These children found themselves in the limelight after taking to the drawing board in 1974.

The pupils, all aged under nine, were shown a film called ‘Mr Knibbles’ at their village school, Little Milton Church of England near Thame.

When it was over, they were invited by their teachers to make sketches of the main character and what they had seen in the film.

Word spread about how good their pictures were, and the messages reached as far as Jack Frost, manager of the ABC cinema in George Street, Oxford.

He was so delighted with their work that he invited them to see another children’s favourite film at his cinema.

What’s more, he invited the children to display their crayon pictures – more than 25 of them – in the cinema’s theatre bar. The picture shows the pupils admiring their work.

‘Mr Knibbles’ had been produced and distributed by the Children’s Film Foundation.

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It told the story of a little girl called Mary, who is disappointed when she doesn’t receive a pet rabbit for her birthday. But then, much to her surprise, she gets one after all, Mr Knibbles, in the form of an imaginary friend. Mary’s parents can’t see him, even though she insists he is real.

In addition to the delightfully whimsical title character, the story also features a thieving magpie, an airmail pigeon and a squirrel postman. One critic wrote about the film: “Great for kids, and pretty good for mums and dads as well. In its own minor class, this is a gem.”

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Copies of the children’s pictures were later sent to the foundation.