Sydney George Hulme Beaman
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Sydney George Hulme Beaman (28 February 1887[1] – 4 February 1932), was a British author, actor and illustrator. He was best known as the creator of the Toytown stories and their characters, including Larry the Lamb.[2][3] He also illustrated the 1930s John Lane edition of a Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.[4]
Early life
Beaman was born in Tottenham, London, on 28 February 1887,[1] as the oldest of three children. As a child he was particularly interested in mechanical objects. According to lifelong friend Hendrik Baker, his attention to detail in his work came from his father.[1]
Artistic career
Beaman attended the Heatherley School of Fine Art, and during the period founded the theatre group known as the Dickens Fellowship.[1] He met his wife, Maud Mary Poltock, during other performances, and after his stint turned to making wooden toys in advantage of Germany no longer being the dominant force in the industry. He began to weave stories around these, which led to the birth of Toytown in 1928.[1]
May Jenkin, or "Aunt Elizabeth" for Children's Hour, arranged for his Toytown stories to be adapted into radio plays, and once they became successful, she wrote to Hulme Beaman demanding more.[5] Beaman would work out his ideas for the show in a miniature theatre at his home, using his original models.[2]
As well as having created the Toytown series, Hulme Beaman was also known prior for creating the strip cartoon Philip and Phido in 1923,[6] involving a boy and his dog, which featured Ernest the Policeman, who would later become a main character of Toytown.[1]
He was often in the studio when his work was being broadcast, occasionally taking part in the programme. This continued until the last Tuesday before his death.[2] Later in his career, he would be inspired by Walt Disney early cartoons to create marionette and animated renditions of his Toytown play The Arkville Dragon. Sadly, he passed away on 4 February 1932 of pneumonia,[2] however his plays were remounted until 1964, and his friend Hendrik Baker would adapt his original plays for television.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Baker, Hendrik. The Book of Toytown and Larry the Lamb.
- ^ a b c d "Mr S. G. Hulme Beaman". The Guardian. 5 February 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 3a; Page: 584. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line].
- ^ "British Library - Illustrations to Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde".
- ^ Comprehensive article about Toytown at ukonline
- ^ Profile at the Montacute TV Radio Toy Museum
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