Acorn Green

Historyreleased. When the comic ceased in July 1987, it
Acorn Green first appeared in 1986 in a series oflived on as a single story feature in the Muppet
comics, with a range of soft toy figures whoBabies comic, also by Marvel UK. 2 annuals were
came with accessories and clothing following fromalso produced, for 1986 and 1987, with a
Tomy. The ethos of the characters was one ofcollection of the best stories, puzzles and features.
caring for our forests and woodlands, andToys
supported the desire of the time for children toA range of soft plush toys were made by Tomy
have positive, non-violent, creative influences. Eachof 6 of the main characters : Letterbox Bear,
character had their own "special friend" - either aHoney Bunny, Flipper Frog, Bobby Badger,
bumblebee, butterfly or ladybird which could takeSunshine Squirrel and Scoop Fox. Each plush toy
messages throughout the wood, summon for helpcame with a reversible outfit which changed from
or run errands. The characters has varioustheir "work clothes" to casual or sleepwear, an
adventures and misadventures which involvedacorn shaped charm containing their "special
either a social or environmental issue which wasfriend" which could be worn by the child using the
resolved by pulling together and using theirplastic chain supplied, and a plaque bearing his or
resources to stop the bad guys, avert disasterher "Promise" - a rhyme denoting their role in the
and ultimately to save the forest. The storieswood, such as Honey Bunny's "I promise if
promoted the good values of teamwork, care foranything's poorly hurt or ill, I'll make them better,
woodlands and wildlife, and friendship.honest i will". Other accessories such as
Each character had their own job within thepush-and-go tricycles, sleeping bags and
wood, as listed below, and varying personalities;tree-stump seats were available separately.
from the caring nurse Honey Bunny, friendlySmall 2 inch hard plastic figurines of all of the main
Letterbox Bear the postman, wise old Ossie Owlcharacters were also made by Tomy (with ones
and wacky Flipper Frog the fireman.of Holly Hedgehog, Joker Crow and Whizzer Crow
The "battlecry" of the characters was "We'll saveand also associated wind-up toys seen in Tomy
our woods together, singing Acorn GreenCatalogues but never seen in real life). The small
Forever!!!!"figures were designed to fit into the Old Oak
Main CharactersTree House treehouse playset, a tree-shaped set
Honey Bunny (Nurse)with a movable top half, working lift, furniture and
Sunshine Squirrel (cook)swing.
Bobby Badger (Police Officer)The toy's boxes were highly decorated with plant
Ossie Owl (All round leader and wise-man, Know itlife, trees and nature. Many of the packages also
all owl)carried a token, which could be collected on a
Big Scout Beaver (Ranger)collector's card, and sent off to The Conservation
Flipper Frog (Firefighter)Foundation to have a tree planted in a special
Scoop Fox (Journalist)children's area in Sherwood Forest,
Letterbox Bear (Postman)Nottinghamshire.
Patchwork Mouse (Tailor)Other Merchandise
A. Minor Mole (Miner)As with most comic series, a whole host of other
Secondary Charactersmerchandise was created featuring the
Henry Hedgehogcharacters. Lunchboxes, children's clothing and bed
Holly Hedgehoglinen, storybooks and stationery. A single-sided
Joker Crowflexi-disc came with the 1st issue of the comic
Whizzer Crow(and also reportedly with breakfast cereal at one
Comicspoint). The disc featured the song "Acorn Green
The comic series, by Marvel UK, ran fromForever", which was credited to The Bee Bops
October 1986 to July 1987 over 36 issues. Itand incorporated a spoken section by David
contained stories featuring the characters, puzzles,Bellamy encouraging respect for the natural
things to do and most importantly, information onenvironment. The full extent of merchandise
wildlife, forestry issues and environmental issues inavailable is not known.
a way that young children could understand. AExternal links
preview comic was seen in Get-along Gang issueAcorn Green Forever!
##, the week before the first comic was