Candy Jar Books

04/10/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 19/100 📺

🛍️ Remember when getting a Teletubby for Christmas was basically a national emergency? 😂

🎬 DAY 19: THE GREAT TELETUBBIES SHORTAGE OF CHRISTMAS '97

It's hard to explain to anyone who wasn't there just how BIG the Teletubbies were in 1997.

They weren't just a children's TV show anymore.

They were suddenly everywhere.

Tinky Winky. Dipsy. Laa-Laa. Po.

And apparently, every child in Britain needed one for Christmas. 😂

The demand for the Teletubbies toys got so ridiculous that shops were struggling to keep them in stock, parents were queuing outside stores from the early hours and some retailers even started limiting how many people could buy.

Yep… all that for four colourful, slightly odd-looking things from a children's television programme. 😂

There were even reports of people queueing from 2am to get their hands on them, while some shops were selling out almost as soon as new deliveries arrived.

And this BBC News report from November 1997 captures the whole madness perfectly.

You can almost hear the seriousness in the reporter's voice…

"TELETUBBIES ARE RUNNING OUT."

Meanwhile, somewhere at home, a four-year-old is probably just thinking:

"I want Po." 😂

The Teletubbies ended up being the top-selling Christmas toy of 1997, with around a million dolls sold in Britain by Christmas Day.

Honestly, looking back, it's one of those bits of 90s nostalgia that sounds completely made up until you see the footage.

▶️ WATCH THE BBC REPORT ON THE GREAT TELETUBBIES SHORTAGE HERE: https://youtu.be/hgKlKiK63iU?is=W4tzTn7Stkf5E-x6

So… be honest.

👶 Did you have a Teletubby in 1997?

And if you did… which one?

Tinky Winky 💜
Dipsy 💚
Laa-Laa 💛
Po ❤️

Or were you one of the unlucky ones whose parents couldn't find one anywhere? 😂

📺 19 days down. 81 more to go.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 20.

"If you haven't already bought this year's most popular toy then p...

03/10/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 18/100 📺

🐻💦 If you grew up watching Sooty, you probably knew that sooner or later someone was going to get a face full of water…

🎬 DAY 18: MATTHEW CORBETT WELCOMES SOME SPECIAL GUESTS – SOOTY & CO.

There was something about Sooty & Co. that just worked.

Matthew Corbett, Sooty, Sweep, Soo and Scampi all running a shop together sounded simple enough…

Although, knowing those lot, "simple" was never really an option. 😂

The show ran on ITV throughout the 90s, with Matthew at the centre of things as the gang got themselves into all sorts of trouble. And one of the fun parts was seeing the occasional familiar face turn up.

Because you'd be happily watching Sooty and Sweep causing chaos and then suddenly… hang on a minute, is that actually someone famous? 👀

That's what made clips like this such a nice bit of 90s TV nostalgia.

Matthew always seemed completely at home chatting away to the puppets, while Sooty was quietly getting on with whatever mischief he had planned.

And, of course, you could never quite trust that water pistol. 💦😂

Sooty & Co. originally began in 1993 and ran until 1998, with a whole collection of guest appearances along the way. Some of the famous faces who popped up included Jack Dee, Paul Merton, Harry Hill, Frank Bruno and Brian Blessed.

▶️ WATCH MATTHEW CORBETT WELCOME SOME SPECIAL GUESTS HERE: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MYdJq7xDG8M&feature=shared

Now here's the question…

🐻 Who was your favourite character from Sooty?

Sooty?
Sweep?
Soo?
Scampi?

Or was it Matthew, desperately trying to keep the whole thing under control? 😂

📺 18 days down. 82 more to go.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 19.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

02/10/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 17/100 📺

✨ What would you wish for if you found a magical creature who could actually make your wishes come true?

🎬 DAY 17: THE PSAMMEAD – FIVE CHILDREN AND IT

If you remember Five Children and It, you might remember the slightly odd-looking creature hiding in the sand…

The Psammead. 👀

Five children discover the strange, rather grumpy-looking sand fairy and quickly discover that it has one very useful talent…

It can grant wishes.

Sounds brilliant, doesn't it?

Well… perhaps not quite as brilliant as you'd think. 😂

Because when you're a child and someone tells you that you can have anything you want, actually deciding what to wish for is surprisingly difficult.

And, as the children soon discover, getting exactly what you wished for doesn't always mean getting exactly what you wanted. 😬

The BBC's 1991 adaptation of Five Children and It was one of those slightly unusual children's programmes that felt like it had been pulled straight out of a storybook.

Five children.
A mysterious creature.
A sandpit.
And wishes that were almost guaranteed to cause trouble.

And then there was the Psammead itself.

Honestly, it was a pretty memorable creation. Not exactly cute… not exactly scary… and definitely not the sort of thing you'd expect to find while digging around in a sandpit. 😂

The series was based on E. Nesbit's classic story and originally aired on BBC1 in 1991, running for six episodes.

