The Upside Down Show

The Upside Down Show is a children's television series produced by Sesame Workshop, Noggin LLC, and Nickelodeon.[4] It was made for Nickelodeon's sister channel Noggin, which launched as a joint venture between Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop. The series is set in a strange apartment building where the doors and windows lead to a variety of unusual rooms. It is presented by brothers Shane and David (played by the Umbilical Brothers), who live in the apartment building with their sidekick Puppet, their neighbor Mrs. Foil, and a group of fuzzy creatures called the Schmuzzies. In each episode, David gives the viewers an imaginary remote control that affects the characters and their surroundings.

The Upside Down Show
Genre	Comedy[1] Surreal comedy[2] Slapstick[3]
Created by	Belinda Ward David Collins Shane Dundas
Written by	Billy Aronson Judy Freudberg Tony Geiss Joey Mazzarino Luis Santeiro P. Kevin Strader Belinda Ward John Weidman
Directed by	Peter Cudlipp Julie Money
Starring	David Collins Shane Dundas Amanda Bishop
Voices of	Emma de Vries Virginia Goodfellow Mat McCoy Alice Osborne Adam Smillie
Narrated by	Adam Smillie
Composer(s)	David Chapman
Country of origin	Australia United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Michael Bourchier Kurt Mueller
Producer(s)	Wendy Gray
Cinematography	Ian Jones
Editor(s)	Simon Martin
Camera setup	Both single-camera and multi-camera
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	Blink Films Noggin LLC Sesame Workshop Nickelodeon Australia[4][lower-alpha 1]
Distributor	ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks Sesame Workshop
Release
Original network	Noggin (U.S.) Nickelodeon (U.S.) Nick Jr. (Australia)
Picture format	NTSC 480i
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	16 October 2006 (2006-10-16) – 2 February 2007 (2007-02-02)

The series was inspired by the Umbilical Brothers' adult-oriented comedy act SpeedMouse,[5] which was also based on the idea of an imaginary remote. Producers from Nickelodeon and Sesame saw SpeedMouse and ordered a pilot episode based on it, which became The Upside Down Show. The pilot was successful, and in 2005, Nickelodeon ordered a season of 13 episodes. The show was written and produced in New York, and it was filmed in Sydney, Australia. The cast and crew featured a mix of Australian and American talent. While creating the series, the writers intentionally included jokes for adults as well as children;[5] Shane Dundas likened The Upside Down Show to making "an adult show for kids."[3]

In 2010, the Umbilical Brothers announced that they had completed a script for a special-length episode titled The Upside Down Movie,[6] which would act as a proper finale for the series. Nickelodeon Australia provided funding for the movie's script development,[6] but the project needed support from outside investors to start filming, which never occurred. As recently as March 2017, the Umbilical Brothers have stated that they are still interested in making the movie and trying to find support for it.[7]

History

Production

The show's concept is based on SpeedMouse, a live comedy act that the Umbilical Brothers performed for adult audiences in the 1990s.[5] The plot involved an invisible remote control that dictated the Brothers' actions on stage. Shane Dundas called the remote "a handy idea that we took directly from SpeedMouse and it all grew into a whole another animal."[5] Producers from Noggin and Sesame Workshop enjoyed the remote control in SpeedMouse and believed that the physical comedy would lend itself to a family-oriented television show. Noggin and Sesame approached the Umbilical Brothers with plans to develop a series, and the Brothers accepted.

In developing the series, the creators set out to make an "adult show for kids"[3]—adapting the adult-oriented SpeedMouse for a wider audience while also adding layered jokes for parents and older viewers. According to Shane Dundas: "with The Upside Down Show the mantra was 'Well, kids are going to love this but we really want to make sure there are gags in there for the grown-ups as well!'"[5] David Collins elaborated, "The series is filled with gags that will fly over the heads of little ones and straight into the face of the parent stalking behind them. Some of these gags we had to fight [the censors] for."[8]

A half-hour pilot episode was produced from December 2004 to March 2005. It followed Shane and David searching for the beach, and this storyline was later reworked into a story for the main show.[9] For the pilot, the show's art department glued the entire living room set to the ceiling to give the appearance of an "upside down" room; in the final series, the camera is simply turned around at various points to create the upside-down illusion. The character of Puppet had a different design, and he was named "Stretch" in the pilot.[4] Shane and David also wore different costumes: simple T-shirts with swirl designs on them.[9] In April 2005, the pilot episode was screened at MIPTV Media Market,[4] but it was never aired on television.

