The Magic Button???

shuttles · Post by **shuttles** » 03 Nov 2006, 19:45

I'm looking for a book containing the story "The Magic Button" I'm sure it was written by Enid Blyton but cannot find it anywhere. Does anyone know what book it was in??? My Grandma used to read it to us everytime she came and I would like to buy a copy for my brother for Christmas. Can anyone help??

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 03 Nov 2006, 21:34

I don't recall "The Magic Button," but there is a story called "The Enchanted Button." I have it in Fairy Stories (Purnell Sunshine Library, 1970) and it's about goblin called Crooky, who cheats. Witch See-a-Lot sews an enchanted button on to his shirt, which calls out in a loud voice whenever Crooky tries to cheat someone. According to the Book-Listing (see home page of the site), "The Enchanted Button" also appeared in The Third Holiday Book (1948). There are several other stories about buttons so, if that isn't the right one, try searching the Book-Listing to see if anything jogs your memory.

Anita

shuttles · Post by **shuttles** » 03 Nov 2006, 22:31

Thank you so much. That is the story I was looking for. When I looked at the cover of the Fairy stories book I recognised it straight away and have also spotted one for sale on Ebay so thanks very much.
Nicky

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 04 Nov 2006, 07:22

Enjoy re-reading the story, Nicky! I always loved "Porridge Town" from that book.

Anita

Moonraker · Post by **Moonraker** » 05 Nov 2006, 15:29

Anita Bensoussane wrote: it's about goblin called Crooky, who cheats. Witch See-a-Lot sews an enchanted button on to his shirt, which calls out in a loud voice whenever Crooky tries to cheat someone.

Seeing this makes me think what peculiar names Enid gave some of her characters. Was Crooky so named because he was a crook, or did his behaviour lead to a name-change? If he was named at birth, how could his parents know he'd grow into a crook?

I've just read Giggle and Hop Get into Trouble. This features a schoomistress called Dame Rap-Rap. She must surely have a proper name, I can't imagine her being Christened Rap-Rap!

My guess would be that in the Pixie world, names were changed to suit the person's behaviour, as in Dame Washalot - I'm certain she didn't was a lot as a child!

Post by **Anita Bensoussane** » 06 Nov 2006, 11:14

[Moonraker:] "Seeing this makes me think what peculiar names Enid gave some of her characters. Was Crooky so named because he was a crook, or did his behaviour lead to a name-change? If he was named at birth, how could his parents know he'd grow into a crook?"

I think Enid Blyton was just drawing on tradition. It's common in morality tales and fairy-tales for characters' names to fit their personalities, eg. Beauty in "Beauty and the Beast;" figures like Mr. Malice, Mr. Implacable and many others in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress ; Goodman Brown and others in Nathaniel Hawthorne's stories. These characters represent a type - Crooky typifies a cheat - so the names denote a truth without being realistic.

One of my favourite childhood stories was "Mr. Pink-Whistle's Party," (the first story in the book Mr. Pink-Whistle's Party.) The main character is a girl called Merry, who is smiling and kind. She is more than just a "type" - she comes across as a rounded individual and we later see her crying over a disappointment - and it may be significant that, at the beginning of the story when she is cheerful, Mr. Pink-Whistle draws attention to the appropriateness of her name: "Ah - Merry by name and merry by nature." Later in the story, Merry helps a Mr. Lame and a Mrs. Limp across the road but Mr. Pink-Whistle makes no comment on their names. They are types - elderly people who are suffering some of the afflictions that come with old age. It's not realistic that their names should reflect that, but their names do sum up the part they play in the story and give young readers an immediate mental image of the characters.

Anita

The Magic Button???

The Magic Button???

Names in Enid Blyton