Clangers

Tiny and her flower friends are playing a lovely tune with the music trees when suddenly they hear a strange voice joining in. It seems to be coming from high in the sky. Tiny and her flowers go up in the music boat to investigate and are amazed to find a lone flower singing on a rocky asteroid as it floats through space. The flower seems delighted to see them and sings a scale of welcome. But then Tiny hears Mother calling her back down. Bidding farewell to her new friend, Tiny turns to go but the flower sings a sad song - she is lonely. Tiny is determined to help her and hatches a plan. Leaving her own flower friends on the asteroid to keep the lone flower company, she flies over to the Iron Chicken's nest and soon the Iron Chicken is on her way to explain the plan to Small, while Tiny herself returns to the asteroid. Small is eager to help and asks Mother Clanger if she can spare some seeds from her garden. Mother is happy to oblige and Small summons the Glow Buzzers to pick up some of the seeds. Back up by the asteroid, Tiny is waiting. Soon a swarm of Glow Buzzers appears, and each Glow Buzzer drops the seeds it is carrying on to the asteroid surface. All Tiny needs now is water, and she calls for the cloud, which kindly rains down. Almost immediately the seeds start growing, and before long the asteroid is covered in flowers and the lone flower is lonely no more. A happy flower sings her heart out with pleasure as she continues on her travels through space.

The Iron Chicken decides she has too much "stuff" in her nest. She bundles up all the old metal things she no longer has room for and with the help of the Skymoos, dumps them on the Clangers' planet. Major thinks the junk might come in useful and, much to the Iron Chicken's relief, decides to keep it. But Mother is having none of it. She thinks Major has quite enough junk metal as it is. Not sure what to do, Major thinks of catapulting it back into space, but Mother is horrified by the idea - that would be littering! Then Small asks if he can have it. Major is happy to let him, but he has no idea why he would want it. A little while later, the other Clangers are all sitting down for soup, when Small arrives, urging them to come outside, so he can show them what he has made from the junk metal. It is a beautiful star. Mother is thrilled - what a clever son she has. She suggests they send it up into space. Small is amazed - but surely that would be littering? No, says Mother, what Small has created is a beautiful sculpture. They launch it into space - Small's new star. May it travel through time and space for everyone to enjoy.

The Soup Dragon is busy with her soup. Baby Soup Dragon wants to help and makes a grab for his mother's big soup ladle. But the Soup Dragon says he can't have it -he might hurt himself with it. Just then Tiny and Small arrive to collect soup for their dinner. When they see that Baby Soup Dragon is upset and the Soup Dragon explains why, Tiny and Small suggest he comes and helps them instead. The Soup Dragon is fine with that and Baby Soup Dragon is delighted. Soon he is eating at the Clangers table and helping wash up. He helps Small make some little chimes and he joins in playing a tune with Tiny and the music trees. He is having a wonderful time - so much so that he decides he doesn't want to be a soup dragon any more, he want to be a Clanger. Tiny and Small give him a Clanger waistcoat, and to live up to his new name, "Baby Soup Clanger" starts popping up through the holes on the planet, clanging the lids as he does so. Meanwhile, his mother wonders where he is, but she soon hears the clanging and along with the other Clangers she goes up to fetch him home. But Baby Soup Dragon doesn't want to go home - he wants to stay and be a Clanger; because Clangers get to do all sorts of things and he can help them while his mother won't even let him help with the soup. Listening to all this, Small has an idea and he and Major quietly go off to Major's workshop, coming back a little later with a mysterious object hidden under a blanket. Baby Soup Clanger is and immediately wants to know what it is. Small pulls off the blanket and all is -a ladle just like the Soup Dragon's only Baby Soup Dragon sized. Baby Soup Dragon is delighted - now he can help his mother make the soup. The Soup Dragon proudly tells her baby that though she makes a good Clanger for a day, he makes the perfect Soup Dragon all the time.

