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The Koala Brothers

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The Koala Brothers
GenreChildren's television show
Voices ofKeith Wickham
Rob Rackstraw
Janet James
Lucinda Cowden
Narrated byJonathan Coleman
Opening theme"Call The Koala Brothers"
Ending theme"The Helping Song"
Country of originAustralia
United Kingdom
No. of series3
No. of episodes79
Production
Running time10 minutes per episode (approx.)
Production companiesFamous Flying Films
Spellbound Entertainment
Original release
NetworkCBeebies
ABC Kids (Australia)
Release1 October 2003 (2003-10-01) –
31 October 2007 (2007-10-31)

The Koala Brothers is an Australian-British stop-motion animated children's television show that features the adventures of two koala brothers named Frank and Buster, as they seek to help their friends in a sleepy town in the Australian outback. A notable quality of the TV series is that although there can be differences of opinion and occasional instances of antisocial or thoughtless behaviour, there are no villains or disagreeable characters. Rather, the emphasis is on helping and being a good friend. Originally aired on ABC Kids, the show later aired on CBeebies in the United Kingdom, having premiered on 16 February 2004 [1] and Playhouse Disney in the United States, as well as various other international stations.

The show aired in reruns on Disney Junior from 2012–2013.

Format

Broadcast episode formats vary slightly between countries, though the core material of each episode, featuring the brothers assisting one of their friends and overcoming a problem, such as jealousy, fear, or the failure to share, does not change. In Australia, the show runs in episodes of around 12 minutes though these are broadcast in pairs on Playhouse Disney, with the opening song "Call the Koala Brothers" repeated in instrumental form over the credits. CBeebies eliminates the introduction and closing song to squeeze the program into a 10-minute format.

In the 30-minute broadcast version, the show opens with the theme song and then the narrator introduces Frank and Buster as they fly in their yellow two-seater propeller airplane above the outback. The supporting cast is introduced as the narrator asks "Who do you think the Koala Brothers are going to help today?" Each 30-minute episode ends with "The Helping Song", in which all the characters gather at the Koala Brothers' homestead and sing about always trying to help and caring for one another.

Inspiration

The series remarkably resembles in visual style and ethos an internationally publicised Australian 1988 NSW Bicentennial Exhibition and Children's Book and TV series proposal "The Great Wungle Bungle Aerial Expedition" featuring characters specifically called "the Koala brothers" and focusing on the adventures of altruistic animal outback aviator rescuers in home-made flying contraptions at a comical desert airstrip. The original three "Koala Brothers" characters first appeared at the "FirstState88" NSW Govt exhibition in darling harbour under that description, accompanied by book and merchandise and later in 1990s in an animated TV series proposal "Echidna Airways" circulating at Cannes. The 1988 Children's book and public exhibition attended by millions in Sydney's darling harbour and promoted on television featured Australian animal aviator characters altruistically rescuing others or helping out friends with no thought of personal reward.[2][3] Historic video of the Koala brothers characters and flying machines viewable here:[4]

Characters

All characters of anthropomorphic animals in the show speak with Australian accents, with the notable exceptions of Archie the Crocodile, who speaks in a British accent and Penny the Penguin, who only communicates through penguin sounds.

Main characters

  • Frank the Koala is the pilot of the airplane. He has demonstrated excellent skills in tennis and was the only member of the community able to defeat Archie, though he admitted it was probably just luck. He also fostered an interest in pottery at one point but did not have any great artistic ability.
  • Buster the Koala sits behind Frank in the airplane and uses his telescope to spot friends in need from the air. He is always willing to provide a pep talk or a hug to his friends. He speaks more softly than Frank and has a small tuft of hair on the top of his head. Buster loves to bake, especially butter cookies.

