Since its debut in 2018, Bluey, an Australian-made animated series focusing on a young Blue Heeler dog and her family, has captured the hearts of Australian families and is now beginning to gain a following in other countries.
With the series’ continued success in Australia, and growing popularity abroad, it seems a good time to revisit some other great Australian-made animated series ahead of Bluey creator Joe Brumm and David McCormack a.k.a. the voice of Bandit making an appearance at Supanova in Melbourne.
The Adventures of Blinky Bill
Following the success of the feature film Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala in 1992, ABC commissioned an animated series, The Adventures of Blinky Bill. Each season of the show featured a new storyline for the cheeky koala and his bushland friends, Splodge the Kangaroo, Flap the Platypus, Marcia the Marsupial Mouse, and Nutsy, a female koala.
Season one of the show featured the residents of Greenpatch rebuilding their village after it had been destroyed by loggers in the film, while season two followed Blinky and his friends trying to find their way home after becoming lost on a school excursion.
After a nearly 10-year break, season three aired in 2004, following Blinky and friends on a hot-air balloon trip around the world, returning a troupe of mistreated circus animals to the wild. An attempt was made to revive the franchise with a CGI film in 2015, but it never received the love of the original series.
Li’l Elvis and the Truckstoppers
Premiering in 1998, Li’l Elvis and the Truckstoppers was made under a government program to produce an Australian children’s series from a fully original idea.
As an infant, Li’l Elvis is dumped inside a guitar case at a truckstop in the Australian Outback, as a golden Cadillac drives off into the distance. This leads Li’l Elvis’ adoptive parents, truckstop owners Len and Grace, to believe that he is the illegitimate son of Elvis Presley.
Li’l Elvis proves to be a musical prodigy, forming a band, The Truckstoppers, with his friends Lionel and Janet. Li’l Elvis and the band divide their time between searching for the truth of his origins, while also thwarting businessman WC Moore, who wants to exploit Li’l Elvis and the town.
Dogstar
In the distant future, humans are forced to evacuate the over polluted Earth in favor of a new, clean planet. Unfortunately, the Dogstar, a space ark containing all of Earth’s pet dogs, goes missing during the voyage. Bob Santino swoops in to fill the void, making his fortune by selling robot dogs as replacements. Unfortunately for Bob, the Clark children, Glenn, Simone, and Lincoln, miss their real dog, Hobart, and embark on a quest to find him. Bob pursues the children, hoping to stop the Dogstar from ever being found. Dogstar aired between 2006 and 2011, winning multiple awards during its run. A movie-length special, Dogstar: Christmas In Space, aired in 2016.
Flipper and Lopaka
In 1999, Australia attempted its own take on the famous TV dolphin, Flipper, with the animated series Flipper and Lopaka. After being rescued by Flipper during a storm, Lopaka, a member of the Millihune tribe, gains the ability to breathe underwater and speak to sea creatures. Together, Flipper and Lopaka defend Lopaka’s island, Iloka, and Flipper’s underwater city, Quetzo, from danger. The series ran for three seasons, between 1999 and 2005, and occasionally sees reruns on ABC Me.
CJ the DJ
CJ the DJ followed a teenaged girl named CJ who holds dreams of becoming a world-famous DJ. With help from her friends Lesley, Si, and local record store owner Arnis, CJ slowly works towards her dream. Voiced by Australian actress/presenter Holly Brisley, the character of CJ was praised as a good role model for showing pride in her individuality.
Bluey
Making its debut on ABC Kids in 2018, Bluey quickly became a smash hit. The series focuses on a young Blue Heeler named Bluey, her sister Bingo, mother Chilli, and father Bandit. The show has been praised for displaying a more modern family dynamic, with both Chilli and Bandit holding down jobs, and for encouraging self-led play in children, with many episode plots driven by the imaginations of Bluey and Bingo. Bluey is currently the most-streamed children’s show in Australia and is quickly becoming one of our biggest entertainment exports worldwide.
