Clangers Logo 'Pipe Organ'
by Oliver Postgate
Clangers

Tiny Clanger is up in the music boat with her friends the flowers. They are singing and she is playing her pipes. They hear the sound of the Hoot-planet. It approaches and lowers hoots on strings which play harmoniously with Tiny and the flowers. A Clanger comes to the surface of the planet below and calls Tiny in for soup. Tiny and the flowers go below in the boat. It is time for soup. Small Clanger is fetching soup on the trolley. A wheel comes off and it breaks down. They are carrying the biggest jug on the trolley and this is too heavy to drag or carry. However, Small Clanger has a good idea for delivering soup. He commandeers Tiny Clanger's pipes and ties them to the jug. The other Clangers at the homecave are calling for their soup. Small Clanger loads the pipes with pieces of bubble fruit and the jug is shot like a rocket towards the homecave. The waiting Clangers dive for cover as the soup-rocket hits the wall and delivers the soup as a huge wet splodge on the wall.

Mother Clanger is furious but Major Clanger has an idea. He suggests it to the Soup-dragon and they collaborate in making a sort of primitive beam engine to pump soup from the well to the homecave. Small Clanger helps them. Tiny Clanger looks at her pipes and goes to collect some more. The waiting Clangers chorus for soup. Major Clanger promises delivery soon. Tiny Clanger collects some more pipes and takes them outside to the music trees to tune them. The pump is nearly made. The waiting Clangers call for soup. The pump is finished and the pipes of macaroni reed are laid. Small Clanger holds the end of the pipe over a soup-jug on the dinner table. Major Clanger and the soup-dragon start the pump. At first nothing happens but the pump goes faster and then very slowly a drop of soup comes out of the end of the pipe. Mother Clanger does not think that is much soup. She hopes it will deliver more soup and it does, predictably bursting all its seams and joints and bubbling soup everywhere.

That is enough for Mother Clanger. She exercises authority and, orders the machine and all its parts dragged outside. Small Clanger and Major Clanger drag it outside and close the doors. Tiny Clanger is by the music trees. She turns to come indoors and sees the remains of the pump. She drags it to the music trees end refits it with pipes as a mechanical organ in which capacity it performs admirably.

Original Conception:
Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin

Scenery and Puppets:
Peter Firmin

Music:
Composed by Vernon Elliott

Filming and Editing:
Oliver Postgate

Film Company:
Smallfilms

TX:
3rd November 1972 @ 4.00pm

Notes:
*This synopsis is the original outline written by Oliver Postgate for the BBC prior to production, and may differ slightly from the transmitted version.

*The Clangers voices were played on swannee whistles by Oliver Postgate and Stephen Sylvester.