Skippy the Bush Kangaroo |
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was a popular Australian television series for children telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, in the Waratah National Park, near Sydney, New South Wales.
Ninety-one 30-minute episodes were made over the three seasons of production from 1966 to 1968. The series was screened in over eighty countries and its theme tune, composed by Eric Jupp, is one of the best-known and recognisable Australian tunes.
Although, at the time of first screening Australian television was still in black and white, the show was filmed in colour on 16 mm film to increase its international marketability.
The main characters of the show were:
-:- Ed Devereaux as Matt Hammond, the Head Ranger of Waratah National Park
-:- Garry Pankhurst as Sonny Hammond, Matts youngest son
-:- Ken James as Mark Hammond, Matts oldest son
-:- Tony Bonner as Jerry King, Flight Ranger (helicopter pilot)
-:- Liza Goddard as Clarissa Clancy Merrick
-:- John Warwick as Sir Adrian Gillespie
-:- Elke Neidhart as Dr. Anna Steiner
Skippy was played by at least nine different kangaroos.
The star of the show was Skippy, a female Eastern Grey Kangaroo, a pet kept by Sonny Hammond, the younger son of the Head Ranger of "Waratah National Park". The stories revolved around events occurring in the park, including its animals, dangers arising from natural hazards in the Parks environment, and the actions of various visitors to the Park.
The series was shot in northern Sydney at the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the adjacent Waratah Park Earth Sanctuary. The sanctuary still has much of the original film set including the Ranger Headquarters and descendants of the kangaroos used in the series.
The clicking sounds made by Skippy are sound effects, rather than the natural vocalisations of a kangaroo.
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