The Weird Kids Shows of Australia Iceberg Explained

#iceberg #weirdkidsshows
This iceberg covers weird Australian kid's TV shows, from those which I consider the most well-known to the least known. They may have an abnormal or creepy premise, contain a character or scene that doesn't seem normal, or there could be details about the production that makes them odd - a couple of these entries are lost media. In any case, I hope you enjoy this nostalgia trip.
Here's a link to the iceberg as an image for all of your research needs:
imgur.com/a/HBYpSYh
Got something you want me to look at? e-mail me at [e-mail]
*Music Credits*
Signal To Noise by @ScottBuckley • 'Signal to Noise' [Cin...
Aviino - Two Thousand Miles chll.to/3e66a937
dryhope - Envision chll.to/aac947a5
brillion - Night Owl chll.to/240e57c
brillion. - Hibernation chll.to/7a6713fb
Intervention by @ScottBuckley • 'Intervention' [Dramat...
The Visitor by @WhiteBatAudio • Mysterious Sci Fi Synt...
Promise by @WhiteBatAudio • Nostalgic Synth *No Be...
00:00 - The Start of Things
Layer 1
00:33 - Round The Twist
01:26 - Bananas In Pyjamas
02:13 - The Wiggles
02:54 - H20: Just Add Water
03:48 - Mr Squiggle
04:31 - Lift Off
05:40 - Spellbinder
06:54 - The Upside Down Show
Layer 2
07:50 - Johnson and Friends
08:37 - The Ferals
09:46 - The Genie From Down Under
10:48 - The Day My Butt Went Psycho
11:35 - SheZow
12:23 - Lil'Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers
13:10 - dirtgirlworld
Layer 3
14:03 - Drop Dead Weird
15:24 - Mulligrubs
15:47 - Plasmo
16:48 - The Flamin' Thongs
17:39 - Parallax
18:23 - Jeopardy
19:35 - Erky Perky
Layer 4
20:10 - Master Raindrop
20:39 - The Adventures of Figaro Pho
21:12 - The Dukes of Broxstonia
21:41 - Pig's Breakfast
22:29 - The Miraculous Mellops
23:23 - Legacy of the Silver Shadow
24:02 - Magic Mountain
24:37 - Dead Gorgeous
Layer 5
25:26 - Steam Punks!
26:11 - Boffins
26:48 - Guinevere Jones
27:29 - Eugénie Sandler P.I.
27:57 - Elly & Jools
28:46 - Finders Keepers
Layer 6 (The Final Layer, aka the Lost Media Layer)
30:08 - Wormwood
30:46 - Catch Kandy
31:14 - Alpha Scorpio
31:55 - Wild Kat
32:22 - Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin
33:14 - The Dinky-Di's
33:58 - Afterword
In conclusion, Mark Mitchell wound up on this list a lot.

[@MustyYew]

cool video, hope more people catch wind of this

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to share it with anyone that you think might also enjoy.

[@kolasuperdeepborehole]

For anyone looking, more weird Australian shows are The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky, Yakkity Yak, Cybergirl, The Book Place. Ocean Girl is one of my favorites and similar to H2O. ABC aired so many obscure Canadian and European shows, it's always a shock to look up a show and find it was made in Australia.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you for the suggestions! I've just taken a quick look at The Adventures of Bottle Top Billy, and it would definitely fit right in on this iceberg - week he checking it out more!

[@StrangeAustralian]

I remember that one too! I always found something really unsettling about the character models, and being claymation just amped up their weirdness.

[@robyn-anneelfenbein666]

Bottle Top Bill was one of those shows I would watch when I found it on tv. It aired pretty early though.

[@pokemaniac05]

Trapped & Castaway, the Australian version. These two are both forgotten, very obscure & almost lost due to well most EPs blocked & only so few uploaded, both came out on Seven Network from 2008 to 2011. The only notable actor/actress in them was Maia Mitchell who you might remember from Mortified up to that point, she's gone to do bigger stuff past that.

[@plattyppus]

This channel is seriously a hidden gem! I'm from the US so it's really cool learning about all these shows. I was surprised I recognized some of them too!

