Bananas in Pyjamas

Australian children's television series

Bananas in Pyjamas

Created by| Helena Harris
Directed by|

* Roger Bayley
* Sophia Turkiewicz
* Tony Tilse
* Di Drew
* David Caesar
* Paul Faint
* Karin Kreicers
* Ian Munro
* Michael Ailwood
* Varcha Sidwell
* Virginia Lumsden
* David Evans
* Richard Walker

Starring|

* Benjamin Baylock
* Mary-Ann Henshaw
* Michael James
* Sandie Lillingston
* Shane McNamara
* Nicholas Opolski
* Taylor Owynns
* Ken Radley
* Jeremy Scrivener
* Duncan Wass

Narrated by| Karina Kelly
Theme music composer| Carey Blyton
Opening theme| Bananas in Pyjamas by Trapaga Vocal Group
Ending theme| Bananas in Pyjamas (instrumental)
Composers|

* Chris Harriott (1992–99)
* Peter Dasent (2001)

Country of origin| Australia
Original language| English
No. of series| 6
No. of episodes| 304 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers|

* Claire Henderson (1992–94)
* Mark Barnard (1995/96)
* Virginia Lumsden (1999–2001)

Producers|

* Helena Harris (showrunner, 1992–94)
* Tammy Burnstock (1994–1995)
* Virginia Lumsden (1995-1999)
* Mark Barnard (1999)
* Sophie Emtage (2001)

Production location| ABC Studios
Running time| 5 minutes
Production company| Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Original release
Network| ABC-TV
Release| 20 July 1992 (1992-07-20) –
14 December 2001 (2001-12-14)

Bananas in Pyjamas is an Australian children's television series that first aired on 20 July 1992 on ABC. It has since been syndicated in many countries and dubbed into other languages. In the United States, the "Pyjamas" in the title was modified to reflect the American spelling pajamas. It aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997 as a half-hour series, then became a 15-minute show paired with a short-lived 15-minute series The Crayon Box, under a 30-minute block produced by Sachs Family Entertainment titled Bananas in Pajamas & The Crayon Box. Additionally, the characters and a scene from the show were featured in the Kids for Character sequel titled Kids for Character: Choices Count. The pilot episode was Pink Mug.

The concept was inspired by the success of the song Bananas in Pyjamas, written by Carey Blyton in 1967, on Play School.[1][2] This song, which had become a regular item on Play School, became the theme of the new series. The series was revamped in May 2011 as a CGI animated series created by Southern Star Entertainment.

## Summary

[edit]

The main characters are two anthropomorphic bananas named B1 and B2. Other characters include the three teddy bears Amy, Lulu and Morgan, and Rat in a Hat. The bananas, the teddies and Rat in a Hat all live in the same neighbourhood, a cul-de-sac called "Cuddles Avenue". The bananas live next to the beach and serve as beach patrol. The teddies live next to and look after the park. Rat in a Hat works and lives at the community store. The characters enjoy eating "munchy honeycakes" and "yellow jelly".

## Production

[edit]

### Inspiration

[edit]

The characters were inspired by a 1969 song written for children by British composer Carey Blyton (nephew of renowned children's author Enid Blyton). The jaunty song describes (an unspecified number of) bananas in pyjamas chasing teddy bears, with a slight twist at the end where a musical sting emphasises that the bananas like to "catch them unawares". The song was shown on the Australian version of Play School for many years accompanied by an animation depicting pairs of bananas in blue-and-white striped pyjamas. This led to a "banana" plush toy being created as part of the "toy cast", which formed the basis of the physical appearance of B1 and B2.

### Filming

[edit]

Creator, producer and showrunner Helena Harris devised the content of the ABC program at ABC Studios. Two of the bear characters, Amy and Morgan, are named after Helena Harris' children.[3] The show was performed using human actors in elaborate costumes, in the style of the British Tweenies and Teletubbies. In the show's early days, the voices of the bananas were provided by the same actors as were inside the costume, but the original actors eventually gave up that aspect of the show and substitutes wore the hot, stuffy costumes. The show aired new episodes from its 1992 debut to its eventual run in syndication in 2002. The show aired approximately three hundred episodes as well as four specials. Its debut in the United States was in 1995. It made videos and other media from 1995 to 1999. A toy line, developed by TOMY, debuted in 1996.

