Feminist icon: FLORENCE FROM THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT
Dear Florence,
How did you ever find that magic roundabout? And God bless you for having the good sense to keep going back and not being scared by the frankly disturbing Mr Rusty. You kept everyone on the straight and narrow and fed Dougal his sugar lumps.
You struck a proto-Riot Grrl stance at least twnety years before the look hit the street and hung out with some of the coolest people in television history. And a thing on a spring with a huge moustache.
We salute you!
Now where was that magicroundabout again?
Love, Mookychick xxx
PASSNOTES: Main characters in the show
Dougal (a shaggy dog)
Zebedee (a strange character on a spring)
Dylan (a rabbit)
Ermintrude (a pink cow)
Florence (a young girl)
Brian (a snail)
Florence / Magic Roundabout links:
Mooky Background:
Many years ago, The Magic Roundabout appeared on British children's TV and Florence was the everygirl we could all relate to. The stories were brilliantly surreal with a wicked sense of humour, and Eric Thompson (father of Emma) created each week's episodes whilst watching the original French animation and ignoring the silly original plots, probably because he couldn't understand what they were going on about.
Florence was always on the scene, staying mostly out of trouble. She was also voiced by Kylie in the recent movie, but spent much of her movie-time in a block of ice..
Mooky Factor:
Quite high. Although it could be argued that her look is more early Spice Girls than mooky, you can't blame Florence as she had it twenty years before anyone else.
She also cared for the environment, knew how to have a good time and cared for all her friends.
Except for the blue cat, but she was scary.
Florence Best Known For:
Big trainers and bigger hair. Hanging out with Dougal, Brian and Zebedee. Being quite level-headed and stopping Dougal from going barking mad.
Least Known For:
Her friends. Basil, Paula and Rosalie. Florence soon dumped them when she found the Magic Roundabout and although they helped Mr Rusty return the magic to his carousel, she never once invited them back. But at least she let them come and play in the movie.
by Deborah Taylor
More: Feminism, Activism, Politics & LGBTQ on Mookychick
Deborah Taylor is a band manager, events organiser and the uber-glorious Messageboard Moderator of Mookychick.co.uk. She also writes short stories that will twist your head and a regular mooky opinion column. You may send her roses, top hats and fair-trade rum, or follow her on Twitter.