The pilot was successful, and Noggin ordered a full season of 13 episodes in 2005.[10] They aired in fall 2006.[10] On 27 December 2006, in an interview with the New York Post, Shane Dundas stated he was unsure if the series would be renewed for a second season, and that Noggin/Nickelodeon would make a final decision in February about renewing the series.[3] On June 1, 2007, the Umbilical Brothers announced on their website that the series would not be renewed for a second season, and that Nickelodeon USA had decided to end the series after a single season.[11] Unlike Nickelodeon USA, the Australian branch of Nickelodeon was strongly committed to the series and wanted to continue it.[6]

Broadcast

In the United States, the series was first shown on the main Nickelodeon channel as a "sneak peek" on 13 October 2006.[12] Afterward, the series was shown exclusively on Noggin, which aired the show's 13 episodes over a month-long period from October to November 2006.[13] Noggin aired the episodes slightly out of order; it showed "Art Museum" and "Farm" (episodes 3 and 11) as the premiere episodes,[13] then aired the remainder of the show in its original production order. In Australia, Nickelodeon premiered the episodes on a more sporadic schedule; the series debuted on 25 August 2006[14] and did not air the last episode until February 2007.

Unfinished finale movie

In September 2008, the Umbilical Brothers announced that "there is a script in development for a movie version of The Upside Down Show."[15] In January 2010, David Collins announced that the script had been finished, and that the project would be titled The Upside Down Movie and act as a series finale.[6] Collins also confirmed that Nickelodeon Australia was "hugely supportive of trying to get the film made and have been partially funding the script development."[6] The Umbilical Brothers started an online petition to demonstrate public support of the movie, but the project did not receive enough support from outside investors to start filming. In March 2017, Collins stated that he was still trying to find support for the movie.[7]

Characters

• David – The older of the two brothers who wears a striped polo shirt and tan-colored shorts. He has super-sensitive hearing and a super-sensitive sense of smell. He is more laid-back than Shane but still tends to get distracted by small things. He loves the Schmuzzies and acts as their good friend, translator, and mentor. He was played by David Collins.
• Shane – David's younger brother, who wears brown pants and a blue T-shirt with a fast forward symbol on it. He is more frenetic and hyperactive than David, but he is also a quicker thinker and comes up with many interesting ideas. Shane tends to get annoyed by the unpredictable nature of the Remote, since it often interrupts his daily activities. He was played by Shane Dundas.
• Mrs. Foil – The brothers' friendly, off-beat neighbor who lives in a different apartment. She is blonde and plays the tuba, which she brings with her even when swimming and camping. She tends to appear in odd places at odd times, including many of the "Wrong Turn" rooms, where she is often dressed up in different costumes.[16] She was played by Amanda Bishop.
• Puppet – The brothers' sidekick, roommate, and best friend. He dreams of becoming an actor and film director, and he can often be found practicing monologues or writing screenplays. He is interested in Shakespeare and enjoys playing unconventional roles.[17] He is generally more rational than Shane and David, but is often just as silly as the boys. Puppet was performed and voiced by puppeteer Mat McCoy. He speaks in an American English accent.
• The Schmuzzies – A group of small, fuzzy creatures who live throughout the apartment. They come in a wide range of bright colors and speak a language called Schmuzzish ("Schmello, Schmuzzies!").[18] Shane sometimes appears to be scared of them, while David is good friends with them and is fluent in their language. The Schmuzzies were performed and voiced by three puppeteers: Emma de Vries, Virginia Goodfellow, and Alice Osborne.
• The Voice – An authoritative male voice who sometimes speaks to Shane and David, generally reminding the duo to knock before entering a room. The Voice sometimes demands specific types of knocks before giving the boys consent to enter a room. He was voiced by Adam Smillie.
• Action Fingers – Shane and David's superhero alter-egos, played by their hands with two fingers used as legs. They are named Knuckles (on Shane's left hand) and Pointy (on David's right hand). The Action Fingers appear whenever there is a small problem that needs solving, and their moves are accompanied by dramatic theme music. Their name is a pun on "action figures."
• Fido the Fly – Fido is Shane's imaginary pet fly who lives behind a tiny door in the apartment. He is an avid tennis player, enjoys techno dance music, and plays the trumpet. Fido communicates by buzzing (voiced by Shane), which only Shane can understand.
• Spot the Chair – Spot is David's pet chair. He likes to play a game called "Fly on the Chair" with Fido, whom he is good friends with. With the help of the Remote's "rotate" button, he is able to roll over. He only appears in "Pet Shop" and very briefly in "Picnic."
• Bob the Blanket – Bob is a talking white blanket belonging to David, who also performs his voice. He speaks in a rough voice with an American accent and employs a sardonic wit. Bob only appears in "Barbershop" and very briefly in "Camping."

Episode structure

Each episode begins with a cold opening showing one or both brothers in the middle of an activity. David introduces "the Remote" by pretending to hold a remote control. He explains that the Remote can control the action on-screen. He demonstrates by pressing various buttons, which control Shane's actions. The remote also has "wild card" buttons that cause strange or undesired effects. The main one is the "Upside Down" button, which causes the camera to shift to an upside down shot and can only be undone with the "Right Side Up" button. After explaining it, David offers the Remote to the viewer and gives it to them by reaching off-screen. The brothers ask the viewer to "press the Play button" to start the episode. This results in the viewer accidentally pressing the wrong button and putting the brothers in a bizarre situation.

