Adventures of the Little Koala facts for kids
| Adventures of the Little Koala | |
Title screen
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Quick facts for kids コアラボーイコッキィ(Koara Bōi Kokki) |
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| Genre | |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Takashi Tanazawa |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Music by | Kunihiro Kawano |
| Studio | Topcraft |
| Licensed by |
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| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | October 4, 1984 – March 28, 1985 |
| Episodes | 26 (52 segments) |
Adventures of the Little Koala is a fun anime TV show. In Japan, it was called Koala Boy Kockey (コアラボーイコッキィ, Koara Bōi Kokki). This series was made by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation.
It first aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 1984 to March 1985. Later, it came to the United States on Nickelodeon. The show was dubbed into English. It aired from June 1987 until April 1993. It even moved to the Nick Jr. block in 1988.
The story is about a young koala named Roobear and his friends. They live in a peaceful village in a make-believe part of New South Wales, Australia. This village, called Yukari in the Japanese version, is near a famous rock called the Breadknife. A Canadian company, Cinar Films, made the English and French versions of the show.
Adventures of the Little Koala was very popular in the United States. It also aired in many other countries, like Greece, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
Meet the Characters
This section introduces the main characters from the show. Learn about their personalities and what they do in the village.
| Character Name(s) | Voice Actor (Canadian / Japanese) | |
|---|---|---|
| Roobear Koala / Kockey / Kolby | Steven Bednarski / Toshiko Fujita | |
| Roobear is the main character of the show. He is a smart and brave young boy. Roobear loves adventures and is good at sports like surfing and baseball. | ||
| Laura Koala / Lala | Morgan Hallet / Chisato Nakajima | |
| Laura is Roobear's younger sister. She is usually kind-hearted and strong-willed. Sometimes, she can be a little bit mischievous. | ||
| "Mama" Koala / Vera / Mrs Koala | Jane Woods / Yoshiko Asai | |
| She is Roobear and Laura's mother. Mama Koala is a loving mom and a great cook. She also has hidden talents. She once won the village's airplane race! | ||
| "Papa" Koala / Mel / Mr Koala | Walter Massey / Hachirou Ozuma | |
| Papa Koala is Roobear and Laura's father. He works as a photographer for a magazine. He loves to eat, which sometimes gets him into funny situations. | ||
| Betty Koala / Beth | Cleo Paskal / Yuriko Yamamoto | |
| Betty is Roobear's girlfriend. She is a kind girl, but can sometimes be a little bit vain. She and Roobear sometimes have small misunderstandings. | ||
| Horsey Kangaroo | Dean Hagopian | |
| Horsey is the tallest of the Kangaroo Brothers. | ||
| Walter Kangaroo | A.J. Henderson / Naoki Tatsuta | |
| Walter is a friend of Roobear and the leader of the Kangaroo Brothers. He thinks he's an expert at throwing boomerangs. He and his brothers often cause a little trouble. | ||
| Colt Kangaroo | Rob Roy | |
| Colt is the shortest of the Kangaroo Brothers. | ||
| Floppy Rabbit | Timothy Webber / Kyōko Tongū | |
| Floppy is Roobear's best friend. He loves science and inventing new things. He is also very competitive in sports. Floppy always wears a Walkman. | ||
| Mimi Rabbit | Barbara Pogemiller / Mayumi Shou | |
| Mimi is Floppy's younger sister. | ||
| Pamie Penguin | Bronwen Mantel / Noriko Tsukase | |
| Pamie loves to eat! She also has a crush on Roobear. Pamie dreams of becoming a nurse one day. She and her brother Nick always wear scarves. | ||
| Nick Penguin | Ian Finlay / Yumiko Shibata | |
| Nick is Pamie's twin brother. He is usually more sensible than Pamie. He sometimes goes along with her plans, even when he knows they might not work out. | ||
| Kiwi | Phillip Pretten | |