Supporting characters

  • Mitzi the Possum often wears lime flip flops (each foot has four toes) and thick-rimmed glasses. She lives next door near the koala's house and she is a very nervous character who relies on the koala brothers to keep in line with her perfectionist tendencies. Mitzi can also be a bit bossy and can upset her friends at times, but in the end, her friends always forgive her after she has owed them an apology.
  • Ned the Wombat is apparently the youngest member of the local community and lives in a caravan next door to the Koala Brothers' homestead. He is often unsure of himself, but he dreams of adventure as an explorer or a sea captain. He is very determined, and easily fixated on an idea.
  • George the Turtle is the local mail carrier. He has no known residence but is always seen delivering the mail with his trusty leather satchel. He is very proud of being a mail carrier and tells the best campfire stories in the outback. He also has an interest in stamp collecting.
  • Sammy the Echidna lives in town and owns the local general store, which sells fuel in addition to comestibles. His sole employee is Josie. He has the fewest problems, after the Koala Brothers.
  • Josie the Kangaroo works at the general store. She wears a red and white shirt that exposes her yellow tummy, wears shoes, and she and Mitzi are the best of friends.
  • Alice the Platypus works at the local cafe and appears to be the sole employee, though it is not clear if she owns the cafe. She is very forgetful. She rides a green motor-scooter around, which has its share of drastic engine problems. She loves to bake and is good at following recipes. She is also good at reading maps.
  • Archie the Crocodile lives in a well-appointed cottage near the local water hole. He is always exercising, stretching, or playing tennis, and is renowned at being the best at almost every sport. He is British, and speaks in a memorable upper-class English accent.
  • Penny the Penguin is an explorer who lives in Antarctica, but has visited the outback on occasions and keeps up a regular written correspondence with the Koala Brothers. She doesn't talk, but she communicates by chattering and she sings "The Helping Song".
  • Lolly the Emu is the local ice cream vendor and can often be seen driving her ice cream truck around. She greets people by saying "Hi, darlings. What can I do for you today?" She often calls people "darling" and "hon".

Minor characters

  • The Narrator is the storyteller of the show.

Voice cast

This is the cast.

Main and Supporting cast

  • Frank and Archie – Keith Wickham in the United Kingdom and the United States
  • Buster, Sammy and George – Rob Rackstraw in the United Kingdom and United States
  • Ned, Josie and Penny – Janet James in the United Kingdom and United States
  • Mitzi, Alice and Lolly – Lucinda Cowden in the United Kingdom and United States

Minor cast

Episodes

Series 1 (2003–04)

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title
11"Archie's New Home"
Archie the crocodile moves into the old house by the water hole, but nobody comes to his party.
22"Sea Captain Ned"
Ned finds an old rowing boat in the outback and decides he wants to become a sea captain.
33"The Thirsty Penguin"
Frank and Buster meet a penguin backpacker who has run out of water.
44"A Letter for George"
Mitzi writes George the postman a letter, but he loses it somewhere on his rounds.
55"Josie's Big Jump"
Josie wants to learn how to jump rope, but she thinks her feet are too big. Frank realises her rope is too short.
66"Alice Can't Remember"
Alice has trouble remembering things, so Frank gives her some remembering string.
77"Ned's Scary Night"
Ned finds it hard to sleep because he is scared by the sounds he hears in the night.
88"What Mitzi Wants"
Mitzi really wants a toy carousel in Sammy's shop, but she doesn't have enough money.
99"Ned the Policeman"
Ned finds a whistle by the side of the road and decides he would like to be a policeman.
1010"Sammy's Bumpy Ride"
The lads help Sammy achieve his dream of riding on a train.
1111"Archie's Loose Tooth"
Archie is worried because his head seems to be wobbling and starts to worry even more when he realizes his tooth is the one that's wobbling and he won't do things he used to do. So Frank, Buster, Mitzi, and Ned try to help Archie to stop worrying.
1212"Penny Comes to Stay"
Penny the Penguin comes to visit, and Buster struggles to entertain her.
1313"Lolly Comes to Town"
Lolly the ice cream vendor gets into trouble when her stock starts melting.
1414"George and the Parcel"
It is George's birthday and the Koala Brothers know just what to get him – a truck for packages.
1515"Mitzi's Day Out"
George the mailman shows Mitzi a postcard of a sandy beach and she decides to go on a vacation.
1616"Sammy and the Moon"
Sammy secretly dreams of being the first shopkeeper to walk on the moon.
1717"George's Day Off"
There's no mail for George to deliver but he doesn't know how to spend his free time.
1818"Archie to the Rescue"
Archie becomes a superhero.
1919"Alice Rides Again"
Alice gets hurt when she falls off her bike. What will she do?
2020"Ned the Pilot"
Ned wants to be a pilot like his hero, Frank.
2121"Mitzi's Big Adventure"
Mitzi organizes a big adventure.
2222"Ned's Special Visitor"
Ned invents a pretend friend as he wants a visitor.
2323"Lolly's Broken Bell"
The bell on Lolly's ice cream truck breaks, so no one knows that she's there! Frank and Buster try to help her find a new sound.
2424"Ned Catches a Cold"
Ned gets his first cold and is too ill to work.
2525"Josie Can Dance"
Everyone practises their acts for the outback talent show, but Josie is frightened of dancing in public, but when Mitzi accidentally steps on Archie's ukulele, Josie must fill in for her.
2626"Penny Comes for Help"
The duo get a letter from Penny who wants to knit a sweater for Lolly for the cold outback mornings.

