In 1969 (the year of NASA's first landing on the Moon), the BBC asked Smallfilms to produce a new series for colour television, but without specifying a storyline. Postgate concluded that as space exploration was topical the new series should take place in space (and, inspired by the real Moon Landing, Peter Firmin designed a set which strongly resembled the Moon). Postgate adapted the Moonmouse from the 1967 story, by simply removing its tail ("because it kept getting into the soup"). Hence the Clangers looked similar to mice (and, from their pink colour, pigs). They wore clothes reminiscent of Roman armour, "against the space debris that kept falling onto the planet, lost from other places, such as television sets and bits of an Iron Chicken", and they spoke in whistled language.
In 1969 (the year of NASA's first landing on the Moon) the BBC asked Smallfilms to produce a new series for colour television but without specifying a storyline Postgate concluded that as space exploration was topical the new series should take place in space (and inspired by the real Moon Landing Peter Firmin designed a set which strongly resembled the Moon) Postgate adapted the Moonmouse from the 1967 story by simply removing its tail ("because it kept getting into the soup") Hence the Clangers looked similar to mice (and from their pink colour pigs) They wore clothes reminiscent of Roman armour "against the space debris that kept falling onto the planet lost from other places such as television sets and bits of an Iron Chicken" and they spoke in whistled language