Giggle and Hoot

Giggle and Hoot is an Australian children's television "wrap-around" program that airs on the ABC Kids channel. It began airing in 2009 and depicts the adventures of Jimmy Giggle (played by Jimmy Rees) and his best friend, Hoot the Owl (played by Cheryl Thomas). It also aired on ABC from 2009 to 2011. In later seasons, they are joined by a second owl called Hootabelle (played by Jemma Armstrong) along with other friends and their toys.

Giggle and Hoot
Logo
Country of originAustralia
No. of seasons11
Production
Executive producer(s)Jan Stradling
Production location(s)Australian Broadcasting Corporation Studios
Release
Original networkABC Kids
Picture format576i (SDTV)
Audio formatStereo
Original release29 June 2009 (2009-06-29) –
28 February 2020 (2020-02-28)
Chronology
Related showsHoot Hoot Go!
External links
Website

Characters

Jimmy Giggle

In the program, Jimmy Giggle is shown to enjoy mending objects and a talent for creating new things out of everyday items; for instance, he used a bath to make a bed, and the walls of his house were sewn and buttoned together. He also has a magic button that he relies on which never works. A dinosaur named Giggleosaurus is Jimmy Giggle's favourite toy. He plays several musical instruments, including the ukulele, double bass, baritone saxophone, piano, and guitar.

Hoot the Owl

Hoot the Owl is Jimmy Giggle's best friend. Although owls are traditionally nocturnal, the show depicts him favouring the daytime, which he finds "very exciting". This means that he is prone to falling asleep. Hoot lives in a chest of drawers that he fashioned into his own personal apartment. Hoot plays the harmonica and triangle. He also uses a cloudier to make clouds appear.

Hoot's interests include "owl" snacks, the colour blue, "owl" naps, hootball (a portmanteau of "hoot" and "football") and his favourite toy Mini-Hoot. He and Jimmy Giggle enjoy playing, singing, and spending time together. They also play dress-up and have been, for example, seen dressed up as astronauts and pirates.

Hoot's Night Watch

At the end of each episode, a sequence called the "Night Watch" plays when Hoot is "flying" across the land of Giggle and Hoot to "ensure everyone is tucked up in bed." Hootabelle helps him by lighting up the stars with her "Star Twinkler" so he can see his way in the "Nighty Night" sky. Hoot and Hootabelle often meet up after The Night Watch to fly and play everywhere in the land of Giggle and Hoot.

Hootabelle

Later seasons include a purple female owl named Hootabelle. She was created as a companion and close friend for Hoot. In the series, she lives in a "Purple Button Tree" and has a toy cat called Gigglepaws, who intimidates Hoot as he is terrified of cats. Hootabelle assures him that Gigglepaws is a "friendly" cat). She also has a toy butterfly called Giggle Wings who likes flying around the Giggle and Hoot house. Hootabelle uses her "Star Twinkler" to make the night sky's stars light up and her "Bookifier" to make random books appear from her library. She often visits the Giggle and Hoot house for an "Owl Pal Play Date".

She enjoys the colour purple, books, butterflies, owl snacks, worm-flavoured milkshakes, and singing.

Giggleosaurus, Mini-Hoot, and Gigglepaws

Jimmy Giggle, Hoot and Hootabelle each have a favourite toy. Giggleosaurus the dinosaur is Jimmy Giggle's favourite; Mini-Hoot belongs to Hoot, and Hootabelle has a toy cat called Gigglepaws.

Giggleosaurus, Mini-Hoot and Gigglepaws are treated and spoken to as real characters by Jimmy Giggle and the owls and are often used while playing. They are brought to life in animated form through various songs in the show, such as "Go Giggleosaurus," "On A Mini-Adventure," and "Hoot! Hoot! It's A Lovely Day."

Additional characters

Additional puppet characters that have appeared on the show include:

