In the late 1970s, cricket went through a revolution. Kerry Packer, a business tycoon, ushered in some revel reforms to change the manner in which the sport would be perceived by the viewers. Different camera angles, color broadcast, color clothing, slow-motion replays were some of the many advances that Packer’s World Series Cricket introduced. One such graphical illustration that made its debut then, was Daddles.
In 1986, England’s Daily Times reported that the Prince of Wales was dismissed on a ‘duck’s egg’ which was a description of the said batter getting out on zero. Since then, the term duck has been associated with any batter getting out without scoring any runs. Tom Kerr, a cartoonist, is credited with the first ever illustration of Daddles.
It was GTV9’s production house that decided to have an animated version of Daddles on the television screen. Daddles would make an appearance whenever the batter got out on zero. It was depicted as an embodiment of all the resentment that a batter would have for not scoring a single run. The animation would walk across the screen with the footage of the batter taking a walk off the field after his dismissal.
The reaction to Daddles was bipolar. While it was appealing to kids and viewers, many cricket pundits felt it as an insult to the batter. But Daddles had a lasting impact. Up until 1999, the duck, whose cry was that of Donald Duck, entertained it’s audience. Daddles was last seen on television screens in 1999.
Many of its variants tried to fill its void, but none had the endurance.
