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| Image links to Amazon |
This one is called a "Teddy Bear Combat Pilot", and there's also a key ring version of it that looks like this:
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| Image links to Amazon |
fun stuff
Showing posts with label fun stuff. Show all posts
Aviation Teddy
Saw another Biggles fan (AA) with one of these, and they were so completely and utterly adorable that I had to go on Amazon and look them up.
Can't believe how adorable these bears are. (Turns out that a lot of other Biggles fans seem to have various pilot teddies as well--I'm quite jealous!)
Biggles The Baddie?
The comment-discussion we've had about whether or not Biggles' adventures are suitable for little boys (and girls), and where romance and swearing fit into the mold have left me wondering about the "goodness" of Biggles and his friends.
I've heard from an archaeologist how Biggles is often careless with things like ancient ruins (he takes treasure from long-gone civilizations, burns down a few things...the list really is endless).
And, as I've already commented in the comments, I sometimes find it disconcerting when Biggles shoots a crooks, kills him, and then declares to someone like Ginger that he's "not going to lose any sleep over that crook" or "won't be wasting any tears on that thug". For me, this is somewhat surprising considering that in WWI Biggles is portrayed as a sensitive sort of chap who is devastated by the horrific events of war. (If anything, our man Algy tends to be more immune to that sort of thing, even going so far as to sing when he goes out on patrol.)
There are a couple of instances in the series where Biggles breaks the law as a policeman (such as in Hits The Trail where he gets a locksmith to break and enter), and I wonder what Johns was thinking when he put those in? (And why the editors okay'd it, and why no one wrote in to complain?) Did the parents gloss over that part? Did the boys and girls reading the book realize that Biggles was only breaking the law under desperate circumstances, despite the fact that he was a POLICEMAN?
Do you have any Biggles the Baddie pet peeve moments where you were jumping up and down screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, BIGGLES?" (This is what I usually do when I get a new Biggles book and three pages in, Biggles suggests that Algy stays at home and mans the phones.)
So anyway, share your pet peeve moments in the comments below!
I've heard from an archaeologist how Biggles is often careless with things like ancient ruins (he takes treasure from long-gone civilizations, burns down a few things...the list really is endless).
And, as I've already commented in the comments, I sometimes find it disconcerting when Biggles shoots a crooks, kills him, and then declares to someone like Ginger that he's "not going to lose any sleep over that crook" or "won't be wasting any tears on that thug". For me, this is somewhat surprising considering that in WWI Biggles is portrayed as a sensitive sort of chap who is devastated by the horrific events of war. (If anything, our man Algy tends to be more immune to that sort of thing, even going so far as to sing when he goes out on patrol.)
There are a couple of instances in the series where Biggles breaks the law as a policeman (such as in Hits The Trail where he gets a locksmith to break and enter), and I wonder what Johns was thinking when he put those in? (And why the editors okay'd it, and why no one wrote in to complain?) Did the parents gloss over that part? Did the boys and girls reading the book realize that Biggles was only breaking the law under desperate circumstances, despite the fact that he was a POLICEMAN?
Do you have any Biggles the Baddie pet peeve moments where you were jumping up and down screaming, "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, BIGGLES?" (This is what I usually do when I get a new Biggles book and three pages in, Biggles suggests that Algy stays at home and mans the phones.)
So anyway, share your pet peeve moments in the comments below!
A Really Hard Biggles Quiz
Name all the Biggles books in fifteen minutes.
Sounds like a simple task, but trust me, it isn't.
Take the quiz here. It looks daunting but it's not as bad as it looks. You don't have to remember the publication year--just type the titles into the box above the timeline. You may find that the quiz only accept original titles (a lot of the books were renamed).
Results of Favorite Character Poll!
So...a couple of weeks ago we had that Algy poll, sorry, that "Which is your favorite Biggles character" poll. There were 16 responses in all (thanks, guys!), and to my great delight, our boy passed the test with flying colors.
Yes, that's right. Algy won the favorite character poll!
