Puddle Lane Watch

The magic of mid-1980s merchandise

Puddle Lane was, to my preschool self, nothing short of televisual alchemy. Rushing home from playgroup, I’d position my behind on the living room floor - ham sandwich in hand, the weight of the world blissfully absent - and let Neil Innes enchant me with tales of whimsy, magic and a sly sprinkling of literacy. These were golden days, the very best of times.

Early on, the Puddle Lane merchandise machine roared into action, producing puzzles, card games, exercise books, videos, lunchboxes and even an advent calendar. However, I can’t remember ever receiving a single one of these. Instead, My father, an enthusiastic fan of steam engines, seemed intent on converting my bedroom into a Thomas the Tank Engine shrine - something I didn’t exactly complain about, if I’m honest.

But had I known then of the existence of a Puddle Lane watch, I suspect I’d have traded every train for the chance to clasp it around my wrist. Hell, even as an adult I’d be intrigued to wear one and lap up the inevitable attention it would bring me from fellow vintage eccentrics. And such a watch does exist, as there’s currently one for sale on Ebay.

Still sealed in its original packaging, always a boon for the vintage collector, it boasts a pastel blue strap that’s delightfully of its era, and the Magician himself graces the card packaging, as if to bless the watch with magic. Curiously, it comes with a 1-year guarantee - no doubt expired in 1986. However, at £29.99 it’s perhaps a step too far even for this vintage obsessed idiot - would it even fit my adult wrist?

But it’s a nice curio and intriguing to see what was available for fans of the series back then. And I’m not ashamed to admit, that at 42 years old, I feel a pang of envy for the lucky child who might have worn one proudly, a talisman of magical afternoons well spent.