The Shoe People is a series of books created by James Driscoll that were shortly adapted into an animated series in the UK.
In a shoe repair shop, a shoe mender tries to repair all the shoes he gets, but sometimes he cannot repair them all. He does not throw away these shoes; he puts them in the back room of the shop.
These join the other shoes and boots he could not bear to throw away and the ones where their owners never came back for them. This room has a secret. Every night when the shoe mender locks up the shop, he makes sure the back room door is shut. This door does not shut very easily and when he slams it shut, the strangest thing happens. A large cloud of dust from the room fills the air and when it settles, the shoes come to life and the back wall disappears and Shoe Town appears, where all the shoes and boots live.
The original series ran in 1987 for one series of 26 episodes. A follow up series The New Adventures of the Shoe People, was aired in 1992. The show had a more obscure run in the US, with dubbed episodes appearing as segments of Eureeka's Castle.
The Shoe People contains examples of:
- Animated Adaptation: The original series adapted some of the books.
- Animate Inanimate Object: The main cast are all living shoes.
- Animation Bump: New Adventures largely dumps the animated storybook format and uses fuller animation with lip sync. It also has a livelier intro sequence.
- Character Catchphrase:
- "Buh-rilliant!" and "Grrr-reat!" (Wellington)
- "Stupid clown!" (Sergeant Major, about Charlie)
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Sergeant Major is a likeable sort, but has all the traits; authoritarian personality, short temper, No Indoor Voice, perfectionist about everything. Predictably he's an army boot.
- Friend to All Living Things: Trampy is shown to be one in his introductory episode - many creatures visit his garden, including a hedgehog and a squirrel whose company he especially enjoys.
- Ill-Timed Sneeze: In one episode, Margot sneezes while helping Wellington to dance on the ice. This makes her let go of Wellington, who ends up sliding across the pond and falling through some thin ice.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sergeant Major, despite his Drill Sergeant Nasty persona, does have a kindly, jovial side that he occasionally shows.
- Sneaker may also count, although he isn't so much a jerk as he is...well, sneaky.
- Jerkass: The Boot Boys.
- Larynx Dissonance: Phillip Whitchurch voiced every character, male or female, in the original series. New Adventures had Jo Wyatt take over the female characters. The US dub of the first series also splits duties between a male and female actress.
- Leitmotif: Most of the shoes have background themes.
- Nice Guy: Many characters, but Trampy in particular, as he is the main peacemaker and is loved by everyone in town.
- Non-Ironic Clown: Charlie is very mischievous, but still a good-natured and genuine clown (shoe), who more often than not will actually use his tricks to help people out.
- The Pigpen: Trampy, being a patchy, dishevelled shoe, lives up to his name. He has a home and garden, but it's a tip, much to his neighbour, Sergeant Major's chagrin.
- Punny Name:
- Sneaker is both a shoe and a mischievous character who sneaks up on people.
- The new episodes featured a Welsh miner called Maurice, a reference to the car brand "Morris Minor".
- Token Evil Teammate:
- Sneaker is one to an extent, but despite his shifty persona he's not really "evil", and is usually willing to make amends for his misdeeds.
- The Boot Boys in "New Adventures" are straightforward examples, as they more directly antagonistic.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Sergeant Major with nearly everyone, but especially Charlie and Wellington.
