Magazine Letters

Discuss Blyton's magazines, short stories and poetry here.
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tix
Posts: 385
Joined: 07 Jan 2005, 12:56

Magazine Letters

Post by tix »

Enid Blyton characters wrote a number of letters to fans and they have been quite popular. The 'Teachers World' contributions usually ended with one from Bobs, EB's dog, and the 'Sunny Stories' magazines had a letter in each issue. Several of these have been reprinted in the 'Enid Blyton Society Journal,' and there's even an 'EB Magazine' contribution from little Noddy (EBSJ#37).

The letters are more in the form of a 'note' that ends with a 'sign-off' sentence often relating to the character in question so we have

"A push down my slippery-slip from Moonface."
"Some milk out of the milk-jug from Laddie."
"Pinkity-pink from Pinky the Chaffinch."
"A very quiet stalk from Patter" (the kitten).
"Tirry-lee to you from The Robin."
"A set of whiskers from Bimbo." In the older 'Sunny Stories' magazines, Bimbo and Topsy more-or-less ruled the roost and it appears the former even posted his own letters because there’s a picture of him inserting an envelope into an old-fashioned pillar-box (SS#220).

A host of characters expressed themselves in the weekly mag. Mary Mouse made her report (SS#460), and Goofy, a little boy EB "sometimes writes about," composed a few lines all by himself (SS#463). Nigger, the cat who lived next door to EB told us of her friendship with Laddie (SS#443), and we've even been honoured with a letter from the famous 'Timothy.' He calls himself that but we all know it's really 'Timmy' of the Famous Five (SS#450). 'Scurry' has communicated as well and I had no idea who this character was but I'm sure some of the more educated EB fans would; he's a mouse who escaped from Gillian's care and now lives in 'a hole at the bottom of the wall.' I think he would have been very well looked after by one of the author's daughters but perhaps he required just a 'little' more freedom. (SS#418).

EB had many animals and birds from which to choose but a few others I couldn't pinpoint were Rufus, and Bluebell, & Greyboy. Rufus is a ginger kitten that "grew into a cat" (SS#398), and the other two are doves who lived at Enid Blyton's residence for years (they tell us that in SS#386).

A few letters that might be worthy of reprinting in the EBSJ are those from Kiki, Buster the Find-Outer's dog, Huffin & Puffin, and Chinky the pixie. I daren't print any here because last time I endeavoured to, the material was "Blatantly Censored!"

I'll bet you not even Moonraker has been 'Blatantly Censored.'
Tony Summerfield
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Re: Magazine Letters

Post by Tony Summerfield »

I will look out the three that you have mentioned for future Journals! I don't even remember the one by Buster, but you have done well not to risk being 'blatantly censored'! :lol:
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Courtenay
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Re: Magazine Letters

Post by Courtenay »

If you look back at the thread in question, the term Tony used at the time was "brutal censorship". Which sounds even less worth risking!! :shock: :mrgreen:

More seriously, I do enjoy the various character letters when they're reprinted in the Journal (along with, of course, the weekly ones from Bobs in Teacher's World). The letter from the Baby Goldfish in the most recent Journal gave me a laugh! Enid had a great imagination for what her many different characters, real or invented, might say if they could write their own letters - and of course, it adds to the fun for young fans to have a letter directly "to" them from their favourite characters in Enid's stories! I almost* wish I'd been a young child in England back when Sunny Stories was being published - I know I would have loved it too. :D

(* The "almost" is because if that were the case, I don't like to think how old it would make me now!!) :wink:
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tix
Posts: 385
Joined: 07 Jan 2005, 12:56

Re: Magazine Letters

Post by tix »

'Blatant' doesn't sound as cruel as 'Brutal' but regardless, I don't want to risk being 'Brutally' or 'Blatantly' censored again so it's good news to see that the letters will continue.

Some characters like Kiki and Moon-Face wrote more than one, but the instance I can recall of Buster picking up a pen in his doggy paws was when he signed a note "With Love" in #446.
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