Bananas in Pyjamas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bananas in Pyjamas
Created by	Helena Harris
Directed by	Roger Bayley Sophia Turkiewicz Tony Tilse Di Drew David Caesar Paul Faint Karin Kreicers Ian Munro Michael Ailwood Varcha Sidwell David Evans Richard Walker
Starring	Benjamin Baylock Mary-Ann Henshaw Michael James Sandie Lillingston Shane McNamara Nicholas Opolski Taylor Owynns Ken Radley Jeremy Scrivener Duncan Wass
Narrated by	Karina Kelly
Theme music composer	Carey Blyton
Opening theme	Bananas in Pyjamas by Trapaga Vocal Group
Ending theme	Bananas in Pyjamas (instrumental)
Composer(s)	Chris Harriott (1992–99) Peter Dasent (2001)
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	6
No. of episodes	304 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Claire Henderson (1992–94) Mark Barnard (1996) Virginia Lumsden (1999–2001)
Producer(s)	Helena Harris (showrunner, 1992–94) Tammy Burnstock (1994) Virginia Lumsden (1996) Mark Barnard (1999) Sophie Emtage (2001)
Production location(s)	ABC Studios
Running time	5 minutes
Production company(s)	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Release
Original network	ABC-TV
Picture format	PAL
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	20 July 1992 (1992-07-20) – 14 December 2001 (2001-12-14)

Bananas in Pyjamas is a fun Australian children's television series. It first aired on 20 July 1992 on ABC. This show became super popular and was shown in many countries. It was even translated into different languages! In the United States, the word "Pyjamas" was changed to "Pajamas" to match their spelling.

The idea for the show came from a song called Bananas in Pyjamas. Carey Blyton wrote this song in 1967. It was a regular hit on the TV show Play School. This catchy song then became the theme for the new series. Later, in May 2011, the show got a cool new look. It was remade using CGI animation.

What the Show is About

The main characters in Bananas in Pyjamas are two friendly bananas. Their names are B1 and B2. They wear blue and white striped pyjamas!

Other important characters are three teddy bears: Amy, Lulu, and Morgan. There's also a clever character called Rat in a Hat. All these friends live in a neighborhood called "Cuddles Avenue."

The bananas live near the beach and help keep it safe. The teddy bears live next to the park and take care of it. Rat in a Hat runs the local community store. Everyone in Cuddles Avenue loves to eat "munchy honeycakes" and "yellow jelly".

How the Show Was Made

Where the Idea Came From

The characters were inspired by a song from 1969. British composer Carey Blyton wrote it for children. He was the nephew of the famous author Enid Blyton. The song is about bananas in pyjamas chasing teddy bears. It has a funny ending where the bananas "catch them unawares."

This song was shown on the Australian Play School for many years. It came with an animation of bananas in blue-and-white striped pyjamas. This led to a banana plush toy being made for Play School. These toys then became the look for B1 and B2.

Filming the Show

Helena Harris, who created and produced the show, developed it at ABC Studios. Two of the teddy bear characters, Amy and Morgan, are named after her own children.

The show used human actors inside big, detailed costumes. This was similar to other popular shows like Tweenies and Teletubbies. At first, the actors inside the costumes also did the voices for the bananas. But later, other people took over the voices.

New episodes of the show aired from 1992 until 2002. There were about 300 episodes and four special shows. Bananas in Pyjamas first aired in the United States in 1995. Toys for the show, made by TOMY, came out in 1996.

The Animated Version

On 2 May 2011, a brand new version of Bananas in Pyjamas was released. This time, it was made entirely with CGI by Southern Star Entertainment. It first showed on ABC2 in Australia.

This new series brought new songs, stories, and characters. Some of the new friends include Topsy the cheeky kangaroo, Charlie the inventive monkey, and Bernard the wise old dog. Work on the new series started in 2009. Production began in early 2010. The CGI series has 104 episodes, each lasting 12 minutes.

