Norman Hetherington

He was the son of Frederick Hetherington (1883–1951) and Ellen Mary Hetherington (1888–1976) (née Markwell). They were married at Balmain, New South Wales in 1918, and Norman Frederick Hetherington was born on 29 May 1921 in Lilyfield.

He grew up at 35 Meryla Street, Burwood. He did his primary schooling at Burwood Public School (1927–1933), and secondary schooling at Sydney's Fort Street Boys' High School (1934–1937). He studied art, full-time, at East Sydney Technical College (now known as the National Art School), from 1937 to 1938; and, because he had taken a position with one of Sydney's largest advertising agencies, Lintas (Lever International Advertising), he transferred to part-time studies, studying at night from 1939 to 1941 (when he enlisted in the army).

He married Margaret "Peggy" Owrid (née Purnell) (1923-2022) in 1958.Registration number 15474/1958.She had married Alfred Donald Owrid (1924-2013), in Sydney, in 1949 (reg.no.21715/1949), and they were divorced on 11 February 1954: [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248882679 Today's Courts: Divorce: Mr. Justice Brereton: "M. Owrid v. A.D. Owrid"], Daily Telegraph 11 February 1953 page 20[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244373149 Homing in Fishing Smack, The Herald, (Thursday, 8 May 1952), p.5]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130278262 Fishing Boat for Australia, The Adelaide News, (Tuesday, 13 May 1952), p.5]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248718467 Berkeley, Elaine, "Girl Sails Home in Fishing Smack", The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph, Sunday, 25 May 1952), p.39.]She graduated from University of Sydney with a Diploma of Social Studies in 1955 (see [https://calendararchive.usyd.edu.au/Calendar/1955_supp/1955-6_Supplement.pdf The University of Sydney Calendar Supplement for the Year 1955-6, Sydney: The University of Sydney, 1956], p.761; see also pp.281, 282, 356).Richard Bradshaw (2023), [https://www.unima.org.au/remembering-margaret-peggy-hetherington-1923-2022 "Remembering Margaret (Peggy) Hetherington (1923-2022)", Unima Australia, ^ February 2023.] She would later write scripts for episodes of Mr Squiggle. They moved to the Sydney suburb of Mosman in 1960, and Hetherington remained there until his death.[http://www.mosmanfestival.info/2005/events-recurring/mr-squiggle-whos-pulling-the-strings Mr. Squiggle: Who's Pulling the Strings?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061028/http://www.mosmanfestival.info/2005/events-recurring/mr-squiggle-whos-pulling-the-strings |date=4 March 2016 }}, Mosman Festival, 3 September 2005.

The couple's children are Stephen (b.1959), an academic philosopher,[https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/about-us/people/stephen-hetherington-faha Professor Stephen Hetherington, School of Humanities and Languages, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312230755/https://hal.arts.unsw.edu.au/about-us/people/stephen-hetherington-faha/ |date=12 March 2018 }}[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Dv9jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-YDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1261%2C3899909 Stephen, at the age of 10, assisting his father.][https://shetherington9.wixsite.com/my-site-6 Stephen Hetherington: Emeritus Professor of Philosophy.] and Rebecca (b.1962), a television presenter [https://news.google.com/newspapers? id=_q5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nOgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2530%2C6378109 MacPherson, D., "Antenna to rival Simon Townsend", The Guide, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 12 March 1984), p.6.];

[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3zwpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_JIDAAAAIBAJ&dq=rebecca-hetherington&pg=3004%2C1738878 Bone, P., Something New for the Young The Green Guide], The Age 3 September 1987 page 7 who also hosted Mr Squiggle & Friends from 1989 until 1999.

He joined the CMF in 1941 and enlisted in the AIF in 1942.  He was then transferred to the 2nd Division Concert Party – later called no. 4 Detachment, 1st Australian Army Entertainment Unit when his lightning sketch and performing abilities were recognised.

He service with the First Australian Army Entertainment Unit during World War II,[http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=238171 World War II Nominal Roll: Corporal Norman Frederick Hetherington (NX131018/N205247), Department of Veterans' Affairs.]Hunter (2019). took him to Dutch New Guinea, New Guinea, New Britain, and the Torres Strait Islands.[http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1451235.htm Transcript of interview with Brendan Trembath, "The World Today: ABC Local Radio", Thursday, 1 September, 2005.][https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C181760 Heth, "2nd Div. Entertainment Unit", collection of the Australian War Memorial.] The Entertainment Unit also included actor Michael Pate, and comedian George Wallace Jr.

He had attended classes at the National Art School before the war; and once the war was over, he continued his studies attending classes there four nights a week.[http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/drawn-from-the-ranks/2008/08/01/1217097505539.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 McDonald, J., "Drawn from the ranks", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 2 August 2008).]

When he was only 16, and still a student at Fort Street Boys' High School, Hetherington sold his first cartoon to The Bulletin magazine. He continued to contribute to The Bulletin over the next few years and continued to do so whilst he was in the army.Hetherington, N., "My Bulletin Days", 1946-1961, Biblionews and Australian Notes & Queries, No. 360, (December 2008), pp.143-147.

