Comics UK

Does anyone remember SPLINK? It popped into my head last night in the bath. It was a road safety acronym from 1976 which I could never remember and I doubt anyone else could. It was ludicrous. Jon Pertwee was the star chosen to present it. Not so much Doctor Who but more Doctor What the F? I haven't googled it so I'll have an educated guess:

S Stop.
P Ponder as to what this letter stands for
L Lose interest in P and move on
I Ignore the letter I as its probably not that important
N Nothing comes to mind, sorry.
K Kerb. Where I'm still standing as none of the above has had any success in helping me cross the bleedin' frog.

From memory my version is probably just as effective.

The films are on youtube. Perhaps Derek could show them to his young 'uns and get their opinion.

Thankfully the TV ads had the foresight to use lower case for the acronym. Putting an upper case L next to an I is just asking for trouble.

I used to work in the Film & TV Division of the COI so I should know it. This is purely from memory so may not be word perfect!

Find a Safe place to cross and stop.
Stand on the Pavement near the kerb.
Look all around for traffic and listen.
If there is traffic coming let it pass.
When there is No traffic near, walk straight across the road.
Keep looking and listening while you cross.

"Now we can all remember the Green Cross Code - and use it. THPLINK!"

Robbie Moubert wrote:Find a Safe place to cross and stop.
Stand on the Pavement near the kerb.
Look all around for traffic and listen.
If there is traffic coming let it pass.
When there is No traffic near, walk straight across the road.
Keep looking and listening while you cross.

...Er, shouldn't that be 'FSLIWK'?

Lew Stringer wrote:Thankfully the TV ads had the foresight to use lower case for the acronym. Putting an upper case L next to an I is just asking for trouble.

Brilliant!


...Er, shouldn't that be 'FSLIWK'?

In any way at looking at it, it was a very confusing acronym. It would probably explain why I have no recollection of it even though I was 12ish and a huge Jon Pertwee fan!

THPLINK is no doubt a nod to Pertwee's slight lisp.

Just looking at Talking Pictures channel and at 13.50 today they have a road safety film from late 40s/early 50s filmed around Salford with some great shots of the city.

I made that a few years ago for a Doctor Who forum - now you can put your own face in it. Enjoy yourself

Yeah I remember the Splink ads with Jon Pertwee - who said it never caught on as it was "too complex for kids to understand".

I have the "Charley Says" DVD compilation of the Public Information films, and both the Splink ads are on there - the other one was an animated one featuring a cartoon Derek Griffiths - kids' voices represent the what each letter stands for whilst Griffiths does a musical representation for each Splink letter.

I think - it may have been after Splink or just before it perhaps - where The Green Cross Code films featured the fronts of everyday cars turning into bug-eyed sharp toothed monsters each time a child gets their crossings wrong. I remember a white Morris Marina turned into one when kids tried to cross by parked cars and a reminder at the end of the ad where a blue HE Vauxhall Victor monstered as well (I was a car buff back then). There to my knowledge, have never been on DVD or YouTube (wiped perhaps?). Don't know if anyone here can remember them?

Was a poster relating to this campaign put up in my primary school just after my class watched an edition of Schools' program "Seeing and Doing" (made by ATV), about crossing the road and a few of these "monster" ads were shown.

At primary school we were regularly herded into the playground to see a road safety display by traffic police with traffic lights, zebra crossing and a cop on a motorbike. We also had visits from the river police lecturing us on the dangers of playing near the river Thames. But it didn't stop us as we spent most of our time on the banks of the river.