The best children’s TV theme tunes from the 60s, 70s and 80s

Our top 10 children’s TV theme tunes revealed!

What are your memories of childhood? Family, school, holidays? Yes, but up there is likely to be what you watched on the telly.

For me, growing up in the early 70s, with the advent of colour television, albeit in a pre-multi-channel world (unless you count three as “multi”), the world of children’s TV was a happy one.

And any time I hear one of those familiar theme tunes, I’m transported back to a world largely free of any sort of responsibility, where there were talking animals, cartoon stone-age families and puppets who appeared from musical boxes. So much better than listening to politicians’ rhetoric. Personally, I’d love to see Zippy from Rainbow have the Scottish independence debate with Fleegle off the Banana Splits or Windy Miller from Camberwick Green. Much more engaging.

Everyone’s era is different these are my favourite 10 children’s TV theme tunes.

10. HECTOR’S HOUSE

“Barking” doesn’t even begin to describe Hector’s House. It made absolutely no sense to me when I was growing up, and doesn’t make a lot now. You probably need to sit through an episode (they’re only five minutes’ long, as it was one of these 60s/70s shows that featured in that little slot before the evening news) to fully appreciate how truly off the scale it is. And just why DOES Kiki the frog have a pink smock? Jaunty little theme tune, though.

9. HERE COMES THE DOUBLE DECKERS!

A 70s classic. Well, a 70s classic theme tune at least. Didn’t you always wish you were one of that wacky, every-demographic-ticked gang of kids who had such fun and japes on a London double-decker bus? No? Me neither. Secret Seven, they weren’t. It’s a catchy, singalong theme tune but that’s by a long way as good as this curious cross-Atlantic production ever got. And at least Cliff Richard’s bus moved . . .

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7pvnAVcRwYY

8. JOE 90

One from the great Gerry Anderson stable, and both a theme tune and a show with a lot more depth than many of its contemporaries. Joe 90 was actually the sixth of Anderson’s seven “supermarionation” productions and, although most people would pick Thunderbirds as the best, or maybe Captain Scarlet, the tales of the boy spy were my favourites. Possibly wouldn’t have been had I been a young spectacle-wearer in the 70s because Joe 90 would have automatically been your nickname.

7. RAINBOW

Here’s a fascinating fact. Roy Skelton, the voice of Zippy, was also one of the voices of the Daleks. He also voiced fellow Rainbow puppet George described on Wiki as “a shy, pink and slightly camp hippo”. Frankly, you just don’t get enough shy, pink and slightly camp hippos on TV these days. Best thing about the show was the fantastic theme tune, though. All together now. Up above the streets and houses . . .

6. THE PINK PANTHER

Have you ever seen a panther that is pink? Think. A panther that is positively pink. Another in the category, nice theme tune, shame about the show. The Pink Panther itself was a fairly pointless individual. Wow, I’m a panther and I’m pink. That all you got? Well, yeah, pretty much. I was rather fond of the cartoony Clouseau, though. And you used to get a Pink Panther chocolate bar. That was pink.

5. THE MAGIC ROUNDABOUT

Like Hector’s House, some sort of anglo-French production (there’s a pattern here) and equally as utterly bizarre. However, The Magic Roundabout characters, due to TV and film revivals, remain instantly recognisible and iconic. Well, the “animals” and the jack-in-the-box are at least. And the original 60s theme tune remains fab. And groovy.

4. RUPERT THE BEAR/WHITE HORSES

Two for the price of one here, because of the singer Jackie Lee, who had hits with both theme tunes. I loved the theme to Rupert the Bear nothing much catchier than “everyone sing his name” but White Horses actually reached the top 10 in 1968 and is a proper ditty! Can’t say I recall much about the series itself, other than it was like Skippy or Lassie with, er, horses who were er, er, white but it has stiff competition to be even the best horse-themed tune against Black Beauty, Champion the Wonder Horse and Follyfoot. Possibly a series where the horse was the star would need a great theme tune to carry it . . .

https://youtube.com/watch?v=cn6dPluyltA

3. THE FLINTSTONES

Probably the greatest cartoon of them all until The Simpsons came along but the Hanna-Barbera 60s creation has few peers when it comes to opening and closing themes either. Mind you, this American stable made a real virtue of having an uber-catchy theme tune alongside their shows.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gdX6fwfrULI

2. THE BANANA SPLITS

Another from the Hanna-Barbera stable, although different in that it was a combination of live-action and animated features. The former was hosted by a rock band of animal characters Fleegle (a beagle), Bingo (a gorilla), Drooper (a lion) and Snorky (an elephant) and the show was probably a bit Americanised for my tastes. The Banana Splits theme tune was and is a pure delight, though. As was a punk version from The Dickies, released back in the 70s on yellow vinyl.

1. CAMBERWICK GREEN/TRUMPTON/CHIGLEY

The great Trumptonshire trilogy. Camberwick Green with its fabulous musical box, Trumpton with its clock and fire brigade and Chigley with its, er, whistle. But all hugely memorable if you were around in the 60s and 70s, and all three stop-motion animation series were littered with musical interludes even aside from the excellent opening theme tunes. Also all narrated by the legend that was Brian Cant. Superb stuff.