Johnson and Friends facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnson and Friends
Title card for the series, seen at the beginning of every episode.
Created by	Ron Saunders John Patterson Ian Munro
Directed by	Ian Munro David Ogilvy
Narrated by	Paul Bertram
Composer(s)	Chris Neal Braedy Neal
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	78 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Ron Saunders Donna Mitroff Jay Rayvid
Editor(s)	Robin Archer Neil Thumpston Frans Vandenburg
Running time	10 mins
Production company(s)	Film Australia Avalon Studios
Release
Original network	ABC
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	3 September 1990 (1990-09-03) – 10 July 1997 (1997-07-10)

Johnson and Friends is a popular Australian TV show for kids. It was shown on the ABC from 1990 to 1997. The show was made by Film Australia and created by Ron Saunders, John Patterson, and Ian Munro.

This fun series also aired in other countries. In the UK, you could watch it on TCC and CBBC. It even went to the United States, where it was part of The Fox Cubhouse on Fox Kids. For the US version, the voices were changed to American accents. The show was last repeated in Australia on ABC1 in 2002. The fourth season was made for Fox in 1995 and didn't air in Australia until 1997.

What is Johnson and Friends About?

Johnson and his friends are toys that belong to a boy named Michael. You only see Michael when he's sleeping in his bed. The toys live in his bedroom. They only come to life and move around when Michael leaves the room or falls asleep.

Each episode tells a new story about the toys. These stories usually teach a simple lesson. The show was made for young children, but many families and kids up to 8 years old enjoyed it. It plays on the idea that toys might come alive when no one is watching. The stories often have a deeper meaning and can sometimes be very touching.

How Johnson and Friends Was Made

Starting the Idea

The show began with an idea from Ron Saunders, a producer at Film Australia. In the late 1980s, he saw a video of a puppet group. They had a large truck puppet, which gave Ron the idea for a show where big toys come to life. Ron worked with director Ian Munro to develop this idea. After trying many writers, they found John Patterson. John's first script really impressed them. He created all the characters and their personalities.

Dr. Stephen Juan was an important educational expert for the series. He helped make sure the show taught good lessons. Caroline Jones designed the characters. Robert Dein drew and built the bedroom set. The show had a few different names, like 'Puppets' and 'Toytime', before it became 'Johnson and Friends'.

Filming the Show

The first season had 12 episodes. It was filmed in Sydney in 1990. Film Australia used a special technique. They built a very large bedroom set. Adult actors wore full body costumes to play the toys. This made it look like the toys were really big. Many people, even today, are amazed by how they did it!

The ABC bought the rights to show the series. It first aired on September 3, 1990, and was an instant hit. The show was released on video. The ABC then helped make the second season of 14 episodes, which came out in 1991. This season was filmed at ABC's studio in Frenchs Forest. The show also became popular around the world. It was sold to the BBC in the UK, RTP in Portugal, and RUV in Iceland, among many others.

Music and More Seasons

The show's composer, Chris Neal, and his son, Braedy, created a music album. It was based on the Johnson and Friends characters. These songs were later used in the TV series. The song 'The Diesel Rap' became a big hit with kids. It appeared on many ABC music collections. John Patterson, the show's writer, wrote all the song lyrics.

After the second season, there was a break in new episodes. Ian Munro and John Patterson started working on another show called Boffins. New Johnson and Friends episodes didn't come out until 1994. At that time, Film Australia worked with Fuji Eight Co Ltd because the show was very popular in Japan. They made a third season of 26 episodes together. Avalon Studios in New Zealand and the ABC also helped fund this season. The third season was filmed in New Zealand. David Ogilvy, who is now a successful drama producer, helped Ian Munro direct the filming.

Live Shows and Later Seasons

Live stage shows based on Johnson and Friends started touring Australia. They used Chris Neal's songs, the original voice actors, and the real TV costumes. John Patterson wrote these shows, and Ian Munro directed them. These shows ran from 1994 to 1999. Johnson himself also appeared in other ABC for Kids variety shows.

In 1995, after the show was sold to Fox Children's Network in the US, a fourth season was ordered. This season was also filmed at Avalon Studios in New Zealand. Film Australia produced it with WQED Pittsburgh and Fox Children's Network. Fox paid for this season and had a lot of creative input. However, they let John Patterson and Ian Munro keep their original ideas. These episodes aired in the US from 1995 to 1996. They started airing in Australia on the ABC in 1997.

Future Plans and End of the Show

In the late 1990s, an animated pilot for a spin-off series was made. It was called 'Diesel and Delilah'. It featured Diesel and Michael's cat, Delilah. Doug Scroope and Katrina Sedgwick did the voices. Not much is known about this pilot, and no full series was made.

Even though there were plans for more episodes, the show stopped because of issues with FOX. However, toys and other merchandise were still available. The stage shows also continued for many years. The show was rerun on the ABC until 2002.

