Why has this site got such a stupid name?
Cheeky! I thought about calling it something like "Cosgrove Hall, Makers of Magic" or "25 years of Fun" or some such lame thing, but it didn't feel right. I eventually realised that part of the reason I wanted to make this site was that Cosgrove Hall cartoons have done more to consume areas of my mind that I could have used for something more useful during our mutual first 25 years than possibly anything else. If you've ever run all the way home from school to not miss a second of Dangermouse, or lost sleep over what the lyrics to Jamie and the Magic Torch were, or giggled at A Touch of Frost because David Jason makes you think of Count Duckula, maybe they ate your brain too.
Isn't this site a bit biased towards the earlier shows?
Yes. Yes, it is. I'm not apologizing for that. The chances are, if you're currently a child, you already watch the modern Cosgrove Hall children's shows, and you don't need me to tell you any more about them. Most of these are well-represented on the Web already anyway. The objectives that I really had in mind when constructing this were to;
a) Bring together information about Cosgrove Hall the studio as well as its shows, which was being done in very few places when I started C.H.A.M.B,
b) Provide information about CH productions that are poorly represented elsewhere on the Web, if at all; and
c) Just celebrate the fact that an entire generation – my generation – has now been raised on Cosgrove Hall shows. So, it's only logical that the cartoons I want to concentrate hardest on are the ones from my "childhood" which, despite my suspicion that it's still going strong, probably finished in sensible terms when I was about 16. That's why my Featured/favourite shows are from the era 1976-1992, which I suppose does give the site a bit of a nostalgic flavour.
Can I use (whatever) from this site?
If you'd like to use some text or pics from this site, or link to it, please let me know. I'll usually be happy to let you use something, as long as you tell me what you want to do with it. This especially applies to pictures. Of course, all the characters belong to Cosgrove Hall and I have no more ownership over them than you do, but I did spend a lot of time scanning and Photoshopping virtutally all the pictures on the site and even hand-drew a few, so if you nick 'em, I'll know!
If you want to use text, that is, if you want to quote large chunks, please e-mail me first and I'll tell you what credit details you should provide. Although it's fairly meaningless in the vastness of Cyberspace, all the text on this site is copyright the Webmistress, so it would be very naughty to pass it off as your own.
Can I submit something to this site?
Sure, if it's relevant. I can't guarantee I'll include it, and I reserve the right to edit whatever I get. (That being the case, though, I would consult you before putting it up.) I'm not accepting fan art or fanfic, but I do have an area of this site set aside to link to them. So, if you've created something, please let me know! Of course, if you just want to reminisce about some show/character/theme song or other, feel free to avail yourself of the guestbook or the forum.
Why aren't you updating as much as you used to?
Oh, you noticed? Well, a few reasons. Mostly, it's just lack of time. Scanning and Photoshopping stuff takes ages, and I'm generally just a busier bunny now than when I established the site. Also, the opening of the official Cosgrove Hall site and the revamping of Toonhound.com means I'm not the only complete Cosgrove Hall reference source anymore, which was my most important function in the old days. Plus, I've just about done most of what I want to do with the site already. Don't worry, I don't intend to leave it to rot; I have lots of good stuff still to go up. But I'm afraid the halcyon days of weekly updates are dead and gone.
I'm looking for information on (whatever) series. Can you help?
My favourite CH shows have their own pages on this site, which should tell you everything you need to know about them. All of the others have their own shorter entries on the Model, Drawn and Specials pages (under Shows). If there are other sites with more information on a show than I have, links to them will be provided. If a show has a short entry and no links, then that's all the information I can give you on it.
Airdates and total numbers of episodes for all shows are given in the filmography. If you're still stuck, e-mail me and I'll do my best to help.
Can you tell me where to get (my favourite show) on video?
I get asked this a lot. Some shows are currently available on VHS, some aren't. Several of the older ones are only available on tapes which have now been deleted. Check out the Buying Stuff page for tips on how to find them. And I'm sorry, but if a tape's deleted, you can't buy it in the shops anymore and that's that. I've given all the hunting tips I can, but you may never track down any episodes of that obscure favourite show from yesteryear. Buy yourself a big tub of Haagen Dazs and get over it.
Is (whatever series) going to be released on DVD in (my home country)?
