Tracking Chic-a-boo, the UK’s Monchhichi.

Many of you probably already know that Monchhichi made its debut in the UK under the name Chic-a-boo. This article aims to trace its history across the Channel for those who want to learn more. I have catalogued all the products released in the UK, and this article also contains some gems like a 1981 advertisement, as well as rare sketches and prototypes directly from the manufacturer’s offices.

To begin with, it’s reasonable to wonder where this nickname comes from. Chic-a-boo is a fusion of the game "Peek-a-boo", played with young children where you hide and reappear saying "peekaboo", and the original name Monchhichi, thus creating "Monchhichic-a-boo": "Chic-a-boo" was born.

Unlike most toys that develop gradually, Chic-a-boo arrived in full force with an entire range from its launch in 1978, which expanded over the years.

🇫🇷 Click there for French version

The Origins of the Name : 

The name "Chad Valley" comes from the Chad Brook, a small stream located in the suburb of Birmingham at Harborne. Under the direction of Joseph Johnson and his son Alfred J, the company moved to the new Chad Valley factories in 1897, where they began producing board games and a growing range of toys, including quality teddy bears from 1915.

Chad Valley factory , Harborne in the 1960s. Image from Terry Morris on flickr, reusable under 

Creative Commons licence Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)

During World War II, the factories were requisitioned to manufacture parts for anti-aircraft guns, autopilots, hospital tables, and tent poles, although items like puzzles, chess games, and dominoes continued to be produced for the armed forces and military hospitals.

After the war, Chad Valley acquired several other toy companies but faced financial difficulties in the 1970s. The Harborne factories were closed when Palitoy, based in Leicester, bought the company in 1978.

Chad Valley was one of the UK’s leading toy manufacturers, employing over a thousand people in seven factories in the early 1960s. High-quality toys sold at a premium price were considered luxury items, and the fate of toy companies was often tied to economic fluctuations. Chad Valley was thus swept away by the prolonged economic crisis that hit the UK in the 1970s, marked by rising unemployment, severe inflation, and frequent strikes.

In 1988, the Woolworths chain of stores bought the Chad Valley brand and actively promoted it until its disappearance, after which the brand was taken over by Argos. Chad Valley found a new home in March 2016 when Home Retail Group was bought by supermarket giant Sainsbury’s for around £1.4 billion, allowing the brand to be sold exclusively in the UK through Sainsbury’s.

In summary, at the time of Chic-a-boo’s release, Chad Valley was not in great shape, and although the situation did not improve immediately, the company managed to offer a generation of young Britons the pleasure of having a Monchhichi as a playmate.

Classic Chic-a-boo :

These are the original Chic-a-boos. The boy with his yellow bib and the crying girl with her red bib. Both have a lace-edged bib with the inscription: "♡ CHIC-A-BOO".

Very quickly, in the first year of its commercialization, the Chic-a-boo box underwent a slight redesign to include the logo on the front, and more decoration around the window. Under Palitoy, it was further improved, mentioning its original name Monchhichi, and twice emphasizing "authentic" and "original" to distinguish it from the counterfeits and copies that were also growing there.

The first Chad Valley version was made in Great Britain, while the intermediate version was produced in Hong Kong before production was transferred to Japan under Palitoy due to the closure of national factories.

In 1978, Chic-a-boo debuted with a selection of twelve outfits, all more beautiful than the others. While some are very similar to those of our Kiki, we note differences to adapt them to the British clientele, such as the footballer outfit turned red to match the English national team. Another notable difference is the Cavalier outfit, a much more widespread sport in the country, and the Policeman and Guard outfits which are very specific to British culture.

Here is what the packaging of the outfits looked like, matching the plush box. We notice that the more elaborate ones with accessories had a ‘Deluxe’ gold label and were probably sold at a higher price.

Between 1978 and 1981, these Deluxe outfits appeared. We can see the absence of the manufacturer’s mention, the transition between Chad Valley and Palitoy taking place at that precise time. Unfortunately, I have no idea how many different clothes were made, but I would bet on a dozen.

From 1981, two new fairly large collections appeared, produced by Palitoy. The packaging was simpler as they were just attached to a cardboard sheet in a transparent plastic bag. 

The first range, the activity outfits, prepares Chic-a-boo to follow its little owner in daily activities: going to school with the student uniform, a stay in the hospital with the nurse Chic-a-boo... While the Funtime range allows enjoying leisure time with Chic-a-boo: the boy-scout outfit with his kite, the chef outfit, the beach outfit for playing at the sea... They were worth barely £3, around €4 (which was considerable at the time).

 Here are some outfits worn by beautiful models. By the way, we can see that the tracksuit bore the Adidas logo of the time. Were the Chic-a-boos precursors of the collaboration between Adidas and Monchhichi in the 2000s or was it done sneakily? No matter, it’s cool.

The range also included grandparents: grandpa and grandma.

