MetaChat - Skippy The Bush Kangaroo

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05 October 2007

Skippy The Bush Kangaroo This has to be the weirdest show I've ever seen. [via essexjan]

post by: chuckdarwin at: 08:59 | 15 comments

*falls down giggling hysterically*

WANT!

(I'd heard of Skippy; apparently it's something of an embarrassing cultural icon in Australia. But never seen it 'till now! Rock on!)

posted by po 05 October | 09:05

(Also, I have to say it's a little disturbing how often and obviously they use a dead kangaroo's paws to simulate human-like movements. Eeeeew.)

posted by po 05 October | 09:06

How dare you! That's not a 'dead kangaroo's paws'! It's Skippy, you damned heretic!

posted by essexjan 05 October | 09:10

Oh, and Skippy's a wallaby, not a kangaroo. 'Roos are much bigger and fiercer and would probably kick the shit out of anyone trying to make them lead a pack of wild horses out of a ravine or play the piano.

posted by essexjan 05 October | 09:11

That is awesome. I'd never heard of Skippy until Jan's comment yesterday.

As weird kids' shows go, though, it's no "Gimme Gimme Octopus."

posted by BoringPostcards 05 October | 09:15

Apparently, Skippy died in 1976.

I think she(he?) deserves a moment of silence.

posted by chuckdarwin 05 October | 09:22

"Gimme Gimme Octopus"

Brother, that is some odd stuff. I'm not going to hit the tired old "Asian pop culture is weird" stereotype... but, that's pretty weird.

posted by chuckdarwin 05 October | 09:24

lead a pack of wild horses out of a ravine or play the piano

I like how, in the one ep, Skippy, an Emu and a badger corner the bad guys and stare at them menacingly.

posted by chuckdarwin 05 October | 09:25

A badger? A BADGER??!!! That's a wombat, man!

posted by essexjan 05 October | 09:28

My Aussie taxonomy is pretty rubbish. I think a trip Down Under is in order.

posted by chuckdarwin 05 October | 09:30

What's that Skippy? Old man Jones has fallen down a well? He can't get out? And he left his heart medicine on the back seat of his blue pickup truck?

posted by seanyboy 05 October | 09:30

Heh, we know how that episode ends, seanyboy. Skippy puts the heart medicine in her pouch, climbs down the well, gives the medicine to Old Man Jones, climbs back up, gets in the pickup truck and switches on the headlights so the helicopter can see where to land.

posted by essexjan 05 October | 10:43

Damn Skippy. Just one of the more interesting of the "heroic animal" TV shows inspired by Lassie... "Flipper", "Gentle Ben" and my favorite "The Littlest Hobo" about a stray German Shepherd who helped people on his wanderings. (I prefer the original 1963 version to the 1979 revival - its theme song was also much better; of course everything on YouTube is from the second series - damn kids)

posted by wendell 05 October | 11:48

Skippy was on television in Buffalo, NY, on Sunday mornings, as I recall. But it was always just coming on as we were leaving for church, so I rarely got to see it. The few times I did see it, it was just a corny as the opening credits would lead you to believe.

posted by Doohickie 05 October | 15:14

I don't see the oddness here! (Australian who grew up with Skippy).

Interesting factoid: white Australians are sometimes referred to as "Skips".

posted by gomichild 05 October | 19:58

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