Jellabies
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Children's television, Animation |
| Founded | May 18, 1998 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom / Australia |
Area served | International |
Key people | Jonny Lewis (creator), Rik Mayall (narrator), Dave Lowe and Vo Fletcher (music composers) |
| Products | Animated children's television series |
Jellabies—also referred to as Jellikins or The Jellies—is an animated children's series co-produced by Australia and the United Kingdom. It originally aired on the British channel GMTV from 18 May 1998 through 2001. The show was also broadcast internationally, including on Canada's Treehouse TV, Germany's Super RTL, the United States' Fox Family Channel (currently Freeform), The Netherlands' Kindernet, France's TF! Jeunesse, and Australia's ABC Kids. Targeting preschool viewers aged two to six, it was among the pioneering television programs to utilize full CGI animation.
Format
Conceived and developed in Worcestershire, England by 3D artist Jonny Lewis alongside Optical Image Ltd, the series employs computer-generated imagery with narration provided by Rik Mayall. The storyline centers on the Jellabies, jelly-formed children inhabiting Jolly Jelly World—a fantastical realm located at the end of a rainbow. Within this world, they manufacture rainbows through a device called the Jelliscope, which functions as a computer, teleporter, and rainbow generator while also monitoring weather patterns globally. Although each Jellaby owns an individual mode of transport, their primary means of travel is the "Jelly Train," composed of an engine and a single passenger carriage. The show debuted in 1998 and wrapped up production by early 2003.
In the United Kingdom, the series was known as Jellikins, featuring characters with gummy bear-shaped heads instead of jelly forms; however, Duffy the dragon retained his original design. This version remained on air via GMTV until January 2004.
History
Character designs and the pilot episode were created by Jonny Lewis in collaboration with his brother Mikel Lewis using 3D Studio Max. Inspired loosely by Jelly Babies sweets, Jonny initially worked from his basement in Malvern, utilizing his personal computer to develop the concept affordably. The successful pilot led to a commission from GMTV and subsequent international distribution. Notably, it was the first British television series to be fully animated using 3D computer graphics.
Optical Image acquired sponsorship from Basset's to support production. The animation team included key contributors such as Meena Kamurai Pai, Andrew Lindsay, Richard Smart, Andy Day, Ian Friend, and Harjit Birdi, who maintained a demanding five-day turnaround for each episode.
The musical score was composed by Dave Lowe and Vo Fletcher.
Characters and voice cast
The six main Jellabies each symbolize a distinct color of the rainbow.
Main
- Narrator (Rik Mayall)
- Strum (voice actor unknown) – A purple Jellaby with a passion for music who resides at the train station and plays the saxophone.
- Bouncey (voice actor unknown) – Yellow in color, living inside a bumper car.
- Denny (voice actor unknown) – Blue Jellaby residing on a boat at Jelly Lake.
- Pepper (voice actor unknown) – Red-colored character inhabiting a treehouse.
- Amber and Coral (voice actors unknown) – Twin sisters colored orange and pink respectively; Amber lives in a hot air balloon while Coral occupies a home constructed from building blocks. Together they care for their younger sibling Zahra, a pale pink toddler Jellaby who enjoys ballet.
Supporting
- Duffy – A green dragon dwelling in Jelly Caves; unique as the only character who is not a Jellaby.
Season 1 (1998–99)
1. Caterpillar 2. Circus 3. Pepper's Den 4. Hide and Seek 5. Apple 6. Seeds 7. Burst Balloon 8. Snow 9. Music 10. Drum 11. Drumsticks 12. Waiting
Season 2 (1999)
1. Birthday 2. Echoes 3. Sky 4. Egg 5. Monster 6. Sheep
Season 3 (1999)
1. Train Trouble 2. Balloon 3. Jack in the Box 4. Lost Voice 5. Sneezes 6. Invisible 7. Runaway Train 8. Rescue 9. Seal 10. Super Jelly 11. Bridge 12. Race 13. Captain Jellybeard
Season 4 (1999)
1. Shadow 2. Sun 3. Jelly Day 4. Animals 5. Jelly Lake 6. Jellyphone
Season 5 (1999)
1. Shipwreck 2. Cave In! 3. Bouncy Ball 4. Camping 5. Tobbogan 6. Jelly Dance 7. Fancy Dress 8. Obstacles 9. Football 10. Sounds 11. Caves 12. House 13. Twins
Season 6 (1999)
1. Night 2. Bouncing 3. Butterfly 4. Parrot 5. Spring
Season 7 (1999–2000)
1. Baa! 3. Autumn 4. Nature 5. Zebra 6. Big 7. Magic 8. Where's Pepper? 9. Hot 10. Robot 11. Wheels 12. Chums
Season 8 (2000)
1. Rubbish 2. Silly Sax 3. Small 4. High 5. Tower 6. Footprints 7. Yuk
Season 9 (2000–2001)
1. Jelly Disco 2. Mountain 4. Jelly Christmas (special) 5. Paint 6. Feelings Rhyme
Newscreen era (2001)
The full episode lineup and sequence have not been officially confirmed; episodes lacking formal references are accessible through DoraDubs Productions’ personal YouTube collection.
- Strum's Concert - Hats (featuring various characters) - Magic Seeds (not to be confused with Seeds or Apple episodes) - Painting
Unverified episodes
- Fair - Coral's Pet - Jungle - Kangaroo
Theme song
The opening theme, titled Wobbly World Theme, was composed by David Lowe and Vo Fletcher, featuring narration by Rik Mayall and influenced by Caribbean musical styles.
CD release
In 1999, the album Jellikins: Songs from the TV series was issued, containing tracks performed by Rik Mayall.
Ride(s)
Since 2000, a Jellikins-themed roller coaster has been operational at Fantasy Island, a UK-based amusement park. Additionally, Amutec acquired rights in 2001 to manufacture a coin-operated Jellikins ride showcasing Bouncey in a bumper car for an unspecified period.
North America
- United States: Fox Family Channel (currently Freeform)
- Canada: Treehouse TV
Oceania
- Australia: ABC For Kids
- New Zealand: TV2
Asia
- South Korea: Seoul Broadcasting System
- Taiwan: EBC Yoyo
Middle East
- Iran: IRIB TV5
Europe
- United Kingdom: GMTV, Fox Kids (later Disney XD)
- France: TF! Jeunesse
- Germany: Super RTL
- The Netherlands: Kindernet, Nickelodeon (Nick Jr.)
- Italy: RAI