The Beanies
The Beanies | |
|---|---|
 The Beanies (from left to right: Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, Michael Yore, Laura Dawson) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Australia |
| Genres | Children's |
| Years active | 2016-present |
| Members | Laura Dawson Miriam "Mim" Rizvi Michael Yore |
| Website | https://www.thebeaniesaus.com |
The Beanies are an Australian children's music group, formed in 2016. The band consists of three theatre performers, Canberra-born Laura Dawson and Miriam "Mim" Rizvi, and Newcastle-born Michael Yore. The group have drawn acclaim and garnered an Australian Podcast Award for their educational podcast of the same name,[1][2][3][4] and their second album was nominated for an ARIA Award.[5][6]
About
The Beanies were formed in Sydney in 2016, as a response to the rising usage of tablets and smartphones amongst young children, with the aim of producing Australian-made children's entertainment and encourage creativity and imagination without the use of screens.[7] They enlisted as their songwriter Sydney-based composer James Court,[8] and with the support of the Mamamia Podcast Network, produced ten 15-minute podcast episodes, which were released in April 2017. A second season was confirmed soon after, with sponsorship from Kinderling Kids Radio, and was released in December 2017. A third season was released in July 2018, and in its leadup a series of mini-episodes, Beanies Breakthroughs, were released weekly.[9] The fourth season, released in late 2019, was accompanied by a series of Show & Tell episodes, where the group interacted with fans and answered their questions. The four seasons have amassed in excess of 500,000 downloads, and a fifth season is currently in production, due to premiere mid-2020.
In October 2018 The Beanies premiered their one-act musical for children, entitled The Beanies' Eggs-traordinary Day, at the Sydney Fringe Festival. The group performs regularly at fairs, festivals, and community events Australia-wide, including shows at City Recital Hall and the Australia Day Sydney Children's Festival, and their episodes and songs are broadcast internationally daily on Kinderling Kids Radio. The trio has also been guests on ABC's Weekend Breakfast, Channel 9's Today and Weekend Today, several parenting and productivity podcasts, and at Australian podcast conference OzPod.
In early 2020, The Beanies were signed to the ABC Kids music label, who released their fourth album in April of that year.[10] The group also began live-streaming concerts, due to live concerts being postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and released a single called Quarantunes during that time.
The group also maintains a YouTube channel, releasing music videos and comic sketches on a regular basis.
Members
The Beanies are:
- Laura Dawson (Laura Beanie)
- Miriam Rizvi (Mim Beanie)
- Michael Yore (Michael Beanie & Professor Know-It-All)
The three also play all of the characters in the podcasts.
Music
Every season the group release an album, featuring all of the songs from the podcast. The Beanies' songs and albums are produced and released independently, with lyrics written by the group and music written and recorded by the band's composer and music producer, James Court (frequently referred to by the group as their 'Music Wizard').
Albums
- It's Raining Jelly Beans (2016)[11]
- Imagination Station (2017)[12]
- Big Day Out (2018)[13]
- Full of Beans (2020)[14]
Awards
In 2018, The Beanies were winners of an Australian Podcast Award for their eponymous podcast, in the category Best Podcast for Family and Kids.[15] The group was nominated again in 2019 in the same category.
In 2019, the group’s second album, Imagination Station (2017), was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album, but lost to Dan Sultan for Nali & Friends.
| Year | Nominated works | Award | Result | Lost to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Imagination Station | ARIA Award for Best Children's Album | Nominated | Dan Sultan – Nali & Friends |
Episodes
Each episode of The Beanies podcast is written entirely by The Beanies, and includes a story, a song, and an educational segment with 'Professor Know-It-All'. More recent episodes also include an imaginative meditation section, or ‘brain break’.
| Episode # | Episode Name | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | It's Raining Jelly Beans | Rain |
| 02 | There's a Fish in my Tea | Fish |
| 03 | The Mean House | Fear |
| 04 | Silly Dizzy Dance | Rhythm |
| 05 | A Painting Party | Colours |
| 06 | Sing in Harmony | Harmony |
| 07 | Gee Billy! That's a Hot Chilli! | Spicy food |
| 08 | Space Shake | Space |
| 09 | Opera Moo | Being mean |
| 10 | Boss for the Day | Manners |
| Episode # | Episode Name | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Power | Electricity |
| 12 | Jazz Shark | Jazz |
| 13 | Bubbles | Bubbles |
| 14 | Sneaky Robber | Fan mail |
| 15 | New School | Bravery |
| 16 | Saturday Morning Cuddles | Pancakes |
| 17 | Sneezes | Sneezing |
| 18 | Speedy Snails | Snails |
| 19 | Shoes | Tying shoelaces |
| 20 | It's a Beanies Christmas! | Holidays |
| Episode # | Episode Name | Lesson |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Brush Your Teeth | Brushing teeth |
| 22 | The Seasons | The seasons |
| 23 | Scissors, Paper, Rock! | How to play 'Scissors, Paper, Rock' |
| 24 | Jinx! | Interrupting people |
| 25 | The Art of the Fart | Smell |
| 26 | Dig, Dig, Dig! | Sand |
| 27 | Wobble Wombat | Wombats |
| 28 | Shy Shadow | Shadows |
| 29 | Fingernails | Fingernails |
| 30 | An Amazing Machine | Creativity |
| Episode | Experiment |
|---|---|
| Unicorns | Did Laura really see a unicorn? |
| Turtles | Can a turtle hold its breath longer than Mim? |
| Spiders | Is it a spider, or an insect? |
| Love | Who loves dogs more - Laura or the Professor? |
| Healthy Eating | Fruit or lollies - which one gives you more energy? |
| Soccer | Who can kick a ball the farthest? |
| Gardening | Do flowers grow quicker in a garden, or in a greenhouse? |
| Robots | Building a robot dog-feeder! |
| Geography | How do you use a compass? |
| Dinosaurs | Could Tyrannosaurus Rexes tie their shoelaces? |
| Golf | One glove or two - which helps you hit a golf ball furthest? |
External links
References
- ^ "Entertain the kids with The Beanies' new podcast!". Kinderling Kids Radio — music for children and families. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies launch new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio - The Dad Website". thedadwebsite.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies Group launches new podcast on Kinderling Kids Radio". Mumbrella. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The kids podcast you're about to be obsessed with". Mamamia. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Aria Awards". www.ariaawards.com.au. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Here Are All The 2019 ARIA Awards Nominations". Music Feeds. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Mamamia continues podcast push with new program targeting kids - Mumbrella". Mumbrella. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies". The Beanies. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "The Beanies by Kinderling Kids Radio on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Party with The Beanies – LocalNewsPlus". Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Raining Jelly Beans by The Beanies, 1 November 2017, retrieved 8 April 2018
- ^ Imagination Station by The Beanies, 11 July 2018, retrieved 27 July 2018
- ^ The Beanies Big Day Out by The Beanies, 11 July 2018, retrieved 27 July 2018
- ^ "Full of Beans by The Beanies". Apple Music. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ "2018 FINALISTS ANNOUNCED". 2018 Australian Podcast Awards. Retrieved 8 April 2018.