The Wombles, the beloved furry litter-picking creatures who live beneath Wimbledon Common, are making a comeback after nearly three decades off screen. The brand's intellectual property rights have been consolidated under The Blair Partnership, which will oversee its global development.
New Projects on the Horizon
The deal opens the door to new television, film, audio, publishing, theatre, live events, digital media, and gaming projects for the first time since 1999. Plans target nostalgic adults and a new generation of children, with environmental themes now more mainstream than ever.
Revival Details
This summer, a Wombles YouTube channel will launch featuring original episodes and new live-action content. Young hosts and influencers will front programmes promoting creativity and environmental awareness through arts and crafts, cooking, and gardening. Other projects include a digital interactive game, audio productions with celebrity casts, and expanded charitable initiatives.
Neil Blair, founding partner at The Blair Partnership, said: "The Wombles is an iconic British brand with strong cultural appeal, distinctive characters with core values that translate and resonate globally. It is a rich content opportunity, and with rights now aligned plus a clear development pipeline in place, the property is ideally positioned for expansion across multiple platforms and categories."
Charitable Focus
The renewed push will emphasise The Wombles Community Charity, which organises litter-picking, recycling, and educational projects across the UK through over 250 community groups and 50,000 registered volunteers. Its 2026 campaign, "Be More Womble", will encourage community support. The charity has also partnered with NHS hospitals in Sussex to recycle non-infectious clinical waste into training equipment, a scheme due to expand.
Origins of the Wombles
Created by author Elisabeth Beresford in the late 1960s, the Wombles became a national phenomenon after the BBC adapted the books into a stop-motion television show from 1973 to 1975. Two series aired on BBC One with Mike Batt's music and Bernard Cribbins' voice acting. The idea originated during a Boxing Day walk on Wimbledon Common when Beresford's daughter mispronounced the location as "Wombledon Common". Characters were inspired by her family: Great Uncle Bulgaria on her father-in-law, Tobermory on her inventor brother, Orinoco on her son, and Madame Cholet on her mother.
Although the original BBC series ended in 1975, the franchise proved resilient with a 1990s ITV revival, a feature film, stage productions, and merchandise. Beresford wrote more Wombles books translated into over 40 languages, and a stage adaptation ran in the West End.