The brothers encourage the viewer to press a button that will reverse the effect. The brothers commonly tell the viewers not to press the wrong button again, which results in a repeat of the same situation before the viewer is again encouraged to reverse the effect. Finally, the boys ask the viewer to press play, which starts the show's theme sequence. This sequence features the Action Fingers running and jumping over the show's title and credits. It ends with them running up to the apartment door, knocking on it, and opening it.

The episodes always begin in Shane and David's living room. Every episode features their sidekick Puppet and the Schmuzzies, who live with the brothers in their apartment. The central objective of each story is for Shane and David to get to a certain location. The brothers spend the episode searching for the location through the various doors, windows, and other places in their apartment. The brothers occasionally request help from the viewers, asking them to press buttons on their remote. Their journey takes them to three "Wrong Turn" rooms. The brothers' neighbor Mrs. Foil appears in the different rooms in various costumes, either helping them on their quest or unintentionally causing more trouble for them.

At one point on their journey, the brothers always encounter a child who teaches them something and sets them on the correct path. Eventually, they locate their destination "for the very first time" and visit the place in fast motion. The show ends with Shane and David back in their apartment. During the last few minutes of the show, they give the viewer an imaginary souvenir to thank them for their help throughout the episode.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
1	"Movie Theater"	Julie Money	Joseph Mazzarino	16 October 2006 (2006-10-16)	811
Story: Shane and David make a film, then search for the movie theater to watch it. Wrong Turns: Laundry Room, Dance Studio, a room with only one chair Opening Activity: Polishing a Snooglenook Remote Buttons: Light/Dark, Stumble, Play, Fast Folding (used in the Laundry Room), Rewind, Instant Replay, Fast Forward, Upside Down/Right Side Up, Start the Movie (not pressed), Record (mentioned when David gives the viewers a camera as a souvenir) Instant Replay: To show Mrs. Foil that the Action Fingers messed up her laundry instead of Shane and David and to show the girl's dance moves Vocabulary: Stupendous (really great) Puppet: Puppet directs the brothers while filming their movie. Schmuzzies: The Schmuzzies play a rhyming game with the boys, and appear at the end watching Shane and David's movie. Action Fingers: In the laundry room they rescue Barbara, a sock and Lefty's wife caught in a lint trap. Fido the Fly: He appears at the end watching Shane and David's movie. Souvenir: Camera End Credits: Shane and David make more movies, in which they do a King Kong reference.
2	"Barbershop"	Julie Money	Judy Freudberg	17 October 2006 (2006-10-17)	812
Story: After visiting the "Very Hairy" room, Shane is apprehensive about getting a haircut. David and his blanket, Bob, help Shane get to the barbershop. Wrong Turns: Very Very Hairy Room, Hairbrush Room, Concert Room Opening Activity: Using the Remote Remote Buttons: Up/Down, Tongue In/Tongue Out, Dancing/Stop Dancing, Ditty, Upside Down/Right Side Up, Instant Replay, Fast Fast Fast Forward, Blow Dry, Rewind, Fast Forward, Play Vocabulary: Apprehensive (nervous), Ditty (a very short simple song), stalling (delaying) Puppet: Puppet pretends to be scissors and sings "Figaro". Later, Puppet is seen as part of the audience in the Concert Room and at the end, he appears covered in stickers after getting a haircut of his own. Schmuzzies: David asks a group of Schmuzzies if they've seen Shane, which they haven't and they moved into Shane's longest hair because they think it's the Very Very Hairy Room. They sing into fluffy backup hairbrushes at the concert room. Fido the Fly: Shane mentions walking him, but he is seen as part of the audience in the Concert Room. Instant Replay: Replaying Jade Barbar brushing her hair Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: Shane mentions vacuuming her. Souvenir: Stickers End Credits: Shane and David keep giving each other stickers. Trivia: Jade Barbar appears in all three rooms, as well as the barbershop itself.
3	"Art Museum"	Julie Money	Billy Aronson	18 October 2006 (2006-10-18)	813
Story: Unable to find a place to hang his newly created masterpiece, Shane, along with David, searches for the art museum to hang it in. Wrong Turns: Sticky Room, Fog Room, Museum of Finger Painting Opening Activity: Bananas Remote Buttons: Humongous/Minute, Jiggle (Opening), Wiggle (Opening), Smaller (Opening), Bigger (not pressed), Unstick (used in the Sticky Room... which gets stuck for a short time), Rewind, Fast Forward (Opening), Instant Replay, Pause, Play, Slow Motion, Fog Light (used in the Fog Room), High Voice (used in the Fog Room) Upside Down/Right Side Up. Vocabulary: Humongous (really, really big)/minute (really, really small) (seen in the intro), moat (a big hole that's filled with water) Action Fingers: They fingerpaint. Instant Replay: To see the boy mix