As a freelance cartoonist he also sold work to magazines that included Man, Man Junior, Army, Humour and Quiz: "His modus operandi was to approach the best-paying magazine first and continue on until he got down to the worst paying with whatever was left of his work".Foyle (2010)

He was discharged from the army in May 1946, and was immediately asked to join the full-time Bulletin staff; he continued to work for The Bulletin until 1961 (when all of the staff were sacked by Frank Packer, its new owner). He worked alongside such artists as Norman Lindsay and Percy Lindsay.

File:Grand Military Concert Perth 1942.jpeg

Early in his career, he signed his cartoons and caricatures with "Heth" and the last two digits of the year: a signature of, say, "Heth 42" (see advertisement at right) identifies Hetherington as the artist of the work, and 1942 as the year in which it had been drawn.For example, he signed his 1946 self-portrait as "Heth 46" (see [https://www.dropbox.com/s/jva5uae9hy8gfa8/Heth-%281946%29.jpeg]).

In the late 1940s, he changed his manner of signing his cartoons; it was no longer written horizontally, and it no longer displayed the year's last two digits. Whilst the signature "Heth" was still exclusively written in capital letters; it now took the form of "^H_E^T_H", rather than "HETH". The letters were now rotated sideways, and the signature was written vertically running down the page from the top-left to the bottom-right (see left); and was read with one's head tilted to the right.

Many of those who were not aware of this imagined he was signing his work with (non-rotated) imitations of a number of Chinese characters, traditionally written vertically, that needed to be read with one's head tilted to the left.Foyle and Carman (2010) speak of the signature appearing to have been "written in a Chinese-like jumble"; and, given that the following genuine Chinese characters – 大, 土, 士, 壳, 正, 走, 天, and 因 – can be found within his signature, this impression was widespread.

His interest in marionettes began in 1935 when his father, who was the head carpenter for a major shipping line, gave him a copy of an American magazine called Popular Science Monthly, which contained instructions for making a puppet out of used bicycle inner tubes.This was an article by Florence Fetherston Drake, on how to make marionettes from old inner tubes, that commenced on page 58 of Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 127, No. 3, (September 1935) [http://www.sp.uconn.edu/~wwwsfa/library_publications_buxton_howto_innertubemarionettes.htm THE BALLARD INSTITUTE AND MUSEUM OF PUPPETRY: Practical Marionettes Made From Old Inner Tubes].

Later articles (which, along with that first article, were eventually accumulated into the booklet How to Make Your Own Marionettes ([https://books.google.com/books?id=rSgDAAAAMBAJ&q=MARIONETTES&pg=PA89]) were:

[https://books.google.com/books?id=yyUDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Popular%20Science%20Monthly%22%20puppet&pg=PA67 Drake, F.F., "Its Great Fun to Give a Circus at Home With These Comical Animal Puppets", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 127, No. 6, (December 1935), pp.67, 92-93];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=eyYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA57 Drake, F.F., "Puppet Heads Modeled from Newspaper Pulp", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 128, No. 1, (January 1936), pp.57, 90-91];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=yCUDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA65 Drake, F.F., "Marionette Bodies", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 128, No. 2, (February 1936), pp.65, 109-111];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=fCYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 Drake, F.F., "Constructing Simple Marionette Stages", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 128, No. 3, (March 1936), pp.64-65, 105];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA71 Drake, F.F., "Stage Sets and Scenery for Marionette Shows", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 128, No. 4, (April 1936), pp.71, 106-108];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=hCgDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Popular%20Science%20Monthly%22%20marionettes&pg=PA71 Drake, F.F., "Properties for Marionette Shows", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 128, No. 5, (May 1936), pp.70-71, 103-105];

[https://books.google.com/books?id=wCgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA67 Drake, F.F., "Lighting the Miniature Stage", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 129, No. 1, (July 1936), pp.67, 91-92]; and

[https://books.google.com/books?id=fygDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Popular%20Science%20Monthly%22%20marionette&pg=PA72 Drake, F.F., "Trick Marionettes Will Enliven Your Puppet Shows", Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 129, No. 5, (November 1936), pp.72-73, 83-105].

He first made this Clown puppet and used it in a 1950 Methodist Order of Knights production of 'The Reluctant Dragon', one of the many productions which he devised, wrote and designed for the Burwood Chapter of which he was a member.

He went on to use this Clown puppet which he called 'Tipsy' in his early professional puppet shows including his marionette version of 'The Reluctant Dragon at the Mercury Theatre in the St James Hall in Phillip St, Sydney in 1953.

He went on to develop a repertoire of puppet shows which he performed around Sydney including 'The Enchanted Scarecrow' and 'The Magic Tinderbox'.

Even in these first shows, critics were remarking on the "wit, whimsy, and lively inventiveness" of his performance with his marionettes, and were very impressed with the skill and craftsmanship with which his puppets had been created.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18367277 L.B., "Puppets at the Mercury", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 22 June 1953), p.4.]

In a 1977 interview,Molloy, (1977). Hetherington explained to Sue Molloy that his interest in marionettes "was the outcome of a professional interest in cartoons, and amateur interest in theatre and a hobby of puppets", remarking that, in his view, "puppets are only three-dimensional cartoons".

