Bottersnikes and Gumbles facts for kids

Bottersnikes and Gumbles are funny, made-up creatures from a popular series of children's books. These books were written by S. A. Wakefield and illustrated by Desmond Digby. They are from Australia.

Four books were published between 1967 and 1989. This series is a classic in Australian children's stories. More than 500,000 copies have been sold around the world. There's also a TV show called Bottersnikes and Gumbles. It started on Netflix and other TV channels in 2015 and 2016.

Meet the Creatures

The stories take place in the Australian bush. They are about the adventures and conflicts between two groups of creatures. The Bottersnikes are lazy and cause trouble. The Gumbles are kind and always work hard.

The idea for these books came from the growing interest in protecting nature. The two types of creatures show different ways people treat the environment. The Bottersnikes represent those who harm the bush. The Gumbles represent those who clean it up. But the books are also full of humor and silly language. This makes the serious message fun to read.

Bottersnikes: The Grumpy Ones

Bottersnikes have green, wrinkly skin. They have noses that look like cheese graters. Their long, pointed ears turn red when they get angry. And they are angry most of the time!

They might be the laziest creatures ever. They eat mattress stuffing, especially if it's barbecued. They also like to eat pictures of food from magazines. For treats, they enjoy rusty nails and bottle tops.

Bottersnikes are very scared of water. If they get wet, they shrink! Then they have to be hung out to dry. When Bottersnikes catch Gumbles, they might stuff them in cans. They also make them do dirty jobs or even try to eat them. Sometimes, they put Gumbles in "The Spankler." This machine stops Gumbles from stretching.

Gumbles: The Happy Ones

Gumbles are the friendliest and happiest creatures in the bush. They can be squashed into any shape without getting hurt. But if they are flattened completely, they need help to get back to their normal shape. Gumbles also have a funny problem: they are helpless when they get the giggles!

The Books

S. A. Wakefield wrote four books about the Bottersnikes and Gumbles:

• Bottersnikes and Gumbles (1967)
• Gumbles on Guard (1975)
• Gumbles in Summer (1979)
• Gumbles in Trouble (1989)

In 1996, all four books were put together into one big book. It was called The Complete Tales of Bottersnikes and Gumbles.

Main Characters

Let's meet some of the most important Bottersnikes and Gumbles from the stories.

Bottersnike Characters

• The King – He is the leader of all the Bottersnikes. He is the fattest, meanest, and almost the laziest of them all.
• Chank – He is the King's helper. Chank thinks he should be king instead. He often plans to get rid of the King.
• Weathersnike – She is the oldest and smartest Bottersnike. She has been predicting the weather for a very long time. People often blame her when the weather she predicts is bad.
• Gubbo – He is not very smart but is very loyal. Gubbo sometimes builds machines to make the King happy. He also builds them to trap Gumbles.
• Smiggles – Smiggles is the only Bottersnike whose dreams become real. Whatever he dreams of appears in a purple color. His dreams are usually harmless.
• Glob – He is the most clever but also silly Bottersnike. Glob often comes up with ideas, especially for catching Gumbles.
• Snorg – Snorg is the laziest Bottersnike. She is proud that she can sleep while hanging upside down. She often works with Glob, and they usually blame each other.

Gumble Characters

• Tink – Tink is a Gumble who has many great ideas. Every time he gets an idea, a clear, bright "tink" sound comes from his head.
• Bounce - She is the tallest, most athletic, and fattest Gumble. Bounce loves to eat grubs. She gets annoyed easily by Tink's ideas and plans.
• Willi – Willi is the youngest Gumble. He is often too quick to act and gets into danger. People always tell him he's too small for risky things. But he is quite brave.
• Happi – He is the oldest Gumble. Happi worries a lot and is very careful. But he still loves to have fun just like the others.
• Toot – Toot has different colored eyes, which is called heterochromic eyes. He makes a "toot" sound without thinking when danger is near. Even though he only toots, everyone can understand what he means.
• Float – Float is a sweet and loving Gumble. She likes to fly by blowing herself up like a balloon. She also loves to daydream and believes in fairy tales.
• Merri – He is the energetic twin brother of Jolli. Merri has blue hair. His singing sounds beautiful only to Bottersnikes.
• Jolli – She is the joyful twin sister of Merri. Jolli has purple hair. Her singing also sounds beautiful only to Bottersnikes.
• Sammi Wammi - Sammi Wammi was the first Gumble to fly into space. He has been there for many years.

The TV Show

An animated TV series called Bottersnikes and Gumbles was planned as early as 2012. It was developed by Cheeky Little Media. In 2015, the streaming service Netflix announced it had bought the rights to the show. It was released as 52 episodes, each eleven minutes long.

The show later aired on the Seven Network in Australia starting in December 2015. It also aired on CBBC in the UK in 2016. The voice cast includes actors like Richard Grieve, Jeff Rawle, Kathryn Drysdale, and Miriam Margolyes. The show was released on Netflix in North America on August 19, 2016. For this release, the voices were re-recorded with American accents.