[@StrangeAustralian]

You're too kind, thank you! I'm very happy to hear that you recognised a few shows here while discovering some new ones - I certainly found some that I'd never heard of before and had fun checking them out. I hope you get a chance to check out my other videos and those yet to come - I promise there's some more unique things I plan on highlighting.

[@genghis_connie]

On human faces in cartoons: So, in the mid-70s, we watched reruns of Clutch Cargo in the U.S. All characters had human mouths because the creator’s son was deaf, and this way he could lip read the cartoon.

[@StrangeAustralian]

I had no idea about that show, it makes sense and didn't even occur to me that it would be easier to lip read with actual human mouths! I definitely can't fault their use on other shows with that kind of outcome. Thanks for sharing!

[@genghis_connie]

@@StrangeAustralian super f-ing cool, right? Still looked creepy AF. I think there was a talking monkey, too. Worth a look.

[@johntom5562]

Also shoulda mentioned Noah and Saskia! Loved the style of that one

[@StrangeAustralian]

Can't believe this one didn't come up in my research! I think it'd definitely have a place on this iceberg.

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

My dad hated the Flamin Thongs so much he banned me from watching it around him

[@brendancrates4654]

Great video. If you ever do a part 2 you gotta include Ship to Shore. Iconic lesser known Aussie show.

[@pokemaniac05]

I feel like the Weird Kids Shows, Australian Edition might turn into a series because again some of my playlists have mostly obscure or lost media from Australian children's TV. Currently watching Ship to Shore which is soon to turn 30 yrs old this year & it's a interesting & enjoyable i must say. Also the drama & comedy Australian tv series/movies could get it's own Iceberg series because i also have playlists of those & they are about the same level as the kids shows/movies, many of them are not as known. Maybe the game shows, reality TV & soaps too could get their own too. And let's be real animation series & voice actors in Australia isn't really talked about as much as other countries like America, the UK, Canada etc etc.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Funny you mention that - I'm actually planning on doing a deeper dive into one of the shows on this iceberg. I'm still in the research phase, but it'll be one of my more unique and in-depth documentaries on this channel. It won't be the next video or even the one after that, but it's something that I am actively working on long-term and want to get right. You're completely right about animation in Australia - outside Bluey (which definitely deserves all the praise it gets), I don't think there are many if any Australian animated TV shows that people would recall, and even fewer Australian voice actors.

[@pokemaniac05]

Fun Fact, Ship to Shore Series 1 is the only one to get a DVD release, while unfortunately due to sales not as big, we never got a DVD release for Series 2 & 3 which is a shame. The ABC 3 airings of them is all you get via Mrsimplesimon1987's channel. As for The Gift & Sweat which both were by Barron Entertainment who also did Ship to Shore, all aired via Nine or ABC in the 90s. Speaking Ship to Shore & Sweat have those on a future Weird Kids Shows Aussie edition vid. I will watch Sweat, Stormworld, Sugar & Spice & Driven Crazy more etc, which the latter is the 2nd series to adapt Paul Jennings stories after leaving Round the Twist's 2nd series which result the writers to do original stories in the next 2 series rather from the source material that they were using off of Jennings' work.

[@pokemaniac05]

I forgot to mention this one, Short Cuts which is another obscure/lost media tv series from down under on Channel 7, later re-aired on ABC3 in 2011. According info on it's Wiki: "The series depicts a group of students in a media studies class facing the challenges of growing up and using a camera to express themselves for their schoolwork." It was also filmed at Fitzroy High School in the inner north of Melbourne. I hear that YT user The Cool Zone 101 has uploaded atm 2 EPs of it and has 14 more out of the 26 EPs, so it's something unlike Throwback TV Australia who has been randomly private a lot of his vids of old Australian Kids, drama & films lately & it's unpredictable as heck. H2O: Just Add Water also had a spinoff in 2013, Mako: Island of Secrets aka Mako Mermaids which is just as popular.

[@StrangeAustralian]

I feel like Short Cuts has a decent chance of showing up in full one day. It's relatively recent and was shown on two networks, so other copies are likely out there.