In 1952 he gained a little early experience working with marionettes under the direction of Edith Constance Murray (née Blackwell) (1897–1988),[http://www.daao.org.au/bio/edith-constance-murray Design and Art Australia Online Biography: Edith Constance Murray] at the Clovelly Puppet Theatre, administered by the Children's Library and Crafts Movement which later became the Creative Leisure Movement.For more on Doris Mary Matheson, née Rivett (1896-1969) and Elsie Grace Rivett (1887-1964), see [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rivett-doris-mary-8515 Godden, G., "Rivett, Doris Mary (1896–1969)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1988]. The puppet theatre was in a former army hut donated by Randwick Council and erected by local volunteers in 1948. Describing it as "a nurturing ground", Hetherington said that this was where and when his puppetry changed from being just a hobby into a lifelong interest.Molloy, (1977); Bradshaw, (December 2010).

[https://books.google.com/books?id=KCpEhrdarIMC&q=%22Another+who+got+his+start+at+Clovelly+was+norman+hetherington%22&pg=PA116 Milne, G., Theatre Australia (Un)Limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s, Rodopi, (Amsterdam), 2004.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18468129 Children Cheer Puppet Heroes, The (Sydney) Sunday Herald, (Sunday, 29 May 1949), p.5.];[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28666055 Young People's Theatre Opens, The (Sydney) Sunday Herald Playtime, (Sunday, 19 June 1949), p.1.];

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18477946 Square Dancing, The (Sydney) Sunday Herald Playtime, (Sunday, 22 October 1950), p.1.];

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18430284 Henderson, B., "A Theatre That Pays For Itself", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 14 August 1954), p.13.]

[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bv9jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9-YDAAAAIBAJ&dq=puppet%20and%20clovelly&pg=2612%2C247947 Film-maker in puppet show, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 2 May 1969), p.12.]

At that time he joined the Puppetry Guild of NSW, of which Edith Murray was secretary for many years.  The Guild usually met then in the Library and Crafts Movement's centre in Rochford Street, Erskineville, and in 1953 Norman impressed members with excellent marionettes of a contortionist and a dissecting skeleton.

In 1954 he did a marionette production of “The Magic Tinderbox” in which he made use of a technique used in a nineteenth century trick puppet, “The Grand Turk”, to transform the King; his legs became frogs, his arms owls and his body became a fat purple pig. The famous English glove-puppeteer and author, Walter Wilkinson (1888-1970) was guest at a performance in the puppet theatre at the Movement's centre at Bradfield Park, now East Lindfield.

When the Australian section of UNIMA (the international association of puppeteers) was formed in 1970, following groundwork done by Edith Murray, Hetherington was the obvious choice for President, while Murray was Secretary. Hetherington also went on to be President of UNIMA Australia (Union Internationale de la Marionnette, of the International Puppetry Association) for many years.

During the 1950s, whilst pursuing his own rapidly developing personal interest in puppetry, he created a number of shows with the group he led, the Meryla Puppet Group.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18519149 Mercury Theatre, The (Sydney) Sunday Herald, (Sunday, 14 June 1953), p.16.] He was soon working on his own, as The Meryla Marionettes, with a series of shows that were very popular with children.Hetherington chose to use the name "Meryla" because that was (a) the name of the street in which he grew up, (b) had learned how to manipulate a marionette, and (c) had constructed his first puppets. It is also significant that, in the first few decades, his single operator puppet shows were always introduced as "The Meryla Marionettes present...", rather than as "Norman Hetherington presents...". Eventually, however, they became known as The Norman Hetherington Puppets (e.g., [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zZ5WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1810,6597238&dq=norman-hetherington&hl=en]; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W69WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RegDAAAAIBAJ&dq=norman-hetherington&pg=6606%2C452508]).

In November 1957, he was performing on stage for children during Saturday matinees at Sydney cinemas; and performing at three different locations on the one afternoon. Along with Igor's Puppets, the Merlya Marionettes performed on stage at the children's matinees at The Coronet Cinema, Bondi Junction, The Sixways Cinema, at Bondi, and the Randwick Cinema, at Randwick, on Saturday 23 November 1957;Hoyts Suburban Theatres: Special Children's Matinee, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday 23 November 1957), p.22. and at The Bondi Road Cinema, at Bondi, The Sixways Cinema, at Bondi, and The Woollahra Cinema, at Woollahra on Saturday 30 November 1957.Hoyts Suburban Theatres: Special Children's Matinee, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Saturday, 30 November 1957), p.22. Hetherington (assisted by Annette MacArthur-Onslow) and his puppets also performed live, on television, on Christmas Day 1957.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E9BYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yOQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2423%2C5681493 ABN Channel 2: Wednesday 25 December 1957: 4:00PM: "KINDERGARTEN PLAYTIME — Jan McKay introduces the Meryla Puppets with Norm. Hetherington and Annette MacArthur-Onslow", Sydney Morning Herald TV Guide, (Monday, 23 December 1957), p.4.]

In the beginning, the shows were often performed at children's libraries. Hetherington was always keen to demonstrate to his young audiences just how easily puppets could be made.