red, blue, and gold finger paint to make a color called "gurple." Fido the Fly: Fido lands on Shane's hand, compliments his painting, then pulls open the shelf containing the Museum of Finger Painting. Other pets mentioned: Bruno the Elephant and a Porcupine. Schmuzzies: They are part of the tour group at the art museum. When Shane despairs over not being able to hang his picture, he makes a reference to the Schmuzzy Art Museum, though it never appears in the episode. Puppet: When Shane and David try to hang the picture on a door, they keep getting interrupted by Puppet opening the door and saying, "Ta-da!" He is practicing making grand entrances. At the end, after Shane and David have given the viewer imaginary paints from a box, Puppet pops out of the box and again says, "Ta-da!". Puppet says he has been using Burmese-Kumquat-Lavender paint to dye his hair. Shane and David laugh until Puppet realizes the viewers have pressed the Pause button by mistake. Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: "See you later, Alligators." Souvenir: Paint set with sky blue, ruby red, Lithuanian lime, Transylvanian turquoise and Lebonese-kumquat lavender paint. End Credits: Shane and David chat with Puppet. Trivia: The part where Shane opens the door to the Stuff Closet... I mean, the Art Museum and where David tries to keep Shane from opening it, resulting in David tumbling inside, was played in slow motion, even though the Slow Motion button was pressed in the opening skit.
4	"Pet Shop"	Peter Cudlipp	Tony Geiss	19 October 2006 (2006-10-19)	814
Story: Learning for a relationship like the one between Fido and Shane, David decides he needs a pet. They look for the pet shop. Wrong Turns: Puppy Room, Parrot Room, The Moon Opening Activity: Juggling Cereal Bowls Puppet: Puppet volunteers to be David's pet, imitating a dog, a cat, and a giant squid. David says he thinks of him more as a friend. Later, Puppet makes some suggestions on what type of pet David should get. Puppet appears on the moon. Remote Buttons: Rotate, Ditty, Really Excited (used in the Puppy Room), Instant Replay, Rewind, Fast Forward, Slow Motion (Opening), Pause (Opening) Instant Replay: To see the dog roll over (rotate). Fido the Fly: Shane and Fido play ping-pong tennis at the beginning of the episode. Later, Fido spends a short moment with Shane, demonstrating tricks. After returning from the moon, he plays loud music while playing the trumpet, the brothers ask Fido if he knows where the pet shop is, which he doesn't. At the end, he plays "Fly on a Chair" with Spot, David's new pet chair. Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: When holding her cat, she says, "His name is Elizabeth," instead of, "Her name is Elizabeth." Schmuzzies: They sing backup for David when the Ditty button is pressed. They then make some suggestions on what pet David should get. They also get amazed by a bright light which turns out to be the Moon after the door opens. Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them. Souvenir: Chair Spot the Blue Chair: Tutorial on what to do with a pet chair. End Credits: David plays with Spot the Blue Chair. Trivia There is no vocabulary. Normally, when the Rotate button is pressed in this episode, the screen rotates once. But upon pressing it to get off of the Moon, the screen rotates repeatedly.
5	"Camping"	Peter Cudlipp	P. Kevin Strader	20 October 2006 (2006-10-20)	815
Story: After their bedrooms disappear, the boys search for another place to sleep. Whenever the boys think they've found a resting place, it ends up being contrary to their expectations. For example, even though the "Wake up!" room has two beds seemingly meant for sleeping, the room becomes paradoxical when various things begin waking Shane and David up; a rooster begins crowing, various digital and analog alarm clocks begin sounding at the foot of the beds, and a man plays the Reveille military bugle call on a trumpet. Wrong Turns: Snoring Room, "Wake Up!" Room, Shape Room Opening Activity: Horizontal (sideways) and Vertical (upright) Remote Buttons: Horizontal/Vertical, Play, Yawn, Upside Down, Get Out of Here (not pressed), Wake Up! (used near the end), Sneeze (Opening), Horizontal dance (Opening), Rewind, Slow Motion (Opening), Unpause (Opening), Instant Replay Instant Replay: To see the girl on the wheelchair count the number of sides on the shape called Hexagon. Shane's Funny Expression: When David said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he [Shane] answered, "Albanian Chicken Juice?" Vocabulary: Horizontal (sideways), Vertical (upright), Hexagon (6-sided polygon) Fido the Fly: Fido is seen/mentioned three times. First, David opens the door to Fido's room and Fido goes to bed. Second, Fido's watch alarm is on. Third, Fido is zipped into an imaginary sleeping bag. Puppet: Twice, Puppet needs the brothers to sing him a lullaby so he can sleep and gets an imaginary sleeping bag the next morning. Action Fingers: First, getting behind the door, Action Fingers walk up stairs, open the door, and fall asleep. Second, Action fingers are jumping off stairs, wrong yellow and green lemons, flying toy airplane. Third, walking on a shoulder and cheek, waking Shane and David up. Schmuzzies: The Schmuzzies sing back-up during Puppet's lullaby. Shane is not nervous around them. Souvenir: Sleeping bag End Credits: Shane and David play with their pretend sleeping bags. (Note: Halfway through the credits, the "Casting FAITH MARTIN, Make Up PEGGY CARTER" part and so on is in white with red text. This is the only time the end credits cut to white early.) Trivia Shane and David do not say, "But whatever you do, don't press or hit the ______ button." No joke buttons were pressed in this episode. The right side up button was not pressed.
