Dinky Di's - Wikiwand

Also known asThe Dinky-Di's: Friends on Freedom's Frontier

Created byMelvyn Edward Bradford

Written byMelvyn Edward Bradford
Neil Booth
Terry Burstall
Leonard Lee
Peter Merrill
Wayne Moore
Mike Heffernan
Willie Mombassa^[1]

Dinky Di's
Also known as	The Dinky-Di's: Friends on Freedom's Frontier
Genre	Action-adventure Edutainment
Created by	Melvyn Edward Bradford
Written by	Melvyn Edward Bradford Neil Booth Terry Burstall Leonard Lee Peter Merrill Wayne Moore Mike Heffernan Willie Mombassa^[1]
Voices of	Gennie Nevinson Ric Melbourne Lee Perry Grahame Matters Tony Bellette
Theme music composer	Matthew Sloggett
Opening theme	"Friends on Freedom's Frontier" performed by Melvyn Edward Bradford and Bob LaCastra
Composers	Pat Aulton Garry McDonald Laurie Stone
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer	Hugh Cornish
Producer	Melvyn Edward Bradford
Editors	Carlos Alperin Bob Bladsall
Running time	26 minutes
Production companies	Pacific Rim Animation Motion Picture Management Studios Australia
Original release
Network	Nine Network
Release	6 December 1997 (1997-12-06) – 29 May 1998 (1998-05-29)

Dinky-Di's, formally known as The Dinky-Di's: Friends on Freedom's Frontier, is an Australian animated television series that aired on the Nine Network Australia from 6 December 1997 to 29 May 1998. It was created by Melvyn Edward Bradford, produced by Roo Films Brisbane and animated by Pacific Rim Animation.^[2] The show taught children about the dangers of having carelessness for the planet and also for animals and plants that live on the earth. A common phrase from the theme song used by fans and the creator of the show was "We show no fear, we show no pain!"

The Dinky Di's: Friends on Freedom's Frontier follows a group of anthropomorphic animals who go around the world saving rare and endangered animals and plants, while educating the audience on the importance of environmental preservation. Led by Aussie Roo (a Kangaroo) and Cass Koala (a Koala), this group consists of animals from all over the world who have many different specialties that serve to the Dinky-Di team, and are well organized with a command centre, computer network, and high-tech amphibious vehicles.

The group of rescuers fight against Mephisto, a shadowy eco-terrorist with glowing red eyes who uses a gang of maligned beasts to do his dirty work: Rancid Rodent (a Rat), Hugo Hyena (a Hyena), Ganny Goanna (an Iguana), Serpent Sam (a Dragon), and others. Mephisto's true identity, however, is a true mystery to the Dinky-Di's, and one which, when solved, will be a major step towards slowing damage to the planet.^[3]

Voice cast

Gennie Nevinson as Cass Koala, Equulus Emu, Cauda Kiwi, Orikawa Bear's Son, Beatrice, Hydra Hen, Pleiades Panda and additional voices^[4]
Ric Melbourne as Aussie Roo, Chopa Crocodile, G.T. Garuda and additional voices
Lee Perry as Ernest Eagle, Goat, Sidney Seal, Whales, Iceburglar #2, Animals, Narrator and additional voices
Grahame Matters as Bill's Secretary and additional voices
Tony Bellette as Plato Pus, Zennie, Mephisto, Rancid Rodent, Hugo Hyena, Ganny Goanna, Serpent Sam, Lazur Lion, Orikawa Bear, Bill Buffalo, Lazur's Boss, Mephisto's Henchman, Baron of Babel, Iceburglar #1, Doctor Hope, Archduke of Avaris, Guard Bear and additional voices^[5]

Episodes

Out of the 26-episode series, only two full episodes in English have survived, "Baron of Babel" and "Funga Wunda",^[6]^[7]^[8] while the other only full episodes that are known, "Lost, One Dinky-Di", "The Compututor", "Duke of Deceit", "Sea Beneath the Sea, Beneath the Sea", "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow", "Journey to Pedra Blanca", "Java Lava", "Tapir Caper" and "Mirage Master", are in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish and Russian, respectively. However, half of the first episode and about seven minutes of "The Bilby Tale" also exist in English, and "Good Wood" partially exists in Russian. At some point on the Kooltube1 website (the website that Mel Bradford had), the episodes "The Bilby Tale", "Straits of Sorrow", "The Howling Crystal" and "Mirage Master" were available to watch. Though the Kooltube1 website is no longer around, there are a few archives still without any new content except images and copyright information.^[7]^[9]

The following episode list has mostly been translated from Polish, however, so it is known that these following episodes are the names for the English version of the show.

