Roland Rat's Beautiful Britain fun pack

Made:
1985
maker:
Glasdon Limited
Roland Rat's Beautiful Britain fun pack

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Science Museum Group Collection

Roland Rat’s ‘Beautiful Britain’ Fun Pack, British Rail and Keep Britain Tidy, Working together for a litter-free Railway, containing games, notebook, two colouring sheets, litter bag, six colour pencils, rubber, sharpener, badge, die, and four gaming counters, designed and produced by Glasdon Limited, copyright Glasdon and Roland Rat Enterprises Limited, 1985, unused.

In an effort to promote cleanliness and good citizenship, British Rail collaborated with UK charity Keep Britain Tidy to produce this Fun Pack. Litter can cause serious problems on the railways. Not only can metal cans cause short circuits in the signalling system but discarded items can attract rodents that can chew through cables, causing disruption, delays, and accidents.

Roland had first appeared on British television in April 1983 on TV-am for ITV. He already had one railway connection - he lived underneath King's Cross Station in the "Ratcave".

Roland Rat's inclusion in the advertising campaign and anti-littering merchandise had the dual benefit of both connecting with popular culture and highlighting the possible consequences of littering - rats.

Details

Category:
Toys & Games
Object Number:
2016-7094
Measurements:
overall: 296 mm x 210 mm x 10 mm,
type:
fun pack
credit:
Steven Mclachlan