Joe and Petunia

Joe and Petunia are characters from a well known series of public information films in the UK. They appeared in four films which ran between 1968 and 1973, and they became popular so quickly that it was decided to kill them off in the last one in order to prevent public demand for their reappearance. They also appeared in a much earlier public information film which showed them learning to use a pelican crossing, but it is noticeably different from the others in the series.

The Joe and Petunia series was made by Nicholas Cartoons, also responsible for the 1978 television series Willo the Wisp. The films were animated and featured Joe, a tiny little man in pinstripes, and Petunia, his enormous wife who wore a hat and sunglasses and could often be seen licking an ice cream noisily. Voices were provided by Wendy Craig as Petunia, later replaced by Brigit Forsyth for the last film, and Peter Hawkins as Joe. In each film, they caused danger with their unbelievable stupidity, advising the public on what "not" to do in a similar situation.

The public information films these characters appeared in were:

*"Coastguard" - Joe and Petunia are on holiday, enjoying a picnic on a clifftop, watching the sea through binoculars. They see a man from their hotel in trouble on his boat, but they misunderstand his cries for help ("Lovely day, in't it?") and think he's waving to them as he struggles to stay afloat. Eventually, he shouts "HELP! DIAL 9-9-9 AND ASK FOR THE COASTGUARD!" Joe reads these instructions in a speech bubble above the man's head, and rushes to summon help. The man holds on to the end of the speech bubble and floats out of the water, reminding the audience "If "you" see a boat in trouble, dial 9-9-9 and ask for the coastguard!"

*"Flags" - Still at the seaside, Joe sees a beautiful mermaid in the water and wants to go in, but Petunia tells him he can't because there is a sign nearby telling people not to swim. They move down the beach, but it's not safe there either, because a red flag is on display, warning that the sea is too rough. Finally, they find an area patrolled by lifeguards, and Petunia tells Joe it is safe to swim now, but having seen the lifeguard swimming away with the mermaid, Joe has changed his mind ...

*"Country Code" - While on a country walk, Joe and Petunia stop for a rest, and go over what they have done that day: they left tracks all through a field, opened a gate marked "Private" and let some cows out, and now their dog is "playing" with some sheep. Joe throws a stone and breaks some glass, congratulating himself on his good aim. They see a farmer with a red face (which they attribute to "all that country air") and think he is doing a country dance as he jumps up and down in anger, but Petunia doesn't think he looks friendly, and they leave. The farmer looks out at the trail of damage they have left, and sighs "When folk go out to the country, why oh why can't they follow The Country Code?"

*"Worn Tyres" (or tires) - The last film featuring Joe and Petunia. On a mountain drive, Petunia sees a notice board advising that "Worn Tyres Kill", and repeatedly asks Joe whether he has checked their tyres. He tries to evade the question, then says they're not worn, they're "a bit smooth". Petunia is relieved, but then he skids and crashes the car, in a moment of wonderful televisual technique as the cartoon image slowly changes to a shot of a real car accident. A caption states "WORN TYRES KILL" as we hear faint voices repeating the words from the start of the film: "Nice view up here, Petunia." "Yes, very nice, Joe." (Implying that Jo and Petunia died and went to heaven)

The "Coastguard" film was shown on UK screens for a limited run from May 2006 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Central Office of Information. It was digitally remastered and "updated" to give it a more modern look - in the new film, Joe has a mobile phone, Petunia listens to an iPod and the coastguard now uses a computer.

External links

* [http://625.uk.com/pifs/intro.htm 625's Introduction to PIF's] - Contains video and transcripts to some of the films.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4669544.stm 'Not waving but drowning'] - BBC look back on Joe and Petunia.
* [http://www.coi.gov.uk/press.php?release=152 "Coo-ee" - Joe & Petunia are back!] - The Central Office of Information resurrects Joe and Petunia for the 21st century.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB6PX_CQBNc Country Code]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W2OQuJO-TU&mode=related&search= Worn Tyres Kill, where Joe and Petunia were killed off]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RAhfVqzVWw&mode=related&search= Coastguard (original 1968 PIF)]