"Lost, One Dinky-Di"
"The Compututor"
"The Bilby Tale"
"Bat Chat"^[10]
"Good Wood"^[11]
"Duke of Deceit"^[12]
"The Dolphin Dare"^[13]
"The Crustaceans"^[14]
"Baron of Babel"
"Sea Beneath the Sea, Beneath the Sea"^[15]
"Funga Wunda"
"Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow"
"Journey to Pedra Blanca"^[16]
"Java Lava"^[17]
"Straits of Sorrow"
"The Howling Crystal"
"Tapir Caper"
"Mirage Master"
"Small Hippo, Big Bust"^[18]

Episode list
Episode number#	Episode name	Written by	Original air date	Episode status
01	"Lost, One Dinky-Di"	Mel Bradford	6 December 1997	Found in Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish dubs/Partially Lost
02	"The Compututor"	Neil Booth	13 December 1997	Found in Brazilian Portuguese dub
03	"The Mystery of the Land of Olgas"		20 December 1997	Lost
04	"The Bilby Tale"	Mel Bradford	27 December 1997	Partially Found
05	"Bat Chat"		3 January 1998	Lost
06	"Good Wood"	Neil Booth	10 January 1998	Partially found in Russian dub
07	"Duke of Deceit"	Neil Booth	17 January 1998	Found in Russian dub
08	Currently unknown		24 January 1998	Lost
09	Currently unknown		31 January 1998	Lost
10	"The Dolphin Dare"		7 February 1998	Lost
11	"The Crustaceans"		14 February 1998	Lost
12	"Baron of Babel"	Neil Booth	21 February 1998	Found
13	"Snail's Pace"		28 February 1998	Lost
14	"Losers Have No Choice"		6 March 1998	Lost
15	"In Defense of Forest Chanterelles"		13 March 1998	Lost
16	"Return of Yak"		20 March 1998	Lost
17	"Cranes to the Rescue"		27 March 1998	Lost
18	"Black Chamber"		3 April 1998	Lost
19	"Sea Beneath the Sea, Beneath the Sea"	Neil Booth	10 April 1998	Found in Russian dub
20	"Funga Wunda"	Neil Booth	17 April 1998	Found
21	"Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow"	Wayne Moore and Terry Burstall	24 April 1998	Found in Russian dub
22	"Journey to Pedra Blanca"	Neil Booth	1 May 1998	Found in Russian dub
23	"Java Lava"	Wayne Moore and Terry Burstall	8 May 1998	Found in Russian dub
24	"Tapir Caper"	Wayne Moore and Terry Burstall	15 May 1998	Found in Russian dub
25	"Mirage Master"	Mike Heffernan	22 May 1998	Found in Russian dub
26	"Small Hippo, Big Bust"		29 May 1998	Lost

There is uncertainty of where the episodes "Straits of Sorrow" and "The Howling Crystal" go on the list of episodes.

Other names for the show

When it aired in Poland, the series' title was Grupa specjalna Eko.^[19] In Italy, the show was known as Parola d'ordine: arriviamo!^[20] The show is also known to have aired in the Arab world, Brazil, Korea, Malaysia,^[21]^[22]^[23]^[24]^[25]^[26]^[27] New Zealand,^[28] Portugal and Russia.

