Windfalls

Windfalls is a British stop motion-animated children's television series created, written, and directed by Jenny Kenna. The Windfalls stories teach children about reading signs in nature, herbal medicine, and the plants of the British countryside. All of the animated characters are real leaves, grasses, and pressed flowers.

Windfalls
Genre	Children's television Educational television
Created by	Jenny Kenna[1]
Written by	Jenny Kenna[1]
Directed by	Jenny Kenna[1]
Voices of	Peter Hawkins
Narrated by	Peter Hawkins
Theme music composer	Joan Alexis
Composer	Joan Alexis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer	Graham Clutterbuck
Producer	Maya Kemp
Editor	Andi Sloss
Running time	5 minutes
Production companies	FilmFair Central Independent Television
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	14 April (1989-04-14) – 7 July 1989 (1989-07-07)

Plot and plant-based characters

The stories follow three friends: Berry, Butterbur, and Rosebay. They are Windfalls, and they live in Windfall Land. They meet many other Windfalls on their adventures. The programme features a cast of 21 supporting characters, each designed from a different plant: Daisy, Evening Primrose, Pampas, Fern Polypody, Thistle, Cowslip, Delphinium, Uncle Onion, Cornflower, Lucky Four Leaf Clover, Vi, Ola, Pansy, Bella Donna, Twitch Grass, Couch Grass, Holly, Ivy, Nettle, Dock, and Daffodil.

Production

Windfalls was produced by FilmFair and Central Independent Television for ITV; it premiered on 14 April 1989, and ran for 26 episodes. Two episodes were transmitted back-to-back for each broadcast. When the series was syndicated on other networks, such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia, Knowledge Network and TVO in Canada, Channel 5 in Singapore and TVNZ's Channel 2 in New Zealand, the episodes were broadcast singly. The series was also broadcast on the military channel BFBS in Germany as well as in several countries including Cyprus and the Falkland Islands but with the series transmitted back to back with two episodes just like its original UK television airings.

The programme was animated by Isabelle Perrichon, who later worked on the FilmFair animated series Rod 'n' Emu (1991).

Episodes

• Fine Weather Friend
• Bella Donna
• An Evening with Primrose
• Rosebay Needs a Home
• The Wild Ones
• Nettle and Dock
• Pampas
• Weather Signs
• Springtime
• Flying Flowers
• Green with Envy
• Creatures of the Night
• Cowslip Needs Protection
• The String
• Light and Shade
• Honey Day
• Lucky Scarecrows
• Country Cousins
• The Oak Tree
• Butterbur's Marsh
• Brumble Shrub
• The Red Toadstool
• Autumn Changes
• The Invader
• Winter in Windfall Land

Home releases

Little Croft Studios distributed 18 of the 26 episodes of the series on three VHS videotapes, sold separately. Each volume has six stories:

Learn to Love Nature with the Windfalls

"Light and Shade", "The Oak Tree", "The Red Toadstool", "Autumn in Windfall Land", "The Invaders", "Winter in Windfall Land"

Learn to Love the Countryside with the Windfalls

"Country Cousins", "Weather Signs", "Lucky", "Flying Flowers", "Bramble Shrub", "Nettle and Dock"

Learn to Love the Flowers and the Trees with the Windfalls

"Fine Weather Friend", "Bella Donna", "An Evening with Primrose", "Butterbur's Marsh", "Cowslip Needs Protection", "Honey Day"