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Cold Comfort

Cold Comfort

A dancing radio stops partying to transmit an announcement on fuel conservation in this WWII cartoon short

Ever wondered what the radio got up to when you left the room? Well, in WWII it apparently took a Fuel Flash - a short public information broadcast - to stop your wireless from grooving away to the latest tracks. Halas & Batchelor was a British animation studio that excelled at anthropomorphising everyday objects to deliver a serious message such as fuel saving in a concise and friendly manner.

Cartoon public information film. The wireless is interrupted for the 'flash', urging people to be sparing with coal by not using the poker, and never using the cooker for just one dish. Also, to switch off lights when not in the room.

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From the collection

Animation Goes to Work

For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger 

Animation has an almost magical ability to charm and captivate. And those same qualities also make it a strikingly effective communication tool. It grabs attention, speaks to all ages, and can distil complex messages into simple and appealing visual metaphors. For government or other august bodies, cartoon antics have often been the perfect jam to sweeten the pill of official communications, whether to explain sweeping change or impart health and safety messages. And for the inventive animator, even the most utilitarian brief is no barrier to the most outlandish of treatments. 

58 videos in this collection

Who needs to talk to strangers when you're the only one who can understand the garbled mewling of your best buddy cat, Charley?
1

Strangers

  • 1973
2

Giro - Fast and Loose

  • 1935
3

Pan-tele-tron

  • 1957
4

John the Bull

  • 1930
Dangerously addicted to old movies? This is a case for Dr BFI, as demonstrated in this 1970s animated promo
5

The Dream of Arthur Sleap

  • 1972
6

"T" For Teacher

  • 1947
7

Robinson Charley

  • 1948
8

The Story of Time

  • 1950-04
9

A Modern Guide to Health

  • 1946
Killjoy, or conscience of a generation? Charley cat scuppers a playdate, but earns a fishy picnic through doing the right thing
10

Mummy Should Know

  • 1973
The lure of a toy shop proves almost too much for Tufty the squirrel .
11

Tufty: Shopping

  • 1973
12

Abu and the Poisoned Well

  • 1943
13

Pretend You'll Survive

  • 1981
Fun-filled singalong savings ad with a dangerously catchy theme tune.
14

Bob in the Pound

  • 1943
15

Compost Heap

  • 1942
Cartoon propaganda short sweetens the pill of post-war coal prices by promising jam tomorrow
16

Charley's Black Magic

  • 1949
17

Local Government A History in Pictures

  • Norwich
  • 1949
18

Balance 1950

  • 1951
Santa's on strike! This charming animation for the GPO advises early posting to keep Father Christmas onside.
19

Christmas is Coming

  • 1951
Delayed trains, crowded carriages, and standing room only: Blitz spirit makes a parent's nightmare commute a walk in the park
20

Summer Travelling

  • 1945
21

Charley in New Town

  • 1948
22

Think of the Future

  • 1956
An animated tale with a Lutheran message that's equal parts Christmas spirit and good old-fashioned guilt
23

The Candlemaker

  • 1957
24

For Better, For Worse

  • 1961
"Dad... I want a bike!” Fun animated campaign aimed at 50s parents and their over-eager offspring.
25

Cycling Proficiency Scheme: Father and Son

  • 1959
Official government permission to stagger into work late. Hurrah!
26

Stagger Working Hours: Cattle

  • 1959
27

Lff Trailer 1995

  • 1995
Quirky photo-montage film warning of the perils of drink driving.
28

Drink Drive Office Party Cartoon (Version 2)

  • 1964
29

Man of No Account

  • 1961
30

Is This a Record?

  • 1973
A chorus of coal fires sing for their cut-price supper in this short animated ad for the National Coal Board.
31

Solid Fuel

  • 1965
32

The Rise of Parnassus Needy

  • 1966
Yo-yo, Pogo and Splat (guess which one's the lemon head?) feature in this innovative stop-motion railway safety film
33

A Mug's Game, Or, How to Squash a Lemon Head

  • 1967
Zippy public information animation on how to keep up with the Joneses - by getting a rebate on rates.
34

Rate Rebates 1969

  • 1969
Cartoon calamities are in store for the proper Charlie in this rail worker safety message, but there's serious advice too
35

Careful Charlie

  • 1970
Miracle urban renewal and redevelopment in Victorian Newtown, Exeter.
36

Streets Ahead

  • Exeter
  • 1970
37

Space Invader

  • 1982
38

Little Johnny Head-in-Air

  • 1971-01-01
39

Children and Disused Refrigerators

  • 1971
Miners' safety training - marked by stylish animation and gallows humour.
40

Thud and Blunder in Knock off Time

  • 1964
Home safety is child's play if you have the feline guardian angel of the 70s on hand
41

Matches

  • 1973
No time to veg out – there's a war on. Get your vegetables out!
42

Filling the Gap

  • 1942
If you can't stand the heat, Charley, get out of the kitchen and spread your message
43

In the Kitchen

  • 1973
White elephant Willie becomes a volunteer collector for the National Savings scheme in this Technicolor animation
44

Willie Does His Stuff

  • 1948
45

Frank Muir Falls into a Kitchen Think

  • 1974
Tufty and friends - a road safety classic remastered!
46

Tufty: Playing Near the Road

  • 1973
Charley's cat-astrophic teatime hijinks leave him with a burning message to share
47

Teapot

  • 1973
48

Super Natural Gas

  • 1975
49

The Referee

  • 1976
Dusty the kangaroo catches a shadowy figure in the act of dumping an old mattress in this campaigning cartoon
50

Dusty No. 6 : Dusty Says Keep Britain Tidy

  • 1978
Dusty the kangaroo patrols a train in this campaigning cartoon - until she comes upon a litter strewn carriage...
51

Dusty No. 12: Dusty Says Keep Britain Tidy

  • 1978
Nothing beats a relaxing picnic on the beach – but beware Dusty the kangaroo
52

Dusty No. 16 : Dusty Says Keep Britain Tidy

  • 1978
53

The History of Grease

  • 1982
Kids don't always listen to their parents. But in the 70s they certainly listened to a giant ginger tabby cat...
54

Falling in the Water

  • 1973
A dancing radio stops partying to transmit an announcement on fuel conservation in this WWII cartoon short
55

Cold Comfort

  • 1944-04-20
56

The Great Gordino

  • 1978
57

Willie Comes to Life

  • 1948
58

Branches of Life

  • 2016
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