Crystal Tipps and Alistair

Crystal Tipps and Alistair

1972 - United Kingdom

The style of animation on this children's cartoon series might well have been influenced by the Beatles full-length animated feature Yellow Submarine which had come out a few years earlier. 

To many, the almost psychedelic look and feel of the series was enough for them to dub it 'Crystal Trips with Alistair.' Creator Hilary Hayton certainly invented a land where everything seemed fab and groovy and where best friends Crystal and Alistair lived in a pop-art world that one could easily envisage being a part of John Lennon's 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.' And just like Lennon's trip into the world of 'LSD' so Crystal and Alistair's world included tangerine flowers of yellow and green as well as tangible rainbows and giant bubbles that enabled them to float up to the sky. 

When they needed more conventional (?) forms of transport Crystal had her own big-propellered biplane. There were no words uttered between the characters, the pictures told the stories clearly enough and to accompany the vivid images there was an equally-expressive score from composer Paul Reade. 

Published on December 5th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Paddington Bear TV Series

Paddington Bear leaves deepest darkest Peru for adventures in England with the Brown family.

Also tagged Childrens Cartoon

kung fu

US action-adventure drama in which a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West, armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts, goes in search of his half-brother.

Also released in 1972

Beachcombers

Immensely popular Canadian series concerning the adventures of a professional lumber salvager and his friends in British Columbia.

Also released in 1972

Camberwick Green

Monday's Watch With Mother offering which began in 1966 with the words "Here is a box, a musical box, wound up and ready to play. But this box can hide a secret inside. Can you guess what is in it today ?"

Also tagged Childrens Animation

Heckle and Jeckle

Animated cartoon series - talking magpies with Brooklyn accents...and why not.

Also tagged Childrens Cartoon

Ivor the Engine

Classic children's animation about a small green railway engine from "the top left corner of Wales"

Also tagged Childrens Animated Series

Noggin the Nog

"Listen to me and I will tell you the story of Noggin the Nog, as it was told in the days of old"

Also tagged Childrens Animation

Another Saturday Night and Sweet FA

Every weekend, long-suffering referee Mr. Armistead wades into the melee to try to teach two sets of testosterone-fuelled maniacs the value of restraint, justice and fair play.

Also released in 1972

The Magic Ball

Sam has a magic ball which can take him anywhere his imagination wants to wander

Also tagged Childrens Animation