Bagpuss Story Competition Winner

In the Spring we invited everyone to The Beaney to celebrate 50 Years of Bagpuss. Thousands of fans answered the call and came to Canterbury to visit their favourite, saggy old cloth cat! 

Hundreds of families took part in the Mischief at the Museum trail that saw the The Beaney taken over by Smallfilms characters on the hunt for birthday presents for Bagpuss.

Children aged  7 – 11 years old were also invited to enter a special Bagpuss Story Competition and we recently welcomed back the competition winner!  

Huge congratulations Rose, aged 10, a big Bagpuss fan whose Bagpuss and Clangers crossover story really impressed the judges!  And here it is…

“The Clangers were very good friends with Bagpuss, who were lounging around when Major Clanger shouted “Attention all Clangers, today is Bagpuss’ birthday and we have not prepared!” 

Shortly after his speech there was a riot of worrying from the Clangers, Froglets, Soup dragons and Sky Moos. Major Clanger announced again “I have an idea, we should make him a space explorer ship to look for undiscovered worlds!” 

After a lot of democracy and debating it was decided that Bagpuss’ super special gift would be a spare explorer ship. A few Clanger hours later on the blue planet, the Clangers were getting ready to fly Bagpuss’ ship to Bagpuss & Co (his shop).  

A few more hours later they had landed but wanted to stay unknown to humans so they had to wear black cloths around their faces. They stared in the window, to check that Emily wasn’t there then they heaved the door open. Bagpuss (as usual) was sleeping so they had to wake him, but as you know, when Bagpuss awakes so do his friends.  

Bagpuss flew the Clangers back home then Bagpuss and his friends went on many adventures….” 

A young girl in a white dress sat at a table in a museum gallery smiling as she is passed a pink wrapped present by a woman in a blue patterned shirt.

Rose’s prize was a very special trinket box decorated with illustrations of the winning story by artist Charlotte Firmin, daughter of Peter Firmin who created Bagpuss with Oliver Postgate in the 1970s.


a young girl in a white dress smiling sat next to a woman with grey hair wearing a blue patterned top. In front of them is a painted box illustrated with characters from the TV show Bagpuss, visible are a pink striped cat, a frog, mice, woodpecker and doll.

“Dear Bagpuss and friends, I was deeply delighted to be back at The Beaney to receive my lovely trinket box from Charlotte Firmin herself. Everyone was also extremely friendly and as they knew we had travelled a long way they gave me a puzzle, a book and a picture frame!” – Rose (10) 

Thank you so much to Rose for the brilliant story, we’re really glad you like your prize!

Photo of a group of people smiling in an art gallery with blue walls. Sat is a young girl and a woman and on the table in front of them is a pink stripy you cat an a trinket box decorated with hand painted illustrations.

Thanks too to all of Rose’s family who joined her to celebrate and to everyone who has celebrated 50 Years of Bagpuss with us so far this year!

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Artefacts in exhibition case The Beaney Museum

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