Rereading the Find-Outers books

[Boodi 2]

Oddly enough I always thought that Fatty was blond, probably due to Mary Gernat's and Treyer Evans' illustrations in my Dragon Paperback copy of "Tally-Ho Cottage", as well as the illustrations in my Dean hardback version of "Missing Man" (which does not give any information about the illustrators), hence I find it difficult to imagine him with dark hair!

[Judith Crabb]

I agree, Boodi 2. I've always thought of him as a blond fat boy.
I recall some speculation on Fatty's surname, Trotteville. Maybe he has French ancestry.

[pete9012S]

Hope this helps - Daisy's word is final!

Didn't Fatty have dark hair?

Well it looks as though Daisy was right - never proves to doubt her!
We get our answer in the fourth book:

Fatty grinned at them all. He removed his red eyebrows with a pull. He rubbed off his freckles with a wetted hanky. He shifted his red wig a little so that the others could see his sleek black hair beneath.

Enid Blyton. The mystery of the spiteful letters

Fatty with sleek black hair - except no blond-boy imitations!

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8573&p=377604&hilit ... ir#p377604

[Splodj]

Fatty must have slipped on a blonde wig when Gernat started painting.

[Moonraker]

That is the problem with using illustrators who haven't read the books. One reason why I stick with original editions.

[John Pickup]

I like to stick with original editions too, Nigel, but in the case of the FFO, that meant J. Abbey who was probably the worst illustrator connected with that series.
My own favourite was Lilian Buchanan but she only illustrated the last three books.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Fatty must have slipped on a blonde wig when Gernat started painting.

Other illustrators before Mary Gernat had given Fatty blond hair, e.g. Lilian Buchanan, Charles Stewart and Peter Archer.

[Moonraker]

I like to stick with original editions too, Nigel, but in the case of the FFO, that meant J. Abbey who was probably the worst illustrator connected with that series.

He was so bad, I almost love his work!

[Nair Snehalatha]

Adventure Stories is a Two in one book-- Mischief at St. Rollo's , The children of Kiddiliin-- Both make reading great in the long winter evenings. The children of Kiddillin is set.in.Scotland.--.the.lovely.countryside, the burns-- which is Scottish for a babbling brook.The school story is great too-- St. Rollo's school-- as lovely as any Blyton book can be

[jubei]

Funny that when i was young, i read book in order of their thickness. the most thin one first, then go to thicker one of the series. Although Five find outers book kind of uniform in thickness.

Btw.. Any idea how big/fat Fatty really is, described in the book? Always wonder this.

[pete9012S]

.

A good question jubei. In the 7th book Pantomime Cat, published in 1949 we read:

“I say—time’s getting on,” said Pip, suddenly, looking at his watch. He had been silent
and a little sulky because he was not going too. But, as Fatty pointed out, he was not tall
enough to pass for a man, whereas he and Larry were. They were both well grown, and Fatty
especially was quite burly now.

Ct'd:

“Right. We’ll go,” said Fatty, and Larry opened the door of the shed cautiously.
“We’ll have to go past the kitchen door,” he said. “But it’s all right, no one will hear us.”
The two horrible-looking ruffians tiptoed up the path and round by the kitchen door. Just
as they got there the door opened and a bright beam of light fell on the two of them. There
was a loud scream and the door was banged shut.

“Golly! That was Janet, our cook,” whispered Daisy. “She must have had the fright of her
life when she saw you. Quick, get off before she tells Daddy!”

The two boys scurried away into the road. Bets went home with Pip. Daisy went in at the
garden door and heard Janet telling her father in a most excited voice about the two frightful
men she had seen. “Great big fellows, sir,” she said, “about six feet high, they were—and they
glared at me out of piercing eyes, and growled like dogs.”

I'm not sure how old Fatty would have been in this Mystery, but I'm sure someone else may know..


The 1963 illustration of Fatty - Goon must have been a giant!


The children look much smaller than the policeman in this original pic from Pantomime Cat..


Fatty looks a great deal smaller than Goon in this 1991 pic...

[Splodj]

Fatty was 14 in Missing Necklace so was probably still that age in Pantomime Cat, particularly given his propensity to age more slowly than the logical timeline.

With regard to the fatness of the books, this is reported elsewhere on the site ...

Longest FFO = Hidden House (48k words)
Shortest FFO = Banshee Towers (35k words)

Average of FFO books = 42k
Average of FF books = 40k

[jubei]

wow... six feet high is about 182cm, quite tall for teenage. Unless they put something in the shoe for disguise-ing. Btw, I almost never heard the word burly. Found it on google:

bur·ly
/ˈbərlē/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: burly; comparative adjective: burlier; superlative adjective: burliest

(of a person) large and strong; heavily built.
"I saw a burly figure approaching"


ah.. thanks for that shortest FFO book. If I return to FFO I'll start with Banshee Towers then .

[Hannah]

I'm not sure if they were really 6 feet tall or if the cook was maybe exaggerating.

[Judith Crabb]

You're right Hannah. Enid Blyton often attributed unreliable opinions to her characters. Janet panicked and exaggerated the story she told. A bit reminiscent of Goon in 'The Mystery of the Hidden House' describing 'a great giant of a fellow' attacking him when it was only Fatty who jumped on him in the dark, mistakenly thinking thinking that Goon was Ern . Fatty considered that he was lucky to get away without being caught, but Goon reported to Inspector Jenks that he'd had to fight for his life.