Kaboodle (TV series)

Kaboodle

Company type	Television series
Industry	Children's television
Founded	1987
Founder	Jenny Hooks (concept originator)
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia, international
Key people	Patricia Edgar (Executive Producer), Jeff Peck (Series Producer)
Products	Television anthology series (Kaboodle and Kaboodle 2)
Parent	Australian Children's Television Foundation

Kaboodle is an anthology series consisting of thirteen episodes that blend animation, puppetry, and live-action elements. Produced by the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF), it was broadcast on ABC Television between 1987 and 1990. Following this, Kaboodle 2 was released, featuring six half-hour episodes entirely animated with recurring characters, which premiered on the Seven Network throughout Australia starting in April 1990.

The concept, developed by Jenny Hooks, was designed to cater to the often overlooked audience of children aged 6 to 9 years. Its objective was to inspire creativity and expand horizons through high-quality Australian television drama. The narratives were adapted from well-known Australian children's literature, fairy tales, myths, as well as original scripts, utilizing the imaginative capabilities of television drama to foster both emotional and cognitive development.

Kaboodle significantly contributed to nurturing talent within the Australian film sector, offering international screen credits and career opportunities to more than one hundred production professionals. The series was distributed globally by Richard Price Television Associates Limited and made available on video cassettes in Australia through CBS/FOX Video.

Kaboodle

• Executive Producer: Patricia Edgar
• Series Producer: Jeff Peck
• Concept Originator: Jennifer Hooks
• Producers:
  • Robert Alcock, Richard Chataway, Colleen Clarke, Michael Cusack, Gary Davis, John Griffin, Jenifer Hooks, Peita Letchford, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, John Morris, Heather Ogilvie, Mark Osborn, David Rapsey, Penny Robins, Neil Robinson, Michael Szmanski, Peter Viska, Michael Webb, Timothy White, Stephanie Wiessner, Vincent C. Zimbardi
• Directors:
  • Robert Alcock, Karin Altmann, Sue Brooks, Catherine Campbell, Richard Chataway, Paul Cox, Michael Cusack, Gary Davis, Jessica Douglas-Henry, Steve French, Maggie Geddes, Peita Letchford, Carl Looper, Robert Marchand, Mitch Mathews, Mark Osborn, Sue Randall, Penny Robenstone, Jan Sardi, John Skibinski, Michael Szymanski, Peter Viska, Heather Williams, Vincent C. Zimbardi
• Animators:
  • Richard Chataway, Michael Cusack, Steve French, Ross Gathercole, Maggie Geddes, Peter Green, Anne Jolliffe, Penny Robenstone, Jonathan Rossiter, John Rossiter, John Skibinski, Peter Viska, Andrew Whisson

Kaboodle 2

• Executive Producer: Patricia Edgar
• Supervising Producer: Susie Campbell
• Writers/Producers/Directors:
  • Richard Chataway, Michael Cusack, Maggie Geddes, Neil Robinson, Peter Viska, Paul Williams
• Series Development: Jeff Peck
• Animators:
  • Michael Cusack, Ian Forss, Steve French, Ross Gathercole, Maggie Geddes, Peter Green, Frank Hellard, Bill Hodge, Greg Ingram, Anne Jolliffe, Paul Marion, Gus McLaren, Steve Robinson, Joe Rossiter, Paul Williams

Kaboodle Synopsis

Each episode runs for approximately thirty minutes and contains two or three segments combining animation with puppetry and live action. The series employed varied tempo and tones to captivate children aged 6 to 9 by blending humor with realistic storytelling. Across its thirteen episodes were a total of thirty-two short narratives.

The Short Stories

Title	Format
The Birthday Present	Live action
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 Sandwich 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 Overview

Kaboodle 2 comprised four recurring drama segments within a fully animated mini-series consisting of six episodes, each lasting thirty minutes:

• "Echidna Crossing," with animation by Maggie Geddes and Neil Robinson
• "The Dream Machine," animated by Paul Williams
• "The Hedge and Mr Snip," brought to life by Peter Viska
• "The Great Detective," animated by Michael Cusack and Richard Chataway

Production Details

The Australian Children's Television Foundation produced Kaboodle 2, with Patricia Edgar serving as Executive Producer and Jeff Peck as Series Producer. Funding support came from Film Victoria, ABC-TV, the Australian Film Commission, and the ACTF, marking the inaugural partnership among these organizations to finance a children’s television series.