So there you are--the results of the "Favorite Biggles Character" poll. Thank you to everyone for participating and coming up with great reasons for loving the boys.
By the way, the poll for blog reader feedback is still open and will be accepting answers until December 18. If you haven't taken it yet, please spare a minute or two to fill it out here. Thank you, and hope you have a great week.
Yes, that's right. Algy won the favorite character poll!
But as you can see, he didn't really win by that much. I see that Biggles and Bertie have their devoted fans as well. I'm a little sad for poor Ginger, who only got three votes.
Most common reasons given for Algy love were his loyalty, his sarcasm, and his sense of humor. His craziness was also mentioned by a couple of people...um...one of whom was me...
Biggles' fans talked about his loyalty, kindness to others, and brilliant flying. There was one particular fan who simply put "Biggles rocks" in the "Why do you like this character" box. Thanks for bringing a smile to my face. I wish that's what I'd put in my Algy reasons!
Bertie's fans love his resourcefulness and his good temper (he'd need one to put up with all the insults Biggles throws at him!).
Ginger's fans talked mostly about identifying with him because he was closer to their age when they were reading the books. One fan mentioned liking Ginger because "Because he has enough commonsense to want to learn both how to fly a plane and to fix it, something Biggles and Algy never bothered to do!" (How I love the readers of this blog!)
Curiously, while no one saw the events in the books through the eyes of the other three characters, a couple of people talked about "being Ginger" while they were reading the books. This, I suppose, can mostly be put down to the similarity in age. (I myself remembering reading a couple of the inter-war books and wondering why Ginger seemed to have such incredibly bad luck, and also thinking that I wouldn't like to be in his shoes!)
So there you are--the results of the "Favorite Biggles Character" poll. Thank you to everyone for participating and coming up with great reasons for loving the boys.
By the way, the poll for blog reader feedback is still open and will be accepting answers until December 18. If you haven't taken it yet, please spare a minute or two to fill it out here. Thank you, and hope you have a great week.
Quiz: Biggles in WWI
How well do you know Biggles' adventures in WWI? Take this quiz to find out. You may want to reread Rescue Flight, Learns to Fly, Biggles of 266, Biggles of the Camel Squadron and Biggles Flies East before you begin.
Favorite Character Poll Closes Tonight
The poll for Favorite Biggles Character closes tonight. Please come and vote for your favorite Biggles character!
Fill in the poll here.
Fill in the poll here.
Basic Biggles Quiz
Take the basic Biggles quiz and see how well you know Biggles!
The quiz introduction says it's a quiz for "anyone who's ever read a Biggles book", but you'd probably have to read several to get all the answers correct. (And reading the Biggles Wikipedia page might be helpful as well, if you only have a small number of the books.)
The quiz introduction says it's a quiz for "anyone who's ever read a Biggles book", but you'd probably have to read several to get all the answers correct. (And reading the Biggles Wikipedia page might be helpful as well, if you only have a small number of the books.)
Biggles Media Archive: Sopwith Camel And Spitfire Video
Fantastic video of a Sopwith Camel and a Spitfire flying together. It's such a Biggles moment. Wonder if he was there--in the crowds...or in the pilot's seat!
It's weird for me seeing the almost awkwardness of a Camel compared side-by-side with a Spitfire. When the Camel chap was taking off I kept thinking, "Ooh. It looks like he's not going to make it." (Which is probably what Biggles was thinking every time he saw Algy stunting in one...)
Thanks to Shirley for sending me this!
It's weird for me seeing the almost awkwardness of a Camel compared side-by-side with a Spitfire. When the Camel chap was taking off I kept thinking, "Ooh. It looks like he's not going to make it." (Which is probably what Biggles was thinking every time he saw Algy stunting in one...)
Biggles Character Poll
Just made a poll to see which of the four main characters is the fan favorite!
I'll keep the poll open for two weeks and then post up the results.
I'll keep the poll open for two weeks and then post up the results.
Quiz: What Military Aircraft Are You?