  • Hootoclaws: An owl version of Santa Claus that uses his "Christmasafier" to bring Christmas spirit to the Land of Giggle and Hoot during the Christmas holidays.
  • Cosmo Carrot, Bessie Broccoli and Tommy Tomato: The singing vegetables of the Gigglearium.
  • Pirate Hootbeard: A legendary owl pirate captain who sails the Giggle Seas and lives on Button Island with his treasured toy, Pirate Mini-Hootbeard. Whenever he becomes upset he loses his signature "Yarr!". He debuted in the one hour special The Legend of Pirate Hootbeard, alongside three live-action and graphic effects clips, "The Piratey Pirate Hootbeard", "Hootastic Seas" and "Flying Giggle Ship" which follow him and his "pirate pals". When he goes on an adventure he uses his "Treasureafier" to make things "piratey" in the land of Giggle and Hoot.
  • Giggle Fangs: A "friendly" bat. He lives at the edge of the Giggle Forest in the Batty Lair with his favourite toys, Giggle Bug and Mini-Fangella. He has "Super Sonic Bat Hearing" and has a strong liking of "bat naps" in his upside-down bed. Other things he likes include the colour grey, quietness, surprising his friends (with Jimmy Giggle getting reminded that he and Mini-Fangella are "friendly" bats) and making things batty with his "Bat Bolt".
  • Hootpa: An elderly, bearded owl who is Hoot's grandfather and Pirate Hootbeard's brother. He likes taking naps on comfy cushions, having tea parties with his friends, using his "Pa Wand" to help people, and sliding around on his Super Slippers. He has a toy puppy named Giggle Bones who uses her "super sniffy" nose to find things.
  • Hootagadget: An intelligent, red female owl who is a close friend to Hootabelle and Hootly. She lives in the Gadget Cubby with her toy dragon Giggle Spikey and occasionally goes on missions with her friends. Gadgets that she uses include a "Rainbowifier", "Wing Watches", "Skyboards," "Hootoheadsets", a "Gadget Computer" which she uses to code and fix broken tools, and her "Five Steps to Bed Detector" to make sure everyone in the Land of Giggle and Hoot has completed them.

Format

The Day Time Block

The Day Time Block is between 7–9 am and 1:45–2:40 pm, and there are a number of music video clips shown in this time, including:

  • Giggle Fangs — An animated video clip created by Yukfoo about Giggle Fangs and his assistant Giggle Bug.[1] The song was composed in collaboration with the ABC by indie Australian artist David McCormack and Sonar Music.[1]
  • Hootball — "Hootball" is an animated clip created by the ABC in collaboration with a Sydney-based animation company, Robot Tuesday, that follows Hoot and Hootabelle's ball game up in the "cloudosphere", with the toys cheering them on.[2] The song was composed in collaboration with the ABC by Bridget Turner.[2]
  • Time to Play — An animated clip which follows Hoot, Hootabelle, Giggle Fangs, and Hootagadget preparing and going on an "Owl Pal Playdate" together.
  • Owl Pals — Hoot, Hootabelle, and their friends chat with kids about certain topics. It started in the 2018 Christmas block and moved to normal blocks in 2019.
  • Cloud Bouncing — "Cloud Bouncing" is a live-action and graphic-effects video clip where Hoot and Hootabelle bounce around the clouds together. Their favourite toys, Giggleosaurus, Giggle Paws, and Mini-Hoot make cameo appearances in the background.[3] It is reworked as "Star Bouncing" during the Goodnight Hour. The song was composed by Sean Peter, Clare Gerber, and Bryson Hall.[3]
  • The Giggle Galaxy — The "Giggle Galaxy" is an animated clip created by the ABC in collaboration with Robot Tuesday, which follows Astro Jimmy Giggle, Astro Hoot, and Astro Hootabelle as they catch the Giggle Rocket into Giggle Space and fly around the button planets wearing their Giggle Space Boots. The animation is played both in the morning and evening blocks.[4] The song was composed in collaboration with the ABC by Australian artist Terry Mann.[4]
  • Hoot! Hoot! It's a Lovely Day — An animated clip created by the ABC in collaboration with the Sydney-based animation company, Zspace, that follows Hoot and Hootabelle as they fly around the land of Giggle and Hoot together.[5] They play "Hoot and Seek" with Gigglepaws in the Giggle Garden, go down a large water slide, fly through a field of giant dandelions, draw pictures in the clouds, and fly through a button rainbow. The song was composed in collaboration with the ABC by Australian indie band, Achoo! Bless You (Ashleigh Steel and Ross James Tipper).[5]
  • Let's Fly - An animated clip which follows Hootabelle and Hootagadget having fun in the land of Giggle and Hoot together. They go rainbow sliding on their "skyboards" and build a spaceship to fly into the Giggle Galaxy.
  • On A Mini-Adventure — On A Mini-Adventure is an animated clip created by the ABC in collaboration with Robot Tuesday.[4] It follows the adventures of Mini-Hoot and Giggleosaurus. The toys travel together on a bicycle that transforms into a magic flying hot-air balloon picnic, then into a paper plane that zips around before transforming into a submarine. They take a photo of themselves which ends on a scrapbook image. The song was composed by Australian artists Paul Kingston and Cain Horton in collaboration with the ABC.[4]
  • The Funky Owl — "The Funky Owl" is Hoot's favourite "funky bird" song and dance. The dance consists of dancers moving their arms up and down. In the clip Jimmy Giggle plays an oversized bass guitar. They both perform the song on an animated stage with a pair of dancing speakers. It is composed by Sean Peter and the ABC.[6]
  • Go Giggleosaurus! — "Go Giggleosaurus!" is an animated video clip that was created by the ABC in collaboration with Zspace. It follows Jimmy Giggle's favourite toy dinosaur as he explores an animated world where he slides down a keyboard mountain, roller-skates up a volcano then rides a button board. .[7] Song produced and sung by Tim Derricourt with Clare Gerber.[8]
  • The Gigglemobile — Jimmy Giggle and Hoot fly around the land of Giggle and Hoot in their Gigglemobile, which is a cardboard automobile that is stitched and buttoned together. It is able to drive on land, go underwater, and fly. The song was composed by Darren Lane and Wade Jackson in collaboration with the ABC.[9]
  • My Best Friend — This live-action series celebrates friends and always centers around a pair or a group of children who are best friends. They dance to the song and say why they are "best friends" as they do some of their favourite things around the playground. The song was composed by Kyle Burtland and Clare Gerber.[10]
  • Super Giggle and Super Hoot — This segment is about celebrating "everything — every little thing can be a super thing!" Jimmy Giggle and Hoot are faced with a little problem that is solved and overcome when they turn into superheroes. The song was composed by Sean Peter and the ABC.[6]
  • Giggle Art Song — This live-action series is an extension of "The Giggle Gallery", with groups of children from preschools coming together to create art. Each segment focuses on one thing that they create. The song was composed by Fergus Brown with Clare Gerber.[11]

