3.18 The History Badge
There is a group of Hey Duggee badges, including The History Badge, that tackles big subjects. They include art, philosophy and the future. All ideas that it is difficult to explain to pre-schoolers. The description of history as everything that happened before breakfast is a good way to help them understand the concept.
Badge Design
A long rectangle in the shape of a timeline. On the timeline are a stone, fire, an axe, a pyramid, a book, an engine and a rocket.
Episode Summary
Opening Squirrel
Tag playing with a Duggee block puzzle.
Start
Betty is reading a story to the other Squirrels.
Set-Up
The story begins, “A long, long time ago…” but Tag is confused. How long ago is a long time? Happy answers that everything it is before breakfast. Duggee agrees and tells them it is called history. Duggee can help them learn about history, he has his History Badge.
Story
In order to see as much history as possible Duggee has made a special machine. It is modelled on the time machine from HG Wells’s novel The Time Machine. They simply put in the co-ordinates and travel back through history.
The first place they visit is 500 million years before breakfast (BB) when the first animals walked on land. They witness a small slug-like creature crawl out of the water and grow legs. The Squirrels are warned not to touch anything in case they alter the future. They jump back into the time machine and head to the next destination, knocking the creature back into the sea as they leave.
- Fact check: The earliest footprints date from 530 million years ago and belonged to centipede-like creatures that probably lived in the ocean but could walk on land.
They arrive in ancient Rome, 2500 years BB. They are in the middle of a chariot race being presided over by one of King Tiger’s ancestors (Caeser). Duggee takes off and accidentally wins the race. They make a swift exit.
- Fact check: Julius Caeser died in 44 BC or 2064 BB so the dates are a little off here.
Next stop is China, 1000 years BB. A celebration is about to take place for one of Chew Chew’s ancestors. She steps away for a moment and the Squirrels arrive, accidentally setting off the fireworks. They witness an amazing show and leave again before Chew Chew reappears.
- Fact check: Fireworks were common for celebrations by the time of the Tang dynasty, around 900 AD.
They arrive in renaissance Italy, 500 years BB. Michelangelo, an ancestor of Tino, and his assistant are taking a break from painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Duggee goes off to look for him leaving the Squirrel alone. They have an idea to help Michelangelo finish the painting. As they leave and Michelangelo returns to find Duggee and the Squirrel on his masterpiece.
They visit a few more locations and times in quick succession:
- First is the dawn of man – 55 million years BB.
- Next, is a sea battle between pirates and the crown – 300 years BB.
- They land on the moon just as someone is about to take their first steps – 50 years BB.
- They land in a tree, knocking an apple on Newton’s head. Newton appears to be an ancestor of Lord Fingal – 350 years BB.
- They land next to Arthur as he is trying to pull the sword out of the stone – probably 1600 years BB.
- The next stop is the discovery of fire – 0.2 million years BB.
- Next is the fall of the Berlin Wall – 30 years BB.
- The next stop is Stonehenge during a druid worship ceremony on the summer solstice – Stone henge was built around 5000 years BB.
- A performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Eugine’s ancestor in the lead role – the first performance of Hamlet was 400 years BB.
- Buddhist priests – Buddhism is around 2500 years old.
- The Vikings – between 1200 and 900 years BB.
- Easter Island Heads – around 600-400 years BB.
- Day of the Dead – Day of the Dead has been celebrated in some form in Mexico for 2500 years.
- Obelisks of Axum, Ethiopia – Built 2300 BB.
- Duggee with more hair and the Squirrels all in nappies – 4 years BB.
- The Egyptian Pyramids – 4500 years BB.
- The American west – 150 years BB.
- The first flight – 100 years BB.
- The dinosaurs – 65 million years BB.
- Mount Everest – 70 years BB.
- Stephenson’s Rocket – 190 years BB.
They return to the present to find that a few things have changed. To begin with, Enid is now green, the chicken have long legs and Frog has wings.
Close and Credits
The Squirrels have earned their History Badges.
The parents arrive but they all look different:
- Tags mum arrives in a bus pulled by a zebra and she is wearing a lab coat.
- Roly’s dad has studded trousers and a bicycle with four wheels.
- Norrie’s dad has a cowboy hat and is riding a giant millipede.
- Happy’s mum is covered in tattoos.
- Betty’s dad is in a chauffeur driven car and wearing a power suit.
Duggee puzzles over whether things are different but decides they are ok.
Style Change
The realistic painting on the Sistine Chapel is worthy of note, although I find that the human bodies and animals heads a little disturbing.
Outfits
Duggee wears his blue overalls.
Get Your History Badge
What did you do before breakfast?