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Clip description
Having created ‘surprise’ hats from bits and pieces from the Useful Box, Justine (Clarke) and Rhys (Muldoon) count down from three before presenting the hats to each other. They then put on their hats and sing ‘Where did you get that hat?’ before going to the windows: we go through the diamond window to see a montage of all sorts of hats.
Curator’s notes
Presenters Justine (Justine Clarke) and Rhys (Rhys Muldoon) are having a lot of fun, smiling and laughing as they sing to each other and the audience at home. Their enthusiasm is a big factor in the infectiously joyful feel of the show that is evident in this clip. Both presenters wear brightly coloured shirts in keeping with the vibrantly coloured and art-directed set.
The clip features Play School’s use of music for educational purposes: it incorporates a melody that children can easily sing along to, and lyrics that present with elements such as rhyme, repetition, synonyms (in this instance, the song also refers to a hat by the word 'tile’) and concepts that allow the young audience to learn about a particular theme, develop their appreciation for music and have fun in the process, all at the same time.
This sequence also features one of the popular elements of Play School’s daily format, the revolving shaped windows, which provide a look ‘outside’ Play School. Here the audience is encouraged to guess which window it will be. It is the diamond window which affords a glimpse of unusual hats from racing crowds, a real-world extension of the theme of the day. The highly creative Play School hats seem quite normal when juxtaposed with the very inventive hats worn by many at horseracing carnivals.
