baby Soup Dragon is up early, looking for interesting things that might have fallen on the planet overnight. He finds several coloured jewel-like things and puts them in his collecting bag to show everyone. Small Clanger is also up early, fetching soup for breakfast as a surprise for the other Clangers. But when Baby Soup Dragon and Small’s soup trolley collide by accident in the soup wells, all the 'jewels' get scattered and covered in soup. No-one could have guessed what would happen next.
Four objects of various shapes and colours arrive on the Clangers’ planet. They disappear underground as a fifth one arrives. The objects can change shape to disguise themselves and hide from the Clangers, so they go unnoticed. But the fifth object is discovered upon its arrival, and Granny realises this is a group of 'hide and seekers', travelling the universe on an intergalactic game of hide and seek. Intrigued, the Clangers join in the seeker’s successful quest to find the four hiders.
A space dustcart drops a lot of rubbish on the Clangers’ planet. The Clangers notice that one of these bits looks surprisingly like a robot. Major Clanger tries to get it to work, and to his astonishment, he succeeds. The robot comes to life, and even more amazingly it seems able to speak in Clanger-ese, although in a voice different from the Clangers’ whistle. The Clangers soon discover that this is a household helper robot. But sometimes helpfulness can be too much of a good thing.
On a small blue planet far away, it's polling day for the Clangers! Coinciding with 1974's general election, this episode sees narrator Oliver Postgate trying to persuade the ever-popular woolly creatures of the merits of party politics. But the Clangers aren't taken with the prospect of a society ruled by one group - even though the Soup Dragon stands for election on a 'free soup for all' ticket. There’s one episode called ‘Vote For Froglet’, which I’ve never seen. And you won’t! It doesn’t exist [any more]. I was so angry in 1973, the Winter of Discontent, when the Miners Union and the government were locked in mortal combat and the economy of the country was going into the ground, that I honestly thought, having been in Germany at the end of the War and seen what happened when an economy collapsed completely, I really got frightened, I thought the process of government was completely buggered by inter-party squabbling. So I went to the BBC and said, “Can I do a little Clangers film about the election?” It’s basically about the narrator, that’s me, being the interlocutor as well, telling the Clangers that they’ve got to vote, either for the Froglet or for the Soup Dragon. And they refused point blank to have anything to do with it. It was a sort of tiny morality play really. It only lasted three to four minutes and I made it complete in three days. Suggestions that this no longer exists are completely inaccurate. The British Film Institute has a copy which you can see for free on the web here http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-vote-for-froglet-1974/
'Clangers Extra' as first broadcast on the BBC Red Button channel on the 20th June 2015