Tiny and Small find a box that has fallen from space. Very excited they open it. They discover that all it contains is two circles of black cloth. They put them on the ground, very disappointed. Then suddenly a froglet joins them. Looking at one of the circles, the froglet jumps on it....and disappears...only to reappear a fraction of a second later out of the other hole. Then he does it again. Small and Tiny are amazed. They both have a go, and it works for Clangers too! They decide to do an experiment. Small stays up top and Tiny takes the other hole cloth down to the living cave. Then Small jumps into the top hole and reappears in the living cave. This is extraordinary -they must tell Major. But he is busy - too busy to listen to anything they have to say. So Small and Tiny decide to go on with their own experiments. They discover that using the holes, they can even travel through space to the Iron Chicken's nest. And when Mother and Granny hear the sound of Tiny and Small chatting to the Iron Chicken coming through the hole that has been left in the living cave, they jump in and join them for a lovely tea party. Meanwhile Major Clanger has finished what he was doing and comes out of his workshop only to find the cave deserted except for a lone Froglet, who tries to explain what's going on. But Major doesn't believe the Froglet - at least until he suddenly turns round and there is all his family, appearing as if by magic from nowhere. At last Major listens to what Small and Tiny were trying to tell him before. He is fascinated and decides to conduct an experiment of his own. What would happen if he put one hole in the other? He does it. Both holes vanish! Ah well.... Time for soup!

Major Clanger has invented a new machine to clean up the planet. It's like a sit-on vacuum cleaner with a giant nozzle. Tiny and Small are intrigued as he drives it up onto the planet's surface. But before he can really demonstrate how it works, Granny calls him down - it is his turn to pick the blue string for the pudding. Major departs, but not before telling Small and Tiny in no uncertain terms, not to touch the machine till he gets back. But once he's gone Small just can't resist, and neither can Tiny. Small gets the hang of driving it very quickly, and soon he is charging around the surface, picking up everything in sight. Not content with that, he takes it into the living cave and then on down into Mother Clanger's garden. But he temporarily loses control after sucking up some soapy water that Mother has spilt, and by accident sucks up some of Mother's flowers, and, even worse, a small swarm of Glow Buzzers. Tiny and Small can hear them buzzing inside the machine. Then Small has a clever idea. He puts the machine into reverse. Soon all the things that have been sucked up are being blown out again. Last out are the bubbles from Mother Clanger's spilt soapy water. But there is no sign of the Glow Buzzers until....a giant bubble emerges. And inside are all the Glow Buzzers. Tiny and Small breathe a sigh of relief, but as they do the giant bubble starts to rise - it is floating up to the planet surface, out of their reach. Really worried now, the young Clangers race up to the surface, only to see the bubble rising into the sky. Small knows there is only one thing to do. He and Tiny jump into the music boat to chase after the bubble. And at last, by casting a fishing line at it, they burst the bubble and all the thankful Glow Buzzers spiral back down to the planet. The adult Clangers have been watching and applaud Tiny and Small's rescue. But when they land, Major tells them off - they should have waited till he showed them how to use the machine properly. But anyway, he'll show them now. He climbs on to the machine, but when he starts it up, the handle falls off and the machine careers out of control again, chasing Major Clanger around the planet as the other Clangers run for cover!

