The little chap in the blue hat has survived changing fashions, political correctness and PC Plod’s long arm of the law to reach his 60th birthday. Steve Pratt wonders if Noddy’s new look will get the nod of approval from his fans.

HAPPY 60th birthday, Noddy. But not for him a trip to collect his bus pass. No, the little wooden chap with the jingly blue hat has got some super presents – some new modes of transport to back up his familiar red and yellow car. He’s been given the keys to a helicopter, a monster truck and a submarine.

He’ll be celebrating with a new television series, co-starring his friends Tessie Bear and Bumpy Dog.

Not quite sure what’s happened to Big Ears.

He’s probably been sent to a retirement home by the PC Brigade. And they’ll surely have pensioned off PC Plod, especially after he was caught hitting naughty goblins Sly and Gobbo with his truncheon during a peaceful demonstration.

Besides, with a name like Plod, he’d never be allowed in the force these days. Just as The Gollies were banished along with Toyland garage owner Mr Golly, who had to change his name to Mr Sparks in the early Eighties.

As I write, the PC Brigade are hot on the heels of Mr Wobbly Man, who’s absconded from a Weightwatchers meeting, along with smelly tramp Stinkly and Miss Prim. She, you may recall, was the school teacher who replaced the slipper-wielding Miss Rap.

The rumour in Toyland, too, is that the noise pollution people are after Noddy. The infernal racket from his bell is causing many a sleepless night for his neighbours, not to mention the endless “parp, parp” on the horn of his car.

NODDY has had a makeover to mark his 60th birthday – the first of his adventures by Enid Blyton appeared in print in 1949. He’s not the little wooden boy he once was. The one who ran away from the woodsman who carved him and was befriended by Big Ears, despite having little in common except names reflecting physical afflictions.

He became the toy boy of Big Ears, who provided him with clothes and a build-it-yourself house. Noddy, clearly one log short of a cabin, wanted to build the roof first.

But the citizens of Toyland took to him.

Within a few books, he’d got a car. Presumably, the rules for drivers are different there because he wasn’t old enough to get behind the wheel.

And certainly not mature enough to be a taxi driver, having failed to master the art of conversation along the lines of: “I had that Tessie Bear in the back of my cab the other week.”

Talking of Tessie, she’s considered a very kind and very loving bear, although her pet, Bumpy Dog, needs a talking to from the Dog Whisperer. He loves to run up and bump people over. In other towns, the RSPCA would be called in to put him down or at least get an Animal Hospital surgeon to give him a lobotomy.

Noddy’s new look results from the very latest digital technology. He’s been computeranimated for the new series, which is running on five’s pre-school broadcast, Milkshake.

There are 52 ten-minute episodes to see.

The idea is to make him and his Toyland friends retain their original toy look. This is in line with the makers of Noddy In Toyland wanting to return to creator Enid Blyton’s original vision of a place where toys come to life.

It’s also a place where valuable franchises never die. Noddy’s adventures were first seen on TV in 1954 and he has attempted to keep up with the times over the years. Out went the Golliwoggs, in came mischievous goblins. In the Nineties, Dinah Doll, described as a “black, assertive minority female”, was introduced.

There was the TV series, Make Way For Noddy, followed by Say It With Noddy, in which he displayed his linguistic talents by learning words in foreign languages such as Spanish, Urdu and Mandarin.

His new friends for the digital age include Whiz, a robot who runs the garage. His apprentice, Linden Berry, is described as a fairy, upon whom I will make no comment for fear that PC Plod leads the baton charge of the PC Brigade.

Whiz is up for some fun, playing hide and seek with Noddy. He gets upset when no one finds his hiding place.

That’ll teach him to steal the satnav from Noddy’s car.

Being a brave little boy, Noddy is venturing outside Toyland, to the harbour and the enchanted forest. He discovers new areas, such as Game Board Street and Dolls House Street. And he’s making a comeback in print, not in a candid autobiography, but a new adventure written by Enid Blyton’s granddaughter, Sophie Smallwood, and with illustrations by Robert Tyndall, who’s drawn the characters since 1953.

More than 200 million copies of the Noddy books have been sold around the world in over 30 languages.

Collectors of trivia might like to know that in France he’s known as Oui-Oui – translating as yes-yes – in honour of his nodding behaviour.

The titles include Well Done Noddy, Noddy At The Seaside, Do Look Out Noddy and the unfortunately-titled Noddy And The Magic Rubber, which was seized by Toyland Police after being erroneously placed in the sex education section in the library.

Let us hope that Noddy’s 60th birthday celebrations pass without incident. Maybe not, as he’s been in trouble with the long arm of the law – and PC Plod’s is very long indeed – many times in the past.

Despite his misdemeanours, he’s a popular little chap, despite that irritating bell.

A survey, conducted for the Costa Book Awards, named Enid Blyton as the UK’s bestloved writer. Roald Dahl and Harry Potter author JK Rowling were runners-up, ahead of Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens in the survey of 2,000 adults.

It was a nod of approval for one of Toyland’s most popular figures.

■ Noddy In Toyland is on five, daily at 7.45am.