6	"Picnic"	Peter Cudlipp	Luis Santeiro	6 November 2006 (2006-11-06)	816
Story: Puppet, Shane and David take Fido the Fly on his first-ever picnic. Good Choice Food Room: Sandwich Room Wrong Turns: No-Room Room, Wind Room Opening Activity: Tea Party Instant Replay: The boy puts turkey, tomato, and lettuce on another sandwich. Vocabulary: Scrumptious (delicious) Remote Buttons: Fast Forward, Rewind (Opening), Pause (Opening), Inside/Outside, Sandwich (used in the Sandwich Room), Ditty, Hands up/Hands down (Opening), Down the Hatch (Opening), Play, Instant Replay Puppet: Delivery Puppet brings things the boys need for their picnic, while disguising his voice. He then joins the boys. Puppet acts as the ball for their picnic games. Fido the Fly: Fido feels sad because he's the only fly who's never been on a picnic, he's the main character in the episode. He comes along to the No-Room Room and the Wind Room. Fido's fly buddies come for the picnic. He eats tiny sandwiches at the picnic. Schmuzzies: They dance beside Puppet, singing "Happy Fly Ditty." Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them. Souvenir: Kite End Credits: Shane and David fly a kite. Trivia The objects/characters blowing in the Wind Room are the Elephant from the no-room room that we saw earlier in the episode, a Fish from the underwater room in the "Beach" episode, Spot the Chair from the "Pet Shop" episode, Mrs. Foil flying a kite, and an umbrella.
7	"Airport"	Julie Money	Joseph Mazzarino	7 November 2006 (2006-11-07)	817
Story: Shane and David volunteer to pick up Puppet's cousin, Mary Annette (a pun on marionette), at the airport, but have to find it first. Wrong Turns: Bird Room, Paper Airplane Room, Word Room Opening Activity: Making a smoothie Remote Buttons: Vibration/Stop the Vibration, Mute/Unmute (Opening), Pause (Opening), Rewind (Opening), Think Hard, Helicopter, Fast-Folding (used in the Paper Airplane room), Parachute (used in the Paper Airplane Room), Landing (used in the Word room), Jump Out of the Book (used in the Word room), Climb the Wall, Head Home (used near the end), Play, Instant Replay Instant Replay: Action Fingers ask to see a girl use sign language to sign the word "plane" again. Shane's Funny Expression: When David said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he [Shane] said, "Yeah, are you thinking what we're thinking, dancing tonight, you, me, Dave, and ten thousand monkeys?" Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: "Jumbo jets, donkeys, and tigers." Action Fingers: Two instances. First, Action Fingers crash-land on a paper airplane, search for Mary Annette inside, then refold it for its owner, Mrs. Foil. Second, they help to translate for a girl using sign language in the Word Room. Puppet: Puppet practices "The Traditional Puppet Family Welcome Song." Schmuzzies: They first relay the message that Mary Annette is at the airport and needs to be picked up right away. (Though Shane thinks they are telling him he has made an unfortunate choice of legwarmers and that Mary Annette is in Northern Lithuania.) Later, they attempt to sing backup for Puppet, but start out being too far in front, and then too far in the back of the puppet stage. Fido the Fly: He joins Shane, David, and Ms. Foil as Puppet's backup singers during the Big Band version of "The Traditional Puppet Family Welcome Song." Souvenir: Binoculars End Credits: Shane and David find things very close with their binoculars. Trivia The Fast Forward, Upside Down/Right Side Up buttons were not used in this episode. There is no vocabulary. Fido the Fly is absent, although his door was mentioned by David during the credits. The Voice is also absent. No doors, windows, or drawers were used in the episode.
8	"Beach"	Julie Money	Judy Freudberg	8 November 2006 (2006-11-08)	818
Story: After losing the beach ball they were playing with, Shane and David search for the beach to find it. Wrong Turns: Underwater Room, Desert Room, South Pole Opening Activity: Horseback Riding Remote Buttons: Upside Down/Right Side Up, Follow the Leader, Ice Skating (used at the South Pole), Go Home (used near the end), Bucking Broncos (Opening), Photo Finish (Opening), Get Off Your High Horse (Opening), Fast Forward, Play, Instant Replay Instant Replay: Watch the boy put on a jacket. Vocabulary: Perplexed (confused) Fido the Fly: Fido spies the beach ball on the hedge and tries to tell the boys but they do not turn in time to see it. Fido then flies away. Action Fingers: They rebuild Mrs. Foil's sand castle after David and Shane destroy it. Schmuzzies: They see the beach ball rolling along the hedge outside the window, but David and Shane do not turn around in time. They yell, "Schmeach schmall!". Shane thinks that means his teeth are exploding, so David translates for him using a tiny Schmuzzish-English Dictionary. Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: "Every afternoon at three, bring your own milk. Which reminds me, have you check the teacup? Fiddle-dee-dee!" Souvenir: Beach Balls, 6 to be exact End Credits: Shane and David inflate their beach ball as it grows. Trivia This is the only episode to have the Action Fingers in the "Very First Time" Segment.