Take this personality quiz to find out which military aircraft you are!
| What military aircraft are you? B-52 Stratofortress You're a B-52. You are old and wise, and you absolutely love destruction. You believe in the principle of "peace through deterrence" and aren`t afraid to throw your weight around.  |
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
Quiz: Which WWII Aircraft Are You?
What WWII aircraft are you? Take the quiz to find out!
Note: the questions and planes mostly apply to American aircraft and pilots.
Note: the questions and planes mostly apply to American aircraft and pilots.
Algy Quote of the Week
Bombing a flowerbed? Yes, it’s the kind of
thing only our Algy would do. “The Battle of Flowers” is a typical Algy story,
and one of the rare WWI short stories that didn’t get recycled for Spitfire Parade (although you can find loose
imitations of pilots going fighting mad after their goldfish or pet pig have
been shot).
My favorite bit is just at the end, where
the Biggles and Algy dialogue is simply brilliant:
“Yes, and I’ve made a salad of their lettuce-patch,” added Algy triumphantly.
“But why? What have the lettuces done to you?”
“Done to me? Haven’t you seen what that swine did to my sunflowers last night?”
---"The Battle of Flowers", Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter
If only we could have had more of these
moments in the later books, instead of Algy getting left in the office, or to
stay with the plane…
Biggles Media Archives: Michael Palin Reads “Biggles Goes to See Bruce Springsteen”
*Warning: the above clip contains some
strong language and adult humor. Also, it is quite long, almost ten minutes.
Michael Palin (yes, from Monty Python, that Michael Palin) shares a “new
Biggles story” at the Secret Policeman’s Ball, 1979. Includes a cameo appearance
by John Cleese (yes, that John
Cleese).
I can’t say I like the way Algy (weirdly
spelled “Algie” in the subtitles) is portrayed in this. Like Holmes’ Watson,
Algy is often made into a bumbling slapstick character outside of the canon
works to offset Biggles’ “brilliance”.
However, it must be said that I am quite
fond of Michael Palin (who isn’t!), who is himself quite an avid Biggles fan
and was even the narrator on the audiobook of Biggles Flies North.
Oddly enough, even though Bertie is not
present in this “fanfic”, there seem to be a lot of “bally”s slipping into the
conversation. I don’t think any of the other three ever said the word “bally”
in the entire series!
Algy Trivia Quiz
How well do you know Algy? Take this “Biggles
and Algy” quiz to find out just how much of an Algy expert you are!
Click here to take the quiz.
Great Biggles Mysteries #1: What Is Ginger’s Real Name?
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| Cover of Biggles and the Black Peril. Image links to Amazon. |
It may sound surprising, but nowhere in the 90+ Biggles books can we find a mention of Ginger’s real first name. “Ginger” was a name given to him by Biggles in The Black Peril, a reference to his red hair. He promptly replies to this new nickname with “…but not so much of the Ginger; my name’s Habblethwaite (a misspelling? Or a first name that is curiously similar to his last name?)”, to which Biggles, with his typical “call people by silly nicknames because I can’t be bothered to remember their real names” attitude, counters with, “Let’s stick to Ginger; it’s shorter.”
In every book thereafter, Ginger is
referred to as “Ginger” Hebblethwaite, the Ginger sometimes in quotation marks
and sometimes not. W.E. Johns either couldn’t be bothered to find out Ginger’s
real name, or decided it was too horrible to share with his readers, or maybe
it was something dull like Tom or Fred and he decided just to stick with Ginger
after all.
Quiz: Which Algy Lacey are you?
Ever
wondered which side of Algy’s personality is most like your own?
With my love of WWI insane and sometimes suicidal Algy, it should come as no surprise that I'm...
Take the quiz: Which Algy Lacey are you?
This quiz was made by Joanna
Are you a Biggles fan? Take a look at the Biggles yahoogroup!
With my love of WWI insane and sometimes suicidal Algy, it should come as no surprise that I'm...
Take the quiz: Which Algy Lacey are you?
This quiz was made by Joanna
Are you a Biggles fan? Take a look at the Biggles yahoogroup!
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