The project combined the expertise of seasoned filmmakers with fresh talent, including numerous children making their debut in television acting. Kaboodle was a significant feature in ABC’s 1987 programming lineup, highlighting a wide range of creative input.

1985

To foster innovation within Kaboodle, the Foundation awarded $1,000 prizes to students from the Australian Film and Television School and Swinburne Institute of Technology for outstanding story concepts.

Alan Love and John Taylor were among the winners; Love’s ‘Scuff and Rebecca’ depicted a boy whose sock puppets come alive, blending live action with puppetry and animation. Taylor’s ‘The Huge Adventures of Trevor A Cat,’ a humorous narrative about a cat with an ever-growing appetite, also received funding from the Australian Film Commission’s Comedy Fund.

Additional student submissions included Jennifer Mellet’s “The Marvellous Adventures of Miriam and the Miraculous Miranda” (combining live action with computer animation), Cate Cahill’s “Talo’s Story” (computer animation), Penny Robenstone’s “Joshua Cooks” (animation), and Mark Osborn’s “The Fogbrook Thing” (live action).

1986

Production commenced in June 1986 across multiple locations including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

Renowned Australian filmmaker Paul Cox contributed to the Kaboodle team by writing and directing a twenty-minute drama titled The Secret Life of Trees. The story follows a girl who embarks on an adventure beneath her backyard trees, guided by tree gnomes. Originally conceived as a fairy tale for his daughter, this piece enriched the series’ creative scope.

Kaboodle 2

By June 1988, the sequel Kaboodle 2 was launched with support from the Australian Children's Television Foundation, Film Victoria, the Australian Film Commission, and the South Australian Film Industry Advisory Committee. Production spanned from July 1988 through June 1989.

Official Launch

Kaboodle was formally introduced on 15 October 1987 at Melbourne’s Menzies at Rialto Hotel by Senator The Hon. Graham Richardson, Minister for the Environment and the Arts. Attendees included representatives from ABC, Film Victoria, CBS/FOX Video, media outlets, and industry experts.

Kaboodle

To complement the television series, ABC Enterprises released four hardcover picture books: “The Secret Life of Trees,” “The Wheelie Wonder,” “Molly Makes Music,” and “Lock Up Your Toys.” Additionally, paperback editions combined stories such as “The Wizards of Solmar” paired with “Talo’s Story” and “The Kobold and Potato,” along with collections including “Double Take,” “Scuff the Sock,” and “The Birthday Present.”

Kaboodle 2

Hodder & Stoughton published a collection of four titles connected to Kaboodle 2: Hedge Island, The Great Detective and the Case of Captain Blunderbuss’s Secret, Grandfather’s Dream Machine, and Echidna Crossing. Thomas Nelson Australia offered an educational kit to schools, which included these books along with videotapes and instructional guides for teachers.

Re-airings

The ABC broadcast Kaboodle nationally on several occasions: in July 1988, November 1989, and once more as part of school programming in July 1990. Kaboodle 2 was broadcast across the nation on the Seven Network starting from 6 July 1991.

Distribution and Impact

In November 1987, CBS/FOX Video launched six Kaboodle videocassettes, achieving sales exceeding 5,000 copies by June 1988.

By mid-1990, CBS/FOX Video reported selling 6,457 Kaboodle videotapes, while The Foundation had distributed 972 Kaboodle Teacher’s Notes. Promotion of Kaboodle 2 at MIPCOM in October 1989 facilitated sales in markets including the UK, Israel, Singapore, and through package deals reaching Spain, Portugal, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, USSR, Yugoslavia, Africa, Ireland, Greece, and Belgium.

By 1991, the reach of both Kaboodle series extended to Gibraltar, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. Festival Video recorded sales of 2,017 Kaboodle 2 videotapes by June that year; concurrently, Hodder & Stoughton sold 17,584 Kaboodle 2 books, and Thomas Nelson distributed 110 Kaboodle 2 Teacher’s Notes. By 1992, distribution had further expanded to Zimbabwe, Portugal, and Greece.

