'The Wombles'
Created by Elisabeth Beresford in 1968, Great Uncle Bulgaria is the oldest, wisest womble. Apparently the young wombles choose their names by sticking pins in an atlas, apart from Bungo who chose his completely randomly.
The wombles introduced us to recycling before it was trendy by "Making good use of... things that the everyday folk leave behind" - picking up human odds and ends and making all sorts of useful things from it.