Tetley Tea Folk

The Tetley Tea Folk are animated characters that were used to advertise Tetley Tea from 1973 to 2001.

Tea Folk history

McCann Erickson originated The Tetley Tea Folk in 1973. The animated commercials were produced at Wyatt Cattaneo studios where the Gaffer, Sydney and supporting characters were designed by studio director Tony Cattaneo and animator Ramon Modiano. The series from their start until the early 1980s, combined animation with live action sets and 'props' i.e. real tea bags, cups, saucers, etc. The live action was first of all shot at the Morgan and Mount studios and later by Perkins StClaire. The series from its start until the early 1980s were animated by Ramon Modiano. The musical score and "Tea Folk" song were composed by Ken Jones and the Art director was Alison de Vere. Towards the end of the 1970s, the Tetley Tea Folk account moved to the advertising agency D'Arcy, MacMannus and Macius.

From the early 1980s Tetley’s advertising was written and produced by the advertising agency D’Arcy, whilst the Tea Folk illustrations and commercials were then animated by animator Richard Ollive.

There have been 67 animated television adverts and many appearances in papers, magazines, on packs, radio, the Internet, as well as Tea Folk memorabilia. Over 30 million Tea Folk items have been sold and Tetley Tea Folk items can now be found in over five million British homes.

The Tea Folk have provided some of the most memorable advertising on Britain’s TV screens - well-known lines such as;

Tetley make tea bags make tea

That’s Better. That’s Tetley.

Only Tetley will do.

These, along with the original Tetley tune and some notable soundtracks (Bill Withers’ Lovely Day, Irving Berlin’s Keep Me Warm, Reach Out - I’ll Be There by Holland, Holland and Dozier), have made Tetley’s Tea Folk adverts some of the most instantly recognisable ever seen.

The characters’ voices have been supplied by some distinguished actors throughout the campaign. For many years, Gaffer’s distinctive voice was provided by the late Brian Glover. He was later replaced by former Emmerdale star Bobby Knutt, whilst Sunburn’s George Layton is the voice of Sydney

Tina

Tina first appeared in 1990. She is caring, fun-loving and helpful. Tina has a special place in the hearts of all the Tetley Tea Folk team. Her straightforward approach to life means that she is often called upon to provide a listening and understanding female ear.

Archie

Archie first appeared in 1993, and is the youngest of the Tea Folk. Archie is Gaffer’s nephew and although he is fascinated by Tetley tea, and is being groomed to one day step into Gaffer’s famous slippers, he is still at school. Archie is full of life and always inquisitive. This enquiring and mischievous nature has occasionally lands him in deep water until his Uncle Gaffer helps him out.

Clarence

Clarence first appeared in 1988 - originally the "Waker Upper" who makes sure the hard-working Tea Folk all get to work on time. Clarence is fun loving, happy and exuberant, a young, cheeky character whose occasional over-enthusiasm has been known to earn him a kindly reprimand from Gaffer, although it is always for his own good. When it comes to his tea duties, Clarence is a serious hard-worker who is learning to take more responsibility

Gaffer

Gaffer and Tetley go back a long way. He has worked his way up from Tea Boy to become the boss of the Tetley Tea Folk. He first appeared as the star of the very first Tea Folk advert in 1973. He is a bit of a perfectionist; after all, making the best cup of tea in the World is a big responsibility and he truly understands just how important Tetley tea is to people.

Gordon

Gordon, who first appeared in 1989, is the Tea Folk gardener. Gordon is quiet, gentle and dependable. Gordon is the quiet, knowledgeable caretaker who lovingly and methodically maintains the Tetley Tea Garden. With his love of tea and knowledge of gardening he has personally cultivated the Tetley Tea Rose

Maurice

Maurice is the inventor - a mechanically minded engineering genius whose machines help to keep Tetley at the cutting edge of tea technology. Maurice is quiet, unassuming and practical with sparks of inspiration - an eccentric and gloriously unpredictable inventor constantly striving for excellence on behalf of Tetley. Maurice first appeared in 1982.

Sydney

File:SydneyTetley.jpg

Sydney first appeared in 1975. Sydney is a gentle and kind fellow who is always on hand with a well made cup of Tetley tea in times of a crisis. Although he may not be the cleverest of people, his kind heart and occasional daftness mean that, even when he gets himself into trouble, he is well loved and highly thought of by his peers.

Tetley Tea Folk collectables

A wide range of collectables have been produced focusing on the subject of the Tetley Tea Folk. Tetley has teamed up with some big-name companies (including Wade and Lledo). According to Collecticus magazine, a gold-trimmed Morris Minor money box, released in September 2006, is the most valuable of the collectables, worth as much as £200 on the secondary market.

The end of the Tetley Tea Folk

In 2001, Tetley released the following statement:

"As part of an overall review of the marketing of the Tetley Tea brand in the UK, we are re-examining our Advertising Agency arrangements.

We cannot speculate on what changes this may lead to, and cannot say at this stage how it might affect the use of the Tea Folk in the future."

The Tea Folk were eventually replaced with a more modern campaign aimed at recruiting young tea drinkers.