Franciscus Henri facts for kids

Franciscus Henri (born Franciscus Henricus Antheunis on August 7, 1947) is a well-known musician and children's entertainer. He was born in The Hague, Netherlands, and now has both Dutch and Australian citizenship. He became famous in 1970 after appearing on a TV talent show called New Faces. This led to him signing a record deal. Since 1997, he has also performed as Mister Whiskers, a friendly traveling singer who performs for children with his dog, Smiggy.

The Early Years of Franciscus Henri

Franciscus Henricus Antheunis Jr. was born in The Hague, Netherlands, on August 7, 1947. In 1956, when he was nine years old, his family moved to Australia. They traveled on a Dutch ship called the Johan van Oldenbarnevelt. Franciscus finished his schooling in Australia. He then became a qualified teacher, specializing in arts and crafts for high school students.

In October 1969, Franciscus Henri performed at a special event called the 1st Annual Festival of Gospel Music. This was one of his early public performances.

Becoming a Musician and Entertainer

In 1970, Franciscus Henri became widely known when he appeared on a TV talent show called New Faces. He performed as a folk musician. A judge on the show, Ron Tudor, who owned Fable Records, was very impressed. This led to Franciscus signing a recording contract with Fable Records.

In September 1970, his first song, "Mary and Me," was released. He then recorded more songs and his first album, Ding Dong Who Rang the Bell, in 1972. His second album, Gabriel's Mother's Highway, also came out in 1972. It was described as a "refreshing folk album."

In 1972, Franciscus Henri toured with an English poet named Sydney Carter. The next year, in 1973, he decided to leave teaching. He joined the Monash University Theatre company. There, he worked as a set designer, an actor, and a musician. He was part of several theatre shows during this time. In 1976, he toured Australia and New Zealand with the famous English-Irish comedian Spike Milligan. That same year, Franciscus started his own production company. He began creating and performing shows across Australia.

Entertaining Children: Professor Henri and Mister Whiskers

From 1979 to 1980, Franciscus Henri was a part of the popular children's TV show Shirl's Neighbourhood. He had his own parts on the show. Sometimes he appeared as himself, and sometimes as his early character, Professor Henri.

Around 1982, Franciscus started performing concerts specifically for children. This became a big part of his career. He also created and presented programs for the Victorian Christian Television Association. He even appeared on a TV program called Q7, which was filmed in London, England.

In 1997, Franciscus Henri introduced a brand new character for children: MISTER WHISKERS. He released his first album under this new name, Hello Mister Whiskers. This album was nominated for a special award called the Best Children's Album Aria Award.

Mister Whiskers is a traveling singer who loves children. He performs with his dog friend, Smiggy. Franciscus Henri has performed all over the world. He has been to festivals like the Vancouver International Children's Festival. He has also played at the Port Fairy Folk Festival seven times. As Mister Whiskers, he is the only performer to have played at every Warrnambool Fun 4 Kids Festival since it started in 1998. He has also performed several times in Singapore with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

From 1989 to 2002, Franciscus Henri recorded music for ABC Music (ABC for kids). He also designed the covers for his own albums and other artists' releases.

He wrote the popular song 'Ducks Like Rain'. A famous Canadian entertainer named Raffi even recorded his own version of the song.

His most recent work is an album called Nothing Fixed or Final. This album features the words and music of Sydney Carter, performed by Franciscus Henri. He has performed this work in Victoria, Australia, and recently in Boston, USA. In London, UK, he performed at the Sydney Carter memorial concert in October 2007.

Franciscus Henri has been nominated for seven ARIA awards for his different music recordings. Besides music, Franciscus is also a talented painter and has shown his artwork in exhibitions.

Music Albums by Franciscus Henri

Franciscus Henri has released many albums throughout his career.

Here are some of his early albums:

• 1972 Ding Dong Who Rang the Bell
• 1972 Gabriel's Mother's Highway
• 1975 Pigtails
• 1976 Lord of the Dance
• 1981 Sunshine Rainbows and Violins
• 1981 Children's Christmas Songs
• 1985 Fifty Golden Nursery Rhymes
• 1988 Tree House

Many of his albums were released on CD by ABC Music (ABC for Kids). Some of these were nominated for ARIA Awards for Best Children's Album.

• 1989 Tree House
• 1990 White Pyjamas
• 1991 Dancing in the Kitchen (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1992 Walking on the Milky Way (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1993 Merry Christmas
• 1993 My Favourite Nursery Rhymes (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1994 Stories and Songs (a spoken word album)
• 1994 I'm Hans Christian Andersen (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1997 Hello Mister Whiskers (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1998 Hooray for Mister Whiskers (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1998 Mister Whiskers: My Favourite Nursery Rhymes (a re-release)
• 1999 Mister Whiskers: Monkey Business (Nominated for ARIA: Best Children's Album)
• 1999 Board of Studies "Street Sense" - Road Safety Songs
• 2002 The Best of Franciscus Henri
• 2005 Nothing Fixed or Final

Videos and DVDs

Franciscus Henri has also released several videos and DVDs:

• OH NO! It's The Franciscus Henri Video (1992)
• I'm Hans Christian Andersen (1994)
• Hello MISTER WHISKERS! (1998)
• My Favourite Nursery Rhymes (2000)
• Sing a Song in Singapore

Awards and Nominations

Franciscus Henri has been recognized for his music with several awards and nominations.

APRA Music Awards

In 1995, his song "We Like Wearing Pyjamas" was nominated for the Most Performed Children's Work at the APRA Music Awards. This award recognizes songwriters.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are very important music awards in Australia. Franciscus Henri has been nominated seven times for the ARIA Award for Best Children's Album.

• 1992: Dancing in the Kitchen (Nominated)
• 1993: Walking on the Milky Way (Nominated)
• 1994: My Favourite Nursery Rhymes (Nominated)
• 1995: I'm Hans Christian Andersen (Nominated)
• 1997: Mr Whiskers (Nominated)
• 1999: Hooray for Mr Whiskers (Nominated)
• 2000: Monkey Business (Nominated)