This toy represents Great Uncle Bulgaria, one of the original Womble characters created by Elizabeth Beresford in 1968. The other original characters were Wellington, Orinoco, Tobermory, Tomsk, Bungo and Madame Cholet.
In 1973, The Wombles were given their own animated series after Beresford's original book featured in the BBC series, Jackanory. The series featured the voice of actor Bernard Cribbins and a memorable theme tune, "Underground, Overground, Wombling Free" by Mike Batt.
The Wombles success continued over the next ten years and a whole range of merchandise was produced, including soap, t-shirts, mugs, washing-up cloths and soft toys. The characters also featured in a West End stage show and even made it into the charts with songs, such as "Remember You're a Womble".
In 1998, ITV launched a new animation series featuring the Wombles, which introduced three new characters, Stepney, Alderney and Shansi. This new series promoted the release of more merchandise, including this soft toy. It was produced as part of a promotion for the fast food chain McDonalds and would have been included as a free gift with one of their children's "Happy Meals".
