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Bottersnikes and Gumbles 15 May 2010Time for an Australian classic: Bottersnikes and Gumbles. Bottersnikes (the mean looking ones) are the "laziest creatures, probably, in the whole world" and live in rubbish heaps along roadsides in the Australian bush. Gumbles, on the other hand, are cheerful and giggly "squashy things" who play a cat and mouse game with the Bottersnikes. Over and over, their friendliness leads them to be captured, forcing them to think their way out of enslavement. My favourite Bottersnike is Smiggles whose can dream up real things, and the winning Gumble is Tinkingumble who tinks up very good ideas. These images come from a three box set featuring Bottersnikes and Gumbles (1967), Gumbles on Guard (1975) and Gumbles in Summer (1979). Unlike other loved Australian stories like Blinky Bill and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, these have not (as far as I know) been reprinted. Maybe it will take another generation before they are fully appreciated. |
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Written by
S.A. Wakefield
Pictures by
Desmond Digby
Published by
Collins Lions, Sydney
1967-1982
1967-1982
Found in
Sydney