[@pokemaniac05]

Here's the problem, Thunderstone Season 3 mainly is very lost media due to how many copyright claims it has gotten on YT from different YT channels who upload them or other sites, to my knowledge it's the only season in all of Thunderstone not to be in streaming in any way shape or form. Wormwood, the only series based on Paul Jennings' work that is hard to find, meanwhile Round the Twist, Driven Crazy, Wicked & Deadly (2 animated series all based on Jennings' books or short stories) are much easier to find. Eugenie Sandler was on YT, but it deleted a couple of times, similar to another obscure but loved Aussie Kids tv show from the 2000s, Ocean Star (which i've seen all of both prior). Magic Mountain Season 2 is still a rather obscure part of the show, most of the EPs are pretty much unavailable (kind of like Tracey McBean Season 2), idk about Drop Dead Weird Series 2 since i never seen it as of yet, Secret Valley & Professor Poopsnaggle are related (latter is a follow up) unfortunately most of the EPs are blocked worldwide similar to shows like Escape of the Artful Dodger, Trapped/Castaway, Mission Top Secret & a few others that are the same (with many other series blocked in some or many countries which is less bad). I have links to other Australian series not on YT, but from random or official sites. Only a few EPs of Catch Kandy are available online, only a few EPs of Guinevere Jones are on YT from 2 users, almost every EP of Bananas of Pyjamas 90s tv show is available except for some are blocked or missing, the 2010s CG Bananas are available via Netflix, Stan & ABC iview/Kids, I never seen Dead Gorgeous & i really want to at some point with stuff that i don't have, The Adventures of Figaro Pho got a follow up called "The New Adventures of Figaro Pho (available on ABC iview expire dates for free & every EP currently watching to like past EP 16/39, iTunes mainly, YT & Google Play only 13/39 EPs for some reason), but prior to them it started as shorts about 90 secs & there's 26 of them all on YT. If you want to see mostly obscure/lost media ish Australian Children's tv (for the most part anyway), go check my playlists which there's 5 of them plus even the ones that are completed series, many of which are blocked in certain amount of countries.

[@StrangeAustralian]

I'm cautiously optimistic about Thunderstone - the first two seasons look to be officially available for buying/streaming, so hopefully the third will land at some point. The rest are definitely mixed - I've seen no sign of Wormwood besides the photos and synopses. It really is a shame that so many of these are being hoarded by rights holders and the like, there's a lot I'd love to see in the wild and discover/rediscover.

[@aaronriddo1183]

Loving your vids!

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you, glad you're enjoying them! I'm working on scripts for some other videos, and hope you'll like them too when I finish and upload them.

[@aaronriddo1183]

@@StrangeAustralian I'm so glad to see some Australian mystery content. Thanks for your work!

[@pokemaniac05]

Well i got to add Stormworld in the lost media category, it was a late 2000s sci-fi co-produced Australian & Canadian tv series with the standard 26 EPs and it was Elkarn's channel before it got terminated, so it's kind of impossible to find outside of like small vids of it and a promo trailer which is sad and thoughts were it felt very Parallax vibes if you ever heard or seen that on Channel 9 or ABC Kids back then, upon my first watch. Barron Entertainment made the show well one of them (previously worked on series like Sweat, Ship to Shore, Fast Tracks and The Gift which i just finished watching that last month).

[@pokemaniac05]

Cybergirl, another tv series from the amazing Jonathan M. Shiff Productions (who also created Thunderstone & H2O: Just Add Water mentioned in this video), it was one of the earliest sci-fi series alongside Silversun, Jeopardy & Parallax. Sadly recently JMSP private the EPs on YT and buying the EPs on Google or YT for some reason doesn't have EP 20.

[@BeAGoodDoga]

Wow… I often remember Pig’s Breakfast. Thought it was weird, even back in the day. Haven’t found any clips on here though.

[@StrangeAustralian]

I think @JohnsonandNoddy has the series on their channel. Worth checking out!

[@BeAGoodDoga]

@@StrangeAustralian oh, okay.

