The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1992 - 2004)
Children's series
78 episodes x 30 minutes
Series synopsis:
This 2D animation series tells of the adventures of a mischievous little koala Blinky Bill, his animal friends Nutsy the koala, Splodge the kangaroo, Flap the platypus, Marcia the marsupial mouse, (and from series two, Shifty the dingo) and his family and neighbours in the little town of Greenpatch in the Australian bush.
In the first series of The Adventures of Blinky Bill (1993, 26 episodes), Blinky Bill and his friends rebuild the buildings and the community in Greenpatch, following its destruction by humans. They also come to terms with their new neighbours, the ill-famed Dingo family.
In series two, Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Excursion (1995, 26 episodes), Blinky Bill and his friends become completely lost while on a school excursion in the bush. Finding their way home across different parts of Australia, they have many adventures helping out other animals in need, including a crocodile, penguins and farm and circus animals.
In series three Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Balloon Adventure (2004, 26 episodes), Blinky Bill and his friends are now travelling the world in a hot air balloon which takes them on exciting adventures. Along the way they make friends with animals and children from deserts, rainforests and modern cities.
Curator’s Notes:
The character of Blinky Bill is based on the children’s book character of the same name created by author Dorothy Wall in the 1930s. The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill, (Sydney: Angus & Robertson) was first published in 1939 and has never been out of print. Blinky Bill is an iconic Australian character and has been much loved by generations of children, through the books and more recently through these television series. Producer and director Yoram Gross describes Blinky as having '… all the qualities of a true Australian larrikin – fiercely independent, eternally mischievous and brave far beyond his size’.
While the look and personality of the two Blinky Bills is similar, the original character was tougher and crueller than the modern day Blinky. Yoram Gross (who bought the rights in the 1980s) modified Blinky’s original look and personality to make him more appealing.
Yoram Gross co-produced the first series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill with the BBC (UK), ABC (Australia), WDR (Germany), and EM. Entertainment GmbH (Germany). It is the series closest to the original book in character and setting.
The second series, Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Excursion (1995) was a Yoram Gross co-production with the ABC (Australia), WDR (Germany), VIDEAL (Germany), Beyond Distribution (Australia) and EM. Entertainment (Germany). The third series, Blinky Bill’s Extraordinary Balloon Adventure (2004) was a Flying Bark co-production with the ABC (Australia), WDR (Germany), VIDEAL (Germany), Beyond Distribution (Australia) and EM. Entertainment (Germany). All three series have sold extremely well around the world.
Titles in this series
Blinky Bill’s Fire Brigade 1992
This is episode two of the first series of Blinky Bill. When lightning starts a fire in Greenpatch, Blinky (Robyn Moore) decides to set up a fire brigade and enlists his friends to help. They collect everything they need, by ...
