Stolen Clanger puppet returned after 50-year mystery

The puppet of Mother Clanger has returned to the UK to be put on display after being stolen from an exhibition in London more than 50 years ago.

The puppet, from the children's TV series The Clangers, was taken in the early 1970s. One of the boys who took it hid it in his loft in Ireland before confessing to his son before his death.

His son then decided to return Mother Clanger to her family in Canterbury in Kent, to go on display at The Beaney.

Emily Firmin, daughter of one of the show's creators Peter Firmin, said: "It's taken quite a long time, I'm just glad that she's reunited with the rest of her family."

She said there had been a campaign in the 70s to find the puppet and no-one knew it had been taken by people on a day trip to London.

"I'm just glad we have got her back," she added.

Debuting in 1969, the show told the tale of a race of knitted aliens living on a cold blue planet, not far from Earth.

The pink, mouse-like creatures lived in craters covered by dustbin lids - the lids' noisy "clang" gave the show its name.

After going off the air, the show was later revived and returned to TV in 2015.

Firmin explained that her mother made the replacement puppet when the original could not be found.

"It is interesting because she [the original] is quite worse for wear and it makes the others, including Stepmother Clanger, look pretty pristine," she added.

Firmin said the person who took the puppet "did the right thing" to confess.

"Naughty boys do naughty things, and in his older age he did the right thing," she said.

Charlotte Cornell, Canterbury City Council's cabinet member for culture and heritage, said Mother Clanger's return was "joyous".

"It's significant in it completes and restores the collection, but it also just brings a lot of joy that people are making the right decisions returning our precious stuff to its home so that everyone can enjoy it," she added.

"It just brings a lot of happiness that someone's made this decision and we can show her."

Bagpuss, The Clangers and many more children's shows were created by Firmin's father and Oliver Postgate in their studio in Canterbury, and The Beaney is home to a gallery that celebrates their work.

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