Who is Captain Pugwash

The Jolly, but slightly bumbling, Captain had a very small crew on his ship The Black Pig, (we'll get to their real names shortly), adventures and scrapes were many and the brave captain would often lead his crew foolishly into danger in search of treasure andbounty.

Capt Pugwash was regularly rescued from the threat of his arch enemy Cut-Throat Jake (of the 'Flying Dustman') by the cunning and courage of the cabin boy (you'll find his real name further down the page!).

Originally created in 1957, this very basic animated program, had speech simulated by moving a piece of card behind the character's open mouths.

The series saw a new lease of life in the early 70's with better animation, though very little else changed.

It is a very popular urban myth that the names of the crew were 'double-entendres' meaning much more in a smutty way though suitable for an innocent audience. This myth originated shortly after the show ceased being broadcast in the 70's and the reason given that it was unfit for broadcast due to the characters being called Master Bates, Seaman Staines & Roger the Cabin Boy, urban myth makers seem to have run out of ideas for renaming the fourth member of crew!

Fun and inventive it may have been, the Cabin Boys Name was Tom, he was the most heroic member of the crew, yet rarely was he allowed to take the credit for being the hero of the hour.

Not actually the name of the Black Pig's Master, though of all the characters his real name was close and could easily be twisted from the actual Master Mate.

Again another smutty suggested name, though no one would actually be able to tell you which of the 2 remaining crew members this referred to, so I'm guessing this was Willy, mainly due to his shirt pattern!

Barnabas is the pirates name that will win you the star prize in trivia quizzes! It can be assumed that he is the most easily forgotten as his name was not corrupted and this may possibly be due to the target audience struggling with the pronunciation of his name.

Cut-Throat Jake may not have been on the crew of The Black Pig, though he did appear in most episodes as the nemesis of Captain Pugwash. His ship, The Flying Dustman was often the reason for fear and flight aboard The Black Pig.

press here to hear the signature tune. This link is to Whirligig-tv where they also have a short video clip.

Pirates Only
Tin Sign
8 in. x 12 in.
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Death To The Enemy
Magnet
2 in. x 3 in.
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Time Flies
Tin Sign
8 in. x 12 in.
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Skull & Crossbones License Plate
Tin Sign
12 in. x 6 in.
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added 22 November '08