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{{Infobox Short Story|
{{title dab away}}
story name=The Playthings of Fo|
{{real world}}
series=[[Doctor Who Annual]]|
{{Infobox Story SMW
doctor=[[First Doctor]]|
|image = Annual 1967 The Playthings of Fo.jpg
companions=Jack, Dot, Strong, Shelly, Chertzog and Hill|
|series=[[Doctor Who annual|''Doctor Who'' annual]]
year=[[Rhoos]]|
|doctor = First Doctor
writer=|
|companions=[[Jack Strong|Jack]], [[Dot Strong|Dot]], [[Harroll Strong|Harroll]], [[Shelly (The Playthings of Fo)|Shelly]], [[Chertzog]], [[Hill (The Playthings of Fo)|Hill]]
publication=[[Doctor Who Annual 1967]]|
|setting = [[Rhoos]]
previous story=[[The Devil-Birds of Corbo]]|
|enemy=[[Fo]]
next story=[[Justice of the Glacians]]|
|writer=
|}}
|anthology = The Dr Who Annual 1967
|release date = September 1966
|prev = The Devil-Birds of Corbo (short story)
|next=Justice of the Glacians (short story)
}}
'''''The Playthings of Fo''''' was a short story published in ''[[Doctor Who Annual 1967]]''. It featured the [[First Doctor]].


==Summary==
== Summary ==
After rescuing the failed inter-galactic mission sent out by the Council of Earth and Mars, ''Tardis'' brings Doctor Who and his friends to the planet Rhoos. They materialise on a weird plain that turns out to be the hand of the evil Cyclops, Fo. He has been sleeping through all this, but now wakes and departs, taking ''Tardis'' with him. As the Doctor and three of his companions (Hill, Shelley and Chertzog) fly around in their contra-gravity suits on a recce, they are captured by a mysterious spaceship.


After rescuing the failed inter-galactic mission sent out by the Council of Earth and Mars, ''Tardis'' brings Doctor Who and his friends to the planet Rhoos. They materialize on a weird plain that turns out to be the hand of the evil Cyclops, Fo. He has been sleeping through all this, but then awakes and departs, taking ''Tardis'' with him. As the Doctor and three of his companions (Hill, Shelley and Chertzog) fly around in their contra-gravity suits on a recce, they are captured by a mysterious space ship.  
It belongs to the natives of Rhoos, the Kaarks, who resemble humanoid chickens. The giant Fo has been terrorising them, attacking their cities and stealing their scientists. They have retreated into an underground base. After meeting with the Kaark Supremo, the Doctor agrees to lead a mission into Fo's lair. He is accompanied by the leader of the ship that rescued him, Ff'ni.


It belongs to the natives of Rhoos, the Kaarks, who resemble humanoid chickens. The giant Fo has been terrorizing them, attacking their cities and stealing their scientists. They have retreated into an underground base. After meeting with the Kaark Supremo, the Doctor agrees to lead a mission into Fo's lair. He is accompanied by the leader of the shop that rescued hin, Ff'ni.  
There, they find ''Tardis'' amongst a menagerie of animals Fo has collected. These he makes fight the captured Kaark scientists, as Hill notes, "just like the martyrs in the Colosseum". They flee to the ship, chased by a [[Rhoos leopard|giant leopard]].


There, they find ''Tardis'' amongst a menagerie of animals Fo has collected. These he makes fight the captured Kaark scientists, as Hill notes, "just like the Martyrs in the Colosseum". They flee to the ship, chased by a giant leopard.  
Yet the Doctor cannot leave without freeing the Kaarks from Fo. Batting aside the leopard with his walking stick, he opens a black box. There is blue flash and a smell of ozone, and Fo falls down dead. The Doctor and his friends bid Ff'ni a quick good-bye; they are eager to return to Earth.


But the Doctor cannot leave without freeing the Kaarks from Fo. Batting aside the leopard with his walking stick, he opens a black box. There is blue flash and a smell of ozone, and Fo falls down dead. The Doctor and his friends bid Ff'ni a quick good-bye: they are eager to return to Earth.
== Characters ==
* [[First Doctor]]
* [[Hill (The Playthings of Fo)|Hill]]
* [[Shelly (The Playthings of Fo)|Shelly]]
* [[Chertzog]]
* [[Harroll Strong]]
* [[Dot Strong]]
* [[Jack Strong]]
* [[Fo]]
* [[Ff'ni]]
* [[Kaark Supremo]]
* The [[Kaark]]s


==Characters==
== Worldbuilding ==
* The planet [[Rhoos]] is the eighth planet in the [[P'Tuu System]].
* Rhoos is described as "third of a [[GO-star]], [[80000000 (number)|eighty million]] [[mile]]s from primary, less axial inclination than [[Earth|Terra]]."
* [[Fo]] is from a race of one-eyed giants in the distant [[Black Galaxy]].
* The Doctor uses a [[Box (The Playthings of Fo)|black box]] to slay Fo.
* According to an illustration, animals in Fo's zoo include a [[giraffe]] and what might be a leopard (or possibly a tiger) and a gorilla.


