When Mog is chasing the birds, she forgets she can't fly and spends a lot of time falling out of trees. Mog's not that bright though - she's Mog the forgetful cat after all. She's got a funny, bemused little face and a tail that puffs up when she's excited. I like to think Mog has eaten so many eggs that she's starting to look like one - her head, with its little ears, bright eyes, and snubby, bright pink cat nose, is a perfect egg shape. Mog particularly likes eggs for breakfast - they are her favourite things of all. Mog likes eating, sleeping in her favourite places, playing, chasing the birds and all those other feline pastimes. She lives with the Thomas family Mr, Mrs, Nicky and Debbie. Mog is a tabby cat with a white bib at the front and four white paws. Mog is the cat with whom every child can identify. The text is perfect accurate, rhythmic, humorous.
Mog the cat tv#
Strawberry Shortcake – once confined to greetings cards but later appearing on TV and in films – is a classic example, along with Sonic, the Sega computer game hedgehog that crossed over into a live action film earlier this year.įinding a character that appeals to generation after generation is trickier than it sounds.“On the whole, cohorts of kids tend to want to differentiate themselves from the ones that have come before them and the ones who will be coming after,” says Cook.Summary: Mog the Forgetful Cat is one of those picture books you need to buy, not borrow. Since the 80s, marketers have been busy creating what Cook calls “commercial personae” for characters that didn’t previously have anything in the way of a backstory.
But you don’t want the personality that you’re trying to get the child to identify with to be anything that looks like parental.”Ĭook says a story needs to be defined enough for readers to identify, but there also needs to be space left for children to write themselves into it. Others might be too generous, some might be a little naive. “Most of the characters clearly have some kind of foible, they have some kind of flaw, like Mog is forgetful. Judith Kerr at work – with the real Mog Flawed characters Daniel Cook, professor of childhood studies at Rutgers University in the US, says: “If you look at characters like Mickey Mouse, there are aspects of their story and personality that aren’t simply childish or child-directed, and these seem to be the ones that are able to return again and again. Top of the list is Winnie-the-Pooh, still going strong 96 years after his first outing.īut to enjoy a revival among older fans, characters need to rely on more than wistful sentimentality. According to research by pollsters YouGov, of the five most popular children’s books in the UK, the most recent was published 23 years ago ( Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in fourth place). Nostalgia clearly plays a key role in deciding which characters enjoy a protracted lifespan, or a surprise renaissance. But it is also the sort of thing that a child would identify with – that awful mortification when something just goes wrong.” Like her doppelgänger in 2000’s Mog’s Bad Thing, “Mog actually did pee on a chair and was mortified. Mog the cat was based on Judith Kerr’s real family pet of the same name (Photo: Tom Kneale) The real Mog the catĪnd yet, he says, “Mog’s predicaments are very human in a way”. “Whereas my mother was trying to sort of enter into the point of view of a real cat putting up with the misfortunes of being among humans.” “A lot of children’s characters are really humans in animal form,” says Kneale. He believes the cat’s enduring appeal is down to the essence of her personality. Her son, Matthew Kneale, was 10 when his moggie first made it into print – with his and his sister Tacy’s middle names used for the two children in the books. And the Moomins – 75 this year – have had such a resurgence that their branded products now fill two dedicated shops in central London.īut why do some characters achieve such longevity while others fall by the wayside?Mog was based on Kerr’s real family pet of the same name. Peppa Pig merchandise generated more than £1bn in revenue last year, even though kids who first watched her will now be approaching their twenties.
Rupert Bear celebrates his 100th birthday in November and Paddington (62 years old) is due to appear in a third big-screen outing. The forgetful cat is not the only ageing creature still in her prime. Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond, is about to have his third film outing (Photo: Studiocanal) From Rupert Bear to Paddington
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