He continued to develop and perform puppet shows for holiday performances in theatres and department stores such as Anthony Hordern & Sons, David Jones, Farmer's, Grace Bros and Myer throughout the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's including shows such as such as "Enchanted Scarecrow", "The Magic Tinderbox", "The Moon for Supper" and "Nicky's Christmas Snowman".For example, [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18462050 See These Today: Free Puppet Show!, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday 8 September 1954), p.11];

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18453181 Youngsters Meet the Stars, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Thursday, 2 September 1954), p.3];

[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cXdWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3eQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4757%2C3374168 Puppet Show, The Sydney Morning Herald's Women's Section, (Thursday, 15 December 1955), p.5.] and "St George and the Dragon". In later years he was assisted by his daughter Rebecca.

{{Quote box

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|quote =    The old-fashioned world of puppets has come

back to store windows in the city with the appear-

ance of A Christmas Carol a Myer in George Street.

Its on all the coming week.

    Norman Hetherington has made 13 different

puppets and half a dozen shadow puppets with

the help of his family.

|source =             The Sun-Herald (18 December 1977).Richards, (1977).

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His innovative and creative design and construction skills were such that, from time to time, he was also asked to design puppets for others to operate in their own shows.In 1990, for example, he designed and constructed a set of puppets for Maddy Slabacu's performance of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Books (Cochrane, 1990); and he designed and constructed all the puppets for Richard Bradshaw's performance of The Mysterious Potamus in 1979 (Camens, (1979).

[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3XpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e-UDAAAAIBAJ&dq=good-teeth%20and%20puppet%20and%20theatre&pg=4598%2C132715 The photograph of "Smiley" on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald of Tuesday 2 June 1970], provides a beautiful sense of just how wonderfully skilled Hetherington was in designing and constructing puppets, and the detailed, intricate nature of the mechanical devices and the special sets that he designed for his shows, and just how much children loved them.

For the Marionette Theatre of Australia he designed the rod-puppets used in The Mysterious Potamus (1979), The Wind in the Willows (1986) and Pinnochio (1987).  (The first was performed in the Drama Theatre of the Sydney Opera House and travelled to Japan and The Philippines.)

Having attended the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) television training school some time prior to the introduction of television to Australia,[http://www.abc.net.au/corp/history/hist4.htm History of the ABC: The 50s - The Postwar Years], Hetherington began his television career in 1956,[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZIBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vuQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3451%2C5417650 Australia's National TV: ABN Channel 2 Commences: Fascinating Puppet Shows, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 5 November 1956), p.7.] creating Nicky and Noodle for the ABC,[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4n5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U7MDAAAAIBAJ&dq=nicky-and-noodle&pg=4854%2C4031728 ABV 2 (26 March 1959) 5PM.] and another series, Jolly Gene and His Fun Machine for Channel Seven in 1957.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lX9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2-QDAAAAIBAJ&dq=jolly-gene-and-his-fun-machine&pg=4499%2C1406874 ATN 7 (7 October 1957), 5PM.]

In 1958, Hetherington created Mr Squiggle, a moon-dwelling marionette with a pencil for a nose,[https://www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/mr-squiggles-christmas-cards Bolton, Jessica, "Mr Squiggle's Christmas Cards: From Norman Hetherington to Patricia Lovell", National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, December 2017.] and the character first appeared on the Children's TV Club on ABC TV, as Mister Jolly Squiggle by "Heth".ABC TV programme: The Way We Were: Kids TV: Mr. Squiggle and Miss Pat (with Mark Trevorrow), 10 July 2004. [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/netw/200407/highlights/234384.htm programme summary.] [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CZ5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sa0DAAAAIBAJ&dq=mr-jolly-squiggle&pg=4576%2C573197 ABV— Channel 2: Wednesday, 9 March 1960: 5.0: Children's TV Club: including Mr. Jolly Squiggle]. Hetherington was granted the copyright (No. 8027) for Mr. Squiggle in 1962; and his application stated that he had first created "Mr. Squiggle" on 1 August 1958).[http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/find-of-the-month/2005-february.aspx Find of the Month: A star is born!, National Archives of Australia, February 2005.] The marionette had a very heavy head, and it was always manipulated by and voiced by Hetherington himself as the sole operator. Since the images were drawn upside down, Hetherington would lie above the set in the rafters above looking down at the drawing whilst operating the marionette. The gentle politeness of Mr. Squiggle, and the gentle strength of Hetherington's well-modulated voice was immediately attractive to children, at a time when most of the other Australian TV channels had violent, raucous, and brash ventriloquist acts associated with their children's shows.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=L_lYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=luYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1500%2C8963936 Shelley, G., "20 Years of Mr. Squiggle", The Herald TV Guide, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 2 July 1979), p.8.]

Exploiting the "fusion" of his skills as both puppeteer and cartoonist, he used the tip of the pencil that formed the puppet's nose to convert "squiggles" that had been sent in to the television station by young viewers into full-realised drawings and cartoons. Most significantly, given all of the mechanics of his marionette's performance, all of these "squiggle" conversions by Mr. Squiggle were always performed with the original children's drawing up-side down.