▶️ WATCH THE PSAMMEAD GRANT HIS FIRST WISH HERE: https://youtu.be/dxbftTKtOJk?is=ZlNFmjgth8ovUVkb

But here's today's question…

✨ If you were one of the children and had ONE wish from the Psammead, what would you have wished for?

And more importantly… would you have managed to make a sensible wish, or would it have gone horribly wrong? 😂

📺 17 days down. 83 more to go.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 18.

01/10/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 16/100 📺

👧🧒👧 Some TV shows didn't need complicated stories or huge special effects to become unforgettable…

🎬 DAY 16: TOTS TV INTRO

Three colourful friends, a secret house, a very distinctive theme tune… and a little bit of magic. 🥰

Tots TV was one of those shows that seemed to be everywhere when you were growing up in the 90s.

Tilly. Tom. Tiny.

Three little friends living together in a big house, getting up to all sorts of adventures while trying to keep their magical world a secret.

And then there was Tiny. ❤️

If you watched Tots TV, there's a very good chance that the characters themselves aren't even the first thing you remember.

You remember THAT intro.

The music. 🎵
The house. 🏠
The colourful characters. 🌈
And that unmistakable feeling of sitting in front of the television as a kid, completely absorbed in whatever adventure was about to happen.

Tots TV was originally broadcast in the 1990s and became a firm favourite with younger viewers. It was simple, colourful and full of the kind of gentle childhood magic that probably explains why so many people still remember it decades later.

And honestly… that theme tune is one of those songs that you probably haven't heard for years, but the second it starts playing, your brain suddenly remembers every single word. 😂

▶️ WATCH THE TOTS TV INTRO HERE: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1_q4jYMgE9I&feature=shared

But here's today's question… 👧🧒👧

Did you watch Tots TV growing up?

And be honest… could you still sing along to the theme tune without any help? 😂🎵

📺 16 days down. 84 more to go.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 17.

TILLY WAS FRENCH IN THE ENGLISH VERSIONS...Now I have your attentio...

30/09/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 15/100 📺

🧙‍♀️ Some children's TV characters just had a remarkable talent for finding trouble…

🎬 DAY 15: MILDRED HUBBLE – THE WORST WITCH

The girl who could somehow turn even the simplest spell into complete chaos. 😂

Mildred was a pupil at Miss Cackles Academy for Witches, and while she definitely wasn't the most naturally gifted witch at the school… she certainly kept things interesting.

Whether it was a spell going wrong, something going missing, or Mildred somehow ending up in yet another spot of trouble, you always knew things weren't going to go entirely to plan. And that's probably a big part of why The Worst Witch was so memorable.

It wasn't just about the magic. It was the characters. The school. The broomsticks. The spells. The uniforms. And that slightly chaotic feeling that Mildred was probably only about five minutes away from causing another disaster. 😂🧙‍♀️

The Worst Witch originally appeared on children's television in the 1990s and became one of those shows that seems to have stuck firmly in the memories of a whole generation.

And then there's Mildred herself. Because even if you can't remember exactly what happened in every episode… you probably remember HER.

The glasses. The dark hair. The broomstick. And the inevitable look of panic when everything started going wrong.

▶️ WATCH MILDRED HUBBLE GET INTO TROUBLE AGAIN HERE: https://youtu.be/DbrZSUlkNlY?is=1ECcFsWHAIZqVv8t

But here's the question… 🧙‍♀️ Did you watch The Worst Witch growing up? And more importantly… Were you Team Mildred, or were you secretly siding with everyone who was fed up with her causing chaos? 😂

📺 15 days down. 85 more to go.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 16.

The Worst Witch 2x2 Alarms And Diversions

30/09/2026

October is looking like a busy one! 🍂📚

Have a scroll to see what's coming up...

🦁 On Friday 2nd October, we're celebrating the launch of The Lioness Effect at 34 Bloomsbury in London.

Professor Laura Serrant will be in conversation with Lord Adebowale, founder of Leadership in Mind, from 10am to 2pm. There are still a few tickets left if you'd like to join us — 🔗link in bio!

👻 And then we're heading to Maesteg for something a little different... the very first Maesteg Monster Hunt! 🎃

From Tuesday 27th to Friday 30th October, children can pick up their Monster Hunter's Passport from Maesteg Library and head out around Maesteg to find all 14 stations and collect their stamps. That's 14 stations, 14 stamps and one big adventure!

And it's completely FREE! 🎃👾

Then, on Saturday 31st October, everyone can return to Maesteg Library to get their passports checked, collect their prizes for taking part and celebrate the release of There's a Zombie in My Village (copies will also be available to buy at the library that day)!

A huge thank you to Maesteg 200 for sponsoring the Monster Hunt. We can't wait to see lots of little monster hunters out exploring Maesteg! ❤️

Please remember that all children should be accompanied by an adult.