The Gigglearium

When Jimmy Giggle, Hoot and Hootabelle press a button on the side of their vegetable box it "magically" transforms into "The Gigglearium" — a musical theatre where three vegetables — Tommy Tomato (Hamish Fletcher/Nicholas Richard), Bessie Broccoli (Naomi Young) and Cosmo Carrot (James Rees) — come to life and sing songs. Songs are composed by Sean Peter in collaboration with the ABC. [12] Currently, the vegetables sing seven songs:[13]

  • "The Gigglearium Slow Song" — Tommy Tomato
  • "The Gigglearium Solo Song" — Bessie Broccoli
  • "The Gigglearium Country Song" — Cosmo Carrot
  • "The Gigglearium Opera Song" — Bessie Broccoli
  • "The Gigglearium Loud Song" — Cosmo Carrot
  • "The Gigglearium Rhyme Song" — All
  • "The Gigglearium Disco Song" — All

Within Giggle and Hoot is a daily segment called "The Giggle Gallery".[14] The segment celebrates art that was created and sent to the ABC from preschoolers around Australia. The pictures are hung as though they are in an art gallery. Jimmy Giggle and Hoot go through and talk about the 'wonderful things' that make up each artwork. In this section, Hoot is not able to restrain himself when there is blue in the compilation as it is his favorite color.[15]

The Goodnight Hour

The Goodnight Hour is about winding down in the evening and helps preschoolers maintain a bedtime routine. The Goodnight Hour screens 5:15–7:25 pm from Monday to Saturday and 6–7:25 pm Sunday and has a number of songs, including:

  • My Batty Lair — A live-action video clip, swing style, about Giggle Fangs and his deep love of the Batty Lair. Composed by Sean Peter in collaboration with the ABC.[16]
  • 5 Steps to Bed — Jimmy Giggle, Hoot, Hootabelle and Hootagadget go through the "very important 5 Steps To Bed", big band style. They sing about brushing one's teeth, putting the pyjamas on, a story or a sleepy time song, cuddling toys, and "saying hello to the night". Composed by Jeff Debnam and the ABC and arranged by Sean Peter.
  • Beak Brush Time - Jimmy Giggle, Hoot and Hootagadget brush their teeth and beaks and explain how to get the "smiliest smile" while times using Hootagadget's Gadget Timer.
  • The Giggle Galaxy — see above.[4]
  • Hey Hootabelle — An animated clip which follows Hoot and Hootabelle as they meet at Hootabelle's purple button tree and then fly around the land of Giggle and Hoot together. The song was composed and recorded by Israeli-Australian artist, Lior. The video clip was animated in collaboration with the ABC by Sydney-based post-production house, Zspace.[17]
  • The Birdbath Boogie — Hoot sings while he is bathing to prepare for The Night Watch, backed up by Jimmy Giggle on the 'chest-of-drawers-piano'. It was later rewritten as The Bird and Bat Bath Boogie which includes Giggle Fangs, Hootabelle and Pirate Hootbeard. Composed by Sean Peter and the ABC.[18]
  • On the Night Watch — Hoot sings a song about the Night Watch with Jimmy Giggle, becoming "so excited about it". Dressed up in formal attire, they sing in the style of crooners. Music by Sean Peter and Bryson Hall.[19]
  • Sweet Dreams — An animated clip where Jimmy Giggle and Hoot fly around the skies of Giggle and Hoot together. It is introduced as being a dream that Jimmy Giggle had, and he often retells it when Hoot asks him. The video clip was animated in collaboration with the ABC by Sydney-based post-production house, Zspace.[17] Sweet Dreams was written and recorded in collaboration with the ABC by Australian artists Paul Kingston and Cain Horton.[20]
  • Giggle Mission Time - An animated clip which follows Hoot, Hootabelle, Hootagadget, and Giggle Spikey going on a mission together. After activating the Rainbow Slide, the Giggle Agents go "rainbow sliding", skate on "skyboards", practice sneaking around in the Button Meadow and climb the Great Giggle Mountain before completing the mission by going back to the "Gadget Cubby".
  • Twinklify — Every night Hootabelle lights up the stars in the land of Giggle and Hoot with her "twinklifying" wand. Music by Sean Peter and the ABC.[21]
  • Hoot's Lullaby — An animated clip that always ends the Night-Time Block. It follows Hoot as he commences flight on the Night Watch, and ends with the phrase "See you in the morning! Hoot! Hoot!". The song was written by Lior.[22] The video clip was animated in collaboration with the ABC by Sydney-based post-production house, Zspace.[23]

Production

The show is produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the Ultimo Sydney studios for ABC Comedy. It was announced along with the launch of ABC Me. The show is aimed at 2–6 year children and premiered in early 2010.[24] The production team is as follows:[4]

  • Jan Stradling—Executive producer
  • Natalie Robinson-Hurst—Series producer
  • Karin Fitzhardinge—Director and producer
  • Bryson Hall—Writer and producer
  • Chris Cone—Writer and producer
  • Jade Suine—Writer and producer

In December 2019, Libbie Doherty, head of the ABC Children's network, announced that Giggle and Hoot would end its run in early 2020.[25]

Cast
  • James Rees as Jimmy Giggle
  • David Simes as Hoot the Owl, Giggle Fangs and Hootpa
  • Jemma Armstrong as Hootabelle
  • Mark Simpson as Pirate Hootbeard
  • Stef Smith as Hootogadget

Hoot Hoot Go!

Hoot Hoot Go! is a spin-off show of Giggle and Hoot which stars Hoot, Hootabelle, Pirate Hootbeard and Giggle Fangs. Supporting them are new characters Hootly, a best friend of Hoot and Hootabelle, and Hootaluna and Gigglebot, who live on the moon. The series contains 26 5-minute episodes.