[@ragnaazure6231]

Wormwood is lost media now? I remember watching than on 10 and then later Rollecoaster on ABC. If I knew It would become lost, I would've backed up some of the recording I had on my PVR! By the way, I remember in the show, there was a girl who would be seen talking to a faceless tree, with a CGI tounge and it would eat thing like bugs or flies. I also remember an episode where the brother gets powers from drinking cans of soup.

[@ragnaazure6231]

It also had a theme song played on a banjo.

[@ragnaazure6231]

Also the titular woodworms from Woormwood were CGI.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Other than some publicity photos, Wormwood is lost media. I'm honestly surprised that it's lost, since it was shown on two networks and is relatively recent. I really hope that it can show up at some point, as I'm quite curious about it.

[@cadoized]

holy SHIT JEOPARDY i barely saw the show as a kid but i remember catching one scene where someone is bitten by a snake, which seemingly causes them to duplicate, and then disappear. it was such a strange haunting scene and i never forgot but could never find information about it until now!

[@StrangeAustralian]

It was definitely an out there show, especially for the age group it was aimed at! I really need to give it a proper watch at some point, as it seems like it'd still hold up today in may respects.

[@tb3411]

Fun fact: Finders Keepers is the name of an actual game show here in the US.

[@brendancrates4654]

Really loved this video. I have a podcast called “That Movie You Like: The Sequel” and this Thursday (and next weeks ep) we are pitching movie adaptations of Aussie Kid’s shows. I actually just posted your video on our Facebook page to get people hyped for it. If you’re interested it’s available anywhere you find podcasts (although the Aussie kids ones won’t be there til Thursday)

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you, I'm glad that you liked the video and have even shared it! The podcast sounds great - I think there could be something in a dark adaptation of the game show A*mazing.

[@pokemaniac05]

Oddly enough Guinevere Jones is on YT, but in different languages with some or even all of it's EPs. As for Feral TV aka The Ferals spinoff, some or most of it's EPs are starting resurface on YT from one of the people who used to do puppets in some of the shows like Bananas in Pyjamas' later Seasons, Ferals & it's spinoffs, Though Drop Dead Weird is hard to find outside of Channel 7 a bit recently and Series 2 is legit weird and difficult to find as well

[@pokemaniac05]

As of yesterday, all of Trapped & Castaway (2008 & 2010) is officially on YT after being reinstated & appealed and before that, were mostly blocked by Zodiak Kids over so long. Though there were some Castaway EPs have the intro & end credits cut prior, but that's a minor issue.

[@StrangeAustralian]

That's great news, glad they're on there.

[@pokemaniac05]

@@StrangeAustralian Also recommend Throwback TV Australia, he's brings a lot of older Australian media, from TV shows from your dramas, comedies, miniseries, children's TV, movies.

[@tessfabled4115]

Even though it's French originally, my favourite was always Pigeon Boy haha.

[@StrangeAustralian]

The art style alone is wild!

[@IBISChannel32]

There was once a show on Channel 31 Brisbane called "Spuds in Duds", a parody of Bananas in Pyjamas by Jamie Dunn. Despite it being an obvious parody there was something very "off" about it. I cannot find any episodes or footage anywhere except for one JPEG I found on the old 31 website.

[@StrangeAustralian]

This sounds interesting - do you happen to have any more info about it? I'd love to dig into this more, especially if you have the old JPEG and website stored still.

[@IBISChannel32]

@@StrangeAustralian Sure. How do I contact you?

[@pokemaniac05]

I've watched all of Pig's Breakfast & despite how weird it is, it's actually oddly good. I did get some laughs while i watched it. Currently watching another show that also aired on Nine Network similar to Pig's Breakfast and would like it to be mentioned in a future vid, Ship to Shore.

[@StrangeAustralian]

I didn't even realise Ship To Shore was on Nine, I had it in my head that it was on ABC only. Thanks for sharing.

[@pokemaniac05]

Another series (trilogy of sorts) that is lost media mostly is The Interpretaris, Vega 4 & Phoenix Five from 1966 to 1970 thus turning into the first TV sci-fi series originally on ABC then later on Seven Network.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Had no idea these existed! Just goes to show how much we don't know and has become lost of Australia's broadcast past.

