Dragons

Well I have been very inspired by dragons over the last week.
I have been researching for my 1st boys design which I will be launching at Bubble trade fair in June printed on pyjamas.

Being Welsh I am very familiar with images of red dragons, particularly appearing on signs welcoming you into the country from England.

As a child I have very fond memories of watching "Ivor The Engine", with the dragon Idris, and "The Clangers", with the Soup Dragon (showing my age here). I have all the DVD's and my children now share my love of these creatures. Oliver Postgate really was a genius and created all these childrens' animated series under his production company "Smallfilms" from a disused cowshed in Kent, being most famous for his animated stories about "Bagpuss", a saggy old cloth cat.

The Reluctant Dragon.

The Reluctant Dragon image has been produced by Justin Gerard and was found on his blog. A great image.


I have been surprised by the diversity of dragon stories from the "Custard the Dragon" poem by Ogden Nash to the "Reluctant Dragon" by Kenneth Grahame whose most famous story is "Wind in The Willows".

I have been really charmed by this story which features a young boy who discovers a very knowledgeable, mushroom-loving dragon and the two become friends. Soon afterwards the dragon is discovered by the townsfolk, who send for St George to rid them of it. St George, is quite old and does not want to slay the dragon and they hold a fake joust. The dragon pretends to have died but is later revealed as not a threat and is accepted by the people.
A very sweet ending!