Rollercoaster (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids RollerCoaster |
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| Genre | Children's block |
| Presented by | Elliot Spencer Ruben Meerman |
| Opening theme | "Great Adventure" by Nick Hardcastle |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 1,000 (as of 7 August 2009) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 mins (2005–2009) 120 mins (late 2009–2010) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC1 ABC3 |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 31 January 2005 – 29 January 2010 |
Rollercoaster was a cool children's TV show from Australia. It was shown on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from January 2005 to January 2010. The main host was Elliot Spencer. This show was made for older kids and young teenagers, not the really little ones.
Rollercoaster was a "wrapper" show. This means it took other animated shows and put them together. It usually had three to five different cartoons or live-action shows. In between these shows, Elliot Spencer would host short segments. These parts were made right there in Australia. Sometimes Elliot would dress up as funny characters. Other times, members of the TV crew would even join in the fun! A scientist named Ruben Meerman, also known as "The Surfing Scientist," often did cool experiments with Elliot.
This type of show was common in Australia. TV channels needed to follow rules about showing Australian content. So, they would have local hosts "wrap" around shows made in other countries. This was a cheaper way to fill up TV time for kids. The local parts were often made with a small team. The shows from other countries were bought at a good price. Many came from places like the United States, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand.
The shows Rollercoaster played were mostly cartoons. Some examples were Shaun the Sheep and The Mr. Men Show. They also showed longer animated or live-action series. These included Roman Mysteries, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Young Dracula. Since the ABC channel did not have commercials, these shows ran a bit shorter than usual.
The parts of Rollercoaster hosted by Elliot Spencer had many regular segments. These included "Fetch," "Feed Me," "NOW Poll," "MEE News," and "The Surfing Scientist." Many of these segments let viewers join in. Kids could send emails or use the show's website to share ideas.
Elliot Spencer announced he was leaving the show on January 30, 2010. He had been the host for five years. The ABC decided not to get a new host. Instead, they ended the show completely. A new show called Studio 3 took its place.
Fun Segments and Special Weeks
Rollercoaster often had special weeks. These weeks celebrated events or new shows. For example, there was a "Roma Week" when Roman Mysteries was about to start. "Christmas Week" showed programs about Christmas. "Magic Week" featured cool magic tricks.
Other special weeks included "Feed Me Week." During this week, the "Feed Me" segment was shown every day. "National Science Week" featured Elliot and The Surfing Scientist. There was also "Sports Week," where Elliot learned about different sports. In "Character Week," Elliot dressed up as characters he had played before. In 2009, they started having themed days too.
Regular Segments You Might Remember
- Feed Me: Elliot tried to cook recipes sent in by viewers. This was usually on Wednesdays.
- Feedback: Elliot read letters sent in by viewers. This happened on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Chatter: Elliot read messages from the show's website. He also shared jokes and acronyms.
- LOCIW: Elliot read acronyms that viewers made up and sent in. This was on Mondays.
- Fetch: Viewers sent in made-up words with their meanings. Elliot tried to use them in a funny story. This was on Fridays.
- What Career am I?: Elliot gave clues about a job. Then he revealed the job and showed someone who did it. They would give that person a challenge.
- Elliot and The Surfing Scientist: Elliot and Ruben Meerman did simple science experiments. This was on Tuesdays.
- El Lamo World Records: Viewers sent in ideas for silly record attempts. Elliot would try to do them on TV.
- Roller Tale: Viewers sent in stories about Elliot's made-up characters, Tapioca Toe Maker and Pocket Waffle. Elliot acted them out.
- Whizz Quiz: This was a true or false quiz. It used to be called "Sponge Brain Quiz." The questions were often about nature or other shows.
- MEE News: Elliot dressed up as Michael Eion Everyringtone and presented a news report. This was on Fridays.
- NOW: Elliot would ask a question or set up a poll. Viewers voted on the website. The results were shown the next day.
- Replay Bits That we've played already: Viewers could ask to see old segments again. This was on Thursdays.
- Professor Slo and Doctor Mo: Elliot and Ruben Meerman dressed up as these characters. They showed a science experiment in slow motion. This was on Thursdays.
- Triple Triple Triplets: "The Kransky Sisters" reviewed music albums. This was sometimes on Mondays.
- Jaxon's 5: A food expert explained the top five best things about a meal. This was sometimes on Wednesdays.
- Jade's Movies: A movie expert talked about a movie and gave it a rating out of five. This was sometimes on Mondays.
- T5: Elliot read tongue-twisters. This was sometimes on Fridays.
- Talk To Me: Elliot answered questions from viewers.
- Zimmer Twins: These were short animated movies made by kids from all over the world. They were shown on the Rollercoaster website.
Some other segments were only used once in a while. For example, "Your Jokes" was a part of "Chatter." Viewers sent in jokes.
The Rollercoaster Website
"Rollercoaster" was also the name of the show's website. The website was actually created a few years before the TV show started! It had a fun saying: 'Rhymes with toaster'. The website had articles about shows, games, and other fun stuff for young people. This was also where kids could send in their votes for polls, feedback, and other interactive content.