When asked, in 2009, in one of the "Moment in Time" segments of the ABC TV programme Can We Help?, on behalf of a viewer, Miriam Webster,"Miriam Webster from Willoughby has sent us in search of the secret behind Mr. Squiggle's famous nose. Who better to ask than his creator, Norman Hetherington?": Moment in Time, Can We Help?, Episode 36, Friday 16 October 2009. whether Mr. Squiggle had lead in his pencil or whether it was "something more extraterrestrial", Norman Hetherington replied: "It started off with a very large felt pen, a very thick felt pen; but, in Studio 23, we were very close to the lights, and the heat would dry up the felt, and it wasn't very good, so we graduated to crayon, and then to oil chalk, and then [to] chalk."[http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s2710076.htm ABC TV: Transcript: "What was Mr. Squiggle's nose made from?", Moment in Time, Can We Help?, Episode 36, Friday 16 October 2009.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202150936/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/txt/s2710076.htm |date=2 February 2011 }}

Initially intended as a temporary fill-in,In a 2008 interview with Matthew Perkins, Hetherington said that he had been given a week's notice that the ABC TV wanted him to perform; and that, quite unusually, he was not required to audition (Perkins, 2008). the show ran on ABC for 40 years,[http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1451066.htm Spacewalk time] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102034032/http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1451066.htm |date=2 November 2005 }}, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1 September 2005. Mr. Squiggle's first appearance on ABC TV was on 1 July 1959, and he drew his last picture on ABC TV on 9 July 1999.[http://aso.gov.au/chronology/1950s/ Australian film and television chronology: The 1950s: National Film and Sound Archive.]

Mr Squiggle was joined by other characters devised and performed by Hetherington including Rocket who brought him from the Moon to the studio; Blackboard who held the squiggles while Mr Squiggle transformed them; Bill Steamshovel who loved telling riddles and eating rocks and concrete and later the knock-knock telling Gus the Snail.

Over the 40 years on ABC television, Mr Squiggle also had a number of helpers who 'held his hand' to help him tackle the tricky squiggles the viewers would send in. These included Miss Gina from 1959 - 1960 (Gina Curtis), Miss Pat from 1960 - 1975 (Pat Lovell), Miss Sue (Sue Lloyd), Miss Jane from 1975 until 1986 (Jane Fennell), Roxanne Kimmorley for the next three years and then Norman's daughter Rebecca Hetherington from 1989 until the show ended in 1990.

When interviewed by Sarah Collerton in 2009, Hetherington told her that "I taught Mr. Squiggle to draw and now he draws better than I do".Collerton, (2009).

In May 1999, Mr. Squiggle was honoured by Australia Post with his own 45-cent postage stamp.In May 1999, Australia Post issued a set of five different stamps, featuring four of the best-loved children's television programmes. Along with the stamp featuring Mr. Squiggle (who "starred" as the centre of the group), there was one stamp for Here's Humphrey, one stamp for Bananas in Pyjamas, and on the other side of Mr. Squiggle, two stamps for Play School. There was also a special first day cover for the set: [http://shop.auspost.com.au/assets/document/1239073574-bull250.pdf Children's TV, Australian Stamp Bulletin, No. 250, (May-July 1999), p.3.]

In 2019 the Australian Mint issued a Mr Squiggle and Friends Coin Collection celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Mr Squiggle. It featured a limited edition 1 cent coin, two 1$ coins featuring images of Mr Squiggle and four 2$ coins each with coloured embellishment and featuring Mr Squiggle as well as the other characters from the show, Bill Steamshovel, Gus the Snail and Blackboard, all enclosed in an illustrated folder featuring illustrations of Mr Squiggle and Friends by Norman Hetherington

In March 1962, the Dental Health Education and Research Foundation was established at the University of Sydney to promote the philosophy and practice of preventive dentistry and, in particular, communicate positive dental health messages to the general population. Preliminary studies had convinced the Foundation that "dental health literature of a hand-out nature was virtually useless unless it was used to supplement information or knowledge already passed on to the recipient by a dentist or some other authoritative person".Woolley, (1980), p.249. Moreover, it was soon found that the presence of Dental Health Educators in primary schools, instructing children up to 12 years in such things as diet, oral hygiene and plaque control, was not as effective as anticipated.

In 1967, Hetherington was consulted by the Foundation; and, with the initial notion of strongly augmenting the work of the Dental Health Educators, he was responsible for establishing the "Smiley's Good Teeth Puppet Theatre", starring a new puppet, Smiley ("a little boy who gets toothache because he has not looked after his teeth properly"),Anon, (1969). that delivered performances based on a script that had been produced in collaboration with the Foundation, that featured all of its desired preventive dentistry messages. The first performance—which, it had been decided by that time, would run "in parallel with" (rather than "as part of") the dental health educator programme—was in February 1968, with the specific target of the younger, primary school children.

The shows were performed with two puppeteers, with the assistant operating Smiley, and Hetherington everything else.One of his assistants was Geoff. Murray, the grandson of Edith Murray The show, and its associated Good Teeth Club—to which Hetherington, having emerged from behind the puppet stage, would invite the delighted children to join at the end of each of his performances (Anon, 1970)The Certificate of Membership of the Good Teeth Club, indicated that the member had promised to do three things:

"I will keep my teeth clean",

"I will eat the right food and give my teeth plenty of chewing exercise", and

"I will visit my dentist three times a year" (Anon, 1969).—was immensely popular with the school children immediately it began its operation.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=77EpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_OYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=good-teeth%20and%20puppet%20and%20theatre&pg=1648%2C1635515 Column Eight, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 5 August 1968), p.1.]

