The New Adventures of Blinky Bill
Encyclopedia
The New Adventures of Blinky Bill was an Australia
n puppet
series that ran on ABC Television
from 1984 to 1987. After production ended, it remained on air in repeats until 1991. Twenty-eight 30 minute episodes were made and the producer was Richard Smith.
books by Dorothy Wall
. Set in Bollygum National Park, characters include Blinky Bill, Mrs Magpie, Angelina Wallaby and Walter Wombat from the books, and new characters such as Charlie Goanna, Eric Echidna, Sybilla Snake and Kerry Koala from neighbouring Acadia Ridge park.
Most episodes also featured at least one guest actor in a human character role. These guests included David Waters
, Maggie Kirkpatrick
, Joanne Samuel
, Paul Chubb
and many others. Actor
At the time of shooting, the ABC network owned studios in the Sydney bush suburb of Frenchs Forest, and the show was recorded using multi-camera and live sound recording on the back lot, with the puppeteers voicing the characters at the same time as operating the puppets. The Outside Broadcast unit provided crew, equipment and the control room. Some sets, including the ranger's hut and Walter Wombat's general store, were built permanently on location, while others were constructed as required for each episode. Sets were raised by a metre or so, to allow space underneath for puppeteers to stand or kneel. Only one scene - featuring a rock and roll performance by Blinky, Kerry and Charlie - was shot in a studio.
Ross Browning, Janette Dalgliesh, and Alan Highman were responsible for writing half of the total number of episodes. Other writers and co-writers included Heather March, Mark Page and Morris Gleitzman
, who is now a well-known author of children's books.
In 1994, Blinky Bill returned to ABC television in the animated series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill
, after which the ABC did not screen the puppet series again.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
series that ran on ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
from 1984 to 1987. After production ended, it remained on air in repeats until 1991. Twenty-eight 30 minute episodes were made and the producer was Richard Smith.
Plot
The show was a follow on from the original Blinky BillBlinky Bill
Blinky Bill is an anthropomorphic koala and children's fictional character created by New Zealand-born Australian author Dorothy Wall. The character of Blinky first appeared in Brooke Nicholls' 1933 book, Jacko - the Broadcasting Kookaburra, which was illustrated by Wall...
books by Dorothy Wall
Dorothy Wall
Dorothy Wall was a New Zealand-born author and illustrator of children's fiction books. She is most famous for creating Blinky Bill, an anthropomorphic koala who was the central character in her books Blinky Bill: the Quaint Little Australian , Blinky Bill Grows Up and Blinky Bill and Nutsy...
. Set in Bollygum National Park, characters include Blinky Bill, Mrs Magpie, Angelina Wallaby and Walter Wombat from the books, and new characters such as Charlie Goanna, Eric Echidna, Sybilla Snake and Kerry Koala from neighbouring Acadia Ridge park.
Cast
| Actor | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ross Browning | Blinky Bill, Eric Echidna | Ross appeared in an acting role as Max, a plain clothes ranger from Head Office. |
| Janet Ashelford (aka Janette Dalgliesh) | Angelina Wallaby, Mrs Magpie, Kerry Koala | |
| Alan Highfield | Charlie Goanna, Mr Wombat, Sybella Snake | |
| Robert Hughes Robert Hughes (Australian actor) Robert Lindsay Hughes is an Australian actor whose most significant roles include ABBA: The Movie and the television sitcom Hey Dad..!-Early career:... |
Ranger Bill | Portrayed the park ranger Park ranger A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United... character Ranger Bill in the first two seasons. Gordon Poole and Ben Franklin also played ranger roles. |
Most episodes also featured at least one guest actor in a human character role. These guests included David Waters
David Waters (Australian actor)
David A. Waters is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as David Bridges in the television series Prisoner.Waters was born in the United Kingdom in Braintree, Essex...
, Maggie Kirkpatrick
Maggie Kirkpatrick
Maggie Kirkpatrick is an Australian actress, who is best known for her portrayal of the iconic character Joan Ferguson, a sadistic and corrupt lesbian prison officer known to the prisoners as "The Freak" in the popular Australian television soap opera, Prisoner...
, Joanne Samuel
Joanne Samuel
Joanne Samuel is an actress who remains best known for her role as the screen wife of Mel Gibson in the 1979 film Mad Max....
, Paul Chubb
Paul Chubb
Paul Chubb was an Australian film and television actor primarily in genres of comedy and drama. He was born Paul Dunford in Arncliffe, Sydney....
and many others. Actor
Season 1 (1984)
- Hello Stranger, Goodbye Ranger
- Ho-Ha at Bollygum
- (title not available)
- Spaceship Shuttlecock
- (title not available)
Season 2 (1985)
- Frills and Feathers
- High Water
- Computer Capers
- Mine Too!
- Bikies from Outer Space*
Season 3 (1986)
- Rock 'n' Roll Blues
- Legend in his Own Lunchtime
- Times Flies When You're Feeling Young
- Blinky Hits The Jackpot
- (title not available)
- Twice Bitten
- The Visitor
- Food For Thought
Season 4 (1987)
- Say Snake*
- Hot Wheels
- A Time For Testing
- (title not available)
- Media Wars
- April Fools
- School's In
- (title not available)
- Horseplay
- Diplomatic Relations
- The episodes marked * were penned by Morris GleitzmanMorris GleitzmanMorris Gleitzman is an English-born Australian writer. He is one of Australia's most successful writers.Morris Gleitzman has also gained recognition for sparking an interest in politically-controversial children's books like Two Weeks with the Queen.He has collaborated on children's series with...
who is now a well known author of young people's books.
Production
The series was unique for its production style. The puppets were designed and made by the late Beverley Campbell-Jackson, who chose to use a thick and fluffy yarn to knit the outer skin of the marsupial characters, which gave them their furry look on camera. Charlie's skin was made from a patterned lurex which gave him a distinctive look in sunlight. She designed internal mechanisms which used triggers to control the movements of each character's head, mouth and eyelids; while rods to each hand controlled arm movements. Each puppeteer used one hand for the trigger mechanism, and one hand to control both arm rods (this skill is somewhat like advanced chopsticks technique). Similar techniques are seen in some forms of Japanese puppetry.At the time of shooting, the ABC network owned studios in the Sydney bush suburb of Frenchs Forest, and the show was recorded using multi-camera and live sound recording on the back lot, with the puppeteers voicing the characters at the same time as operating the puppets. The Outside Broadcast unit provided crew, equipment and the control room. Some sets, including the ranger's hut and Walter Wombat's general store, were built permanently on location, while others were constructed as required for each episode. Sets were raised by a metre or so, to allow space underneath for puppeteers to stand or kneel. Only one scene - featuring a rock and roll performance by Blinky, Kerry and Charlie - was shot in a studio.
Ross Browning, Janette Dalgliesh, and Alan Highman were responsible for writing half of the total number of episodes. Other writers and co-writers included Heather March, Mark Page and Morris Gleitzman
Morris Gleitzman
Morris Gleitzman is an English-born Australian writer. He is one of Australia's most successful writers.Morris Gleitzman has also gained recognition for sparking an interest in politically-controversial children's books like Two Weeks with the Queen.He has collaborated on children's series with...
, who is now a well-known author of children's books.
In 1994, Blinky Bill returned to ABC television in the animated series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill
The Adventures of Blinky Bill
The Adventures Of Blinky Bill is an animated television series based on Dorothy Wall's books about Blinky Bill. The series is produced by Yoram Gross...
, after which the ABC did not screen the puppet series again.