Tracey McBean (2001 - 2006)

Children's series
39 episodes x 30 minutes

Series synopsis:

Grade four girl-genius Tracey McBean (voiced by Roslyn Oades) is a feisty, funny inventor with a gigantic imagination and an overwhelming desire to use her wacky creations to solve every problem that comes her way. Unfortunately, Tracey’s amazing contraptions often cause havoc and she constantly has to think her way out of tricky situations she has created for herself. Assisted by her amenable sidekick Shamus Wong (voiced by Anthony Hayes), the indefatigable Tracey moves enthusiastically from one amazing adventure to the next – such as when her freckle-removing machine spins off her freckles but spreads them over the whole town, or when her dog obedience machine becomes a mind-controlling machine that works only on humans. Luckily, everything always works out for the best, and go-getter Tracey is ever ready for her next challenge.

Curator’s Notes:

Tracey McBean is a highly successful three-series animation co-production between Southern Star Entertainment, ABC-TV, Egmont Imagination (Denmark) and Shanghai Animation Studios (China). The series is based on the Australian children’s book Tracey McBean’s Stretching Machine written by Mary Small and illustrated by Arthur Filloy.

Tracey McBean is an amusing children’s animation with a strong and very likeable protagonist in the go-getting, problem-solving Tracey Bean. The inventions she comes up with to solve everyday problems are quite ludicrous but at the same time always seem so straightforward. As Tracey Bean says, ‘Nothing’s impossible, only a bit tricky, that’s all!’

The simple storylines and the uncomplicated but interesting characters are very accessible for a young audience, as is the appealing animation style, based on Filloy’s original designs.

Tracey McBean won a 2002 Australian Writers’ Guild Awgie Award in the Children’s Television category for Kym Goldsworthy’s episode ‘Freckle Frenzy’, and a 2005 Australian Writers’ Guild Awgie Award for Kevin Nemeth’s Tracey McBean Series Two.

The series won a 2003 Logie Awards for Most Outstanding Children’s Program.

Annemaree O'Brien

Titles in this series