The Foundation was overjoyed to discover that evaluations showed that, even after six months, the children could remember 70% of the dental health messages associated with the show (Woolley, 1980)."Evaluation studies of the school programs revealed that after six months children were able to recall more than 70% of the dental health message. Results of a recent WHO survey of the oral health status of 13-14-year-olds in Canterbury (New Zealand), Sydney (Australia), Trondelag (Norway), Yamanashi (Japan) and Hannover (West Germany) showed that the Sydney children [who had seen Hetherington's show] had the lowest caries rate" (Woolley, 1980, p.254).

In 1970, as part of a weekend workshop conducted by the Australian Dental Association and the Dental Health Education and Research Foundation at Sydney University, Hetherington demonstrated his work to the assembled dentists, by allowing them to observe him deliver an entire performance to a group of children from Newtown North Primary School. They were all greatly impressed with his work.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7sBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J-UDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1430%2C7104565 A puppet (aged about 10) goes to university, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Tuesday, 18 August 1970), p.16.]

Smiley's Good Teeth Puppet Theatre operated from 1968 to 1985,Anon, (1970). and, although it began in suburban Sydney, it was making trips into the country by late 1969.

As time passed, Hetherington became less involved in the actual delivery of the performances and often hired other puppeteers to perform the shows including Pam Sahm, who operated Smiley.Pam was the wife of the Mosman potter, Bernard Sahm (see [http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/sahm-bernard-1575 Pinson, P. & Warren, G., "Sahm, Bernard (1926–2011)", Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 2011.] and his son Stephen also worked as a puppeteer on the show while attending university.

Given his wide range of appropriate skills and experience, Hetherington was invited to work with a group of undergraduate students (ranging from second to fourth year) from the (then) Department of Indonesian and Malayan Studies at the University of Sydney, over the entire three-term year of 1980, in the task of preparing them for a performance of "Irawan Rabi", or "Irwan's Wedding", as it had been adapted for a western audience by James R. Brandon, in the manner of the traditional Javanese puppet theatre (or wayang kulit). (Day, 1981).

He was asked to assist them to acquire an understanding of shadow puppet design, train them in the appropriate techniques of puppet manipulation, guide them into a smooth performance, as well as transferring an understanding of puppetry stagecraft (Day, 1981).

Apart from the extensive training he delivered to the students, and the advice that he gave to the entire company on puppetry stagecraft,As well as the students and Hetherington, the company included an academic, Anthony Day, an actress, Ludmilla Doneman, a director from the university's Theatre Studies Workshop, Derek Nicholson, and a post-graduate student and accomplished performer of Javanese gamelan music, Jenny Lindsay (Day, 1981, p.17). he was also a very important participant in the joint construction of the final script, the musical improvisations used during the performance, and the comic routines that were woven throughout the entire performance. (Day, 1981.)

The eventual performance, the culmination of the entire year's project/course, was performed by six of the students, along with "eight-metre-high puppets made from plywood", a "life-size monster with expendable heads" and a "foam-rubber monkey".

Hetherington and his wife received several honours and awards, including the Penguin Award in 1984, and again in 1989, from the Television Society of Australia "for their outstanding contribution to children's television in Australia".

He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990 "for service to children's television programmes and puppetry".{{cite web |url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/index.cfm |title=Search Australia Honours |accessdate=2009-07-01 |year=2009 |work=It's An Honour |publisher=Australian Government |archive-date=16 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216110134/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/index.cfm |url-status=dead }}[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/240730394/25895822 The Queen's Birthday 1990 Honours List: To be awarded the Medal of the Order in the General Division (OAM), Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Special, No. S141, (Monday, 11 Jun 1990), p.8.]

In 2005, he was presented with the Dean's Award for Excellence in Art, Design and Education (College of Fine Arts, UNSW), for contribution to the media. In 1989 the Australian Cartoonists' Association presented Hetherington with a signed artist's smock; it awarded him a life membership in 2008; and [on 14 November 2009] the association presented him with the coveted Stanley Award for his outstanding contribution to Australian cartooning at the Stanley Awards ceremony in Sydney. He received a standing ovation at the presentation where many fellow cartoonists acknowledged that they were encouraged to pick up a pencil by virtue of being able to watch Mr. Squiggle's antics on television each week.[http://www.theage.com.au/national/creative-mind-thrilled-children-20101207-18oe7.html Foyle, 2010.]

After a long illness, Hetherington died on 6 December 2010 in Greenwich, Sydney.[https://web.archive.org/web/20101208024054/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/06/3086216.htm Man behind Mr. Squiggle dies], ABC News, 6 December 2010.Aaron Cook, [http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/farewell-to-creator-of-abcs-mr-squiggle-20101206-18mxb.html Farewell to creator of ABC's Mr. Squiggle], The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 December 2010. At his funeral, the eulogy was delivered by Richard Bradshaw.The text of his eulogy is reprinted at Bradshaw (2010).

and his daughter Rebecca Hetherington.