| Kiwi is a smart kiwi bird who wears glasses. He works as an assistant for Papa Koala, Mommy Koala, and Miss Lewis. | ||
| Miss Lewis | Bronwen Mantel / Fuyumi Shiraishi | |
| Miss Lewis is an adult koala who edits the village magazine. She is always looking for interesting stories. She helps Roobear and his friends, acting like a teacher. | ||
| Maki-Maki | Richard Dumont | |
| Maki-Maki is a lizard who often acts as the town crier. He loves to announce news, but sometimes he doesn't check if it's true first! He can also be a bit scared. | ||
| Weather | Richard Dumont and Vlasta Vrána / Kaneto Shiozawa | |
| Weather is a mysterious dingo. He always wears a heavy coat, scarf, and hat, even when it's hot. He can predict the weather very accurately. He is a mentor to Roobear and his friends. | ||
| Mingle | Barbara Pogemiller | |
| Mingle is a shy and sensitive sugar glider. He is Weather's constant friend. Mingle often joins the children's adventures, especially when his gliding skills are useful. | ||
| Duckbill Platypus | Arthur Grosser / Isamu Tanonaka | |
| This platypus loves collecting old things. He is good at turning junk into useful items. The children call him "Bill" for short. | ||
| Mr. Mayor | A.J. Henderson | |
| Mr. Mayor is the leader of the village. He is another adult male koala in the series. He wears a dark-brown outfit and has a mustache. | ||
| Dr. Nose | Walter Massey | |
| Dr. Nose is a friend of Papa Koala. He is also the school teacher for Roobear and his friends. He is a scientist and loves plants. He wears glasses and has a beard. | ||
| Mr. Curator | Michael Rudder | |
| Diana | Sonja Ball | |
| Diana is a girl who visits her grandfather. Floppy and Roobear both like her. In one episode, they even think she might be the goddess of the moon! | ||
Why Was the Show Made?
Adventures of the Little Koala was created during a time when Japan was very excited about koalas. Another koala cartoon, The Wondrous Koala Blinky, also aired around this time. It later came to Nickelodeon as Noozles.
This "koala frenzy" in Japan happened because the Tama Zoo in Tokyo received its first koalas. The Australian government sent six koalas to Japan as a friendly gesture. However, the shows Little Koala and Noozles were already airing when the koalas arrived in October 1984. Japan really wanted koalas, and these cartoons helped show how much people loved them!
Episode Guide
The show has 26 episodes, each made up of two shorter stories. Here is a list of all the exciting adventures:
- "The Old Clock Tower" / "Mingle Takes A Dive"
- "Is Weather A Frog?" / "Lost in a Race"
- "Ghost Ship" / "Balloon Pamie"
- "The King of the Castle" / "Hang-Gliding With Roobear"
- "The Mysterious Moa Bird" / "Love That Baby Moa!"
- "Snow White and the Seven Koalas" / "Roobear's Invention"
- "Papa on Stilts" / "Detective Roobear"
- "The Dinosaur Egg" / "Treasure Hunt"
- "Pamie Falls in Love" / "The Koala Butterfly"
- "The Koala Bear Gang" / "Back To Nature"
- "Roobear Saves the Day" / "Editor-In-Chief Roobear"
- "Monster Scoop" / "The Biggest Jigsaw Puzzle in the World"
- "Who Will Be the Flower Queen?" / "Circus Day"
- "Roobear the Babysitter" / "Papa Makes a Pie"
- "The Amazing Boomerang" / "The Runaway Hat"
- "Conquering Mt. Breadknife" / "Save the Eucalyptus"
- "Mommy Can Fly" / "The Secret of the McGillicuddy Vase"
- "Heavenly Fireworks" / "Save That Junk"
- "The Winner" / "A Hundred-Year-Old Camera"
- "Nurse Pamie" / "Any Mail Today?"
- "The Writing on the Wall" / "A Ride in a Spaceship"
- "Is Mingle a Nuisance?" / "Allowance Problems"
- "A Whale of a Ride" / "Laura Finds An Egg"
- "A Broken Umbrella" / "Save The Butterflies"
- "The Moon Goddess" / "The Flying Doctor"
- "Eucalyptus Rocket" / "Penguins Don't Fly"
Home Video Release
In 1989, a company called Family Home Entertainment released some episodes on VHS. The tape was called The Adventures of the Little Koala and Friends: Laura and the Mystery Egg. It included four episodes: "Laura Finds an Egg", "Conquering Mt. Breadknife", "Save the Eucalyptus", and "Mommy Can Fly".
