whatsi_iii
Joined May 2005
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whatsi_iii's rating
First thing's first... I felt I should write a review to make a small correction to an earlier review. Noni Hazlehurst didn't just voice the librarian, she provided the voices for ALL the characters, adults and children alike. It's little wonder this show turned out to be as high quality as it did, since it seems every children's entertainment project Hazlehurst touches turns to gold.
This series of five-minute shows (as well as its sister-series "Kitu and Woofl") showed a highly sophisticated use of stop-motion claymation, a technique made famous by "Wallace and Grommit" and similar productions. The characters were instantly recognisable in terms of personality, the "clay cast" was culturally diverse (in a "typical Australian country town" fashion), and the literature discussed on the show was mostly quality Australian literature.
In all, a nice light-hearted way to fill in the gaps in ABC Kids' high-quality schedule from the mid-'90s.
This series of five-minute shows (as well as its sister-series "Kitu and Woofl") showed a highly sophisticated use of stop-motion claymation, a technique made famous by "Wallace and Grommit" and similar productions. The characters were instantly recognisable in terms of personality, the "clay cast" was culturally diverse (in a "typical Australian country town" fashion), and the literature discussed on the show was mostly quality Australian literature.
In all, a nice light-hearted way to fill in the gaps in ABC Kids' high-quality schedule from the mid-'90s.
Mr Squiggle easily rates as a definitive children's' TV show in Australia, alongside 'Play School'.
Mr Squiggle himself was "the man from the moon" - in real life, a puppet with immovable mouth and controlled by strings. The most important feature of Squiggle's was his nose - He had a pencil for a nose.
Mr Squiggle went where he was going by his rocket - whom he names, affectionately (even if not creatively), Rocket. When Mr Squiggle arrived, he would meet with the hostess (Miss Pat, Miss Jane & Rebecca, among others) to draw some pictures with her (saying he needed her to hold his hand to be able to draw his squiggles).
The artwork itself was drawn onto cardboard, with some shapes and/or lines already drawn (these were sent in by viewers). Mr Squiggle would then draw his own picture ("squiggle"), building from the existing things. With one catch - he would always draw the squiggles upside-down (occasionally he drew it sideways).
Other regular characters included:
Blackboard - This blackboard had attitude! His constant "Humph, hurry up!"s amused adults and kids alike.
Bill the Steamshovel - He was a bit of a jolly character, always willing to help
Gus the Snail - Gus was an enterprising little insect, even starting his own TV channel! He didn't always have a shell on his back - he usually had something quite different such as a TV or a potplant.
I can't speak for the early years, but in the '80s the show went for half an hour. In the '90s and past 2000 the show was reduced to a five-minute format, with only the squiggles and smallest of story lines. Thankfully, Blackboard survived the culling though :)
Mr Squiggle himself was "the man from the moon" - in real life, a puppet with immovable mouth and controlled by strings. The most important feature of Squiggle's was his nose - He had a pencil for a nose.
Mr Squiggle went where he was going by his rocket - whom he names, affectionately (even if not creatively), Rocket. When Mr Squiggle arrived, he would meet with the hostess (Miss Pat, Miss Jane & Rebecca, among others) to draw some pictures with her (saying he needed her to hold his hand to be able to draw his squiggles).
The artwork itself was drawn onto cardboard, with some shapes and/or lines already drawn (these were sent in by viewers). Mr Squiggle would then draw his own picture ("squiggle"), building from the existing things. With one catch - he would always draw the squiggles upside-down (occasionally he drew it sideways).
Other regular characters included:
Blackboard - This blackboard had attitude! His constant "Humph, hurry up!"s amused adults and kids alike.
Bill the Steamshovel - He was a bit of a jolly character, always willing to help
Gus the Snail - Gus was an enterprising little insect, even starting his own TV channel! He didn't always have a shell on his back - he usually had something quite different such as a TV or a potplant.
I can't speak for the early years, but in the '80s the show went for half an hour. In the '90s and past 2000 the show was reduced to a five-minute format, with only the squiggles and smallest of story lines. Thankfully, Blackboard survived the culling though :)