McBurrows family
FATHER JACK McBURROWS has worked with his brother Digger to create a series of tunnels under Sylvania. They are known as the 'Sylvanian Underground'. It is an inter-woven network of tunnels which lead from house to house and shop to shop, so the McBurrows never need appear overground. It has become a huge joke in Sylvania because you never know when a member of the McBurrows family are going to pop up in the middle of your house for a cup of tea! Jack is very strong and muscular. He works out regularly and does lots of exercises to ensure his body and feet are strong enough to create his underground world. Why exactly he exercises is a mystery – with all the digging he does, exercise seems unnecessary. His favourite pastime is collecting fossils which is a great hobby for someone who is always digging around underground.
MOTHER SALLY McBURROWS (born MCMORROW) is very house proud (or rather tunnel-proud!) No matter when you visit, you'll always find her cleaning. She has a terrible time because all her family are always digging and getting themselves muddy and dirty. Black footprints on the furniture, mucky handprints on the wall – there is never a dull moment for Sally. She dreams of having an all-white tunnel with all her family wearing white gloves so there will never be a mucky mess ever again!!
BROTHER RUSTY McBURROWS drives his mother up the wall. He just cannot keep his clothes clean – he is always covered in dirt and mud. Rusty just loves to be dirty and cannot bear to be clean. If a bath is mentioned in the household he develops a nervous wriggle and has to rush off to get extra dirty in the hope that his mother will be unable to get it all off him. At school, he always has to sit on a sheet of plastic as Aristotle Treefellow gets very annoyed if his school gets covered in mud. Rusty is very good friends with Byron Underwood and enjoys going on trips with him, to take pictures for the Sylvanian photograph album. The only trouble is that Rusty has very poor eyesight and Byron always ends up with pictures of Sylvanians with no heads, that's if Rusty even manages to get anyone at all in the picture!!
SISTER MAUREEN McBURROWS is an expert at arts and crafts. Mr Merryweather, her teacher, is very pleased with her and gives her a good report from her art classes. Maureen has been very busy recently because she has been making cushions and a bedspread for the annual School summer fete. The Brambles lent her their sewing machine and Sophie Snow-Warren helped her gather all her bits and pieces. Everyone agreed she made a splendid job of the cushions and bedspread.
BABY BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW McBURROWS likes to stand up in his cot (with great difficulty) and wave at his mum and dad early in the morning to let them know it's time to get up and play! He is named after P.C. Bobby Roberts, who helped Sally get to the hospital in time when she was giving birth. Bobby hopes little Bartholomew will grow up to join him on the Sylvanian Police force.
MOTHER SALLY McBURROWS (born MCMORROW) is very house proud (or rather tunnel-proud!) No matter when you visit, you'll always find her cleaning. She has a terrible time because all her family are always digging and getting themselves muddy and dirty. Black footprints on the furniture, mucky handprints on the wall – there is never a dull moment for Sally. She dreams of having an all-white tunnel with all her family wearing white gloves so there will never be a mucky mess ever again!!
BROTHER RUSTY McBURROWS drives his mother up the wall. He just cannot keep his clothes clean – he is always covered in dirt and mud. Rusty just loves to be dirty and cannot bear to be clean. If a bath is mentioned in the household he develops a nervous wriggle and has to rush off to get extra dirty in the hope that his mother will be unable to get it all off him. At school, he always has to sit on a sheet of plastic as Aristotle Treefellow gets very annoyed if his school gets covered in mud. Rusty is very good friends with Byron Underwood and enjoys going on trips with him, to take pictures for the Sylvanian photograph album. The only trouble is that Rusty has very poor eyesight and Byron always ends up with pictures of Sylvanians with no heads, that's if Rusty even manages to get anyone at all in the picture!!
SISTER MAUREEN McBURROWS is an expert at arts and crafts. Mr Merryweather, her teacher, is very pleased with her and gives her a good report from her art classes. Maureen has been very busy recently because she has been making cushions and a bedspread for the annual School summer fete. The Brambles lent her their sewing machine and Sophie Snow-Warren helped her gather all her bits and pieces. Everyone agreed she made a splendid job of the cushions and bedspread.
BABY BROTHER BARTHOLOMEW McBURROWS likes to stand up in his cot (with great difficulty) and wave at his mum and dad early in the morning to let them know it's time to get up and play! He is named after P.C. Bobby Roberts, who helped Sally get to the hospital in time when she was giving birth. Bobby hopes little Bartholomew will grow up to join him on the Sylvanian Police force.
MOTHER HEIDI McBURROWS (born MCDONALD) is very house-proud. Visitors to her cosy underground dwelling always find her cleaning and tidying no matter the time of day. Indeed, no one in Sylvania is handier with a dustpan and brush than Heidi – so much so that her husband likes to joke that she has 'tunnel vision' where housework is concerned! Dirty footprints are Heidi's pet hate and woe betide anyone who steps inside her house without taking their shoes off first! She certainly has her work cut out when it comes to Digger, of course – after all, her husband does spend his entire day burrowing through the muddy Sylvanian soil! Soap, washing powder and bubble bath are always right at the top of Heidi's shopping list! (17 Jun)
BROTHER MUDDY McBURROWS keeps his mother very busy too. He always seems to be covered in mud, even when no rain has fallen for weeks on end. Muddy sets off to school every day in a clean pair of blue and white dungarees – but by the time he gets back home, no one can tell what colour they are! How this happens Muddy is never quite sure, especially as he only plays rugby and football a couple of times a week! Of course, his mother always makes him jump in the bath the moment he steps through the door, but his father just strokes his head proudly and says, “You're my little mud magnet, you are!” (19 Apr)
SISTER MOLLY McBURROWS is very clever with her hands. She uses her artistic talents to make beautiful presents for her family and friends. Molly puts a lot of thought into her gifts and usually gets them just right. Her mother was thrilled with her willow basket, for example – now she could keep all her cleaning equipment in one easy to find place. Her father loved that pair of slippers she sewed for him – now he could put his feet up when he got home after a busy day at work. Unfortunately the beautiful sweater Molly knitted for her brother Muddy was not such a success – it was white, but obviously didn't stay white for very long! (27 Jun)
BROTHER MUDDY McBURROWS keeps his mother very busy too. He always seems to be covered in mud, even when no rain has fallen for weeks on end. Muddy sets off to school every day in a clean pair of blue and white dungarees – but by the time he gets back home, no one can tell what colour they are! How this happens Muddy is never quite sure, especially as he only plays rugby and football a couple of times a week! Of course, his mother always makes him jump in the bath the moment he steps through the door, but his father just strokes his head proudly and says, “You're my little mud magnet, you are!” (19 Apr)
SISTER MOLLY McBURROWS is very clever with her hands. She uses her artistic talents to make beautiful presents for her family and friends. Molly puts a lot of thought into her gifts and usually gets them just right. Her mother was thrilled with her willow basket, for example – now she could keep all her cleaning equipment in one easy to find place. Her father loved that pair of slippers she sewed for him – now he could put his feet up when he got home after a busy day at work. Unfortunately the beautiful sweater Molly knitted for her brother Muddy was not such a success – it was white, but obviously didn't stay white for very long! (27 Jun)
Family ties: Jack is the brother of Anais McHedge and the brother-in-law of Heidi McBurrows