We hope to see some of you along the way! 📚👻

29/09/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 14/100 📺

🚀 Remember when children's TV could take you to a completely different world in about 30 seconds?

🎬 DAY 14: LAVENDER CASTLE – OPENING TITLES

Now THIS one feels like a proper trip back to the late 90s…

Before we even got into the story, the opening titles of Lavender Castle were already doing a lot of the work.

Space.

Strange creatures.

Flying ships.

A completely bonkers-looking fantasy world.

And that theme tune.

You knew exactly what you were about to watch.

Lavender Castle first appeared on CITV in 1999, and it was unlike a lot of the other children's programmes around at the time.

It had this really unusual mix of fantasy, sci-fi and stop-motion animation that made it feel completely different from everything else.

And honestly… the opening titles are probably one of the bits people remember most.

Because let's be honest, when you're a kid, you don't necessarily remember every episode.

But give us the first few seconds of a theme tune from 25 years ago…

…and suddenly you're sitting in front of the telly again. 😂

🚀 1999.

Think about how long ago that actually was.

Some of the kids watching Lavender Castle back then are now old enough to have kids of their own.

Which is a slightly terrifying thought. 😂

▶️ WATCH THE LAVENDER CASTLE OPENING TITLES HERE:
https://youtu.be/A_0r4E3dN00?is=2FqNamKmBWGaxAVv

But here's the question…

Did you actually watch Lavender Castle? Or do you just remember the opening titles and the theme tune?

📺 14 days down. 86 more to go.

And tomorrow we're heading back into another forgotten corner of 90s children's television.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for Day 15. 👀

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

28/09/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 13/100 📺

🌅 Remember when children's TV could suddenly get… really emotional?

🎬 DAY 13: THE BBC’S “FUTURE GENERATIONS” TRAIL – 1998

Now this is a slightly different kind of 90s nostalgia…

Because sometimes it wasn't the programmes themselves that stuck in your memory.

It was the trailers, adverts, idents and bits of continuity in between them.

And in 1998, the BBC went all misty-eyed with this Future Generations trail.

It was a very different time in children's television.

No streaming.

No YouTube.

No skipping the adverts.

You watched what was on, when it was on… and sometimes you'd get one of these little pieces of television magic appearing between your favourite programmes.

And somehow, these tiny moments became part of your childhood memories too.

🌅 1998.

Just think about that for a second.

Some people watching this now weren't even born yet.

And for those of us who were there…

this is basically a time machine. 😂

▶️ WATCH THE BBC’S FUTURE GENERATIONS TRAIL HERE:
https://youtu.be/2C253HmGxVU?is=oxmmzZXeMfXnZ9mc

Here's a slightly different question for today:

Do you remember the little bits of TV continuity between programmes?

The BBC trails?
Channel idents?
Adverts?
Announcements telling you what was coming next?

Or were you the kid who just wanted them to hurry up because your programme was about to start?! 😂

Tag someone who remembers watching Saturday morning TV in the 90s! 👇

📺 13 days down. 87 more to go.

And we're discovering that 90s kids' TV nostalgia isn't just about the programmes…

It's about everything that surrounded them too.

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for another trip down memory lane. 👀

27/09/2026

📺 100 DAYS OF 90s KIDS’ TV – DAY 12/100 📺

🎵 “And I say, hey! What a wonderful kind of day…” 🎵

If you just sang that in your head… yep, this one's for you. 😂

🎬 DAY 12: ARTHUR

There are some TV theme tunes you remember.

And then there are the ones that somehow survived 25+ years of brain storage without you ever asking them to.

Arthur is definitely one of them. 🐵

Based on the books by Marc Brown, the animated series followed Arthur Read, his family and his friends as they navigated school, friendships, sibling arguments and all the little dramas that seemed absolutely enormous when you were a kid.

And then there was that opening sequence…

Arthur running around Elwood City, meeting up with his friends, and that ridiculously cheerful theme tune kicking in.

🎵 “What a wonderful kind of day…” 🎵

Honestly, you could probably hear the whole thing without even watching the video. 😂

▶️ WATCH THE ORIGINAL OPENING TITLES HERE: https://youtube.com/watch?v=9NE7I-pjvAk&feature=shared

👇 90s KIDS’ TV CHALLENGE 👇

How much of the Arthur theme can you still sing from memory? 😂

And let's settle another important question…

🐵 Who was your favourite Arthur character?

Arthur?
D.W.?
Buster?
Francine?
Muffy?
Brain?

Or someone else?

Tag someone who definitely remembers this theme tune! 👇

📺 12 days down. 88 more to go.

And we're starting to build quite a collection of those “OMG, I haven't thought about that in years!” moments. 😂

Give us a follow and come back tomorrow for another classic piece of 90s kids’ TV nostalgia. 👀

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