Do we like them?

Do we like Noddy?

A character from Noddy Goes to Toyland (1949)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's kind, cheerful and hardworking. He's also a bit naive and prone to scrapes, but he always means well.

Noddy is a small wooden toy who arrives alone in Toyland, a town where toys live and work. Big Ears, a kindly brownie, helps him settle in. Noddy gets a little house and a yellow-and-red taxi, and he starts driving his neighbours around town.

Over Enid Blyton's many books, which began in 1949, Noddy has gentle adventures. He makes honest mistakes, gets taken in by tricksters such as the goblins, and sometimes gets in trouble with the law in the shape of Mr Plod. He learns from each scrape and carries on with the same good heart.

We give him an 8. He is very likeable, generous, loyal and cheerful, and his flaws are the ordinary ones of a child: he's impulsive, naive, and sometimes a bit vain. He is a good friend to follow around Toyland, though you might want to keep a hand on the steering wheel.