Awards and nominations

Year	Work Nominated	Award Event	Category	Outcome
1987	'The Huge Adventures of Trevor a Cat' episode from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards, Melbourne	Children's Award-Best Animation; Best Film-Tertiary Student	Winner
1987	'The Fogbrook Thing' episode from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards	Children's Award-Best Narrative	Winner
1987	'Joshua Cooks' episode from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards	Best Animation	Winner
1987	'Molly Makes Music' episode from Kaboodle	Chicago International Festival of Children's Films (USA)	Television Production-Part of a Series-Animation	Second Prize
1988	'Double Take' episode from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards	Children's Award-Best Narrative	Winner
1988	'The Wheelie Wonder' episode from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards	Children's Award-Animation	Winner
1988	'Molly Makes Music', 'Lock Up Your Toys', 'The Cure' episodes from Kaboodle	ATOM Awards	Finalists in Multiple Categories	Finalists
1988	Kaboodle series	9th Banff Television Festival (Canada)		Among three finalists
1988	Kaboodle series	Bicentennial Pater Awards	International Children's Variety Program-Series Award	Winner
1988	Kaboodle series	Television Society Australia Awards	Children's Program	Award for Excellence

Year	Work Nominated	Award Event	Category	Outcome
1990	'The Hedge & Mr Snip' and 'The Great Hedge Race' episodes from Kaboodle 2	ATOM Awards	Children's Award-Animation	Highly Commended
1990 Kaboodle 2 series	Television Society of Australia Awards	Children's Program	Certificate of Merit
1990	'The Great Detective' drama segment from Kaboodle 2	Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS), NSW	Cinema Photography	Winner

Reviews

Kaboodle was broadcast nationally on ABC Television at 4:30 pm on weekdays, spanning 13 afternoons beginning Monday, 26 October. The series garnered widespread praise from both critics and audiences.

• “Kaboodle brims with joy, enchantment, imagination, and elegance—far removed from the typical early morning or late afternoon cartoons thrust upon children… my six-year-old watches Kaboodle with a smile and chatter, which is a promising sign from this viewer.” The Age, Melbourne, 14/11/87
• “Kaboodle presents an intriguing concept that stands out as refreshingly original.” The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 25/10/87
• “This program offers a rich blend of elements for children to engage with.” The Daily Mirror, Sydney, 26/10/87
• “An ACTF creation, Kaboodle serves up a feast of content that appeals to kids and adults alike—comedy, adventure, fantasy, and realism all in one.” The Daily Sun, Brisbane, 26/10/87
• "Those who funded this project have made excellent use of public money; we can only hope for more series of this calibre." The Age, Melbourne, 14/11/87
• "Just when children's television seemed to have hit a low point, Kaboodle arrives," "This innovative 13-episode anthology by the ACTF broadens the scope for viewers under ten with a diverse mix of local comedy, adventure, fantasy, and realism," "It’s enjoyable, thought-provoking, and distinctively fresh." Sunday Observer, Melbourne, 25/10/87
• "Kids and Kaboodle are a perfect match! Not the usual disorder associated with active children, but a new TV series," "Produced by the ACTF, Kaboodle brings much-needed brightness to children's programming." The Weekly Times, Melbourne, 21/10/87
• "Kaboodle excellently showcases the talents of Australian animators who typically work in TV commercials." The Sunday Telegraph, 25/10/87
• "Kaboodle is an exceptional concept that hopefully offers our children an alternative to American cartoons, many of which date back three decades." The Sunday Observer, Melbourne, 18/10/87
• "Employing a distinctive combination of styles and tones, Kaboodle delivers an engaging and uncommon series for young viewers." The Advocate, Tasmania, 26/10/87
• "This is the first special television production for young children created in Australia; it reflects their experiences with both quality and entertainment," "Kaboodle is a treasure trove curated by the ACTF—an anthology featuring outstanding stories from some of our most talented filmmakers." Parents & Children, Australia, Oct/Nov 1987