[@pokemaniac05]

@@StrangeAustralian As far i know, only a couple of EPs of Phoenix Five are on YT or not sure it's on Archive or something like that.

[@liamconnollyst]

The choices in this Iceberg are interesting some that I did watch when growing up and some are good, fine, decent or meh in my opinion and a couple I haven't heard of until now

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you, I'm glad you found it interesting! Discovering shows I hadn't heard of before was a highlight and I've even found out about a couple more since making this video. Hopefully I can find a way to talk about them on my channel.

[@liamconnollyst]

Yeah since I'm Australian as well and a huge fan of various types of media found around the world wanting to make a few projects in mine for myself or other companies

[@pokemaniac05]

I know or seen most of these excluding a lot of the old or some of the new ones or one completely blocked worldwide so not even VPNs can help or streaming, VHS or DVDs. Obviously there are many MANY Australian TV, movies (children's tv in this case) out are well known & even the obscure out there, hell i searched & found a lot off of YT & many other sites all over who actually have these older mainly & even newer recent shows/films. So much so i made as many playlists on them (even British & Canadian ones which unfortunately also have a lot of it is private, blocked or deleted). Only Wormwood & The Dinky Di's i actually don't know too much about

[@StrangeAustralian]

That's great, you sound like you've watched quite a lot and have an impressive collection! If you have come across anything for Wild Kat I'd love to hear about it. I've even managed to discover another obscure show or two since making this iceberg, and hope that I'll find a way to talk about them in a future video on my channel.

[@Margot_the_Doll]

It's been so long that I watched any kiddo shows. But, I didn't know it has lost media or any rareaty at all. I am glad that I watched this video and learned some knowledge. Also im australian too. As I am from Dalby, Queensland.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thanks, glad you were able to find out a few new things!

[@Margot_the_Doll]

@@StrangeAustralian your welcome mate. And also I just subbed to your channel too

[@genghis_connie]

This was bizarre. Good stuff! It would have been cool to know what years these aired and whether or not they were created successful. I noticed you did do that towards the end. A topic ripe for twisted nonsense. Yikes. 👍

[@StrangeAustralian]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed watching! I hope you check some of these out. There was definitely a bunch of strange tv here, and I've even discovered a show or two since making this video. As far as the airing years go, I did include them in the supers at the start of each entry, but looking back I realise I didn't always integrate them into the script. I can definitely keep this in mind along with their success if I do another similar video. Thanks for the feedback!

[@pokemaniac05]

Continued from last comment Master Raindrop: I did watch this one back in the day & it's alright if a bit meh at times. Figaro Pho: I'm actually watching the 2015 series current & man it's a good series overall. Dukes of Broxstonia: A weird one that i've seen this a few times actually. Legacy of the Silver Shadow: This was a decent show, a bit of Power Rangers ish. Pig's Breakfast: Only seen 10/78 EPs currently & yeah it's weird Miraculous Mellops: This was a bit out there, but still good. Magic Mountain: It's very stoned if you know what i mean. Dead Gorgeous: One day i will watch this show. Boffins: Yeah another one that is just there. Finders Keepers: Emily Rodda, Deltora Quest, read the series & then watch the anime, enough said. Eugenie Sandler P.I: i have seen this one back in 2022, now if only it was uploaded again lol Elly & Jools: Another one that is good, that ending is so sad & happy at the same time. Guinevere Jones: To this day Idk why Crawford Productions would do a DVD release on their site or release it elsewhere. Steam Punks: Yeah i didn't get to watch this one sadly. The Dinky Di's: Only reason why there's no known of it, The producer/director died and the tapes have never surfaced which is sad to hear. Wild Kat, Alpha Scorpio nope, Professor Poopsnaggle: One of the many that has EPs blocked worldwide & you can't do anything about it. Catch Kandy: Only a few EPs exist and that's it.