Meet the Characters

• Johnson: He's a furry pink elephant and the leader of the toys. Johnson is the wisest and oldest of the group. He helps his friends, even though he can't count past one and sometimes gets a bit impatient.
• McDuff: A blue and yellow concertina who loves to have fun. McDuff can be a little silly, but she's a kind and loyal friend. She's especially good to Diesel, who is often misunderstood.
• Diesel: A red toy truck with a yellow and black hat. He loves to go "bruuum, bruuum" around the floor. Diesel speaks with a strong Australian accent. He might seem a bit rough on the outside, but he's kind and cares about his friends.
• Alfred: A green hot water bottle that looks like a wobble frog. He's not really a toy. Alfred is a big worrier and lives under the bed in a dark, damp spot. He's often anxious and complains a lot. His grumpy face is funny, and he brings a lot of humor to the show. He also has a special "banana skin blanket" that he protects. Even though he can be grumpy and selfish, Alfred is usually good-natured and helps Johnson.
• Squeaky: A black and red robot. She guards the bedroom when Michael is asleep and loves to sing. Squeaky is childlike and believes the vacuum cleaner is her mother. She doesn't appear in every episode.
• Victoria: A slow-moving orange and purple dinosaur. She actually belongs to Michael's older sister, Melissa. Victoria often appears at Michael's door with some bad news she's just heard.
• Alphonse: Alfred's old friend from the hot water bottle factory. He and Alfred were once known as "The Hot Water Rockers" because they were both very musical.
• Albert: Another hot water bottle friend of Alfred's. Albert is known for having a quick temper.
• Alfred's Friends: Besides Alphonse and Albert, Alfred has many other hot water bottle friends. He has invited them to the bedroom at least once.
• Michael: The boy who owns the toys. We only see him when he's asleep, but the toys talk about him often.
• Melissa: Michael's sister and the owner of Victoria. She is never seen on screen, only mentioned.
• Michael's Mum and Dad: Michael's parents are sometimes mentioned but never appear in the show.
• Michael's Aunt and Uncle: Mentioned briefly in one episode.
• The Baby: Michael's baby cousin. This character appeared in one episode, but not physically.

Who Played the Characters?

Paul Bertram narrated the original Australian program. The US version was narrated by Amy Hartman.

Episodes List

To see a full list of all the episodes, check out the main article:

Home Videos and Albums

Video Releases

Johnson and Friends was released on VHS tapes from 1990 to 2002. The first four videos came out between 1990 and 1991. Later, ABC Video re-released these with new cover art. They released a total of 13 videos. In 2005, Reel Kids released the first 48 episodes on DVD. They continued to re-release these episodes in different DVD collections.

Music Albums

• An Afternoon with Johnson and Friends (1992)
• Making Music (1994)

The American Version of the Show

How it Started

In 1992, Jay Rayvid and Donna Mitroff from WQED in Pittsburgh wanted to bring Johnson and Friends to the United States. WQED is known for producing Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. They hoped to get the show on PBS, but couldn't get funding.

Then, in 1994, FOX Children's Network became interested. By this time, 52 episodes of Johnson and Friends were ready. FOX decided to include Johnson and Friends as a part of their new educational show, The Fox Cubhouse.

Changes for American Viewers

The Fox Cubhouse was filmed at WQED. However, FOX executives thought the Australian accents in Johnson and Friends might confuse American kids. So, they decided to have local Pittsburgh actors re-record all the voices.

Peter Browne, who voiced Alfred in Australia, kept his role. But his lines had to be re-recorded due to technical reasons. Chris Neal and his son Braedy, who wrote the original music, created more songs for the US version. FOX felt some early episodes were "too quiet." Instrumental versions of existing songs were also used.

Since Johnson was a segment of The Fox Cubhouse, its credits were shown at the end of the Cubhouse show. Each Johnson episode ended with a re-recorded version of 'Toys, Toys, Wonderful Toys'. Some small changes were made to the scripts by WQED executive Casey Brown. This was to remove Australian words and slang. Many people who worked on the original show, and fans, didn't like these changes.

Later Seasons in the US

The Fox Cubhouse was a short success. FOX ordered another season of 26 Johnson and Friends episodes for the Cubhouse's second season. Ian Munro, the original director, still had creative control. He helped with the voice direction for these new episodes. These episodes were also shown in Australia in 1997. They were dubbed with the original Australian voice cast and called the fourth series.

David Flick, who voiced Diesel in the US, was replaced by Doug Scroope, Diesel's original Australian voice actor. Some earlier Cubhouse episodes were even updated with Doug Scroope's voice for Diesel. In the second season of Cubhouse, sometimes one Johnson episode was replaced with an episode of Budgie the Little Helicopter or Magic Adventures of Mumfie. These shows also ran for ten minutes. However, some episodes still featured two Johnson stories.

Soon after these episodes aired, The Fox Cubhouse was taken off the air. The American version of Johnson and Friends has not been seen since. It's believed that many of the original US master tapes were erased. However, some copies are known to still exist. The Fox Cubhouse was also shown in Guam on KTGM.