THEY were well loved children’s TV characters in the 1970s and only a few understood what their strange noises were all about.

But they’re back and supporting a Yorkshire charity.

Yorkshire Cancer Research has signed the mouse-like Clangers as their mascot and they will be supporting a traditional May Day activity – a car boot sale in Huddersfield.

The Clangers featured a number of small creatures living in peace and harmony on a small, hollow planet far far away, nourished by Blue String Pudding and Green Soup harvested from the planet’s volcanic soup wells by the Soup Dragon.

They looked similar to mice, anteaters and, from their pink colour, pigs. They wore clothes reminiscent of Roman armour and spoke in whistles.

The Pennine Manor Hotel at Outlane will host the event in aid of the charity on Bank Holiday Monday.

General manager Carrie France said: “Since we got involved with Yorkshire Cancer Research we have been selling Clangers keyrings and badges like hot cakes.”

The car boot sale will take place from 10am at the Nettleton Hill Road hotel.

Admission is free and sellers can turn up on the day where prices are £7 for car boot sales or £10 for Transit van sales.

Clangers were on TV from 1969 to 1974.

It was an iconic stop motion animated children’s series made by Smallfilms, the company set up by writer and narrator Oliver Postgate and modelmaker Peter Firmin.

Firmin designed the characters and his wife knitted and ‘dressed’ the Clangers.

The first episode was broadcast by the BBC on November 16, 1969, and a further 25 episodes were made.

The last episode has not been seen since its original broadcast, although it exists in the BBC archive.