The Crew of the inter-galactic Earth-Mars mission that failed on Corbo: Scientists Hill, Shelley and Chertzog and Harroll Strong and his twins, Dot and Jack.
== Notes ==
* While Harroll Strong and his children Dot and Jack had been major parts of the previous story, the Doctor's other three companions are only named in this story. In ''The Devil-Birds of Corbo'', they appear only as part of a description of the group of humans, and in illustration.
* This story is notable for being the first to offer an explanation as to how the occupants of the TARDIS are able to understand every language, everywhere they go. In this story, it is explained by Shelly, despite the fact he'd only just met the Doctor, that it is a result of the "automatic mental adjustor" in the TARDIS.


The Cyclops, Fo, from the Black Galaxy.
== Continuity ==
* The Doctor is taking the humans who had been stranded on [[Corbo]] home. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Devil-Birds of Corbo (short story)|The Devil-Birds of Corbo]]'')
* The TARDIS' abrupt departure from Corbo ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Devil-Birds of Corbo (short story)|The Devil-Birds of Corbo]]'') has damaged the [[space-time locator]] mechanism. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Peril in Mechanistria (short story)|Peril in Mechanistria]]'')


The Kaarks, the natives of Rhoos.
{{TitleSort}}


 
[[Category:DWAN 1967 short stories]]
 
==Notes==
 
Although the Kaarks say Rhoos is the eighth planet of the P'Tuu system, the Doctor states that it is "third of GO-star, eighty million miles from primary". It also has "less axial inclination than Terra".
 
==Continuity==
 
This story takes places after "The Devil Birds of Corbo": their hasty departure has disturbed the Space-Time locator mechanism.
 
Presumably, Dr. Who gets them back to Earth, as the Doctor appears alone in the next story, "Justice of the Glacians".
 
==External links==
''to be added''
 
{{prose stub}}
 
[[Category:First Doctor short stories|Playthings]]

Latest revision as of 19:54, 17 August 2024

RealWorld.png

The Playthings of Fo was a short story published in Doctor Who Annual 1967. It featured the First Doctor.

Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

After rescuing the failed inter-galactic mission sent out by the Council of Earth and Mars, Tardis brings Doctor Who and his friends to the planet Rhoos. They materialise on a weird plain that turns out to be the hand of the evil Cyclops, Fo. He has been sleeping through all this, but now wakes and departs, taking Tardis with him. As the Doctor and three of his companions (Hill, Shelley and Chertzog) fly around in their contra-gravity suits on a recce, they are captured by a mysterious spaceship.

It belongs to the natives of Rhoos, the Kaarks, who resemble humanoid chickens. The giant Fo has been terrorising them, attacking their cities and stealing their scientists. They have retreated into an underground base. After meeting with the Kaark Supremo, the Doctor agrees to lead a mission into Fo's lair. He is accompanied by the leader of the ship that rescued him, Ff'ni.

There, they find Tardis amongst a menagerie of animals Fo has collected. These he makes fight the captured Kaark scientists, as Hill notes, "just like the martyrs in the Colosseum". They flee to the ship, chased by a giant leopard.

Yet the Doctor cannot leave without freeing the Kaarks from Fo. Batting aside the leopard with his walking stick, he opens a black box. There is blue flash and a smell of ozone, and Fo falls down dead. The Doctor and his friends bid Ff'ni a quick good-bye; they are eager to return to Earth.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The planet Rhoos is the eighth planet in the P'Tuu System.
  • Rhoos is described as "third of a GO-star, eighty million miles from primary, less axial inclination than Terra."
  • Fo is from a race of one-eyed giants in the distant Black Galaxy.
  • The Doctor uses a black box to slay Fo.
  • According to an illustration, animals in Fo's zoo include a giraffe and what might be a leopard (or possibly a tiger) and a gorilla.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • While Harroll Strong and his children Dot and Jack had been major parts of the previous story, the Doctor's other three companions are only named in this story. In The Devil-Birds of Corbo, they appear only as part of a description of the group of humans, and in illustration.
  • This story is notable for being the first to offer an explanation as to how the occupants of the TARDIS are able to understand every language, everywhere they go. In this story, it is explained by Shelly, despite the fact he'd only just met the Doctor, that it is a result of the "automatic mental adjustor" in the TARDIS.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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