Series 2 (2004–05)

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title
271"Sammy and the Bee"
Sammy loses one of his bees and Mitzi is puzzled, as she thinks all bees are the same.
282"Alice Gets the Hiccups"
Alice can't cure her hiccups.
293"Lolly's Long Goodbye"
Lolly loves her job delivering ice cream, but it's hard to say goodbye when she is about to move away.
304"Ned's Buried Treasure"
Ned decides to bury some treasure, but he neglects to draw a map and needs help to find it.
315"Mitzi's Special Photos"
Sammy suggests that Mitzi has an exhibition of her photos, so she sets out to take some really special ones.
326"George's Big Mistake"
George spills tea inside his satchel and makes the addresses on his letters unreadable.
337"Ned the Knight"
Ned decides he wants to become a knight.
348"Archie Goes Camping"
Series about Archie wants to be on his own and decides to go camping.
359"Plane Crazy Ned"
Aunt Mavis gives Ned a remote-controlled plane.
3610"George's Big Race"
George the Mailman is persuaded by Mitzi to run a race with Archie, who feels sure he'll win.
3711"Sammy's Bad Day"
Sammy has a bad day but the Koala Brothers help him get over it.
3812"George's Little Plant"
Mailman George loves to chat to a little plant by the roadside, but the plant is wilting.
3913"Archie Tennis Ace"
Archie is so good at sport that he wins every game, and demands to play on until he is defeated.
4014"Josie's Little Accident"
Josie breaks Sammy's favorite coffee cup, owns up, and creates a wonderful new one for him.
4115"Penny's Big Game"
Penny is excited on the day of the outback croquet match.
4216"Mitzi's Busy Day"
The Koalas are having a tea party, and Mitzi makes rash promises about how she can help.
4317"George Goes Faster"
George wants to be a faster mailman. He tries everything, but nothing works until Buster suggests he use a skateboard.
4418"Ned Finds His Whistle"
Ned feels left out as he can't whistle, so Frank gets everyone to make a different sound.
4519"Josie's New Tune"
Josie gets a tuba and realises that practice makes perfect.
4620"Sammy's Cuckoo Clock"
Sammy realises just how much he relies on his cuckoo clock.
4721"Archie Doesn't Listen"
Archie's friends discover that he isn't the best listener.
4822"Josie in Charge"
Josie is in charge of the shop while Sammy takes a holiday.
4923"Penny's Birthday Surprise"
It's Penny's birthday and her friends have the perfect surprise.
5024"George's Broken Satchel"
George is losing his letters and someone else is delivering them.
5125"Lolly's New Flavor"
Lolly has made a new spinach ice cream for the townsfolk, but everyone keeps it.
5226"Alice Gets Lost"
The Koala Brothers invite Alice to a picnic, but she gets lost.

Series 3 (2005–07)