Awards
Year Nominated work CategoryAward ResultNotesRef.
2010 Giggle and Hoot Set PromaxBDA World Gold Design Awards Best Set Design Nominated [20]
2010 Hoot's Lullaby PromaxBDA World Gold Design Awards Best Interstitial Won [20]
2010 Hoot's Lullaby PromaxBDA ANZ Best Interstitial Won [26]
2011 Sweet Dreams PromaxBDA World Gold Design Awards Best Music Video/Short Subject Won [20]
2011 Sweet Dreams APRA Awards Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Nominated [27]
2011 The Giggle and Hoot Christmas Special APRA Awards Best Music for Children's Television Nominated [27]
2012 Hey Hootabelle APRA Screen Music Awards Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Won [28]
2012 Hey Hootabelle APRA Screen Music Awards Best Music for Children's Television Nominated [29]
2012 James Rees and Hamish Fletcher International Kidscreen Awards Best On-Air Host or Hosting Team Won [30]
2013 Talking Hootabelle Interactive Plush Australian Toy Association Best Pre-school Licensed Product of the Year Won [31]
2013 The Gigglearium Set PromaxBDA Global Excellence Awards Best Set Design Silver [32][33]
2013 Go Giggleosaurus! PromaxBDA ANZ Best CG Animation Silver [34]
2013 Claw Tapping Tunes ARIA Awards Best Children's Album Nominated [35]
2013 The Gigglearium Special APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Awards Best Music for Children's Television Nominated [36]
2013 On a Mini Adventure APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Awards Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Nominated [37]
2013 Hoot Hoot It's a Lovely Day AEAF Awards Best Music Video Nominated [38]
2014 The Giggle Galaxy PromaxBDA Global Excellence Awards Best Art Direction and Design Nominated [39]
2014 The Legend of Pirate Hootbeard IP Awareness ATOM Awards Best Children's Television Program Nominated [40]
2014 The Giggle Galaxy APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Awards Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Nominated [41]
2015 Go Giggleosaurus AEAF Awards Best Music Video Nominated [42]
2015 Flying Giggle Ship APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Awards Best Original Song Composed for the Screen Nominated [43]
2015 The Legend of Pirate Hootbeard APRA/AMCOS Screen Music Awards Best Music for Children's Television Nominated [43]
2015 Hootastic Tunes ARIA Awards Best Children's Album Nominated [44]
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References
  1. "Giggle Fangs".
  2. "Hootball".
  3. "Giggle And Hoot - Series 2014 Ep 221 Cloud Bouncing: Cloud Bouncing Practice : ABC iview".
  4. "Private video on Vimeo".
  5. "zspace".
  6. "Sean Peter - Music / Lyrics / Creative".
  7. "zspace".
  8. "Go Giggleosaurus!".
  9. Zaliea78 (23 March 2011). "Giggle and Hoot - The Giggle Mobile" – via YouTube.
  10. Cino (26 December 2010). "Giggle and Hoot - Best Friends 1" – via YouTube.
  11. http://shop.abc.net.au/products/g-and-h-claw-tapping-tunes-cd
  12. Peter, Sean. "The Gigglearium!". Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  13. ABC Shop. "Giggle and Hoot - Claw Tapping Tunes". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  14. Multiplatform, Children's TV Online. "Giggle and Hoot - ABC Children's TV - ABC KIDS".
  15. Multiplatform, Children's TV Online. "Giggle and Hoot - ABC Children's TV - ABC KIDS".
  16. Multiplatform, Children's TV Online. "ABC KIDS".
  17. "zspace".
  18. Zaliea78 (26 February 2011). "Giggle and Hoot - Bird Bath Boogie" – via YouTube.
  19. maybemeebs (30 October 2012). "Giggle and Hoot: On The Night Watch" – via YouTube.
  20. "zspace strikes double gold for GEM and ABC at World Broadcast Design Awards in New York".
  21. maybemeebs (30 October 2012). "Giggle and Hoot: Twinklify The Night" – via YouTube.
  22. "Lior on Apple Music".
  23. "zspace".
  24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. Wilkinson, Zoe (2 December 2019). "ABC Kids' Giggle and Hoot to finish up in early 2020 after its 11th season". Mumbrella. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  26. http://www.promaxbda.org/awards/search-award-winnerss
  27. "2010 Screen Music Awards Nominees Announced". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  28. admin (22 November 2012). "'Hey Hootabelle' Wins Screen Music Award For Best Original Song Composed For The Screen".
  29. "ABC Music Publishing Scores Two Screen Music Awards Nominations for Lior/Giggle & Hoot".
  30. "ABC TV wins at 2012 Kidscreen awards".
  31. Unit, Commercial Development. "Talking Hootabelle Interactive Plush".
  32. http://www.promaxbda.org/docs/default-source/pdfs/2013-global-excellence-awards_finalistsBC9F8402DFB8.pdf?sfvrsn=2
  33. "Giggle and Hoot win silver at the Promax World DBA Design Awards - Toy & Hobby Retailer".
  34. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  35. "Aria Awards - Nominees".
  36. http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/2013ScreenMusicAwards/childrenstv.html
  37. http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/2013ScreenMusicAwards/originalscreen.html
  38. Sean. "AEAF Awards 2013 Finalists announced - AEAF News".
  39. "2014 Global Excellence Awards Details".
  40. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. "AEAF".
  43. AMCOS, APRA. "Screen Music Awards - APRA AMCOS Australia".
  44. "Aria Awards - Nominees".
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