The Wombles were so ahead of their time....their message is even more relevant today

UndergroUnd, overground, The Wombles are once again wombling free.

- BY SUE LEE

The furry eco-warriors from Wimbledon Common are making a comeback with a new interactive exhibition that reveals their magical world to a new generation.

Womble Mania opened on Friday in Derbyshire’s Peak District and charts their journey from book to screen. New episodes featuring the lovable creatures, who gather stuff every day folk leave behind, are in the pipeline for later this year.

Wombles creator Elisabeth Beresford would have been thrilled that Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Madame Cholet and the rest of the gang are back in the limelight, says her son.

Comeback

Marcus Robertson, who as a child was the inspiration for the character of Orinoco, says: “Mum would have loved the fact they are making a comeback. They hold a special place in British culture.”

He believes the message conveyed by the rubbish collectors, who emerge from their burrows on Wimbledon Common to pick up litter, is as crucial now as when his mum began writing the books in the late 1960s.

He says: “The Wombles were really ahead of their time in terms of ideas about caring for the environment, picking up litter and recycling – their motto is ‘make good use of bad rubbish’ and that says it all.

“But it’s more than just about looking after your surroundings and nature. They have values of kindness, mutual respect, generosity, community; there’s no violence.

“These are all the things we should be embracing here in 2025.”

Marcus, 69, who lives in Surrey and has two grown-up sons, is adamant his mum never set out to preach to her fans. “For her, The Wombles were never ‘being’ green – they just were green. That’s how they lived their lives. Remember, Mum was 13 when the war started and she was brought up to never waste a thing.”