Mr Benn
Mr Benn is a bit of a thinker, he oftens wonders around the streets or sits in the park pondering on life's scenes playingout before him. Each cartoon is very formulaic, but at the same time unique. Essentially Mr Benn will look out at Festive Road or wonder the streets and see something such as children playing pretend sword fights. Then he will visit the Fancy-Dress Shop and put on a costume. He will then have an adventure related to the things that he has seen and the costume he is wearing, for example he becomes a knight after seeing the kids fighting. Mr Benn adventures geenrally involve him solving a puzzle or a problem using his wits and his genial nature. |
The Shop-Keeper
The Shop-Keeper is a bit of a mysterious figure. At the end of each adventure the Shop-Keeper always appears wearing an appropriate costume and creates some excuse to seperate Mr Benn from the rest of the people in his adventure.
Mr Benn then finds himself back in the dressing room wandering if it was all a dream. Finally on his walk back to his house he will always find that he is holding a memento from his adventure, which as you can see in the picture below he keeps on a shelf in his living room! He always looks at the memento and says 'Just the thing to help me remember'.
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52 Festive Road - Mr Benn's House
This is 52 Festive Road, Mr Benn's house. Festive Road is actually based on Festig Road in London where David McKee lived, and where in August 2009 a blue plaque was placed outside Mr McKee's house to commemorate his work! |
Inside 52 Festive Road
There was actually another book written for Mr Benn that never made it into the cartoon world. Ths was called '123456789 Mr Benn'. It told a story of Mr Benn becoming a prisoner in a drab jail and be-friending a fellow inmate called Smasher Le-Grou. Mr Benn brightens up their lives by encouraging them to add dye their prioson clothes, paint their cells and improve their menu! Smasher re-appears in Big-Top Mr Benn and in Gladiator Mr Benn. |
The Fancy-Dress Shop
Here it is - the place where it all happens. If Mr Benn is feeling particularly in need of adventure he will often wonder down to the fancy-dress shop to try on a costume. It's amazing really that the Shop-Keeper keeps letting him in as he never buys or rents anything! |
The Magical Fitting Room
As you can see the fitting room is pretty unremarkable! But somehow whenever Mr Benn (we never find out his first name!) tries on a costume it magically transports him to another time & space! |
