My eldest is getting to the point where he is moving away from the more irritating TV shows, like Peppa Pig and SpongeBob SquarePants, and towards the slightly less headache inducing shows… and Youtube.
However, the other day I caught him watching Blue Peter. I couldn’t believe it was still going! It is a very different show to the one I remember watching, and they don’t broadcast it live anymore, but it’s still going.
Then I remembered something else. The Blue Peter badge! These things were hot property when I was a kid, and bought you serious social currency for at least a week if you wore one to school. I never got my hands on one sadly, but a boy in my class did. He organised some sort of charity walk and ended up on the show. I still feel pangs of jealousy when I think about him 🙈
Anyway I had a look and you can still get the badges, with the little Blue Peter ship logo on them and everything. In fact, there are a few different ones to collect.
So, for my son (not for me 🤥😂), I put a plan into action to finally get my hands on the coveted Blue Peter badge I missed out on during my own childhood.
What is the Badge?
The Blue Peter badge was the Holy Grail of children’s television paraphernalia. A simple, white, shield shaped badge with the Blue Peter Ship Logo on the front, in blue, of course. They were made of metal originally but switched to being plastic by the time I came along. It was Tony Hart who came up with the design, and if you remember him you are showing your age!
Anyway, they came up with it in 1963, and traditionally, it was given out as a reward for doing something special that caught the producer’s eye. It could be an act of bravery, doing something kind, doing something for charity – anything that set a good example really. However, you only got one if you ended up on the show talking about your achievement, or if something you created was talked about or shown on the program.
This is why they felt special. They were hard to get hold of. You really had to earn them. Plus, back then, kids didn’t get a mountain of Christmas presents or five tons of tat at every kids birthday party, so a little pin badge direct from a TV show would feel super special.
These days our houses are overflowing with toys and everyone gets a trophy for trying, so it’s never been easier to get a Blue Peter badge and they have never been less special – but still, it’s nice for kids to get something in the post.
There are actually 7 different Blue Peter badges now, each one given for something different. It sounds a bit like Scout or Brownie badges, but there aren’t nearly as many.
How to Get One
The basic requirements are for the person applying for a badge to be between 5 and 15 years old, and they will also need their own My Blue Peter online account.
Me and my son have sent off for most of these badges, because the process is really quite simple, and involves something fun for the kids to do in order to ‘earn’ the badge in the first place.
However, as you will see, it’s not quite that easy for all of them.
Here are the 7 different Blue Peter badges and how to get one sent out to you:
- Blue badge – The OG of Blue Peter badges. To get one, you have to send in something creative.
- Green badge – An environment badge. You have to tell them about something green you have done, or why the environment is important to you.
- Music badge – This one was designed by Ed Sheeran! Tell them about your passion for music or performing and answer a few music questions to get yours.
- Sport badge – Try a new sport and send them a photo or video of you playing it, answer a few questions, and this badge designed by Leah Williamson is yours.
- Book badge – Tell them about the books you have read and draw a picture of a scene or character from one of them.
- Orange badge – Only competition winners get to be owners of the Orange badge, so enter as many as you can if you want one.
Then there is the Gold badge. This one is really special, and is more like what the original Blue Peter Badge was supposed to be for.
Only a few are given out each year, and to apply for one, you have to have achieved at least one of the following:
- Acted selflessly, but responsibly, with a single act of bravery that saved the life of another person.
- Acted with outstanding courage, overcome adversity and made life better for another person, or community.
- Worked independently, inspired others and affected positive change.
- Made an extraordinary achievement, against the odds. For example, overcoming adversity and winning an international sporting event.
You can nominate other people for the Gold badge too.
So basically, getting 5 out of the 7 badges is relatively easy, but the Orange and Gold badges are the ones people really want.
Badge Benefits – Free Attractions!
One very welcome addition to the Blue Peter badge ownership club, is the extra benefits from owning one. Essentially, what that breaks down as is free attractions and days out – and what parent kid doesn’t like the sound of that?
They are at really good attractions too, like London Zoo, the Roald Dahl Museum, the Highland Wildlife Park, and Eureka! Science and Discovery centre. There are more than 200 places signed up, spread across the whole country including Scotland and Wales, so there will be something close to you.
The terms will all be slightly different, but you will need your My Blue Peter ID card and number. After that, the kid gets in free with a paying adult. Needless to say, as soon as our badges drop through the letter box I will be booking up our weekends with discounted family attractions.
You know what? Watching my son get excited about something that also excited me as a kid has been unexpectedly lovely. Yes, maybe the badge isn’t as rare or revered as it used to be, but that little Blue Peter ship logo has managed to sail through the generations, and that’s special enough.
And as for finally getting a Blue Peter badge of my own — well, there’s always eBay.