Many artists, cartoonists, and puppeteers have acknowledged their debt to Norman Hetherington and his work, including:

• Christine Assange, Australian puppeteer and mother of Julian Assange.[http://www.blacktownsun.com.au/news/national/national/general/mums-the-word-on-julian-and-mr-squiggle/2023194.aspx Dennehey, K., "Mum's the word on Julian and Mr. Squiggle", The Blacktown Sun, 12 December 2010.]
• Peter Broelman, Australian editorial cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator.[http://www.aapone.com.au/search.aspx?search=%22MR+SQUIGGLE+CREATOR+DIES%22&field=ObjectName&Gallery=CARTOONS Homage to Norman Hetherington: cartoon] by Peter Broelman, drawn on 6 December 2010.
• Chris "Roy" Taylor, Herald-Sun cartoonist.[http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/dans-the-man-for-bland-new-brand/story-fn6bn88w-1225967195992]
• Annette MacArthur-Onslow, author, illustrator of children's books, and one-time assistant to Hetherington (e.g., on Christmas Day 1957).[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41852309 Packer, R.C., "Television Parade", The Australian Women's Weekly, (Wednesday, 12 December 1956), p.10.];

[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article48208038 Worth Reporting: Strings on Her Fingers, The Australian Women's Weekly, (Wednesday, 20 November 1957), p.34.]

• Ross McCaughey, Australian cartoonist and book illustrator.His comments on "Norman Hetherington" appeared on his blog-site (The South Avocado Blog) on Tuesday, 7 December 2010.
• Spare Parts Puppet Theatre.[http://www.sppt.asn.au/company/news/39]
• Hilary Talbot, Australian puppeteer and puppet designer.[http://spiritsdancing.com/sdblog/2009/02/05/upside-down-upside-down]
• Ben Wood, Australian book and magazine illustrator.[http://www.benwoodillustrations.com/tag/mr-squiggle-fan-art]

In 2014, Google paid tribute to Hetherington, on his 93rd birthday,[http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/mr-squiggle-creator-norman-hetherington-honoured-with-google-doodle-20140529-zrrk8.html Mr Squiggle creator Norman Hetherington honoured with Google doodle, The Sydney Morning Herald: Digital Life, 29 May 2014] with a Google Doodle,[https://doodles.google/doodle/norman-frederick-hetheringtons-93rd-birthday/ Google Doodle Archive: May 29, 2014: Norman Frederick Hetherington's 93rd Birthday] that had been created by the Google Doodle artist Sophie Diao.[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/promote-article/sophie-diao-85812.html McDonnell, Chris, "Artist of the Day: Sophie Diao", Cartoon Brew, Saturday, 3 August 2013.][http://www.cartoonbrew.com/promote-article/sophie-diao-85812.html Sophie Diao: Internet Illustrator.]

In April 2024, the National Museum of Australia announced that it had acquired a collection of Norman Hetherington's puppets, scripts, artworks, props, graphics, merchandise, and fans' "squiggles", with the intention of eventually putting them on display.[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-29/national-museum-australia-mr-squiggle-norman-hetherington/103773010 Twyford, Lottie, "National Museum of Australia acquires collection of Mr Squiggle creator, Norman Hetherington", ABC News, 29 April 2024.]

• "Heth", Army Daze by Heth: From Civvy to Commando in 40 Easy Laughs, Pinnacle Press (Magpie Series), (Sydney), 1945.
• Hetherington, N., Puppets of Australia, Australian Council for the Arts, (Sydney), 1974.
• Hetherington, N. & Hetherington, M., Mr. Squiggle and the Great Moon Robbery, Australian Broadcasting Commission, (Sydney), 1980.
• Hetherington, N. & Hetherington, M., Hand Shadows, Angus & Robertson, (North Ryde), 1988.
• Hetherington, N. & Hetherington, M., Mr. Squiggle and the Preposterous Purple Crocodile, ABC Enterprises, (Sydney), 1992.

• Blair, D. (ed.), Blown to Blazes and Other Works of J. B. Blair, David Blair, (Sydney), 2007.
• Gardiner, S., Reflections, Wentworth Books, (Surry Hills), 1979.
• Hetherington, M., Mr. Squiggle and the Preposterous Purple Crocodile, ABC Enterprises, (Sydney), 1992.
• Hosking, C., Old Tales in a New Land: Some European Customs and Legends, Angus and Robertson, (Sydney), 1957.
• Pate, M., An Entertaining War, Dreamweaver Books, (Sydney), 1986."Heth" provided the dust-jacket cover's illustration.

Norman Hetherington was an avid supporter of the Book Collectors Society of Australia. In his memory, one of his cartoons appears on the back cover of the society journal Biblionews.