Characters

Main Characters

• B1 the Banana: Voiced by Duncan Wass (1992), Ken Radley (1992–2001), Michael James (2001), Stephen Shanahan (2011–13), and Richard McCourt (2011–13).
• B2 the Banana: Voiced by Nicholas Opolski (1992–2001), Benjamin Blaylock (2001), Daniel Wyllie (2011–13), and Dominic Wood (2011–13).
• Amy the Teddy Bear: Voiced by Sandie Lillingston (1992), Mary-Ann Henshaw (1992–2001), and Isabella Dunwill (2011–13).
• Lulu the Teddy Bear: Voiced by Taylor Owynns (1992–2001), Monica Trapaga, Sandie Lillingston, and Ines Vaz de Sousa (2011–13).
• Morgan the Teddy Bear: Voiced by Jeremy Scrivener (1992–2001), Troy Planet (AU Version), and Sophie Aldred (UK Version) (2011–13).
• Rat in a Hat the Rat: Voiced by Shane McNamara (1992–2013).

Recurring Characters

• Bernard the Dog: Voiced by Keith Buckley (2011–13).
• Charlie the Monkey: Voiced by Matthew Whittet (2011–13).
• Kevin the Butterfly: Voiced by Mal Heap (1992–2001).
• Maggie the Magpie: Voiced by Emma De Vries (1994–2001).
• Mrs Rat the Rat: Voiced by Georgina Symes (2011–13).
• Tolstoy the Tortoise: Voiced by Emma De Vries (1996–2001) and John Leary (2011–13).
• Tomasina the Turtle: Voiced by David Collins (1999–2001) and Meaghan Davies (2011–13).
• Topsy the Kangaroo: Voiced by Roslyn Oades (2011–13).

Episodes

Home Video Releases

You could watch the series at home on home video. It was first released on VHS tapes. Later, it also came out on DVD.

• Birthday Special (1992)
• Show Business (1993)
• Hiccups (1993)
• Monster Bananas (1994)
• Big Parade (1994)
• Special Delivery (1994)
• Surf's Up (1995)
• Wish Fairies (1995)
• It's Music Time (1996)
• Singing Time (1997)
• Dress Ups (1997)
• Bumping and a-Jumping (1998)
• Holiday Time (1998)
• Fun Time (1999)
• Surprise Party (1999)
• It's Games Time (2000)
• Story Time (2000)
• Rock-A-Bye Bananas (2001)
• Summertime (2001)
• Dancing Daze (2002)
• Celebration (2002)
• Farm Adventure (2003)
• Beat Box (2003)

Discography

The show also released many music albums over the years. These albums featured songs from the show.

• Bananas in Pyjamas (1993)
• Live on Stage (1994)
• Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? Mix (1994)
• It's Singing Time! (1996)
• Bumping and a-Jumping (1997)
• Cuddles Avenue Christmas (1997)
• It's Show Time! (1998)
• Get Up and Dance! (2000)
• Banana Split Mix (2002)
• The Fun Collection (2002)
• Sing and Be Happy (2004)
• Welcome to Cuddlestown (2011)
• Playtime! (2012)
• Best Of: Classic (2015)
• 50 Best Songs: 25 Years! (2017)

Charting Singles

The song "Bananas in Pyjamas" even made it onto the music charts!

Cultural Impact

Bananas in Pyjamas became a big part of Australian culture. The characters were even featured in the parade for the 2000 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. This showed how popular they were!

In 2017, the Royal Australian Mint made special coins. These coins celebrated the show's 25th anniversary. One coin, a five-cent piece, showed Rat-in-a-Hat. It was the first time a five-cent coin was colored! The twenty-cent coin featured B1 and B2.

Awards and Nominations

Bananas in Pyjamas was recognized with several awards and nominations.

• It was nominated for APRA Music Awards in the "Most Performed Children's Work" category.
• The show's albums were nominated multiple times for the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.
• It also received nominations for the British Academy Children's Awards.
• The series was nominated for Logie Awards as a "Most Popular Children's Program" and "Most Outstanding Children's Program".

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids.

See also

A robot for kids.

In Spanish: Bananas en pijamas para niños