Bananas in Pyjamas explained

Runtime:5 minutes
Creator:Helena Harris
Narrated:Karina Kelly
Theme Music Composer:Carey Blyton
Opentheme:Bananas in Pyjamas by Trapaga Vocal Group
Endtheme:Bananas in Pyjamas (instrumental)
Country:Australia
Language:English
Company:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Network:ABC-TV
Location:ABC Studios
Num Series:6
Num Episodes:304
List Episodes:List of Bananas in Pyjamas episodes

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

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

Inspiration

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

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

Runtime:12 minutes
Creator:Helena Harris
Producer:Jacqueline Chan
Director:Craig Handley
Composer:Chris Harriott
Theme Music Composer:Carey Blyton
Opentheme:Bananas in Pyjamas by Rebecca Lavelle
Endtheme:Bananas in Pyjamas (instrumental)
Country:Australia
Language:English
Company:Southern Star Group
Network:ABC2
Num Series:3
Num Episodes:156
List Episodes:List of Bananas in Pyjamas episodes

On 2 May 2011, a new version 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

Main characters

Recurring characters

Farm animals

Episodes

See main article: List of Bananas in Pyjamas episodes.

Original series

Revived series

Home video releases

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

Discography

Charting singles

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2"
YearPeak chart positions
AUS
[15]
"Bananas in Pyjamas"199882

Cultural impact

The Bananas in Pyjamas were featured among other famous Australians during the parade of the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[16]

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.[17]

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

YearNominated worksAwardResultRef
1994Bananas in PyjamasBest Children's Album
1996It's Singing Time!
1999It's Show Time!Best Original Cast/Show Recording
2005Sing And Be HappyBest Children's Album
2012Playtime!

Logie Awards

YearNominated worksAwardResult
1996Bananas in PyjamasMost Popular Children's Program
2000Most Outstanding Children's Program

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bananas in Pyjamas . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100818161733/http://www.pluslicens.se/index.php/site/characters_details/bananas_in_pyjamas_characters/ . 2010-08-18 . 2010-05-08 . Plus Licens Ab.
  2. Web site: About . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100519053516/http://www.abc.net.au/children/bananas/about/ . 2010-05-19 . 2010-05-08 . Bananas in Pyjamas . ABC Television.
  3. News: Wood . Patrick . 2017-07-20 . Bananas in Pyjamas creator and original stars reflect on 25 years of chasing teddies . ABC News. Australia . live . 2017-10-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171006175826/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-20/bananas-in-pyjamas-creator-reflects-on-25th-anniversary/8722884 . 2017-10-06.
  4. Web site: Bananas in Pyjamas . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110512033747/http://www.abc.net.au/abcforkids/shows/s2948119.htm . 12 May 2011 . 2011-04-29 . ABC for Kids . .
  5. Web site: Valecha . Amrita . 2011-03-15 . Southern Star and ABC Australia to launch Bananas in Pyjamas in May 2011 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20110320214107/http://www.axapac.com/news/southern-star-and-abc-australia-launch-bananas-pyjamas-may-2011 . 2011-03-20 . 2011-04-29 . AnimationXpress AsiaPacific.
  6. Web site: Stephen Shanahan Bio. RMK Voices. 20 May 2013. 13 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413022746/http://www.rmk.com.au/stephen_shanahan/. live.
  7. News: BANANA TIME!. . . 13 March 1994 . 14 July 2019 . 1 (Junior Times) . National Library of Australia . 28 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220428175653/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118157731?browse=ndp:browse/title/C/title/11/1994/03/13/page/13352698/article/118157731 . live .
  8. Web site: Filmography by year for Troy Planet. IMDB. 20 May 2013. 16 August 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050816173217/http://imdb.com/name/nm0686548/filmoyear. live.
  9. Web site: Troy Planet's Page. Voiceover Universe. 20 May 2013. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402163305/http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/profile/TroyPlanet. live.
  10. . Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  11. Web site: Georgina Symes. Your BlahVoice. 20 May 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130410014001/http://www.blah.com.au/search/detail.php?id=24. 10 April 2013.
  12. Web site: Filmography by year for John Leary. IMDB. 20 May 2013.
  13. Web site: Eliza Logan Resume. https://archive.today/20130615210534/http://www.open.aftrs.edu.au/tutor/1502. dead. 15 June 2013. AFTRS. 20 May 2013.
  14. Web site: Anthony O'Donohue profile. LinkedIn. 20 May 2013. dead. https://archive.today/20130616011704/http://au.linkedin.com/pub/anthony-o-donohue/41/211/17b. 16 June 2013.
  15. 70.
  16. Web site: Bananas in Pyjamas . Australian Television Memorabilia Guide . 17 November 2013 . 2 March 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180302164109/http://www.tvmem.com/OZST/tv/B/BANANAIN/BANANASI.html . live .
  17. News: Bananas in Pyjamas: Royal Australian Mint celebrates 25 years of chasing teddies with new coins. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Penny. Travers. ABC News. 4 June 2017. 4 June 2017. 4 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170604110617/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-04/bananas-in-pyjamas-celebrate-25-years-with-new-coins/8587546. live.
  18. Web site: Children's in 1998. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 19 February 2023. 8 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230308220735/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1998/childrens. live.

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