## Animated version

[edit]

Bananas in Pyjamas

Created by| Helena Harris
Written by|

* John Armstrong
* Kym Goldsworthy
* Holly Lyons
* Kevin Nemeth

Directed by| Craig Handley
Starring|

* Sophie Aldred (UK Version)
* Isabella Dunwill
* Richard McCourt
* Shane McNamara
* Troy Planet (AU Version)
* Stephen Shanahan
* Ines Vaz de Sousa
* Dominic Wood
* Daniel Wyllie

Theme music composer| Carey Blyton
Opening theme| Bananas in Pyjamas by Rebecca Lavelle
Ending theme| Bananas in Pyjamas (instrumental)
Composer| Chris Harriott
Country of origin| Australia
Original language| English
No. of series| 3
No. of episodes| 156 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers|

* Noel Price
* Barbara Uecker

Producer| Jacqueline Chan
Running time| 12 minutes
Production company| Southern Star Group
Original release
Network| ABC2
Release| 2 May 2011 (2011-05-02) –
22 July 2013 (2013-07-22)

On 2 May 2011, a reboot of Bananas in Pyjamas, produced by Southern Star Entertainment in full CGI, was premiered on ABC2 in Australia; it was shown in other countries soon after that date. It contains new songs, stories, and characters, including Topsy the cheeky kangaroo, Charlie the inventive monkey and Bernard the wise old dog. Development of the new series commenced in 2009, and production started in early 2010. The new series contains 104 12-minute episodes.[4][5]

## Characters

[edit]

### Main characters

[edit]

* B1 the Banana: Duncan Wass (1992), Ken Radley (1993–2001), Michael James (2001), and then Stephen Shanahan (2011–13),[6] Richard McCourt (2011–13)
* B2 the Banana: Nicholas Opolski (1992–2001), Benjamin Blaylock (2001), and then Daniel Wyllie, Dominic Wood (2011–13)
* Amy the Teddy Bear: Sandie Lillingston (1992), Mary-Ann Henshaw (1993–2001), and then Isabella Dunwill (2011–13)
* Lulu the Teddy Bear: Taylor Owynns (1992–2001), Monica Trapaga (Bananas in Pyjamas (album release)),[7] Sandie Lillingston (Bumping and a-Jumping) and then Ines Vaz de Sousa (2011–13)
* Morgan the Teddy Bear: Jeremy Scrivener (1992–2001), and then Troy Planet (AU Version),[8] Sophie Aldred (UK Version) (2011–13)
* Rat in a Hat the Rat: Shane McNamara (1993–2013)[citation needed]

### Recurring characters

[edit]

* Bernard the Dog: Keith Buckley (2011–13)
* Charlie the Monkey: Matthew Whittet (2011–13)
* Kevin the Butterfly: Mal Heap (1992–2001)
* Maggie the Magpie: Emma De Vries (1994–2001)
* Mrs Rat the Rat: Georgina Symes (2011–13)[9]
* Tolstoy the Tortoise: Emma De Vries (1996–2001) and then John Leary (2011–13)[citation needed]
* Tomasina the Turtle: David Collins (1999–2001) and then Meaghan Davies (2011–13)
* Topsy the Kangaroo: Roslyn Oades (2011–13)

### Farm animals

[edit]

* Farm Animals puppeteers: Mal Heap, Terry Ryan & Emma De Vries (2001)
* Camembert the Cow: Taylor Sweeney and then Eliza Logan (2011–2013)[10]
* Pedro the Pig: Michael Phillips and then Anthony O'Donohue (2011–2013)[11]
* Gregory the Chicken: Matthew Hudak
* Peck the Duck: Aaron Oberst-Horner
* Dolly the Sheep: Maura McGinley and then Olivia Pigeot (2011–2013)
* Flash the Fish: Jacob Matta

## Episodes

[edit]

Main article: List of Bananas in Pyjamas episodes

### Original series

[edit]

Series| Episodes| Originally released

|
|

First released| Last released
1| 40| 20 July 1992 (1992-07-20)| 11 September 1992 (1992-09-11)
2| 30| 21 March 1993 (1993-03-21)| 30 April 1993 (1993-04-30)
3| 30| 26 September 1994 (1994-09-26)| 4 November 1994 (1994-11-04)
4| 100| 5 August 1996 (1996-08-05)| 20 December 1996 (1996-12-20)
5| 20| 22 November 1999 (1999-11-22)| 17 December 1999 (1999-12-17)
6| 80| 27 August 2001 (2001-08-27)| 14 December 2001 (2001-12-14)

