The Saga of Noggin the Nog first aired on 11 September 1959. Peter Firmin was inspired to create the characters by the 12th century Norse chess pieces - discovered on the Isle of Lewis - that he saw in the British Museum. The cartoon was written and produced by Oliver Postgate, who was also the narrator with Ronnie Stevens.
Noggin was King of the Nogs, son of King Knut and Queen Grunhilda. His Queen was Nooka Princess of the Nooks, and their son was Prince Knut. The gentle Noggin was aided by his warrior captain Thor Nogson, by the inventor Olaf the Lofty, and the bird Graculus from the Hot-Water Valley. During the sagas Noggin encountered others including Groliffe the Ice Dragon, Ronf, and the Omruds.
Opposition to Noggin came from his uncle, Nogbad the Bad, who coveted Noggin's throne. When Nogbad was thwarted, he would sometimes retreat over the mountains to visit his granny in Finland.
The cartoon ran until 1965 and then returned in colour in 1979. As production company Smallfilms, Firmin and Postgate produced many greatly loved children's programmes for the BBC, including Pogles' Wood, Ivor the Engine, Bagpuss and the Clangers. Postgate died in 2008 and Firmin in 2018.
