Gumnut babies
| Author | May Gibbs |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children’s literature |
| Publisher | Angus & Robertson |
|
Publication date
|
1916 |
| Media type |
Illustrated audiobook |
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie is a series of books written by Australian author May Gibbs. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. The central story arc concerns Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (who are essentially homunculi) and their adventures along with troubles with the villains of the story, the “Banksia Men”. The first book of the series, Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie: their adventures wonderful was published in 1918.
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, the gumnut babies, are the protagonists of the story and are modelled on the appearance of young Eucalyptus (gum tree) nuts. The female gumnut babies, however, have their hair, hats and skirts modelled on Eucalyptus flowers.
May Gibbs based some of the characters and scenery on the plants found in the bushland of Harvey, Western Australia, where she played as a child.
The "big bad" Banksia Men are the villains of the story and are modelled on the appearance of aged Banksia "cones", with follicles for eyes and other facial features.
We came to a grove of Banksia trees and sitting on almost every branch were these ugly little, wicked little men that I discovered and that's how the Banksia Men were thought of.
May Gibbs wrote a number of titles based on her creations. The first publication was in 1918, Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie: their adventures wonderful, and the set of works was first collected in 1940 as, The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, with the cover declaring Including Little Ragged Blossom and Little Obelia.
Richard Mills composed a ballet of the same name in 1987, which was produced for television.
Peter Combe adapted Snugglepot and Cuddlepie into a musical, which was first performed in 1992 at the Adelaide Festival of Arts. It was recorded the following year at the Adleaide Festival Centre with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Ruth Cracknell was a special guest playing the part of May Gibbs.
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