Edward and Friends (partially lost original English dub of animated series based on LEGO "Fabuland" theme; 1987-1988)
History
Edward and Friends was the LEGO company's first ever foray into TV animation. It was a young children's TV show with the runtime of 5 minutes based on their then-running line Fabuland, it was set around the characters of that line, most notably, who else, Edward Elephant and his friends such as Lionel Lion and Bonnie Bunny, and it would usually have some kind of moral for the children every episode. It was made by Film Fair Productions in the usual stop-motion puppet style (not actual LEGO stop-motion, though some elements may strongly resemble actual LEGO) and aired in 1987 and continued to air in 1988 in the UK and in Canada on TVO.
Availability
The series had a mostly complete but not whole home media release, being published in the UK and Hungary. The first VHS released was Edward Gets the Hiccups and 8 Other Stories: Volume 1, being the first season of the series. The second was a promotional VHS called 'A Taste of' Edward and Friends, which included 'Edward to the Rescue', 'The Play', 'A Day for Skating', 'Bonnie and the Mole', and 'Max and the Rainbow'. The third was a season 2 release, named Edward to the Rescue and 8 Other Stories: Volume 2. The next two UK releases would be rereleases of Volume 1 and 2 under the Children's Choice label.
Volume 1 and 2 would be released in Hungary in a new dub, with notably them containing ten additional episodes not seen in the UK release. These would be known from their television broadcast as Christmas in Fabuland, Edward and the Big Balloon, Catherin's Cake, A Trust to Nature (which would be renamed to Edward's Butterfly during its rerun on CBeebies), The Great Race, The Snowfall, The Clock Tower, Clive Is Taller, Edward and the Statue, and The Expedition. Despite all three sets of episodes airing on TV nearly back-to-back, these ten episodes would be considered 'specials', and not a third season.
Out of the 28 episodes, 18 are available in English, and 20 are available in Hungarian. Two episodes, however, are currently lost in both English and Hungarian dubs, those episodes being A Trust To Nature (Edward's Butterfly), and Christmas in Fabuland. According to the show's listing on Trakt, the descriptions for the two episodes state the following:[1]
"Max, Bonnie and Edward promise to stay together to catch bugs, but they get seperated. Edward, however, being non-forgetful, doesn't wander off and stays near the bush where he found a little butterfly feasting on one of Hannah Hippopotamus's flowers, whom he calls "Edward's Butterfly". Bonnie, meanwhile, is still hunting for bugs, and catches one, but the bug turns out to be Max, whom she hit on the head."
"Edward Elephant invents a weather machine, but when he sets it to snow, it causes a blizzard. Will Santa remember to land there?"
Episode Title | English Availability | Hungarian Availability |
---|---|---|
Edward Gets the Hiccups | Found | Lost |
Lionel's Party | Found | Lost |
Boris Gets a Scooter | Found | Found |
Clive's Kite | Found | Lost |
Bertie's First Case | Found | Found |
Edward and the Camera | Found | Found |
Edward Joins the Band | Found | Lost |
Edward Goes Jogging | Found | Lost |
Wilfred's Treasure | Found | Found |
Edward to the Rescue | Found | Found |
The Play | Found | Found |
A Day for Skating | Found | Found |
Bonnie and the Mole | Found | Found |
Max and the Rainbow | Found | Lost |
Wilfred's Rocking Chair | Found | Found |
Edward Tries to Help | Found | Found |
Lionel's Car | Found | Found |
A Robot for Max | Found | Found |
Christmas in Fabuland | Lost | Lost |
Edward and the Big Balloon | Lost | Found |
Catherin's Cake | Lost | Found |
A Trust To Nature (Edward's Butterfly) | Lost | Lost |
The Great Race | Lost | Found |
The Snowfall | Lost | Found |
The Clock Tower | Lost | Found |
Clive Is Taller | Lost | Found |
Edward and the Statue | Lost | Found |
The Expedition | Lost | Found |