| Skippy the Bush Kangaroo | |
|---|---|
DVD cover |
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| Also known as | Skippy |
| Genre | Children, teens and family |
| Created by | John McCallum |
| Written by | Ross Napier (49 episodes) |
| Directed by | Eric Fullilove (38 episodes) Max Varnel (36 episodes) |
| Starring | Ed Devereaux Garry Pankhurst Ken James Tony Bonner Liza Goddard |
| Theme music composer | Eric Jupp |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 91 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | John McCallum (1 episode) |
| Producer(s) | Joy Cavill (47 episodes) Lee Robinson (38 episodes) Dennis Hill (33 episodes) |
| Location(s) | Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nine Network |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| First shown in | Australia |
| Original run | 1966 – 30 March 1970 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Adventures of Skippy |
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian television series for children created by John McCallum, produced from 1966–1968, telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, in the (fictional) Waratah National Park in Duffys Forest, near Sydney, New South Wales.
Ninety-one 30-minute episodes were made over the three seasons of production. At the time of first screening, Australian television was still in black and white, however, the show was filmed in colour on 16 mm film to increase its international marketability, especially in the United States and Canada, where it aired in syndication between 1969 and 1972. The Nine Network readily repeated the series several times after Australian television switched to colour transmission in 1975.
The series was dubbed into Spanish in Mexico, where it is known as Skippy el canguro, and has been distributed to most Spanish-speaking countries, including Cuba and Spain, where it became very popular. The series crossed the Iron Curtain and was aired in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s, and is still being broadcast in Iran. The show was forbidden to be shown in Sweden, where psychologists feared the show would mislead children into believing animals could do things they actually could not.[1]
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The main characters were:
The show's star was Skippy, a wild female Eastern Grey Kangaroo befriended by Sonny Hammond, younger son of the Head Ranger of Waratah National Park. The stories revolved around events in the park, including its animals, the dangers arising from natural hazards, and the actions of visitors. The boy's mother is said (in Episode 48 "The Mine") to have died shortly after Sonny was born.
The series was shot in northern Sydney at the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the adjacent Waratah Park (now known as Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary).
Permission to film and build structures in the park was given by the then NSW Premier, Tom Lewis AO, before the Skippy series began filming in 1967, to showcase the new NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service government department he had just established.
The sanctuary has much of the original film set including the 'Ranger Headquarters' and descendants of the kangaroos used in the series. The series appeared in over 80 countries and its theme tune, composed by Eric Jupp, is one of the best-known and recognisable Australian tunes. The lyrics of the extended version (the B side on the record) were written by Ted Roberts.
The clicking sounds made by Skippy are vocal sound effects, rather than the natural vocalisations of a kangaroo, with chocolate, chewing gum or grass (and in some cases, an elastic band around the lower jaw,) used to make Skippy move her mouth. Between nine and fifteen kangaroos were used for each show. The apparent manual dexterity was often achieved by using separate arms in the hands of human operators.
In 1969 a movie-length "Skippy and The Intruders" was released.
The series was revived in 1992 as the short-lived The Adventures of Skippy using an entirely new cast including Andrew Clarke and Simon James, plot and location with several children, including Craig 'Tommy Lee' Di Topp, as the stars. This version also aired on Animal Planet in the United States in 1997.
In September 2008, actor Tony Bonner sued the production company seeking residuals from merchandising and DVD sales from the series.[3]
In August 2009, kangaroos and wallabies were removed from Waratah Park in the first step to relocating all native animals in the iconic property. The park’s managers said homes had been found for all of the remaining native animals and their removal was expected to be a week-long process. The 13ha park where the TV show Skippy was filmed in the late 1960s and early 1970s has been closed since 2006 yet still housed about 140 ``semi-tame’’ kangaroos and wallabies. Homes for the animals were being sought after the company that bought the park in 2006, Melbourne-based Prudentia Investments, failed to renew the licence to keep native animals. RSPCA officers were on hand yesterday to supervise the animals’ removal, which is being done in conjunction with the Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Department of Primary Industries. Waratah Park spokeswoman Joanne Painter said a dozen different animal parks would take the creatures. ``The relocation of the animals marks the end of a very involved process,’’ she said. ``Our key priority has been finding the most suitable homes for the animals and we are pleased with the final outcome. We would like to thank interested parties for all their help and support during this process.’‘ The animals will be relocated to Wildlife Walkabout Park, Sydney Wildlife World, Hunter Valley Zoo, Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park, Symbio Wildlife Park, Australian Reptile Park, Nowra Animal Park, Oakvale Farm, Secret Creek Sanctuary, Bathurst Sheep and Cattle Drome, Auburn Gardens and Central Gardens, Merrylands.
