The Listies facts for kids

The Listies are a super funny comedy team from Melbourne, Australia. The team is made up of two friends, Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly. They create live comedy shows and theatre that are perfect for "kidults" – that means both kids and grown-ups will love them! They also write and draw awesome children's books.

The Listies started in 2008. Back then, they were called "The List Operators." They won an award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival for being the best independent show. They even toured to big festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Dublin Fringe Festival.

In 2010, they started making shows just for young audiences. Their first kids' show was called "More Fun than a wii!" It was so good that it was nominated for a big award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Barry Award (for comedy). People now say they are "cult figures" in children's theatre. This means lots of people love their shows and follow their work!

The Listies often tour their shows to festivals all over Australia and even in other countries. In 2013, they won the Best Production for Children award at the Sydney Theatre Awards. They were nominated for this award again in 2016. They have made seven stage shows for kids and two for adults. They have also released two music albums and published two books with Penguin. These books are called Ickypedia (from 2015) and Ickyfoodia (from 2017).

How The Listies Started

Richard Higgins and Matt Kelly first met when they were performing in student theatre. This was at Melbourne's RMIT University. They were both in a play called Just Disgusting. This play was based on a book by the famous children's author, Andy Griffiths.

Matt Kelly said that right from their first practice, their scenes together kept getting longer and longer. This showed they had great chemistry! After that, they performed in other plays. These included The Day My Bum Went Psycho and Roald Dahl's The Twits.

The Listies' Comedy Style

The Listies get their ideas from other famous comedy duos. They like the "straight guy, funny guy" style, like Lano and Woodley. They also enjoy the silly sketch comedy of groups like The Goons and Monty Python.

The Listies create "two-handers." This means their shows usually have just two performers. They use lots of funny wordplay and jokes with props. They also do slapstick comedy, which involves silly physical actions. Their shows are a mix of clowning and gross-out humor. They love to cause general mischief and have surprising theatrical moments. They also add little jokes for the adults in the audience.

People have said their comedy focuses on messing with adult rules. They are also described as "unapologetically puerile." This means they are not afraid to be silly and a bit gross, which kids often find hilarious!

List of Stage Shows

• "The List Operators" (2008-2011)
• "The List Operators for Kids: More Fun than a Wii!" (2010-2012)
• "Art+Sport=Yeah!" (2012)
• "The List Operators for Kids do Compooters" (2011)
• "Earworms" (2013)
• "The Listies 6D (Twice as Good as 3D)" (2013-2017)
• "The Listies Make You LOL!" (2014-2017)
• "The Listies Ruin Xmas" (2015-current)
• "Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark" (2016-current)
• "Ickypedia" (2017-2019)
• "The Listies Go For Bronze" (2018)
• "R.O.F.L.S.H.A.L.B.O.W.C.O (Rolling On The Floor Laughing So Hard A Little Bit Of Wee Comes Out)" (2019-current)

List of Books

• "Ickypedia: A Dictionary of Disgusting New Words" (2015)
• "Ickyfoodia: A Ultimate Guide to Disgusting Food" (2017)

List of Comedy Albums

• "The Listies Drive U Crazy"
• "The Listies Go Bananas"
• "The Listies' Lollaby"

Television Shows

• 'The Listies Work For Peanuts' on ABC ME
• 'Stand And Deliver' on ABC ME (The Listies episode)