The picture book is based on one of the scripts for Tales from Fat Tulip's Garden, a British children's TV programme in the mid-1980s, starring Tony Robinson. It was produced and cowritten by Debbie Gates and was broadcast on the ITV network from 1985 to 1987.
Robinson told children's stories directly to camera in an English garden setting, which generally involved the title character Fat Tulip, and often his best friend Thin Tim who stayed in the airing cupboard when visiting, as well as Fred the Baddy, Gilbert Harding Sheep, Bunting Tadpole, Anwar and Amita Rabbit, Tracey Bee, a cockle called Jim Morrison, and the Terrible Stinkers - Peter, Paul and Mary. This book features a daft dog, Dorian, and Inspector Challoner, a not very clever local detective. Jam doughnuts and a frisbee also feature.