LONDON, (Reuters) - Noddy, the beloved toy character  created by Enid Blyton 60 years ago, returns to the book stores  today in “Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle”, written by the  late author’s granddaughter Sophie Smallwood.

The book will be the first classic Noddy tale to appear in  46 years and has been illustrated by Robert Tyndall who has been  the artist for the stories since 1953.

Smallwood, 39, who has admitted the challenge she faced was  daunting, has created new characters including Stumpy the  Elephant and The Bull and retained several old favourites like  Big-Ears and Mr. Plod the policeman.

According to the book’s publisher HarperCollins, in the  story the goblins are up to their old tricks again, turning cows  blue, making the pigs woolly and driving the tractor into the  pond. Fortunately Noddy is at hand to put things straight.

But among the notable absentees are the golliwogs,  characters inspired by black-faced minstrel rag dolls which have  gone out of fashion in Britain because the term is widely  interpreted as being racist.  “The golliwog characters haven’t been part of the Noddy  ecosystem for at least two decades now,” said Jeff Norton,  senior vice president at Chorion, the company which owns  Blyton’s literary estate.