The future of iconic Waratah Park has again been thrown into turmoil after Lands Minister Tony Kelly announced he would cancel the lease of Melbourne-based company Prudentia Investments because of ``non-compliance with the lease agreements’‘.
The Duffys Forest Park has been closed since it was leased to Melbourne-based Prudentia Investments in 2006, with all the native animals having to be removed last year after Prudentia failed to renew the licence to keep them. Prudentia has been trying to negotiate the purchase of the site for a residential property development, but that bid was previously rejected. However, while local politicians and activists are ecstatic the minister has now agreed to cancel the lease, there are fears the iconic park, where the TV series Skippy was filmed in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, could fall into the hands of developers. In answer to a question on notice from Pittwater State Liberal MP Rob Stokes, Mr Kelly said the lease would be terminated. ``Long-term future options for this site are yet to be determined,’’ he said. A spokesman for Mr Kelly said the lease was in the process of being terminated. ``Procedures are in train to facilitate surrender of the lease by the holder on a date to be determined,’’ he said. ``Until such time as the Land and Property Management Authority concludes its dealings with Prudentia, the Minister will not be in a position to address any future use proposals. The authority expects to finalise its investigations in respect of the current leasing arrangements over the next few months. The news has led to Mr Stokes and Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary Support Group’s Penny Edmonds calling on the government to act and secure the park on the state heritage register.
In March 2010, Waratah Park Nature Reserve Foundation has been set up to make sure the park does not fall into the hands of developers again, and to ensure a sustainable future for the park. You can find further details at www.waratahpark.org.au
On 17 September 2009, a documentary Skippy: Australia's First Superstar was broadcast on the ABC in Australia and the BBC in the UK. The documentary was produced by WA-based documentary production company Electric Pictures.[4]
Also in 2009, the Nine Network began to rerun the series in a graveyard slot in the early hours of the morning.[5]
The original series was parodied in a recurring sketch as part of the British comedy series Goodness Gracious Me under the title "Skipinder, the Punjabi Kangaroo": the parody redubbed scenes from the original Skippy. Its writer, Sanjeev Bhaskar, tried to put Skippy in Room 101.
Australian sketch comedy series Fast Forward also frequently parodied Skippy, with Michael Veitch playing Sonny and Marg Downey playing Clancy, whose head alone was visible, alongside an obviously fake stuffed kangaroo, often with unpleasant intentions toward his younger human companion.
The series was referenced on the TV show House in the episode "The Jerk," when the young patient mocked Australian doctor Robert Chase by repeatedly calling him "Skippy the bush kangaroo" or simply "Skippy."
The character was also referenced in the first Crocodile Dundee movie when, after outshooting drunk poachers from behind the corpse of the kangaroo they'd shot, Michael J. "Mick" Dundee turns to the dead kangaroo and says, "Good one, Skippy."
Another reference to Skippy is found on the 1995 Arrogant Worms album C'est Cheese. In the closing seconds of "The Happy Happy Birthday Song", the final line "Happy birthday dear--" is sung, then several names are muttered as the track segues into Dangerous, one of which is a fairly clear "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo."
The series was briefly parodied in the episode "Killeroo" of The Mighty Boosh - in this version, the protagonists overhear an episode where a feral "Skipper" turns on and devours his human companion.
The series is referred to in an ongoing inside joke by Jack Glatfelter of the LOST podcast with Jay and Jack due to its and the TV show Lost's connection to Australia.
The Australian cyclist Phil Anderson was given the nickname "Le Skippy" by French media when in 1981 he become the first non-European to don the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France.[6]
The series is mentioned in chapter 2 of John Danalis's book, "Riding the Black Cockatoo", where the author speaks of his fond memories of the show.