9	"Marching Band"	Julie Money	Billy Aronson	9 November 2006 (2006-11-09)	819
Story: Shane and David invent imaginary musical instruments [Shane's instrument: CymBanjo (a Banjo with a cymbal attached to it); David's instrument: Scruba (a bent air guitar which makes the sound of a tuba) and set out to join a marching band. Wrong Turns: Funny Music Room, Marching Room, Sky Room Opening Activity: Trying To Relax Remote Buttons: Accelerate/Decelerate, Do-si-do (used in the Marching Room), Sky Dancing (used in the Sky Room), Disco (Opening), and Can-Can (Opening) Play, Stop, Stuck/Unstuck, Upside Down/Right Side Up, Instant Replay Vocabulary: Accelerate (speed up)/Decelerate (slow down) Puppet: Puppet wants to be a bandleader. He is later seen practicing his bandleading on the Schmuzzies, but they get distracted by a dust ball, frustrating Puppet. Then he decides to be a baton. He gets stuck to the ceiling as the boys throw him, due to Shane's habit of smearing honey on the ceiling. The viewers are asked to press the "Unstick" button to get him down. Later, David hears a melodic tune and wonders if it came from Puppet. Puppet offers to demonstrate, and makes a horrible noise, causing the brothers to frantically request that the viewer "Press the Stop button!". He is last seen fulfilling his dream as the baton for the bandleader. Fido the Fly: Fido is marching behind Schmuzzies. Instant Replay: To see the four children march. Schmuzzies: They march behind Puppet, who initially wants to be bandleader, but get distracted by a dust ball (Schmuzzies love dust). They are later seen in Mrs. Foil's tuba. Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them. Souvenir: 7 more instruments. Drumpet (a drum combined with a trumpet) harmonica bottle cymbal double bass electric guitar xylophone Drumpet and harmonica End Credits: Shane and David dance along while Mrs. Foil plays with her tuba. (Note: As the camera goes to the tuba's inside, the camera rises out to white, which goes to the Blink Films logo.) Trivia The bird in the Sky Room (voiced by Shane) sounds like John Lennon, making a reference to the song "Imagine", saying, "No ground below us, only skies," The marching band room makes a cameo appearance in the "Camping" episode where Shane's bedroom is replaced. At one point, Puppet's voice can be heard, but he is not seen on the bandleader's baton.
10	"Birthday Party"	Julie Money	P. Kevin Strader	10 November 2006 (2006-11-10)	820
Story: Shane and David are invited to a surprise birthday party that turns out to be for them. Wrong Turns: No Fun Room, Surprise Room, Opera Room Opening Activity: Fast Asleep Remote Buttons: Celebration (does not work in the No Fun Room)/Stop the Celebration, Upside Down/Right Side Up, Fast Forward (Opening), Slow Motion (Opening), Rewind, Play, Instant Replay Instant Replay To see the Girl pointing to "sur-", "-prise" and "surprise" Schmuzzies: They attend the "Schmirthday Schmarty," to which they travel via Mrs. Foil's purse carrying presents. Puppet: First, Puppet is seen in a hurry to get to the party. A delivery Puppet arrives with an invitation to the boys and, in a gruff voice, says, "Delivery for Shane, David and 'you'(the viewers)." Later, Puppet is seen during the party and cleans up after it ends. Fido the Fly: Fido bouncing on a trampoline. Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: "Toodle pip!" Souvenir: Birthday present End Credits: Shane and David buzz off. (Note: This is the only time the credits music starts off early, right before "Executive Producer MICHAEL BOURCHIER" appears.) Trivia Many of the children featured in other episodes attend the party, including the boy from the Sandwich Room in the "Picnic" episode, the boy from the Museum of Finger Painting in the "Art Museum" episode, the girl from the dance studio in the "Movie Theater" episode, the girl in the wheelchair from the shape room in the "Camping" episode, the boy at the South Pole in the "Beach" episode, and one of the girls from the Marching Room in the "Marching Band" episode. In this episode, the girl from the surprise room is also present. David says "Whatever you do, don't press the _________ button." There is no vocabulary.
11	"Farm"	Peter Cudlipp	Joseph Mazzarino	10 January 2007 (2007-01-10)	821
