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Bambaloo

Premiere February 3, 2003
Finale 2004
Network Seven Network
ABC TV
Seasons 2
Episodes 105
BambalooCast
Bambaloo5
Bambaloo4

Bambaloo is an Australian children's television program. The series debuted in 2003 on the Seven Network, and was later shown on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The series was produced by Yoram Gross-EM.TV, the Seven Network, and The Jim Henson Company.

105 half-hour episodes were produced over two years.[1] The show entered production at Fox Studios Australia in September 2002 with an initial series order of 65 episodes[2] and debuted on the Seven Network in February 2003. After being picked-up for an additional batch of 40 episodes, the show wrapped production in July 2004.[3]

The Muppet Workshop built the new lead characters for the series, including Fidget the dog (recycled from an existing puppet), Portia the bird, Jet the fish, and the mice Jinx and Gypsy. Similar to the earlier UK-based co-production of Mopatop's Shop, the Australian-based show also recycled many pre-existing Muppets from past Henson Company productions to fill out the cast; including reusing puppets originally built for The Animal Show, Bear in the Big Blue House, and The Muppet Show.

Bambaloo won two Children's Television AWGIE (Australian Writers Guild) awards; one in 2003 for Gina Roncoli's script for "The Sad Sunflower" and another in 2004 for Melanie Alexander's episode "Swimming in the Rain."

The second series of episodes was not co-produced by the Henson Company, with only Yoram Gross-EM.TV and the Seven Network continuing as co-producers,[4] however the Muppet Workshop continued to provide their puppets for the program. The Muppet Workshop was credited for "lead puppets" in series 2, while several new "guest puppets" were created by Zoe Skinner and Jenny O'Keefe to expand the cast of characters.

Series Overview

“In an unspecified tropical part of the world, near a little town and a river that leads to the sea you will find the Bambaloo tree.[5]”

Sam lives in a jungle treehouse along with her animal friends – Fidget (a dog), Portia (a bird) and Jet (a fish). Also living in the Bambaloo Tree, but unknown to many of the residents, are two mice named Jinx and Gypsy. Sam and her friends often will row across the river to meet their friend Jake, the local "make-it" guy. A guest visits each episode and serves as a storyteller, telling a story that is acted out by the residents of the treehouse.

In addition to the recurring segment songs, the series includes 13 additional featured songs that rotated weekly. Each week the same song is featured over all 5 days. The song often ties into the theme for the week.

Recurring Segments

  • Mail Time: Jinx, Gypsy and the mail vulture sing the song "Open It" which signals the arrival of a letter or a package. The delivery often will come from the guest of the day and tie into the story of the episode.
  • Game Time: Sam and the cast sing "Let's All Play Together" to introduce a game or a puzzle. The group will provide instructions as they play the game and will encourage the viewer to try the game at home on their own.
  • Film Footage: Jinx and Gypsy sing the song "We Can Show You" as they push the button to activate a screen to show live-action on-location footage that will often help Sam and the cast understand the theme of the day.
  • Storytime: The mice sing "Hello, Hello" while they call an animal friend on the phone to come and visit. The guest will arrive and help by telling everyone a story. Sam sings "We Can Be" as the group gets ready to help act out the story with various costumes and props.
  • Jake Makes: The mice will visit Jake to ask him to make something to help with the daily problem. The making process is often shown in a quick montage of step-by-step instructions that give an overview of how to make the object or craft of the day.

Characters

Credits

Bambaloo1

Cast:

  • Angela Kelly as Sam
  • André Eikmeier as Jake

Puppeteers:

Crew:

Episodes

Bambaloo

Series 1: (65 episodes)

  1. "Monkey Nuts"
  2. "Puppy Love"
  3. "Fame Game"
  4. "Rhinestone Cowbird"
  5. "Hot Treat Cold Treat"
  6. "Bird in a Flap"
  7. "A Whiffy Sniff"
  8. "Little Fish, Big Noise"
  9. "Biscuit Bandits"
  10. "A Nutty Treat"
  11. "Forest Friend"
  12. "Fly Me to the Moon"
  13. "King Jet"
  14. "Best Crest"
  15. "Pet for a Knight"
  16. "Fast or Last"
  17. "Bottle Full of Sun"
  18. "Jungle Japes"
  19. "Seeing is Believing"
  20. "It's Laughter We're After"
  21. "The Prezzie Pixie"
  22. "The Twinkling Bush"
  23. "Grow Your Own"
  24. "Star Fish"
  25. "Dagnabbit!: That Dog's a Rabbit"
  26. "Go Slow"
  27. "Fly By"
  28. "From Here to Reindeer"
  29. "Fidget's Smoky Mountain"
  30. "Game for a Laugh"
  31. "Woodland Warble"
  32. "Bat Nap"
  33. "Super Jet"
  34. "Belle of the Bug Ball"
  35. "The Sheep Show"
  36. "Night Flight Fright!"
  37. "The Hottest Spot"
  38. "The Sad Sunflower"
  39. "Swimming in the Rain"

Series 2: (40 episodes)

  1. "A Matter of Taste"
  2. "All Together Now"
  3. "A Racy Tale"
  4. "Nest is Best"
  5. "Flight of Fancy"
  6. "Going Nuts"
  7. "The Great Big Cover Up"
  8. "Climb Me to the Moon"
  9. "A Fixup Mixup"
  10. "Room to Move"
  11. "A Good Night's Rest"
  12. "Cubby Sweet Cubby"
  13. "Fish and Ships"
  14. "A Worry Shared"
  15. "Is This A Mouse I See Before Me?"
  16. "A Day at the Beach"
  17. "A Day in My Shoes"
  18. "Somewhere Under the Rainbow"
  19. "Growing Up"
  20. "Night and Day"
  21. "Fruit A Rama"
  22. "Flower Power"
  23. "Stinky Sam"
  24. "Leaky Tap"
  25. "One Dog, One Bone"
  26. "Mountains of Fountains"
  27. "Off For a Swim"
  28. "Searching High and Low"
  29. "Which Way is Best?"
  30. "Heading in the Right Direction"
  31. "Fidget Turns Turtle"
  32. "The Lost Treasure Hunt"
  33. "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions"
  34. "All That Stuff"
  35. "Waiting Day"
  36. "Yesterday Once More"
  37. "Be A Friend Day"
  38. "Hold Still"
  39. "Banding Together"
  40. "Trains, Planes and Buses"

Sources

  1. ↑ YormanGross.com.au Bambaloo Series I and II
  2. ↑ New Australian series "Bambaloo" enters production
  3. ↑ PRESS RELEASE: It's a Wrap for Series Two of Bambaloo
  4. ↑ YormanGross.com.au Bambaloo Series I and II
  5. ↑ Official Website Show Description (archive retrieved 2004)

See also

External links