The Magic Key

September 25, 2000 - June 11, 2001

The Magic Key is an educational animated television series based on the "Biff, Chip and Kipper" stories from the Oxford Reading Tree published by Oxford University Press, originally written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta. The series is a co-production between Collingwood O'Hare Entertainment Limited and HIT Entertainment, in association with the BBC and aired within the BBC Schools strand on BBC Two from 2000 until 2001.

Storyline

The series centres on the lives of three children, Biff, Chip and Kipper Robinson, their parents, their grandmother, their friends, Wilf and Wilma Page, Nadim Shah, Anneena Patel and the Robinsons' dog, Floppy. Floppy wears a collar around his neck with a golden key upon it. The key is magic, as the title suggests, and seems to do some strange things whenever one of the children asks a question and Floppy wishes for something. It starts to glow and transports the 7 children, Floppy and sometimes the Robinsons' grandmother through a vortex to other worlds, where they have exciting adventures, such as dealing with trolls in a cavern, being characters inside of a computer game, or finding the Fountain of Youth and when the adventure is done, they get a gift and the key glows and they all go home.

Alongside the main story, to fit in with the book's original educational values, there are helpful hints towards teaching children the best use of English.

Sound Effects Used

This show mainly uses Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Trax sound effects, along with minor selections from The Premiere Edition Volume 1, The Edge Edition Volume 1, Series 1000, Series 4000 and Series 6000. There was only 1 Warner Bros. sound effect used in the series.

• Cuica 02 (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• H-B POP, CARTOON - BIG SUCTION CUP POP (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Hollywoodedge, Big Crunchy Bite CRT026401 (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Hollywoodedge, Bubble Pop Whoop CRT049101 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Hollywoodedge, Chewing Wlig CRT026504 (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Hollywoodedge, Computer Beeps Vari CRT050501 (Heard twice in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Drip Single Falls Liq PE041701 (Heard thrice in "The Rook King".)
• Hollywoodedge, Fast Swish CRT053905 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Fly Buzz Annoying So CRT010201 (Heard twice in "The Rook King".)
• Hollywoodedge, Fly Buzz Short BackF CRT010203 (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Hollywoodedge, Funny Wet Pop CRT049102 (Heard once in "Clutterland Band".)
• Hollywoodedge, Giggling Two Childre PE131001/Hollywoodedge, Two Young Kids Giggle PE143501 (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Hollywoodedge, High Pitched Squeak CRT049302 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Hollowbomp Impact CRT030401 (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Hollywoodedge, Inflate Pop Bubble CRT049104 (Heard once in "Clutterland Band".)
• Hollywoodedge, Large Splash Or DiveW PE127501 (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Hollywoodedge, Long Creaky Stretch CRT049405 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Hollywoodedge, Man Crying Wboohoos CRT024502 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Hollywoodedge, Object Being Squashe PE105101 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Quick Double Bell Di CRT015001 (1st ding; used whenever the Magic Key transports the children and Floppy back to where they were before, except in a couple of episodes. It was also used for the trophy when it sparkled in "The Rook King" and when the Magic Key was about to transport the children to Clutterland in "Clutterland Band".)
• Hollywoodedge, Raspberry Fart Flap CRT050506 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Shop Door Bell Rings TE019001 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks" and "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Hollywoodedge, Sm Dirt Rock Spill CRT052401 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Wet Splats Various CRT052101 (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Hollywoodedge, Woman Screamsahhh M CRT028203 (Heard once in "Clutterland Band".)
• Hollywoodedge, Wood Single Piece Fal PE113701 (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, BELL, ORCHESTRA - DREAMY GLISS AND DING, MUSIC, PERCUSSION (Used whenever the Magic Key starts to glow.)
• Sound Ideas, BIRDS, JUNGLE - AFTERNOON JUNGLE BIRDS CALLING, ANIMAL (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, BUBBLES, WATER - SMALL WATER BUBBLES (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Sound Ideas, CARTOON, DOG - FAST, QUICK SNIFFING; SHORT (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, CARTOON, WHISTLE - SLIDE WHISTLE, UP, LONG (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Sound Ideas, CHILDREN - CHILD LAUGHING, BOY 6 YEARS OLD, HUMAN, DIGIFFECTS (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, CHILDREN - CHILD LAUGHING, GIRL 7 YEARS OLD, HUMAN, DIGIFFECTS (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, DOOR, WOOD - FRONT DOOR: CLOSE (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, ELECTRICITY - ARC ZAPS (Heard once in a high pitch in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, ELECTRICITY, SPARK - HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK, ELECTRICAL 01 (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, FLAG - LARGE FLAG: FLAPPING IN WIND (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, FROG, BULLFROG - CROAKING, ANIMAL, AMPHIBIAN 02 (Heard once in a low pitch in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, LEAVES - LEAVES: RUSTLING 01 (Heard twice in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Sound Ideas, MAGIC - GLASS CHIMES RIPPLE/Sound Ideas, RIPPLE, CARTOON - DREAMY VIBRAPHONE GLISSANDOS, MUSIC, PERCUSSION, VIBES (Used whenever the Magic Key starts transporting the children and Floppy to various places.)
• Sound Ideas, MAGIC - MAGIC BURST (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, MAGIC - TINKERBELL BY (Used whenever the Magic Key starts to glow.)
• Sound Ideas, MAGIC - WILD MAGIC HARP 02 (Used whenever the Magic Key starts transporting the children and Floppy to various places.)
• Sound Ideas, PIANO, CARTOON - WILD PIANO TAKE, MUSIC 01 (Heard once in "Clutterland Band".)
• Sound Ideas, POP, CARTOON - POP GUN 02 (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, ROCK, WATER - ROCK: SPLASH INTO WATER 01 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Sound Ideas, ROCK, WATER - ROCK: SPLASH INTO WATER 02 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Sound Ideas, ROCK, WATER - ROCK: SPLASH INTO WATER 03 (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Sound Ideas, SCI FI - SPACE OSCILLATIONS (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Sound Ideas, SLURP, CARTOON - BIG DOUBLE SLURP, HUMAN (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Sound Ideas, SLURP, CARTOON - BIG SINGLE SLURP, HUMAN (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Sound Ideas, SQUEAK, METAL - MOVE SIDE TO SIDE (Heard once in "Biff of the Jungle".)
• Sound Ideas, STRETCH, CARTOON - RUBBER STRETCH, LONG (Heard once in "Troll Talk".)
• Sound Ideas, SWISH - ARM OR WEAPON SWING THROUGH AIR, SWOOSH 02 (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, SWISH, CARTOON - LOW, CLEAN SWISH (Heard once in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, SWISH, CARTOON - ROPE TWIRLING SWISHES (Heard once in a low pitch in "H.M.S. Sweet Tooth".)
• Sound Ideas, WEATHER - THUNDER CRASH 02 (Heard once in "The Rook King".)
• Sound Ideas, WHINE, CARTOON - SHELL SCREAMING WHINE DOWN (Heard once in "Lug and the Giant Storks".)
• Sound Ideas, XYLOPHONE - BELL TONE: IDEA!, MUSIC, PERCUSSION, TWINKLING 03 (Heard 7 times in "The Rook King".)