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Buying stuff
So, you can't live without some Duckula bubble bath or a talking Dangermouse, eh? Well, let C.H.A.M.B. help you find what you're looking for.
(Please note, everything on this page is designed to be used by UK residents. The availability of merchandise overseas is beyond the scope of a teensy site like this, I'm afraid. Sorry, guys.)
Finding old stuff | Finding new stuff | Links
Is it easy to find merchandise for old shows?
Generally speaking, the older or less popular the show, the harder it is to find merchandise relating to it. So on a sliding scale, we have say, Duckula and Dangermouse at the top (easy to find both new and old merchandise) and possibly Victor & Hugo at the bottom (you'd have more luck finding the Ark of the Covenant than the 1991 video release).
However, no show is a lost cause. With a bit of luck and a lot of persistance, you can find all sorts of neato things – almost always second-hand of course, but if you're into an older show, you just have to live with that.
Where's the best place to look?
If you don't mind a bit of rummaging and the smell of the elderly, charity shops, car boot sales and jumble sales can be a good source of items, especially books. If you need your search to be more focused, your best bet is on the good ol' Internet. There are forums and noticeboards where you can swap or buy cartoon merchandise, but I don't know of one good enough to tell you about yet. I will post details if I find one, though. You may want to try a website called UK Collectibles, which has many of the older Dangermouse and Duckula books and videos (possibly other Cosgrove Hall stuff too, have a look around).
Deleted videos
Most of the older Cosgrove Hall shows are no longer shown on TV, but as of 2006 many of them are widely available on DVD. However, all of them have had VHS releases at some point, so if you're really determined, it's time to start tracking down vintage tapes. Not as easy as it sounds, I'm afraid. The best chance you have of finding them is second-hand video shops (there tend to be at least one in every town - Manchester in particular has loads), or again, charity shops and online auctions. Failing that, file-sharing sites are worth checking out for episodes of things, although I've no experience with them myself so I can't recommend any in particular. And yes, I know I just mentioned this, but PLEASE don't keep emailing me about the Victor & Hugo video. It's been deleted for a decade now, and no, I DON'T know where to find a copy. Keep endlessly scouring eBay like I did.
Online auctions
Personally, I recommend an online auction facility. Of course, there's a certain element of risk involved if you get mixed up with an unscrupulous seller, but most people find them to be hassle-free. Of all the auctions listed under links, I'd say by far the best is eBay. If you're patient, you'll find all sorts of great stuff comes up on here, including videos, books, toys and even animation cels. If you're not an Ebay user already, you can click on the link in the links bit to register. It's free of charge, and you don't have to pay to bid on items either. I recently got an Alias the Jester video for £2.50 using Ebay, which proves you can get some real bargains if you look carefully.
I like my merchandise to be brand new. Help!
Fortunately for you nostalgia fans who don't like other people's germs, there's been a resurgance in popularity of old children's shows in the last couple of years, so you can now pick up brand new BFG, Chorlton, Dangermouse, Duckula, Wind in the Willows and Jamie and the Magic Torch DVDs and videos. There are also Dangermouse posters, talking toys, stationery, talking keyrings, t-shirts and mobile phone fascias.
Of course, new merchandise is not restricted to old shows; let's not forget that more modern productions like the Discworld series, Fetch the Vet, Bill and Ben and Noddy have many licensed products too. These tend to be widely available in many high street toyshops, so I'm not going to discuss them here.
Where can I buy new merchandise?
If you like to shop online, you'll find a list of places a little further down this page where you can buy Cosgrove Hall merchandise. International visitors, this bit might prove handy for you, as I'm sure many if not all of them will take overseas orders. Please do bear in mind that UK videos are PAL format and our DVDs are region 2; they will not play in standard US players. You'll need a multi-region DVD player or a dual PAL/NTSC video player. Maybe you'd better stick with the talking beanie toys...
Please note, Cosgrove Hall Ate My Brain is not responsible for the outcome of any transactions that take place between you and any of the following vendors. I've used some of them personally, and found them to be good. Others I haven't used, but I am told are good. All of these links are for your convenience only. If you have problem using any of them, tell the site owners, not me.
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