[@StrangeAustralian]

Great writeups/reviews! You've definitely spent some time watching/researching these shows. Good to see that you enjoyed Elly & Jools as well, it was a real surprise for me. I hope you can discover even more great pieces of television in the future!

[@pokemaniac05]

No wait sry Sweat aired on Ten and had re airings on ABC years later. ABC re air stuff that was originally on the other channel networks, which it does more so than Seven, Nine, Ten & SBS in comparison

[@pokemaniac05]

Let's get through these shall we? Top to bottom Round the Twist, I mean it's a absolute classic for a good reason, very weird. Bananas in Pyjamas: Childhood classic & yeah Play School of all things is what it originated from. H2O: Just Add Water: i mean another OG Aussie kids show that people still talk about even today, i mean who doesn't like Mermaids? Mr. Squiggle: I do remember watching back then somewhat. Lift Off, ok i sadly didn't get to watch it back when & yeah E.C is creepy, i even never seen watch the game show, E.C Plays Lift Off. Spellbinder: One of the few Aussie Sci-fi & man it's a good one & i wish more have seen it. The Upside Down Show: Yeah another one that i've seen on ABC & it's something alright. The Ferals: Fun fact the final EP of the series aired on my DOB (June 26, 1995), anyway yeah it's a kids show that was pushing boundaries & continues with Feral TV, Mixy, skits on Numbers Count & Creature Features in the late 90s & 2000s The Day My Butt Went Psycho is loosely based on "The Day My Bum Went Psycho" by Andy Griffiths (which he had another animated series based on his work, What's With Andy? based on his "Just" book series) & well the show is more comedy based than it's source material. Li'l Elvis Jones & The Truckstoppers: Absolute ambitious little cartoon that once again, more people need to see it, it's over 25 years old this here. Shezow: I mean it was actually ok, aside from the puns that are very hit & miss. The Genie From Down Under: Ok a guilty pleasure, but omg Penelope is not that great a main character especially the S2 finale that kind of ruin it. Dirtgirlworld: Yeah i saw a couple of times, it's horrifying AF & i rather not watch it again. Drop Dead Weird: Only seen the first series & from what i've seen (god knows when i see Series 2 at some point), i think it was a fun family kids show. The Flamin' Thongs: Ok not as bad when i first watched it, but it's not something i will see over & over. Thunderstone: Incredibly underrated Aussie Sci-Fi, overshadowed by mostly Ocean Girl & Cybergirl somewhat both made by Jonathan M. Shiff Productions. Jeopardy: Also remembered for how scary it was this one was especially Series 3. Parallax: This & Silversun being classic Aussie sci-fi shows in the 2000s, those Purple creatures (i forgot their name) creep me out. Plasmo: Yeah the weird alien that shaped like a inappropriate body part is one of the things i remember from. Mulligrubs: Yeah i watch this too much aside from the disturbing face.

[@Jade93972]

The first tier isn't weird... its fucking iconic

[@StrangeAustralian]

You're not wrong, there are some pretty heavy hitters in that first tier!

[@tasselskeep3385]

I watched round the twist with my kids

[@johntom5562]

Feel like half of these shows were pretty standard. Kids would be doing a lot better if they had decent shows like Jeopardy, Parallax and Silversun nowadays

[@StrangeAustralian]

Not just those kinds of shows but Australian children's TV in general. Bluey is great, but outside it there are less and less of them on TV each year with quotas being removed.

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

Weird

[@StrangeAustralian]

That's what I was going for - hope you enjoyed watching!

[@cyankirkpatrick5194]

@@StrangeAustralian I did enjoy Glitch though only two seasons.

[@genghis_connie]

@@cyankirkpatrick5194 ​ Glitch was surprisingly watchable.

[@bruhmoment5974]

the upside down show actually first aired in 2006, not 1995

[@StrangeAustralian]

You're completely right! I think I must've used the same super from the previous entry in the iceberg and forgot to change the year/didn't save the charge at some point while editing.

[@_Jedi_Master_Mike_]

Spellbinders 🎉

[@Euro.Patriot]

Sheezow was disgusting.

[@Euro.Patriot]

I used to love Figaro.