Follyfoot Annuals

Follyfoot Annuals 1973–1977

Follyfoot was a television experience you’ll probably have had if you were a pony-mad child in the 1970s. The series was based on Monica Dickens’ novel Cobbler’s Dream. Hero Paul rescues Cobbler’s Dream from his abusive owner, but not before she has blinded him in one eye. He takes the pony to a horse rescue: Follyfoot. (On the way he manages to change his name: he is Paul in Cobbler’s Dream, but Steve in most of the Follyfoot novels).

Monica Dickens wrote four Follyfoot stories: the later ones certainly came after the television series appeared.

The Follyfoot Annuals were not, I think, written by Monica Dickens. Five were produced, with the same format of comic strip stories, factual articles and puzzles.

Follyfoot, the comic strip, first saw the light of day in Look In magazine. It was written by Angus Allan and illustrated by Mike Noble, Stanley Houghton, and Martin Asbury, and ran from 1971–74. There’s a picture of Mike Noble and some original artwork here.

Finding the annuals
None of the annuals are particularly hard to find, but pricing is on the eccentric side, to say the least. Reasonably priced copies will generally turn up if you are prepared to wait.

Links and sources

Follyfoot in Look In, Follyfoot-tv.co.uk
More on Monica Dickens
Many thanks to Jane, who supplied nearly all the photographs and information for this section.

I can’t finish this page without adding this: