Whirligig (W.S.G. Productions Ltd.) was set up in 1978 by David Wood and John Gould with the aim to provide primary school children with low cost seats for high quality children’s theatre. While educational theatre inside the classroom existed, Whirligig moved children’s theatre to mainstream theatres, many of which had never hosted children’s performances. Whirligig’s philosophy was to create plays that were entertaining for children and incorporated a problem or moral dilemma that children would find interesting, using appealing characters and situations. Children’s theatre was at the time not considered to be particularly important or commercially viable due to the necessarily low prices for seats, and Whirligig often struggled to break-even. Sponsorship was, therefore, essential and Clarks Shoes provided Whirligig with financial subsidy, free cut-out toy theatres and free programmes for all children, from 1979 to 1983. With Clarks' support, Whirligig toured with The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner, Nutcracker Sweet and The Ideal Gnome Expedition, performing at venues such as Sadler’s Wells, London; the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, and the Royal Theatre, Hull. While the sponsorship won an ABSA award and the productions received much critical acclaim, Clarks was unable to provide support after 1983. With the help of the Arts Council and other sponsors, Whirligig continued to perform in the following years with The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See…, The Selfish Shellfish, The Papertown Paperchase and their most successful production The Gingerbread Man. They performed at, amongst other venues, Oxford Playhouse; Theatre Royal, Bath; Theatre Royal, Glasgow; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, and the Grand Theatre, Leeds.

While critics responded with much enthusiasm (The TImes called David Wood the 'national children's dramatist'), in 1988 the Arts Council informed Whirligig that it could not expect project funding every year. This made it difficult for the company to plan ahead. Simultaneously, Whirligig started feeling the effects of the 1988 Education Reform Act, which stipulated that education, including museum and theatre visits, had to be free. Theatres could therefore only ask parents for a voluntary contribution, which led to many tours and shows being cancelled. The years afterwards were marked by financial struggles and Whirligig could not support its annual touring programme. It ceased producing shows during its 25th anniversary year in 2003.