Thingee

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Thingee is a puppet which was used as an unofficial ambassador and icon of New Zealand children’s television during the 1990’s, appearing in multiple television shows such as After 2, Jason and Thingee, Son of A Gunn, and What Now. He appeared on T-Shirts, dolls, puzzles and advertising all over New Zealand. A petition is currently in progress calling for Thingee's return to New Zealand television.

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[edit] Appearance

Thingee was usually presented as a grey humanoid thing with large bulbous eyes, a large toothless snout and a domed head. In a similar manner to the Rainbow characters Zippy and George, he was generally shown from the shoulders up, with one arm.

[edit] Character history

Thingee first appeared on After School in 1987. Viewers first saw what was believed to be perhaps the egg of a dragon, Thingee existed in egg form for several weeks on the show until he hatched. Thingee first teamed up with Jason Gunn in 1988 when Jason took over as host for After School. Jason and Thingee continued working together in 1989 on After 2.

From 1992 on he co-hosted Jason Gunn vehicles, Son of a Gunn and Jason and Thingee. They later starred in the straight to video film Jason and Thingee’s Big Adventure. Thingee also appeared in celebrity editions of Wheel of Fortune and Face the Music in 1992.

From 1996 he was a host on Saturday morning television show What Now where it was revealed that the character was an alien and eventually Thingee made contact with his people and made the decision to return home to his own planet. Resultantly the character was retired from New Zealand Television.

[edit] Appearances after retirement

2001 - Thingee helped co-host the What Now 20th birthday Party.

2007 - Thingee came back to TV on the TVNZ lifestyle show "Good Morning". A link to the video on You Tube -

[edit] Appearances in Popular Culture

Thingee’s Eye famously popped out on a live broadcast of Son Of A Gunn, and this has become an iconic Kiwi pop element, gaining enough notoriety to appear in the opening credits of each episode of Jeremy Wells’ Eating Media Lunch.

[edit] Links