The Early Bird Show facts for kids

The Early Bird Show was a super popular children's television show in Australia. It aired on Network Ten from January 26, 1985, to June 10, 1989. The show was so well-loved that a magazine about it was even published in 1989!

About The Early Bird Show

The Early Bird Show was a fun and lively show for families and kids. It was produced by Dixie Duncan and directed by Spencer Wilson, Ray McKenna, and Bob Loxton. The main hosts were Australian rock singer Darryl Cotton, Marie Van Maaren, and Marty The Monster.

This show was broadcast live for five hours every Saturday! It ran from 7 AM to 12 PM. Many popular people were part of the show regularly. These included Roy Hampson as the 'professor' and Liane Scurrah-Jonas for 'fun & fitness'. Simon taught 'pancake breakfasts', and Frits Maaten brought his animals from his nature park. Rosemary and her EBS dancers performed, and Colin Beaumont showed off remote control cars. Brad McLeod was 'The Computer Man', and there were also puppets named Mr and Mrs Timms.

Lots of famous people from music, TV, radio, and sports often came on the show. They joined in the games and fun! In 1989, the show became shorter, lasting only two hours. It was renamed Club 10. This version ran for ten weeks. After that, it was replaced by Video Hits, which was a music video show.

The Early Bird Show was a very creative program for families. It is still remembered with great excitement today. It gave many children a chance to show their talents. It also allowed them to feel like part of a TV family. The show was a place where regular guests could help many charities. The Early Bird Show lives on in the memories of everyone who watched it or was part of it.

Other Early Bird Shows

There were other versions of "The Early Bird Show" or similar programs.

Earlier Australian Shows

An earlier version of The Early Bird Show aired from 1977 to 1980. This show was on weekday mornings. It was hosted by Mike McCarthy and Marie Van Maaren. In 1981, this show was replaced by Good Morning Australia (breakfast TV).

A similar show, but not connected, was called Early Birds. It was broadcast by SAS10 in Adelaide in the early 1970s. This show was hosted by Veronica Overton and Fat Cat. "Early Birds" featured cartoons, competitions, and music videos. During one show, Veronica Overton actually resigned on camera! She said, "Goodbye children. Fat Cat will be back on Monday, but I won't." DiDi James took over for a short time. Later, Jane Reilly became the host.

TVW 7 Perth also had a very popular Earlybirds show. This was in the 1970s and 1980s, from 7 AM to 9 AM. It featured Fat Cat and another character, Percy Penguin. There were also puppets like Wilbur Worm and Sunny Sandgroper. Wilbur Worm was a bit sarcastic, and Sunny Sandgroper always told silly jokes. The show had two hosts, one male and one female. Some hosts over the years included Keith Geary, Ian Teasdale, Sandy Baker, Carolyn Noble, Sharon Dale, Peter Dean, and Ann Sanders. It was made at TVW Tuart Hill Studios. They often did live broadcasts from shopping centers. This show mainly ran during school holidays at first. Later, it was on every weekday. Eventually, it was replaced by shows like Agro's Cartoon Connection. TVW also had a Saturday version called Fat Cat's Funtime Show. It ran until Saturday Disney started.

New Zealand Version

In New Zealand, TV3 created their own version of the show. It ran from 1989 to 1992. It first aired on weekday mornings from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM. Later, it moved to weekend mornings at the same time. This version was also known as E.B.S. It was presented by Suzy Cato and a puppet character named Russell Rooster. Another puppet character was Aunty Kiri Kea and her family of Rubber Ducks.

This New Zealand show had many different parts. These included local skits, competitions, games, and interviews. There were jokes with Kiri and the Rubber Ducks. Kids could learn how to draw cartoon monsters with Mark. Annabel Langbein taught cooking, and David Hartnell shared Hollywood gossip. The show also featured many cartoons from other countries. Some of these were The Super Mario Brothers Super Show, The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, It's Punky Brewster!, Beetlejuice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garfield and Friends, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy, Kissyfur, Super Friends, Dinosaucers, Camp Candy, Dennis the Menace, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Superman, Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, The Real Ghostbusters (and Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters), The Wuzzles, Sylvanian Families, Pinocchio: The Series, and DuckTales. It also showed live-action programs like the New Zealand educational series Aunties' Alphabet and the U.S. blooper show Life's Most Embarrassing Moments. Suzy Cato later hosted other TV shows like Suzy's World, 3pm, and You and Me. She then started a company called Treehut Productions. This company creates shows that share "Blue Light" safety messages.