Story: Shane and David's band, the Talking Airheads, faces a setback when David's cowbell (which just so happens to be attached to an imaginary cow named Clarabelle) disappears. Wrong Turns: Great Big Bell Room, Ocean Room, Bicycle Room Opening Activity: Climbing Remote Buttons: Seesaw/Steady (Opening, used in the Great Big Bell Room, and mentioned in the Ocean Room), Upside Down/Right Side Up, Dry Land, Echo (Opening, and mentioned in the Great Big Bell Room), Rewind (Opening), Fast Forward, Pause (Opening), Play, Instant Replay Instant Replay: To see the little boy ride the bicycle. Puppet: Is the bandleader and songwriter for the band. When the cowbell disappears, he tries to use music to attract Clarabelle. He plays "Music to Play 'Til the Chickens Come Home", "Udder Chaos", and "Heidi Heifer's Hoedown Hootenanny". Fido the Fly: Playing the trumpet for the band. Schmuzzies: They play the marimba in Shane and David's band. They later play it while Shane and David are listening to a bell until Shane tells them to be quiet and be gone. He does not appear to be apprehensive of them. Souvenirs: Drum sticks, cow bell, cow End Credits: Shane, David, Puppet, Fido and the Schmuzzies rock and roll. (Note: The copyright year reads "2006" instead of 2007, meaning this and the last two episodes below were produced in 2006.) Trivia There is no vocabulary.
12	"Ice Cream Truck"	Peter Cudlipp	Billy Aronson	17 January 2007 (2007-01-17)	822
Story: Shane and David seek to discover the delicious, delectable, and delightful joys of the frozen treat known as ice cream. Wrong Turns: Frozen Room, "This Way" Room (a room with arrows pointing to the left, preventing travel towards the right), Game Show Room ("Ready, Steady, Scoop") Opening Activity: Weight Lifting Remote Button: Heavy/Light, Frozen/Unfrozen (used in the Frozen Room and used in the This Way Room to stop David from going to the right, and near the end. Also not to be confused with Play/Pause), Upside Down/Right Side Up, Zoom In/Zoom Out (Opening), Whoo! (used in the Game Show Room), Run Along Home (used near the end), Cheerleading (used near the end), Instant Replay Puppet: Visits the ice cream truck and appears with an ice cream cone. Fido the Fly: Is drinking a chocolate milkshake. Three other pets are mentioned: Evan the Pig, Helen the baby Hippo, and Georgio the Caterpillar. Instant Replay: To see the little girl named Matilda scooping ice cream. Mrs. Foil's Funny Expression: "Gotta go, penguin's toes." Schmuzzies: The brothers find a tub of ice cream and attempt to scoop some out, but end up with Schmuzzies in their cones, as the Schmuzzies have finished the ice cream already. Shane seems a little nervous around them, and attempts to engage them in conversation. He misinterprets what they say, and must be assisted by David. Souvenir: Ice cream End Credits: Shane and David make a scoop of ice cream. Trivia Mrs. Foil is featured in all three wrong turn rooms, as well as the ice cream truck itself. There is no vocabulary. No joke buttons were pressed in this episode.
13	"Mini Golf"	Peter Cudlipp	Joseph Mazzarino and Josh Weidman	2 February 2007 (2007-02-02)	823
Story: Shane and David are baffled when a mysterious orange thing (a mini golf ball) appears in their living room. They use deductive reasoning to narrow down what it actually is, and where it belongs. They think it's a planet, an orange and a basketball before stumbling on to the real solution. Wrong Turns: Outer Space, Orange Room, Basketball Room Shane's Funny Expression: When David said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he [Shane] answered, "Albanian Monkey Shoes?" Opening Activity: Yoga Remote Buttons: Irish Dancing/Stop Irish Dancing, Blast Off, Back to Earth (used in Outer Space), Upside Down/Right Side Up, Volume, Instant Replay, Slam-dunk (used in the Basketball Room), Home (Not pressed), Rewind, Fast Forward (Opening), Pause (Opening) Play Vocabulary: Baffled (confused) Fido the Fly: Puts the mini golf ball in his tennis shorts and David and Shane search his pocket; but, at first, they find keys and a calculator. Instant Replay: To see the girl shoot the basketball into the hoop again. Puppet: First, Puppet jump ropes with Shane and David's imaginary rope and trips over it, and goes off to play with his squeegee instead. Later, Puppet uses the orange thing to practice a Shakespearean monologue (Alas, poor Yorick), wearing a red king costume. Puppet is also the one who explains the orange thing's true identity. Action Fingers: They use their Action Noses to locate the Orange Room. Schmuzzies: Two of them play with the orange thing and Shane is unable to retrieve it all by himself until David coaches him to say "Schmease" and "Schmank you." David then explains he studied Schmuzzish for seven years, "part-time." Souvenir: Various items including the word "mini" including a Mini-mini which was much smaller than a mini. End Credits: Shane and David give the viewer out various items with the word "mini". (Note: David mentioned "By the way, here's Mini Mouse", in which that quote was not meant to be confused with the Disney character Minnie Mouse.) Trivia While in the Basketball Room, David, thinking the orange thing is a basketball, gets frustrated that it is not dribbling properly. He yells at the orange thing, "This is your home! It's your home! What's wrong?! You too good for your home?!", a direct allusion to the Adam Sandler film, Happy Gilmore, in which the title character yells almost exactly the same speech, also at a golf ball.