Friends of Chic-a-boo

The range also consisted of four friends of Chic-a-boo, each with a "boo" name:

• Larry-boo the Lamb
• Hoppy-boo the Rabbit
• Honey-boo the Bear
• Kitty-boo the Cat

Kitty-boo and Hoppy-boo were released in the summer of 1981 according to an advertisement from the time, in which the other two do not appear, suggesting they were released later (which the Palitoy box confirms). All four wear a clothing accessory. Hoppy-boo is inspired by Chimutan, Larry-boo by Cham, but as for the cat and the bear, they are very different from the Monchhichi Friends we know today.

However, German Monchhichi enthusiasts will have probably noticed a strong resemblance of Honey-boo to Tobby Bär, a Monchhichi bear bootleg produced in East Germany in 1979 by Wuschel... two years before Honey-boo. 

Intriguing, isn’t it? Don’t miss our upcoming article on Tobby to discover everything.

Chic-a-boo Medium

Chic-a-boo Medium is the 11-inch model, about 25 centimeters. It is identical to the Kiki Junior. The clothes suggest it also existed in a feminine form, even though it is almost impossible to find information about it.

Chic-a-boo Medium also had clothes to wear, thanks to this series of outfits for boys and girls. Again, I don’t know how many there were but probably around ten.

Baby Chic-a-boo

Baby Chic-a-boo, here he is, the baby of the family. Standing 13cm tall. It comes in boy and girl versions: he wears a red visor, while she wears a pink ribbon with white dots, and appeared in 1978.

Like the classic model, Baby Chic-a-boo can count on its four loyal friends in reduced models, the Friends of Baby Chic-a-boo.

The first range of Baby clothes was made by Chad Valley, it is quite modest and consists of only four sets: the yellow sweater and hat, the yellow bathrobe, the red cape, and the red t-shirt.

In 1981, after the Palitoy takeover, it was complemented by a few blister-pack outfits, here’s a glimpse: swimsuit, winter outfit, and tutu, to fill Baby Chic-a-boo’s wardrobe.

Big Chic-a-boo

Big Chic-a-boo, the giant of the gang, with his pretty bandana. Standing 18 inches, or 45cm tall, he appeared in 1978 along with the rest, accompanied by his crying friend, equipped with a ribbon. Both were sold individually in beautiful display boxes.

Furniture Store Chic-a-boo

Chic-a-boo furniture also appeared in 1978. They are identical to Kiki’s, made of red plastic, with a small label bearing the British Monchhichi’s name; except that the range only included the cradle, the rocking chair, and the rocking horse. Across the Channel, they were sold in kits to assemble, in a small box similar to the clothing outfits, representing a furniture store, the packaging really aimed to create a whole universe for their Monchhichi, and I find it really well done and cute.

Bully Figures

In 1980, these little Bully figurines appeared. There are 30 variations, the same ones released around the world.

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Before finishing presenting the range, take a dive behind the scenes of Chic-a-boo manufacturing with these real patterns created by the designers at Palitoy in 1979, accompanied by fabric samples and a Polaroid of the finished garment, some of which never saw the light of day. 

A feast for the eyes, pure talent.

 

And since we had the chance to see these photos of what remained in Palitoy's offices, I’d like to show you some of the creations that stayed behind the scenes, prototypes that, to my knowledge, never saw the light of day. These include the 45cm model of Honey-boo, the Monchhichi in a brown outfit, another one with a strange face, and the last one with a bib featuring double names, which seems much more recent and never released... What wonders! They also had some counterfeit items in their offices, as well as many Japanese and German models that must have served as inspiration.

Almost all the photos presented above come from a British auction that sold off surplus items, equipment, documents, and prototypes from a Palitoy factory many years ago.

For even more nostalgia, check out this adorable commercial featuring the "Friends of Chic-a-boo" range, broadcast on ITV in August 1981. 

The jingle of the time perfectly captured the excitement around Chic-a-boo: "Chic-a-Chic-a-Chic-a-Boo Furry and cuddly we love you Chic-a-Chic-a-Chic-a-Boo It’s such fun to dress you up too".

Today, Chic-a-boo no longer exists, replaced by a supposed standardized European range that has entirely overlooked the nostalgia our generation had for this plush toy, instead of capitalizing on it. Today's young Britons must make do with the same old models that Amazon deigns to sell, while actual stores have nothing on their shelves. They really missed the mark by ignoring the unique charm of each range, which was the result of the expertise of national toy leaders who knew their customers inside out, like Palitoy, Mattel, Ajena, or Politil. They will never regain this, as they now focus on a single range centered on Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, with the rest of Europe getting the scraps.

The Japanese range is so flourishing and diverse. We see Monchhichi with race car drivers, Air Guitar groups, cafes, museums, and monuments dear to the hearts of its fans. This is what we used to find in the specificities of each region, like the Royal Guard outfit in England or our Kiki Smurf and Baptism Kiki outfit, things that spoke to children and made them dream. Today, we have the Olympics taking place in our country, and not a single Monchhichi in sports attire has appeared on our shelves? It’s a shame to miss such golden opportunities, like our players' medals, we hope.

I hope you enjoyed discovering the history of Chic-a-boo. Which are your favorites? Did you already know about them? Are you lucky enough to own any of them?

Tell us everything in the comments!

See you soon

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