Clangers TV Show

Clangers is a BAFTA-winning British stop-motion children’s series about “small creatures living in peace and harmony on – and inside – a small, hollow planet, far, far away.” It first-aired in 1969 and returned to television in 2015. In this 50th anniversary celebration episode, which aired in 2019, renowned space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock plays an astronaut that visits the Clangers.


Note: The clip, narrated by Sir Michael Palin, seems to include a few more ads than are usually found in a ten-minute clip for kids, but it’s still a sweet celebration of the series. Follow it with this Clangers clip of Aderin-Pocock talking about the astronaut puppet created in her likeness.

And for those not yet familiar, an introduction to the Clangers from the video description:

The Clangers are an inquisitive family of creatures who live on a Little Blue Planet in outer space. The pink, space mouse-like creatures, who communicate with high-pitched whistles, are supportive of one another as they embark on surreal adventures, meet peculiar new friends, and explore curiosities they experience in the world. The stop-motion animated series aims to teach kids such qualities as inventiveness and kindness.

Building a Giant Furry Electric Dog Car

When eleven-year-old Alex designed her Giant Furry Electric Dog Car, the team at Kids Invent Stuff rose to the challenge of making it real. In this how-it’s-made video, makers Ruth Amos and Shawn Brown team up to weld, wire, staple, tape, glue, and screw together the canine-themed vehicle, complete with a huge wagging tail.

Here’s the result of their month of work. See it in action when they take it out for a spin in the video below:

Interested in submitting your ideas? Check out their form here. From their site:

Kids Invent Stuff is the YouTube channel where 4-11 year olds have the chance to get their invention ideas built by real engineers. We do this to give more primary school kids the chance to engage with real engineering projects.

Their efforts are in support of the United Kingdom’s “Engineering: Take a closer look” campaign to inspire the next generation of innovators, inventors and problem solvers.