### Revived series

[edit]

Series| Episodes| Originally released

|
|

First released| Last released
1| 52| 2 May 2011 (2011-05-02)| 22 June 2011 (2011-06-22)
2| 52| 7 May 2012 (2012-05-07)| 27 June 2012 (2012-06-27)
3| 52| 13 May 2013 (2013-05-13)| 22 July 2013 (2013-07-22)

## Home video releases

[edit]

The series has been released to home video, originally for VHS, later also for DVD.

* Birthday Special (1992)
* Show Business (1993)
* Hiccups (1993)
* Monster Bananas (1994)
* Big Parade (1994)
* Special Delivery (1994)
* Surf's Up (1995)
* Wish Fairies (1995)
* It's Music Time (1996)
* Singing Time (1997)
* Dress Ups (1997)
* Bumping and a-Jumping (1998)
* Holiday Time (1998)
* Fun Time (1999)
* Surprise Party (1999)
* It's Games Time (2000)
* Story Time (2000)
* Rock-A-Bye Bananas (2001)
* Summertime (2001)
* Dancing Daze (2002)
* Celebration (2002)
* Farm Adventure (2003)
* Beat Box (2003)

## Discography

[edit]

* Bananas in Pyjamas (1993)
* Live on Stage (1994)
* Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? Mix (1994)
* It's Singing Time! (1996)
* Bumping and a-Jumping (1997)
* Cuddles Avenue Christmas (1997)
* It's Show Time! (1998)
* Get Up and Dance! (2000)
* Banana Split Mix (2002)
* The Fun Collection (2002)
* Sing and Be Happy (2004)
* Welcome to Cuddlestown (2011)
* Playtime! (2012)
* Best Of: Classic (2015)
* 50 Best Songs: 25 Years! (2017)

### Charting singles

[edit]

List of singles, with selected chart positions  Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions

|
|

AUS
[12]
"Bananas in Pyjamas"  | 1998  | 82

## Cultural impact

[edit]

The Bananas in Pyjamas were featured among other famous Australians during the parade of the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[13]

In 2017, the Royal Australian Mint produced a commemorative set containing five-cent and 20-cent coins to mark the 25th anniversary of Bananas in Pyjamas. The five-cent coin, which is coloured for the first time, depicts Rat-in-a-Hat, while the twenty-cent coin depicts B1 and B2.[14]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

### APRA Music Awards

[edit]

Year  | Nominated works  | Award  | Result  | Ref

|
|
|
|

1995 | "We Like Wearing Pyjamas" (Franciscus Antheunis p.k.a. Franciscus Henri)  | Most Performed Children's Work  | Nominated  |

[15]

### ARIA Music Awards

[edit]

Year  | Nominated works  | Award  | Result  | Ref

|
|
|
|

1994 | Bananas in Pyjamas | Best Children's Album | Nominated  |

[16]

1996 | It's Singing Time! | Nominated
1999 | It's Show Time! | Best Original Cast/Show Recording | Nominated  |

[17]

2005 | Sing And Be Happy | Best Children's Album | Nominated  | [16]
2012 | Playtime! | Nominated

### British Academy Children's Awards

[edit]

Year  | Nominated works  | Award  | Result  | Ref

|
|
|
|

1998  | Bananas in Pyjamas Special | International | Nominated  | [18]

### Logie Awards

[edit]

Year  | Nominated works  | Award  | Result

|
|
|

1996 | Bananas in Pyjamas | Most Popular Children's Program  | Nominated
2000 | Most Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated

## See also

[edit]

* Television portal
* Australia portal

* List of longest-running Australian television series

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bananas in Pyjamas.

