Children's TV shows are a favourite medium for designers plundering the past for retro inspiration. If you grew up the UK, you can't fail to recognise the figure above. Before Wallace and Gromit were even heard of, Morph and his mate Chas were the most famous plasticine characters on UK telly.

Immortalised here in plastic, these bookends are a fantastic pair. Perfect for a gift or to get admiring coos from guests in your own home, this set of 2 polyresin bookends is 15 cms high. A little bit bigger than the original appeared, perhaps, but equally charming.

Get yours from Urban Outfitters now for £24.

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The Sandcastle Bowl takes me back to childhood days at the beach. It is shaped to look like those sandcastle buckets you used to have as a child, but is in fact a bowl that can be put to a variety of uses.

Handmade in England from glazed ceramic, it is available in a choice of sunshine yellow, powder blue or white. The bowl is supplied wrapped in a net bag, just like buckets and spades used to be.

The Sandcastle Bowl costs £16.50 and can be bought online from Caroline McGrath.

Like many retro clocks, the Odeon Clock is made by Newgate and is a replica of a vintage design.

It is made from a single piece of moulded acrylic and is glassless. The clock is mainly cream with brown detailing, which adds to the retro appearance.

It is available from Horsfall and Wright, priced just under £35.