Hoopla Doopla!

Hoopla Doopla! (stylised: all lower case) is a joint Australian-Chinese live-action non-verbal children's TV series, which was first broadcast from February 2014.[1][2] It was created by Melinda Wearne and Ron Saunders using cast and production teams from both countries.[1][3] It was co-directed by Mark Barnard and Liang Tong.[1] The series was filmed during six months up to late 2013, using a 2250 square metre studio,[2] "about the size of a football field" containing the fictional town of Hoopla.[4] Producers were Wearne (of The Content Agency) and Saunders (Beyond Screen Production) for Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Zhao Qian (China Television Drama Production Centre (Zhong yang dian shi tai)) for China Central Television (CCTV).[1][4][5]

Hoopla Doopla!
GenreChildren's television, comedy
Created byMelinda Wearne, Ron Saunders
Written byJohn Armstrong
Directed byMark Barnard, Liang Tong
Starring
  • Daniel Gorski
  • Kate Wright
  • Simon Wright
  • Zie Ning
  • Liu Wanting
  • Zhang Haoran
Narrated byZindzi Okenyo
ComposerScott Collins
Country of originAustralia
China
Original languagesEnglish
Chinese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producers
  • Li Congda
  • Simon Hopkinson
  • Bernadette O'Mahony
  • Ron Saunders
ProducersMelinda Wearne, Zhao Qian, Ron Saunders
Production locationChina
CinematographyLi Shunbo
Running time12 min.
Production companiesThe Content Agency
Beyond Screen Production
China Television Drama Production Centre
Release
Original networkABC TV, CCTV
Original release10 February 2014 (2014-02-10)

The studio was located outside the Chinese city of Zhuozhou – two hours south-west of Beijing.[4][5] Post-production occurred in Australia.[1][4][5] Hoopla Doopla! targets children from the age of three to seven.[6] Its on-screen cast of six characters are Jango (Daniel Gorski), Mimi (Kate Wright), Zap (Simon Wright), Bop (Zie Ning), Squidgie (Liu Wanting) and Ziggy (Zhang Haoran). They are augmented by an off-screen Narrator (Zindzi Okenyo).[4] It began broadcast by ABC from 10 February 2014[2] and by CCTV from mid-February, for 52 episodes of 12 minutes each.[1][5]

Premise

Hoopla Doopla! details the daily lives of six residents of Hoopla. Jango is a street sweeper and clown; Ziggy is a magician who owns a shop; Bop, a mechanic and strongman, tries to fix broken devices; Squidgie, a contortionist, grows various plants in a garden; Mimi cooks for the townsfolk while juggling and Zap is an acrobat who delivers packages to the residents. Typically one or more person has a problem, which is tackled with assistance from the others. All matters are resolved without any dialogue – communication is through non-verbal cues including acrobatics, facial expressions and body language. Explanations for the audience are provided by the unseen Narrator.

Cast

Credits:[5]

  • Daniel Gorski as Jango: street sweeper, clown
  • Kate Wright as Mimi: cafe owner/cook, juggler
  • Simon Wright as Zap: delivery person, acrobat
  • Zie Ning as Bop: mechanic, strongman
  • Liu Wanting as Squidgie: gardener, contortionist
  • Zhang Haoran as Ziggy: shop owner, magician
  • Zindzi Okenyo as Narrator: provides running description of events

Production

Creator of Hoopla Doopla! Melinda Wearne pitched her idea to ABC's Children's Television department via a pilot episode.[5] It was decided to approach Ron Saunders of Beyond Screen Production who recommended the China Television Drama Production Centre of CCTV to develop another joint production with ABC.[5] The two networks had previously co-produced a live-action children's television series, Magic Mountain (1997–1998).[7] Wearne found casting of the roles to be difficult, each needed "a high level of physical skill and be able to act."[5] As the set was in a remote area of China the Australians would be "a long way from home, we finished work late, the conditions were not great and they would not have people they could chat to."[5] The three Australian on-screen cast members are all circus performers, both Gorsky and Simon had graduated from National Institute of Circus Arts,[8] while Kate had joined Cirkidz at the age of seven.[9] The episodes were co-directed by Australian Mark Barnard and China's Liang Tong.[1]

Episodes

Episode list:[10]