One day, Small Clanger is collecting soup from the soup wells for the Clangers dinner, when he is suddenly struck by how kind the Soup Dragon is, always happy and willing to supply the whole family with soup, every day! When he gets back with the soup he has a brainwave - and suggests to his family that they should all honour the work of the Soup Dragon by giving her a special Dragon Day -with presents of course - and that day should be today. All the Clangers think this is a brilliant idea and get presents ready, and Tiny even tells the Iron Chicken of the plan. The Iron Chicken wants to join in and decides to get a present. But in looking round her nest she can't find anything suitable for a Soup Dragon; and then her attention gets distracted by a glowing cloud of stardust that lights up the sky Meanwhile, the Clangers all go down to the Soup Wells with their presents. The Soup Dragon is overcome that she should be given her own Dragon Day and she loves all her presents - a tankard from Major, a lemon-like plant from Mother, some glow-honey from the Glow Buzzers...but wait, where is the Iron Chicken with her present? Small goes off to find her, and is just in time to see her staggering into the living cave, absolutely exhausted. Quickly, Small runs off to fetch the others who rush to help. The Soup Dragon, who had just been storing her presents in the Soup Wells, is amazed to see, when she returns, that everyone has gone. And she is a bit upset -after all this was meant to be her day. But when she learns that her friend the Iron Chicken is not well, she completely understands and decides to make her a lovely drink with the glow-honey and lemon-like fruit she has been given. This revives the Iron Chicken at once, and she leaps up to show the dragon her present- the collecting of which was responsible for her exhaustion. It is a wonderful jar of stardust - caught especially for the Soup Dragon. She is overcome with gratitude - the perfect ending to a perfect Dragon Day.

A baby Hoot is playing on the Hoot Planet when it accidentally lets go of the rope it was swinging on and starts to fall through space. Meanwhile, Tiny Clanger has made up a lovely tune at the music trees and is playing along on her panpipes. Mother and Major are listening and loving it. Mother would like everyone in space to be able to hear it, and this gives Major an idea. He goes off back down to his workshop and Mother follows. Tiny goes back to her music making, but is disturbed by a strange noise. Investigating, she finds a little Hoot has landed on the planet, a little frightened but unharmed. Unfortunately, the sudden appearance of Small gives it a fright and it runs underground. It runs into the Soup Wells where it instantly makes friends with the Baby Soup Dragon. But startled again by the reappearance of Small, the little Hoot runs off. It hoots at Mother, making her jump; it hoots at Major as he is testing his new invention, a make-it-louder machine to enable Tiny's tune to be heard in space; and it comes up behind Granny with a giant hoot noise, making her jump in the air and drop her wool, in which the little Hoot gets instantly tangled. All the Clangers agree, the little Hoot needs a place where he can hoot to his heart's content- he needs to go home. They go outside to see if they can see the Hoot Planet and, using Major's telescope, they find it way out in space and moving further away. Then Small has an idea. He gets the little Hoot and the Baby Soup Dragon to shout as loud as they can to attract the Hoot Planet. But no matter how hard they try it's no good. The planet can't hear them. But then Major appears with his make-it-louder machine and with the help of this machine, they attract the attention of the planet. It stops moving. The Clangers hold their breath. And suddenly the planet starts moving towards them, playing Tiny's tune. The Baby Soup Dragon and the little hoot cheer and join in. Soon the Hoot Planet is near enough to let down a rope, and the little Hoot is pulled back up into his home, after a fond farewell from the Baby Soup Dragon!

Small and Tiny are playing a game of find the froglet, where the three froglets are each hiding behind something in the caves. It's a great game and they have just finished playing when Major appears from his workshop, carrying a big box. Tiny and Small want to know what's in the box. Major says he'll tell them all in good time. Right now they have to get ready for the solar eclipse. The children don't know what a solar eclipse is so Major explains that if he is a moon, and Granny Clanger is the sun, when the moon goes in front of the sun, that is called a solar eclipse. Major demonstrates by standing in front of Granny so that she can't be seen. It's a bit like find the froglet The they all go outside so they don't miss the eclipse. Major opens his mysterious box and gives them each a pair of special eclipse glasses that he has made - you must never watch the sun without these glasses as it will hurt your eyes. They look up - the moon is moving towards the sun. But...oh dear.... The Iron Chicken's nest is in the way of them seeing the eclipse when it happens. They try to find a better vantage point but it's no use. Then, Tiny has a brilliant idea. She and Small rush to the music boat and fly up to the nest. They hook the nest on their fishing line, but it's no good, the nest is too heavy to be pulled away. But then, luckily, a skymoo appears. It's just what they need - the skymoo pushes the nest out of the way just in time, and everyone can see the wonderful solar eclipse.