Children growing up in the UK from the late 80′s up to the early 90′s would know the lovable Welsh firefighter from PontyPandy who is always there to help his town. He was also a great uncle to his niece and nephew. Fireman Sam was the idea of two ex-firemen who thought of introducing fire safety early to children. The idea was turned into a stop-motion animated show appearing in Welsh in 1985 and was later turned into English in 1997. Although the the show ended in 1994, The show’s popularity remained strong and the show even reached 80 countries worldwide and was translated into 31 different languages.
The show returned in 2004 with a more modern stop-motion animation. It kept all the original characters and added some fresh faces, such as Tom Thomas, the pilot of the rescue helicopter Wallaby One. This new series run until 2005.
In 2008, the show returned again on the air but this time using computer generated images instead of the familiar stop-motion animation. The latest series did not fare better and ended in 2009.
Even if the last comeback series was short lived, the popularity of Fireman Sam still can’t be denied. A feature film was released shortly after and the show was even adapted into a live musical theatre show.
Even with all his shows, Fireman Sam’s presence is not confined within the screens of the television nor the stages of the theatre. Kids can now interact with him through games. There are a number of online games kids can play with their favourite fireman. Some of these games are just the usual kid’s flash games wherein you navigate Fireman Sam to accomplish various tasks. Some are made specifically for the younger set where they get to explore the fire station and interact with various objects. Some sites even offers activity centers where young minds gets introduced to creativity.
The latest conquest of the enduring character is the iPhone. Kids can now download a Fireman Sam app and play with 5 interactive games. There is even a special reward sticker book. Kids will take on the role of fire cadets and train under Fireman Sam and the whole PontyPandy Fire Crew. They will earn the ‘Honorary Junior Fire Fighter’ certificate which allows them to join the crew Fireman Sam in his action-packed adventures.
Downloading the app will give 5 games. In Horse Practice, the player will learn how to use the hose. Elvis will join in the fun so this will surely be a blast. In Hide N’ Seek, Norman hid lots of objects around the fire station and they must be recovered without alerting Norman of the attempt. In the third game, Load Jupiter, the kids help load Jupiter. They must find the right objects using the object’s shadows. Older players will enjoy playing this as a memory game. In Sky High, the kids gets to use their rescuing skills as they help rescue the cats. The last game, Fire Fighter, is the real fire fighting adventure. Good targeting skills will be needed to put out all the fires.
I doubt that we have seen the last of Fireman Sam.