| Genre: | Anthology series |
| Country: | Australia |
| Language: | English |
| Executive Producer: | Patricia Edgar |
| Producer: | Patricia Edgar and Jeff Peck |
| Network: | ABC |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 19 |
| Runtime: | 30 minutes |
Kaboodle is a 13-part anthology television series which includes animation, puppetry, and live action and was produced by the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) that ran on ABC Television from 1987 to 1990.[1] [2] [3] Kaboodle 2 was a follow-on series which provided another six half-hour episodes of innovative television drama for the under-tens.[4] Kaboodle 2, however, was fully animated and instead of being an ‘anthology’ series of many short dramas, all of which are different, this season had regular characters in every episode.[4] The show commenced screening on the Seven Network across Australia in April 1990.[5]
The original concept was conceived by Jenny Hooks[6] and the series aimed to provide quality Australian television drama for the long neglected 6-9 year old age group.[6] The series intended to stimulate young children’s imagination and widen their range of experiences. Some of the stories are based on distinguished Australian children’s books, some on fairy tales and myths, whilst others have been developed as wholly original work for Kaboodle. The make-believe of television drama, where anything can and should happen, was well suited to foster healthy, emotional and intellectual growth by challenging the imagination and widening the range of children's experience.[7]
Kaboodle is significant-not only because it catered to a much-neglected audience-but also because the series provided industry experience and international screen credit for numerous talented up-and-coming Australian film-makers.[8] More than one hundred crew who worked on Kaboodle gained their first television credit or advanced their careers by working on the series.[9] The series was distributed outside Australia and New Zealand by London and New-York based Richard Price Television Associates Limited. Kaboodle video cassettes were marketed in Australia by CBS/FOX Video.
Each half hour episode tells two or three separate stories using a variety of forms including animation, puppetry, and live action. It was a kaleidoscope of forms, with each episode varying in pace, length and mood. It aimed to provide laughs and tears, fantasy and realism, but specifically tailored to the interests of the young viewer (6-9 year olds). There were thirty-two separate short stories included in the thirteen-part series.[10]
The Short stories
| The Birthday Present | Live action | [11] | |
| The Cure | Animation | ||
| Double Take | Live action | ||
| The Fogbrook Thing | Live action | ||
| Foxbat and the Mini | Animation | ||
| Frieze | Animation | ||
| The Ghost and Katie Domigan | Live action | ||
| The Girl and the Pumpkin | Live action | ||
| The Great Detective | Animation | ||
| The Great Sandiwch Swap | Live action | ||
| Gung Ho | Animation | ||
| Hide Until Daytime | Live action | ||
| The Huge Adventures of Trevor a Cat | Animation | ||
| Joshua Cooks | Animation | ||
| The Marvellous Adventures of Miriam and the Miraculous Miranda | Live action and computer animation | ||
| Molly Moves About | Animation | ||
| Penny Pollard's Diary | Live action | ||
| Potato and the Kobold | Live action | ||
| The Secret Life of Trees | Live action | ||
| Snow White and the Dreadful Dwarves | Live action | ||
| The Steam Train Crew | Live action | ||
| There's Dragons | Animation | ||
| Scuff the Sock | Live action and stop-motion animation | ||
| Talo's Story | Computer animation | ||
| Thing | Animation | ||
| There's a Sea in My Bedroom | Computer animation | ||
| The Wheelie Wonder | Animation | ||
| Whiska | Animation | ||
| The Wizards of Solmar | Live action and puppetry | ||
| Wombat and Gumshoe | Animation |
Kaboodle 2 contained four regular drama segments as part of its fully animated 6 half hour mini-series:[12]
The series was produced by the Foundation with Patricia Edgar as Executive Producer and Jeff Peck as Series Producer. It went into production backed by Film Victoria, ABC-TV, the Australian Film Commission and the ACTF. It was the first time these companies came together to fund a children’s television series.
Segments for the series were produced by some of Australia's most experienced filmmakers, as well as some of the most promising new talent on the film and television scene at the time, including many children who were getting their first television acting experience.[13] Scores of people helped make Kaboodle a diverse and interesting event in the 1987 broadcast schedule, when it was shown on the ABC.
In an effort to help give Kaboodle the freshness and vitality needed in an innovative series, the Foundation offered a prize of $1,000 to the student at the Australian Film and Television School and the Film and Television Department at the Swinburne Institute of Technology respectively who submitted the best idea for a Kaboodle story. Winners of the 1985 contest were Alan Love and John Taylor. Love proposed a 10-minute film featuring live action and puppetry titled ‘Scuff and Rebecca”, a fantasy story of a boy and his sock puppets that come to life. Taylor won his prize for his script of ‘The Huge Adventures of Trevor A Cat”, a humorous story about a cat with an ever-increasing appetite, which also received a grant from the Australian Film Commission’s Comedy Fund.
Four other film and television students also had concepts included in Kaboodle. From the Australian Film and Television school, Jennifer Mellet who wrote “The Marvellous Adventures of Miriam and the Miraculous Miranda” (live action and computer animation) and Cate Cahill who wrote “Talo’s Story” (computer animation). From Swinburne, Penny Robenstone wrote “Joshua Cooks” (animation) and Mark Osborn wrote “The Fogbrook Thing” (live action).
