CARTOON incarnations of the Famous Five are set to hit TV screens next year, but purists see them as another threat to Enid Blyton's legacy.

The new 26-part series is due to be shown across Europe in early 2007, but there are fears that its new, modern setting will make the original books obsolete.

Viv Endecott, who runs nostalgic children's shop Ginger Pop in Corfe Castle, said: "Once Noddy was rewritten for TV, Enid Blyton's Noddy books soon stopped being published.

"I dread to think this could become the fate of The Famous Five books."

Although they were created over 60 years ago, the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog many of which were inspired by and are set in Purbeck retain a strong grip on young imaginations, selling 1.4 million copies annually.

Blyton spent many summers in Swanage and thought up many of her stories there.

Places like Corfe Castle and Durdle Door, and many local characters from the area, appear under pseudonyms.

In Germany and France, new adventures continue to appear courtesy of ghostwriters, and in the UK a spin-off series featuring George has proved very popular.

But none of this is going down well with traditional fans, who fear modern reinterpretations will kill off the originals.

Ms Endecott said: "Will the stories be the same if Aunt Fanny drives a 4X4, Joanna the cook is replaced with an au pair, and the children are always losing their mobile phones and eating Coke and crisps on their picnics?"

The Noddy series was shown in more than 100 countries and became one of Britain's biggest ever children's exports, but led to the original books looking dated and being discontinued.

Chorion, which own the rights to the Famous Five and is producing the cartoon, was unavailable for comment.

Ms Endecott has organised a campaign on her website, www.gingerpop.co.uk , urging children to write to the publishers to ensure the updated version does not supercede the classics.