  1. "Upsy Daisy!"
  2. "Big Squidgie"
  3. "Shadowplay"
  4. "Zap's Alarm Clock"
  5. "Mimi's Big Surprise"
  6. "Hiccups"
  7. "The Dough Monster"
  8. "Squidgie's Day Off"
  9. "Snow Business"
  10. "Squidgie's Picnic"
  11. "Sticky Situation"
  12. "Jango the Joker"
  13. "Magic Coat"
  14. "Mimi's Perfect Pie"
  15. "Zap's Special Delivery"
  16. "Hula Hoopla"
  17. "Bop's Clumsy Day"
  18. "Zap Gets Stuck"
  19. "Tomato Trouble"
  20. "Midnight Muncher"
  21. "Ziggy's Hidden Talent"
  22. "Bop and the Butterfly"
  23. "Sick Story"
  24. "Trading Places"
  25. "Sporty Jango"
  26. "Dinosaur"
  27. "Jango's Big Clean Up"
  28. "Happy Snaps"
  29. "The Lost Thing"
  30. "Moonwalk"
  31. "Jango the Genie"
  32. "Treasure Map"
  33. "Squidgie's Plant"
  34. "Ziggy Goes Camping"
  35. "The Smell"
  36. "Zap's Whistle"
  37. "Swap Shop"
  38. "The Ziggy Hop"
  39. "Ziggy's Hat Trick"
  40. "Bop and the Clock"
  41. "Ziggy the Invisible"
  42. "The Robot"
  43. "The Magic Pumpkin"
  44. "The Hungry Dragon"
  45. "In a Fix"
  46. "Best Friends Day"
  47. "King Jango"
  48. "Hoopla Fire Brigade"
  49. "The Sneaky Snacker"
  50. "Mimi's Holiday"
  51. "Squidgie's Present"
  52. "Ziggy the Hero"

Releases
  • Hoopla Doopla! Happy Snaps (2014) – Roadshow Entertainment (R-114962-9) (contains episodes 1–4, 6–7, 28)[11]
  • Hoopla Doopla! Hula Hoopla. (2015) – Roadshow Entertainment (R-122354-9) (episodes 9–16)[12]
  • Hoopla Doopla! Best Friends Day (2015) – Roadshow Entertainment (R-122995-9) (episodes 17–23, 46)[13]
  • Hoopla Doopla! Ziggy the Hero! (2016) – Roadshow Entertainment (R-123612-9) (episodes 24–26, 29, 38–39, 41, 52)[14]

Awards and nominations

At the 2014 AWGIE Awards episode 9 "Snow Business" won Children's Television (P Classification) category, while episode 16 "Hula Hoopla" was nominated for the same.[15]

References
  1. "Hoopla Doopla! (2013)". The Screen Guide – Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. Knox, David (18 January 2014). "Airdate: Hoopla Doopla!". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  3. Knox, David (8 May 2013). "ABC and Chinese Broadcaster Join for New Kids Series". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  4. Reynolds, Megan (26 February 2015). "Building Chinese Relations with Kids TV". Mumbrella. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  5. Brown, Pam (6 February 2014). "Let's Get Physical". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. "Mandarin Hoopla Doopla! Episodes – Watch on iView". Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). 16 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Haman, Andrea (1 April 1996). "Archive » MIP-TV Special Report: Focus on Partnerships: The Magic Mountain". Kidscreen. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  8. "Latest News for National Institute of Circus Arts". National Institute of Circus Arts. 10 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Playgroup Queensland Interview Mimi from Hoopla Doopla!". Playgroup Queensland. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Hoopla Doopla!". Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  11. Zhong yang dian shi tai (Beijing, China) (2014), Hoopla Doopla! Happy Snaps, Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Distributed by Roadshow Entertainment, retrieved 29 December 2022
  12. Hoopla Doopla! Hula Hoopla, 2015, retrieved 29 December 2022
  13. Hoopla Doopla! Best Friends Day, ABC : distributed by Roadshow Entertainment, 2015, retrieved 29 December 2022
  14. Hoopla Doopla! Ziggy the Hero!, Australian Broadcasting Corporation : distributed by Roadshow Entertainment, 2016, retrieved 29 December 2022
  15. Zuk, Tony. "2014 AWGIE Awards". Australian Television Information Archive. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
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