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title
531"Outback Christmas"
Frank and Buster invite everyone to spend Christmas Day with them at the Homestead, but they are devastated when they discover that Penny the little penguin has hurt her wing and won't be able to join them.
542"George the Sportsman"
George doesn't want to take part in a sports day because he thinks he is no good at anything apart from being a mailman.
553"Ned's Shiny Balloon"
Ned doesn't want to share the beautiful balloon he's found tied to his caravan.
564"Mitzi's Special Present"
Mitzi wants her friend Josie to have the best birthday ever.
575"Ned and the Wagaloo"
Ned sets off to find a legendary creature, but he forgets to tell his friends where he's going.
586"Sammy's Spoons"
Mitzi offends Sammy when she says that the spoons are not really musical instruments.
597"Josie's Knotty Problem"
Josie's shoelaces keep coming undone and she cannot tie them up.
608"Alice the Poet"
Alice receives a letter telling her that she has won a poetry competition.
619"Archie's Giant Pumpkin"
Archie tells them about a giant pumpkin that he's growing in his garden, but he exaggerates its size.
6210"Penny's Boomerang"
On her flight to the homestead, Penny's boomerang falls out of the airplane.
6311"Mitzi's Funny Honey"
Mitzi discovers everyone laughing at Buster's jokes and decides she wants to be funny, so she pulls a practical joke on people, but she manages to make them grumpy in the process.
6412"Ned Goes Red"
It is a very hot day in the Outback, but Ned forgets about sun cream and gets sunburned.
6513"Lolly and the Go-Kart"
Lolly the ostrich finds everyone making a go-kart, but says she's too big and clumsy to join in.
6614"Ned's Shooting Star"
Ned sees a shooting star land in the outback, but doubts himself when no one believes him.
6715"Sammy the Mailman"
When George the mailman sprains his ankle, Sammy readily offers to swap jobs.
6816"George the Magician"
When Buster asks George to put on a magic show, George tries to get out of it.
6917"Archie's Fall"
When Archie has a fall before the tennis tournament, he decides not to tell anyone.
7018"Mitzi the Artist"
Mitzi paints a picture of George that looks just like him, but none of her other pictures turn out right.
7119"George's World"
George seems to know lots about other countries, but it transpires that his knowledge is limited to what appears on stamps.
7220"Lolly's Puppet Show"
Lolly loses her voice on the day of the annual puppet show. Mitzi and Ned help.
7321"Ned's Missing Teddy"
Ned takes Teddy on an outback adventure and realises he isn't with him when he gets home.
7422"Mitzi the Flying Nurse"
Mitzi uses her nursing skills to tend to some wilting plants.
7523"Alice Makes a Movie"
Alice decides to make a film about her friends but she's forgotten to put film in the camera.
7624"George's Busy Day"
George has so much mail to deliver that he gets in a bit of a flap.
7725"Alice's Night Mystery"
Someone has made a mess of Alice's kitchen and Alice decides to see if the Koala Brothers can solve the mystery.
7826"Mitzi's Hide and Seek"
Alice, Mitzi and Josie are playing hide and seek.
7927"Ned Writes A Letter"
Ned writes a letter to his favorite aunt with news of all the things he's been up to – but can't decide which things to include.

Home video history

Television Airing

Country / Region Channel Title
 China CCTV 4 (Stopped airing September 2005)
 PAK Cartoon Network -
 United Kingdom CBeebies The Koala Brothers
Tiny Pop
 United States Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney (Stopped airing September 2008)
Disney Junior (Stopped airing on 3 September 2013)
 Australia ABC Kids (Stopped airing in 2009, Returned 2017 and stopped airing in 2018)
Nick Jr. (Stopped airing in 2009)
 Canada Knowledge
SCN
Treehouse TV
 Europe Nick Jr.
 Wales Cyw Y Brodyr Coala
 Quebec Télé-Québec Les Frères Koala
 France Tiji
France 5
 Italy Rai YoYo I Fratelli Koala
 India Pogo -
 Netherlands NPO Zapp De Koala Broertjes
 Ireland RTEjr The Koala Brothers
 Portugal Canal Panda Os Irmãos Koala
RTP 2 Os Irmãos Coala
 Brazil Discovery Kids (ended in 2008)
MexicoArgentina Latin America Los Hermanos Koala
 Spain TVE2
Clan TVE
 Scotland BBC Two Scotland Na Braithrean Cuideachail
BBC Alba
 Wales S4C Y Brodyr Coala
 Poland TVP1 Bracia koala
MiniMini
CBeebies
 Czech Republic Minimax Bratři Koalovi
 Hungary Koala Brothers
 Germany Super RTL Die Koala Brüder
Junior
 Sweden TV4 Koalabröderna
SVT
 Denmark TV2 Koala Brødrene
 Norway TV2 Koala Brødre
 Finland MTV3 (ending in 2013) Koalaveljekset
 Greece Alter Channel (Οι Koala Brothers) (Greek) Το κοάλα αδελφοί
 Israel Hop! האחים קואלה

Award nominations

References

  1. ^ "Search Results (Koala Brothers)". BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  2. ^ http://www.mckeewildthings.com/EchidnaAirways.htm
  3. ^ http://www.mckeewildthings.com/Illustrations.htm
  4. ^ https://vimeo.com/245278431
  5. ^ "Past Winners and Nominees – Children's – Awards – 2006". BAFTA. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
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