Most commonly, people want to know if they can get hold of Dangermouse in the US – for a long time, the answer was no, but now it's YES!! Go to Amazon if you don't believe me. More and more CH things are now being released on DVD in both the UK and US, although they do tend to be easier to find in online stores than on the high street. Amazon.co.uk usually has all the current releases in. If you're in any country other than these two, I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry. Oh, and all you Australians who keep asking me - no, no-one has got around to releasing Victor and Hugo yet, although given how much of the rest of the back catalogue is now showing up, I'd say it's only a matter of time. Don't know if it will be Region 2 or Region 4, though.
Is (my favourite show) coming back on TV?
I have no idea. I only have access to the same TV Guides as everyone else does, so I suggest you just keep a close eye on them. And I certainly can't tell anyone what's going to be shown in the USA or Australia or wherever! Dangermouse tends to show up in Britain on Cartoon Network's sister channel Boomerang, but other than than, I'd say the chances of you seeing your old favourite again are very slim indeed. Of course, if I hear about any old shows getting rerun, I will announce it on the News page.
Can you provide me with episodes of (whatever)?
Nope. You're just as capable as I am of finding downloads by using a good search engine, and I neither have the time nor the equipment to make VHS copies of things. Many Cosgrove Hall productions are currently available on DVD (there's a full list below), so try Amazon or Play.com. If you're interested in a series that isn't widely available, the best I can suggest is registering with eBay and setting up an "Alert Me" thing so you know if tapes of the show you want are ever listed.
As of September 2006, the following productions are widely available in the UK on DVD:
Alias the Jester, Avenger Penguins, Count Duckula, Dangermouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Jamie and the Magic Torch, The BFG, Soul Music, Wyrd Sisters, The Wind in the Willows, The BFG, Cinderella, The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, Foxbusters, Rocky and the Dodos, Fantomcat, Engie Bengy, Andy Pandy, The Animal Shelf, Brambly Hedge. For US availability, check each show's individual entry in the Shows section.
You can find out more about obtaining episodes of things (by buying, not downloading) on the loot page.
Have you got any sounds from (whatever show)?
At this time, I don't have any theme songs or sound clips available here. I hope to put some up in the future, but I have to figure out how to make them first, which could take some time. However, if you look at your chosen show's entry under Shows, you just might find there's a link to a site that does have them. Offhand, I know for sure that the Dangermouse, Duckula, Alias and Chorlton pages have links to sites with sounds.
I've just finished an animation course. Can I come and do work experience for you?
I get SOOOOO tired of this one. Look, you boneheads, I'm NOT Cosgrove Hall, it says so on every frigging page of my site. If your powers of observation are so poor, you're probably not going to be a good animator anyway. (I should point out for the benefit of studio people reading this that I do actually reply politely when people email me about this, but my patience is wearing thin - can you *please* address the topic of work experience somewhere on the official site??)
Are you connected with the studio? Do you work there?
Good Lord, no (see the previous question). Cosgrove Hall are aware of my site, and they don't seem to have any problem with me continuing to operate it. But I certainly don't, and never have, worked there. I'm not in regular contact with them either, so if you have a question to ask them, I can't get the answer for you. You can e-mail the studio yourself using the address at the bottom of this page.
Where did you get your info from?
Magazine and newspaper articles on CH, interviews, video boxes, books, the Web, and most importantly the many hours of my life that I've spent watching their stuff over the years. To my knowledge, everything on this site is accurate. If you think you've spotted an error, please tell me.
Who exactly are you, and what do you want?
So, you want to learn more about the Webmistress, eh? Do you know how much interesting content there is out there on the Web, yet you're wasting your time reading about a complete stranger? HAH! I mock your inquisitiveness!!
OK, so I assume you got past the insults and you still want information. Fine. My name is Laura, and I was certainly born at some point. I used to write children's reference books for a living, abut now I'm a full-time illustrator (check out my Website to see some of my stuff). I'm a rabid Japanophile. My dream movie would involve a chimp, a midget and Tim Curry. I'm basically a geek, as if you couldn't guess.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Dr Tim Overton and Mr Mike Russell for the help and saint-like patience they provided during the construction of this site. Thanks also to the other ladies and gents around the world who have brought together information about Cosgrove Hall on the Internet, because goodness knows we needed it. And of course, thank you to everyone at Cosgrove Hall, because this site quite literally couldn't exist without you. Keep up the good work, guys.
Useful e-mail addresses
Cosgrove Hall (general queries): animation@chf.co.uk
Fremantle Media, for questions about VHS/DVD releases: feedback@fremantlemedia.com