{{Reflist}}

{{Portal|Australia|Biography|Television|Comics}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• [http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2010/s3086503.htm ABC Radio programme: AM: "Mr. Squiggle's creator dies": Tuesday, 7 December 2010 (Timothy McDonald, reporter).]
• [http://www.abc.net.au/austory/1996.htm ABC TV programme: Australian Story: 30 October 1996: "Mr. Squiggle".]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110902202834/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/collectors/video/download.htm ABC TV programme: The Collectors: 2010: Episode 21: (Friday 30 July 2010): "Mr. Squiggle".] (promo: "Coming up on Collectors . . . This weeks episode of COLLECTORS will put a smile on many a face - Mr. Squiggle drops in!")
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4918899 Anon, "Wonderbox", The Australian Women's Weekly, (Wednesday, 28 October 1964), p.17.]
• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8C4gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NPEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3898%2C7494256 Anon, "Make that third set unnecessary", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 20 October 1969, p.13.]
• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=33pWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e-UDAAAAIBAJ&dq=hetherington%20and%20puppeteer&pg=1265%2C692649 Anon, "All say 'cheese', please", The Sydney Morning Herald Women's Section, (Thursday, 4 June 1970), p.6.]
• [http://www.dreampuppets.com/O.P.E.N._files/OPEN%2011%20%20December.pdf Bradshaw, R.,"Norman Hetherington 1921 - 2010 (Eulogy)", O.P.E.N., No. 11, (December 2010), pp.2-4.]
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page5844658 Camens, J. "The Mysterious Potamus", The Australian Women's Weekly, (Wednesday, 17 January 1979), p.17.]
• Cochrane, P., "Maddy's Living Dangles on a Shoestring", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 2 July 1990), p. 5.
• [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-01/mr-squiggle-rockets-to-50th-birthday/1338502 Collerton, S., "Mr. Squiggle Rockets to 50th Birthday", ABC News Online, 2 July 2009.]
• Day, A., "Reading Irawan Rabi (Irawan's Wedding)", Asian Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 17–18.
• [http://www.daao.org.au/bio/norman-hetherington Design and Art Australia Online Biography: Norman Hetherington.]
• [http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/chaser-keeps-kez-off-streets/2008/11/10/1226165477509.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 Dunn, E. & Munro, K., "Art on a Plate", The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 November 2008.]
• [http://www.theage.com.au/national/creative-mind-thrilled-children-20101207-18oe7.html Foyle, L., "Creative Mind Thrilled Children", The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday, 8 December 2010.]
• [http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/cartoonist-drew-mr-squiggle-to-life-20101207-18oal.html Foyle, L. & Carman, G., "Cartoonist drew Mr. Squiggle to life: Norman Hetherington, 1921-2010", The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday, 8 December 2010.]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110227171934/http://www.schoolofpuppetry.com.au/tutorials.php/australian-puppetry-mr-squiggle Guss, Naomi, "Australian puppetry - Mr. Squiggle", School of Puppetry, 6 December 2010).]
• Hetherington, N., "My Bulletin Days", 1946–1961, Biblionews and Australian Notes & Queries, No. 360, (December 2008), pp. 143–147.
• [https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/norman-hetherington Hunter, Claire (2019), "Heth: An Artist at War", Australian War Memorial.]
• Jones, M., "Mr. Squiggle Chalks Up 30 Years", The Australian Women's Weekly, (July 1989), p. 65.
• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2jFWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IucDAAAAIBAJ&dq=norman-hetherington&pg=4585%2C5237602 Miner, J., "Mr. Squiggle is still drawing the children", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 11 July 1984), p.17.]
• Molloy, Sue, "Puppets will present A Christmas Tale", The (Sydney) Sun-Herald, (Sunday, 11 December 1977), p. 197.
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110217180820/http://mosmanartgallery.org.au/blog/a-tribute-to-norman-hetherington Mosman Art Gallery: Tribute to Norman Hetherington, 10 December 2010.]
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4903751 Musgrove, N., "Many Happy Returns to Mr. Squiggle", The Australian Women's Weekly, (Wednesday, 24 July 1974), p.57.]
• [http://www.dreampuppets.com/O.P.E.N._files/OPEN%2011%20%20December.pdf O.P.E.N., Theme Issue: Norman Hetherington OAM, O.P.E.N. (Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter), No. 11, December 2010.]
• [http://issuu.com/australiancartoonists/docs/inkspot60-final Panozzo, S., "Norman Hetherington: The 2009 Stanleys: The Jim Russell Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cartooning", Inkspot, No. 60, (Summer 2009), pp.26-27.]
• Pate, M., An Entertaining War, Dreamweaver Books, (Sydney), 1986.
• [http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/04/04/2208476.htm Perkins, M., "Mr. Squiggle rockets in", 720 ABC Perth, 4 April 2008.]
• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5_1jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-eYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=norman-hetherington%20-joseph&pg=1282%2C6303820 Richards, B., "Parents Guide to Holiday Fun: Stage Shows Aplenty for Kiddies", The (Sydney) Sun-Herald, (Sunday, 18 December 1977), p.110.]
• [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bvdjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-eQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=hetherington%20and%20puppeteer&pg=1128%2C8739332 Toshack, M., "Pulling the strings in a magic world", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Wednesday, 24 November 1971, p.20.]
• Wilson, P.J. & Milne, G., The Space Between: The Art of Puppetry and Visual Theatre in Australia, Currency Press, (Sydney ), 2004.
• Woolley, J.M., "Changing Oral Hygiene Attitudes and Habits", International Dental Journal, Vol. 30, No. 3, (September 1980), pp. 249–256. {{PMID|6160112}}
• Wynhausen, E., "Mr. Squiggle's Still Sharp as he Chalks up 40", The Australian, (Monday, 26 July 1999), p. 3.

{{refend}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hetherington, Norman}}

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