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18 May 2016

1980: Hissing Sid Is Innocent! Or Was He Guilty?

Back, back, to the beginning of the 1980s - to the far away year of 1980 - and Captain Beaky and his Band.

The bravest animals in the land.

Timid Toad, Batty Bat, etc, etc.

What a surprise that the record should get into the Top Five, and what a surprise that it should spark a national obsession with that lovable/loathsome snake, Hissing Sid.

Hissing Sid Is Innocent (occasionally Hissing Sid Is Guilty) was daubed on flyovers, brick walls, public lavatory doors, exercise books - just about anywhere there was space to daub.

1980 was soon awash with books, badges, and a follow-up record - The Trial Of Hissing Sid. Was he innocent? I can't remember.

Seeing the two badges pictured brings it all back to me.

We were seriously potty.

Read our main article on the wondrous work of Jeremy Lloyd and Keith Michell here


3 comments:

Peter Gray said...

Thought you were talking about Sid's snake at first..

Anonymous said...

Hissing Sid was innocent, Timid Toad got scared and jumped right into Hissing Sid's open mouth. The toad should have been charged with GBH attacking a snake while having a snooze.

Anonymous said...

Margot
My granddaughter would like to know what Hissing Sid looks like.