Production commenced in June 1986 and was undertaken in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.[13]
Paul Cox, one of Australia’s leading directors joined the Kaboodle production team.[14] He wrote and directed a twenty minute drama about a little girl’s adventure when she is led by tree gnomes deep into the mysterious caverns below the massive pine and gum trees in her back yard. Entitled ‘The Secret Life of Trees’ Paul originally wrote it as a fairy-tale for his daughter.
In June 1988, Kaboodle 2, the follow-on series to the critically acclaimed Kaboodle, was up and running and backed by the Foundation, Film Victoria, the Australian Film Commission, and the South Australian Film Industry Advisory Committee.[4]
Production began July 1988 and was completed June 1989.
Kaboodle was officially launched by the Minister for the Environment and the Arts, Senator, The Hon. Graham Richardson, at the Menzies at Rialto Hotel in Melbourne on Thursday 15 October 1987. Members of the ABC, Film Victoria, CBS/FOX Video, the media, Kaboodle writers, producers and directors and other members of the film and television industry attended the launch.
To accompany the series, four hard cover picture books were published by ABC Enterprises.[15] The picture books were “The Secret Life of Trees”, “The Wheelie Wonder”, “Molly Makes Music” and “Lock Up Your Toys”. The paperbacks included “The Wizards of Solmar”, “Talo’s Story” and “The Kobold and Potato” in one book, with “Double Take”, “Scuff the Sock” and “The Birthday present” in the other.
Four books were published by Hodder & Stoughton to accompany the Kaboodle 2 series: "Hedge Island", "The Great Detective and the Case of Captain Blunderbuss’s Secret", "Grandfather’s Dream Machine" and "Echidna Crossing".[16]
Thomas Nelson Australia packaged and marketed an educational package containing the picture story books, videotapes and Kaboodle 2 Teacher’s Notes to schools.
In July 1988, Kaboodle was re-screened by the ABC.[4]
Kaboodle 1 was re-screened again by the ABC in November 1989 nationally.
Kaboodle re-screened nationally on the ABC, as part of their programming for schools in July on 1990.[17]
Kaboodle 2 was re-screened on the Seven Network across Australia from 6 July 1991.
CBS/FOX Video released six Kaboodle video-cassettes in November 1987 and by 30 June 1988, more than 5000 videocassettes had been sold.
On 30 June 1990 CBS/FOX Video reported sales of 6,457 Kaboodle videotapes and The Foundation reported sales of 972 Kaboodle Teacher’s Notes.[18]
Kaboodle 2 was promoted at MIPCOM in October 1989. As a direct result sales were achieved in the following territories: UK, Israel, Singapore and as part of a package distribution arrangement to Spain, Portugal, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, USSR, Yugoslavia, Africa, Ireland, Greece and Belgium.
By 1991, Both Kaboodle 1 and 2 had been sold into Gibraltar, Iceland, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.[19]
In June 1991, Festival Video reported sales of 2,017 Kaboodle 2 videotapes; Hodder & Stoughton reported sales of 17,584 Kaboodle 2 books; Thomas Nelson reported sales of 110 Kaboodle 2 Teacher’s Notes.
By 1992, both series had been sold into Zimbabwe, Portugal and Greece.[20]
| Year | Nominated Work | Awards Event | Category | Result | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 'The Huge Adventures of Trevor a Cat' Kaboodle episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Children's Award-Best Animation, and Best Film-Tertiary Student | Winner | [21] | |
| 1987 | 'The Fogbrook Thing' Kaboodle episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Children's Award-Best Narrative | Winner | ||
| 1987 | 'Joshua Cooks' Kaboodle episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Best Animation | Winner | ||
| 1987 | 'Molly Makes Music' Kaboodle episode | Chicago International Festival of Children's Films, United States | Television production, Part of a Series-Animation | Second prize | ||
| 1988 | 'Double Take' Kaboodle episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Children's Award-Best Narrative | Winner | ||
| 1988 | 'The Wheelie Wonder' Kaboodle episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Children's Award-Animation | Winner | ||
| 1988 | 'Molly Makes Music', 'Lock Up Your Toys' and 'The Cure' Kaboodle episodes | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Range of categories | Finalists | ||
| 1988 | Kaboodle series | 9th Banff Television Festival, Canada | One of three finalists | |||
| 1988 | Kaboodle series | 1988 Bicentennial Pater Awards | International Children's Variety program-Series Award | Winner | ||
| 1988 | Kaboodle series | Television Society Australia Awards, Melbourne | Children's program | Award for excellence |
| 1990 | 'The Hedge & Mr Snip' and 'The Great hedge Race' Kaboodle 2 episode | ATOM Awards, Melbourne, Australia | Children's Award-Animation | Highly Commended | ||
| 1990 | Kaboodle 2 | Television Society of Australia Awards, Melbourne | Children's program | Certificate of Merit | ||
| 1990 | 'The Great Detective' regular drama segment of Kaboodle 2 | Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS), NSW | Cinema Photography | Winner |
Kaboodle screened on ABC Television, Australia wide at 4:30 pm weekdays for 13 afternoons from Monday 26 October.[22] The response to the show from critics and the public was terrific.