Mr. Squiggle

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox television Mr. Squiggle (originally also known as Mr. Squiggle and Friends) is an Australian children's television series, and the name of the title character from that ABC show. The show was presented on television in many formats, between its inception on 1 July 1959<ref name="collectors">Template:Cite episode</ref> and 1999, from five-minute slots to a one-and-a-half-hour variety show featuring other performers,<ref name="death the age" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and has had several name changes, originally airing as Mr. Squiggle and Friends. At its height, the program was one of the most popular children's programs in Australia and toured theatre and conventions, entertaining several generations who grew with the program. It became one of the longest-running children's programs on Australian television,<ref name="austory">Template:Cite episode</ref><ref name="death abc" /> despite originally only asked to fill a six week gap on the ABC's schedule.<ref name="drawing the children">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="jim russell">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

History

Mr. Squiggle, the central character was created by cartoonist and puppeteer Norman Hetherington OAM,<ref name="oam">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="wonderbox">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="daao">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the character first appeared on the Children's TV Club on ABC TV,<ref name="death the age">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="survivor">Template:Cite news</ref> but was spun off into his own programme which first aired on 1 July 1959. Hetherington voiced and operated all of the show's puppets, while his wife Margaret wrote the scripts.<ref name="death abc">Template:Cite news</ref>

The basic premise of the show remained the same: children wrote in with their "squiggles" and Mr. Squiggle would turn them into recognisable drawings by connecting lines with his pencil nose. More often than not, the picture would be drawn upside down (Hetherington manipulated the puppet from above by viewing the drawing upside down), and then Mr. Squiggle would gleefully declare, "Upside down! Upside down!"—asking his assistant to turn the picture the right way up and reveal the completed drawing.<ref name="eulogy">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="am">Template:Cite episode</ref> Every child whose "squiggle" was used on the show was sent a letter from Mr Squiggle himself.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="perth">Template:Cite news</ref> According to one interview, one little girl even sent Hetherington three handkerchiefs for Christmas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:External media

The last episode went to air just over 40 years after the first, on 9 July 1999. The last episode was produced in 1997; however, it was not until 2001 that the contract with the ABC concluded. After the show ceased production, the entire cast of puppets from Mister Squiggle and Friends were owned by the show's creator, Norman Hetherington. They have been loaned for display at exhibitions, such as at the National Film and Sound Archive and as part of the "50 Years of TV" exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in 2007. Hetherington and his puppets appeared on the ABC TV series Collectors in 2010.<ref name="collectors" /> In 2005 the Mosman Art Gallery hosted a major exhibition on the art and life of Norman Hetherington called "Mr Squiggle, Who’s Pulling the Strings". It included an envelope that a child had addressed to "Mr Squiggle, The Moon", which was delivered to the show.<ref name="eulogy" /><ref name="exhibition">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="jim russell" />

Characters

• Mr. Squiggle - Mr. Squiggle, the central character is a marionette with a pencil for a nose, who visits his friends from his home at 93 Crater Crescent on the Moon,<ref name="austory" /><ref name="five things" /> flying to Earth in his pet rocket (named Rocket). In every episode he would create several pictures from "squiggles" sent in by children from around the country. Mr. Squiggle is a cheery, gentle and good-natured yet scatter-brained character who is often distracted and occasionally goes for "space-walks", leading his assistant to calm him down and get him to focus on the task of drawing.

Other characters

Other puppet characters that appeared in the show included:

• Blackboard, the grumpy blackboard that Mr. Squiggle uses for an easel, whose catchphrases are "Hurry up", "Hmmph", "Double hmmph" and “Boringgg"<ref name="death the age" /><ref name="wonderbox" /><ref name="eulogy" /><ref name="school">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="fine team">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• Gus the Snail, who had a TV for a shell and later, a flower pot, often tells knock-knock jokes.<ref name="eulogy" /><ref name="school" /><ref name="fine team" />
• Bill the Steam Shovel, who likes to tell corny jokes (often in the form of riddles) and belch steam (talcum powder) out of his "nose" when he laughs.<ref name="eulogy" /><ref name="school" /><ref name="fine team" />

Assistants

Mr. Squiggle was helped by a human assistant in all of the show's incarnations; they included Miss Gina (Gina Curtis), Miss Pat (Pat Lovell),<ref name="death abc" /> Miss Jane (Jane Fennell),<ref name="magic">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and later series featured Roxanne (Roxanne Kimmorley)<ref name="magic" /> and Rebecca (Rebecca Hetherington, Hetherington's daughter).<ref name="death abc" /> In his first incarnation as Mr. Jolly Squiggle on the Children's TV Club his assistant was Miss Faith (Faith Linton).

Guest cast

Comedian Mikey Robins<ref name="five things">Template:Cite news</ref> played one of the show's characters, Reg Linchpin, for a year from 1989 to 1990. Other notable guest performers on the show included actor Paul Chubb and magician Timothy Hyde.

Commemorated

In February 2019 the Royal Australian Mint released a series of two dollar coins to mark the 60th anniversary of the first broadcast of the programme.<ref name="ausmint">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The coins feature images of Squiggle himself, Gus the Snail, Bill the Steam Shovel, and Blackboard.<ref name="ausmint" />

Historical collection

In April 2024, the National Museum of Australia announced that it had acquired a collection of Norman Hetherington's puppets, scripts, artworks, props, graphics, merchandise, and fans' "squiggles", with the intention of eventually putting them on display.<ref>Twyford, Lottie, "National Museum of Australia acquires collection of Mr Squiggle creator, Norman Hetherington", ABC News, 29 April 2024.</ref>

See also

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External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

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• Mr Squiggle at the National Film and Sound Archive