1. ^ "Bananas in Pyjamas". Plus Licens Ab. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
2. ^ "About". Bananas in Pyjamas. ABC Television. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
3. ^ Wood, Patrick (20 July 2017). "Bananas in Pyjamas creator and original stars reflect on 25 years of chasing teddies". Australia: ABC News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
4. ^ "Bananas in Pyjamas". ABC for Kids. ABC Television. Archived from the original on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.[failed verification]
5. ^ Valecha, Amrita (15 March 2011). "Southern Star and ABC Australia to launch Bananas in Pyjamas in May 2011". AnimationXpress AsiaPacific. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
6. ^ "Stephen Shanahan Bio". RMK Voices. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
7. ^ "BANANA TIME!". The Canberra Times. 13 March 1994. p. 1 (Junior Times). Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2019 - via National Library of Australia.
8. ^ "Troy Planet's Page". Voiceover Universe. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
9. ^ "Georgina Symes". Your BlahVoice. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
10. ^ "Eliza Logan Resume". AFTRS. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
11. ^ "Anthony O'Donohue profile". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
12. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 70.
13. ^ "Bananas in Pyjamas". Australian Television Memorabilia Guide. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
14. ^ Travers, Penny (4 June 2017). "Bananas in Pyjamas: Royal Australian Mint celebrates 25 years of chasing teddies with new coins". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
15. ^ "Nominations – 1995". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
16. ^ a b "Best Children's Album", ARIA, archived from the original on 14 April 2019, retrieved 22 January 2019
17. ^ "Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album", ARIA, archived from the original on 22 January 2019, retrieved 22 January 2019
18. ^ "Children's in 1998". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Bananas in Pyjamas – Original website
* Bananas in Pyjamas – ABC TV
* Bananas in Pyjamas (TV Series 1992–2001) at IMDb
* Bananas in Pyjamas (TV Series 2011–) at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Teddy bears

Manufacturers|

* Applause (defunct)
* Build-A-Bear Workshop
* Chad Valley
* Dakin (defunct)
* J. K. Farnell (defunct)
* Gund
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* Margarete Steiff GmbH
* Merrythought
* Teddy Atelier Stursberg
* Teddy-Hermann
* Ty Inc.
* Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Types|

* AG Bear
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Museums|

* Dorset Teddy Bear Museum
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Fictional
teddies|

* Aloysius
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* Pink teddy bear (Breaking Bad)
* Po
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* Rasmus
* Roger (Guilty Gear)
* Rilakkuma
* Rupert
* Rupert (Family Guy)
* Sebastian Star Bear
* Smokey
* Snuggle Bear
* Sooty
* SuperTed
* Teddy (The Forgotten Toys)
* Teddy (Mr. Bean)
* Teddy Ruxpin
* Winnie-the-Pooh
* Disney version

Film and
television|

* A.I. Artificial Intelligence
* The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin
* Adventures of the Gummi Bears
* Bananas in Pyjamas
* Bear Behaving Badly
* Becky and Barnaby Bear
* Boonie Bears
* C Bear and Jamal
* Charley and Mimmo
* Corduroy
* Colargol
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* Hey Mister, Let's Play!
* Imaginary
* Issi Noho
* Kissyfur
* Kooky
* Little Bear
* movie
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* Old Bear Stories
* Paddington (TV series)
* Paddington (Paddington 2 and Paddington in Peru)
* The Pit
* Rilakkuma and Kaoru
* "Rosebud" (The Simpsons)
* The Secret World of Benjamin Bear
* Special Agent Oso
* SuperTed
* The Tangerine Bear
* Ted (Ted 2 and Ted (TV series))
* Teddy
* Teddy Bear
* Teddybears
* The Teddy Bear Master
* The 'Teddy' Bears
* Teddy Edward
* Teddy Trucks
* Unicorn Wars
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Books|

* A Pocket for Corduroy
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* The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut
* Supertoys Last All Summer Long
* The Toyminator
* Undertown
* Uppo-Nalle
* Winkie
* Winnie-the-Pooh

Music|

* "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear"
* "Psycho Teddy"
* "Teddy Bears' Picnic"
* "The Teddy Bear Song"
* "Itsumademo... Teddy Bear"

Video games|

* Ah Diddums
* Among the Sleep
* Bear with Me
* Big Huggin'
* Build-A-Bear Workshop
* Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise
* Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games
* Opération Teddy Bear
* Teddy Together
* Naughty Bear

Snacks|

* Gummy bears
* Teddy Grahams
* Tiny Teddy

Related|

* Billy Possum
* Peter Bull
* Round and Round the Garden
* Richard Steiff
* Stuffed toys
* Sudanese blasphemy case
* Teddybear Airdrop Minsk 2012
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* Teddy bear parachuting
* Teddy Bear Review
* Teddy bear toss
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* Theodore Roosevelt

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