1.24 The Acorn Badge
Something I really appreciate about The Acorn Badge (although not the first episode to do this), is the autumnal lighting. The simple yellow sky creates the atmosphere of a crisp October day. Whether it is the soft silence of snow or the bright heat in summer, Hey Duggee is really good at this subtle, seasonal, scene-setting. Autumn is the second most difficult season to re-create (after Spring) when you have a limited colour palette. It is a risk to turn the sky yellow but it always works.
Badge Design
Round with an acorn.
Episode Summary
Episode written by Sam Morrison.
Opening Squirrel
Roly watching his windmill in the garden.
Start
The other Squirrels are watching Norrie play hopscotch.
Set-Up
The Squirrels find a leaf on the ground and wonder where it has come from:
- A bird?
- An aeroplane?
- The moon?
They decide to ask Duggee. Duggee is raking leaves. He points them to the tree which has lost all its leaves because it is autumn. Tag jumps into a big pile of leaves and the other Squirrels follow. They all have fun until Roly jumps something. The Squirrels try to guess what it is:
- A hat for an ant?
- An egg cup for an ant?
- A trophy for an ant?
Duggee knows what is, it’s an acorn. An acorn grows into an oak tree which, in time, makes new acorns. Duggee has his Acorn Badge.
Story
Roly wants to grow his own tree so he plants his acorn and is disappointed when nothing happens. A squirrel comes along, digs it up and puts it in his briefcase. Some animals collect acorns to eat throughout the winter. The Squirrels decide to help them by collecting more acorns. Meanwhile, Duggee builds a market stall. Betty searches under every leaf but can’t find any acorns while Roly has no trouble collecting them. Norrie dances as she collects them. Eventually, Betty finds an acorn from Roly’s pile.
Duggee and the Squirrels set up their stall and wait for customers. Business is slow. The old deers arrive and scrutinize the acorns until they find out they are free. They alert the rest of the woodland animals. They hand out the acorns to everyone.
Close and Credits
A squirrel pops out of a pile of leaves.
Get your Acorn Badge
Go for an autumnal walk in the woods and enjoy collecting acorns, leaves and other natural materials.