Home media

The complete series DVD was released on a two-disc set on 19 January 2012 as a manufacture on demand Amazon exclusive.[19]

Reception

Critical reception

The series was critically acclaimed for its humor and broad appeal. Larisa Wiseman of Common Sense Media gave the series a 5-star review, calling it "refreshingly original; each episode is filled with clever jokes, puns, music, and tons of physical humor."[20] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "The Upside Down Show is not only good, but good for you ... But what matters most is that it is delightful ... I noticed, as I watched the show for the first time, that I was sitting cross-legged on the floor about a foot from the TV screen, absolutely entranced."[21] Susan Stewart of The New York Times thought the series was "perfectly calibrated" for children and older viewers.[22] Entertainment Weekly's Eileen Clarke wrote, "Tired of all that 'educational' stuff on TV for kids? Here’s a show that will let them wallow in the wacky, surf in complete silliness, and bandy in the bizarre."[23] Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Evan McEvoy called the series "good enough to steal a few viewers from adult morning TV."[24]

Awards

The Upside Down Show received three awards, all in 2007. Because the series was written and produced in America and filmed in Australia, it was eligible for awards in both countries. The show's opening theme won the Creative Craft Daytime Emmy Award for Main Title Design.[25] The series also received a Parents' Choice Award Silver Honor for Television.[26] Nick Jr. Australia received a Logie Award for The Upside Down Show in the category Most Outstanding Children's Program.[27]

Notes

1. Nickelodeon Australia produced the pilot episode[4] and provided funding for the main series.[28]

References

1. Stewart, Susan (16 October 2006). "Press Play to Control the Grown-Ups". The New York Times. Their dialogue ranges from cutely inane to delightful and dovetails beautifully with their physical comedy.
2. Cooper, Marnie (16 September 2006). "TV shows aplenty for the juice-box kids -- Networks put on their thinking caps to develop quality programs". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN: Gannett.
3. Kaplan, Don (27 December 2006). "Quitting Kids TV – 'Upside' Duo Talk About Getting Out Just As Hit Series Is Getting Started". New York Post. Bald-headed Shane Dundas and frizzyhaired David Collins who play brothers and use slapstick
4. "Sesame, Nick go Upside Down". C21 Media. 17 March 2005. New York's Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon Australia and local prodco Blink Films are coproducing a new preschool series, The Upside Down Show.
5. "The Umbilical Brothers – Speedmouse: The Return Of The Roadie at Royalty Theatre – Adelaide Fringe Interview". The Clothesline. 25 February 2016.
6. Collins, David (30 January 2010). "Grab Your Remotes and Click for an Upside Down Movie!". This petition will show investors with insight and imagination that there is a great love of the show and they should join forces with Nickelodeon Australia (who by the way has been hugely supportive of trying to get the film made and have been partially funding the script development, but I digress).
7. Collins, David (9 March 2017). "The Umbilical Brothers on Facebook". Out of curiosity - How many of you would like to see an Upside Down Show Movie? I have 2 hrs to collate likes and shares. Aaaand go.
8. Collins, David (18 January 2019). The Upside Down Show: 'Camping' Fun Fact.
9. Collins, David (3 September 2019). "The Upside Down Show pilot photos".
10. "Noggin Orders 'Upside Down'". TVWeek. 6 December 2005.
11. "The Umbilical Brothers - Home". 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020.
12. "TV Listings: Friday, October 13, 2006". Newspapers.com. Boston, MA: The Boston Globe. 8 October 2006.
13. "Preschoolers Take Control of Their Own Virtual TV Remote on NOGGIN's New Original Series, The Upside Down Show Premiering Monday, October 16". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020.
14. "The Upside Down Show - Starts August 25th @ 6:35PM on Nick Jr". Nickelodeon Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.
15. "The Umbilical Brothers on Facebook". 21 September 2008. There are no new episodes for the Upside Down Show...there is a script in development for a movie version of the Upside Down Show.
16. "Nick Jr. Characters: Mrs. Foil". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
17. "Nick Jr. Characters: Puppet". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.
18. "Nick Jr. Characters: The Schmuzzies". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
19. https://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Show-Season-Discs/dp/B005XE00M6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546963730&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Upside+Down+Show%3A+Season+1
20. Wiseman, Larisa (2006). "The Upside Down Show TV Review". Common Sense Media. Jim Steyer.
21. Lloyd, Robert (18 October 2006). "Not only good, but good for you".
22. Stewart, Susan (16 October 2006). "Press Play to Control the Grown-Ups". The New York Times.
23. Clarke, Eileen (12 October 2006). "A show that goes Upside Down? Whoa..." Entertainment Weekly.
24. McEvoy, Evan (17 October 2007). "The Upside Down Show". The Sydney Morning Herald.
25. "Complete list of 2007 Creative Craft Daytime Emmy Award winners". Los Angeles Times.
26. "Parents' Choice Awards: Spring 2007 Television". Parents' Choice.
27. "49th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (2007)". TV Week. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
28. "Noggin's Aussie show puts kids in control". C21 Media. 7 December 2005. The 13-episode series, a copro between Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon Australia and Aussie prodco Blink Films, features comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers.

External links

• The Upside Down Show on Nick Jr. (Australia)
• The Upside Down Show on IMDb
• Umbilical Brothers