Production

The series was created by Melvyn Edward Bradford, produced by Roo Films Brisbane from December 1989 to 1993, and distributed by Motion Picture Management Studios Australia. Originally scheduled to be completed by 1992, it experienced a series of lawsuits and legal battles during production, causing it to be delayed.^[29]^[30]^[31]^[32] The series would eventually air in New Zealand in 1992,^[28] Malaysia in 1994-1998,^[10]^[26]^[27] Italy in 1995,^[20] and Australia in 1997-1998. The series was animated by Pacific Rim Animation. The theme song, "Friends on Freedom's Frontier", and the episodes' songs, such as "Cross The Line (Start, Don't Stop)" and "Don't Look Back", were composed and produced by Matthew Sloggett, with lyrics by Bradford and Bob LaCastra, while the soundtrack was composed by Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone and mixed at Grevillea Studios.^[32] The voices were recorded at Sunshine Studios, provided by Gennie Nevinson, Ric Melbourne, Lee Perry, Grahame Matters, and Tony Bellette.^[4]^[5]

A 93-minute direct-to-video compilation film titled Mephisto's Web was commissioned in the first half of 1993 and completed in February-March 1994, but was never released, with the accounting firm, Krampel Newman & Partners Pty Ltd, cheating Bradford out of his money.^[32]

Revival attempts

Credits list

References

↑ Mombassa, Willie (2008). Far East, La!: A Far Eastern Journal of Personal Growths and Other Skin Conditions. Trafford. ISBN 9781412062275. Retrieved 17 June 2024. Years later, I wrote a script for an Australian eco-warriors animated series called "The Dinky-Di's," (shown everywhere but Australia!) in which a particular critical environmental conservation issue would be the premise on which a bunch of good animals (a Kangaroo, Koala, etc.) would battle evil, bad animals (Jackals, Hyenas, etc.). Naturally good would triumph. Anyway, for my script I chose the plight of the South American Spider Monkey. That's it really, not much more to the story than that, just another symptom of monkey madness I'd caught somewhere in my dreaming.
↑ "The Dinky-Di's". Screen Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
↑ "Andrew Trimmer Portfolio". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
1 2 3 "Voice Actor". Gennie Nevinson. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
1 2 3 "Tony Bellette". BrisVO. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
↑ "Baron of Babel Episode". YouTube. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
1 2 3 "KoolTube1". Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
↑ "The Dinky Di's Friends On Freedom's Frontier - 'Funga Wunda'". YouTube. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
↑ "KoolTube1". Archived from the original on 28 February 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
1 2 Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (8 January 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 12.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (20 February 1994). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 12.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (10 March 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 13.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (22 January 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 13.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (23 January 1994). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 19.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (17 March 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 13.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (21 April 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 13.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (26 March 1994). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 59.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (11 May 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 14.
↑ "Glos Pomorza – TV RTL 7 – program telewizyjny z 12 listopada 2001". Bałtycka Biblioteka Cyfrowa. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
1 2 "Parola d'ordine: arriviamo!". AntonioGenna.net. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (3 March 1994). "TV/RADIO". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 23.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (18 May 1994). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 20.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (25 May 1994). "Nuclear sub sinks after collision with freighter". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 20.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (8 April 1997). "TV GUIDE". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 24.
↑ Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (29 April 1997). "TV GUIDE". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 22.
1 2 Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (11 May 1997). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 20.
1 2 Editorial Staff, New Straits Times (11 October 1998). "WEEKLY PLANNER". New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur. p. 19.
1 2 "The Dinky Di's Next On 2 Promo 1992". YouTube. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
↑ "Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office". U.S. Department of Commerce, Patent and Trademark Office. 11 February 1991. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
↑ "Motion Picture Management Limited v Bradford [1993] QSC 87". Supreme Court of Queensland. 5 April 1993.
↑ "Motion Picture Management Limited v Bradford [1993] QSC 87" (PDF). Supreme Court of Queensland. 6 April 1993.
1 2 3 "Krampel Newman Partners Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2003] FCA 123". Federal Court of Australia. 2003.
↑ "The Dinky Di's Theme Song with Lyrics". YouTube. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2024. Alilb Ani: The last moments of Mel Edward Bradford's life. Mel had been trying to find peace within himself, despite being an agnostic. He would often sit at a local church and ponder the existence of God. Mel was my dear friend and neighbour. He asked me that I be with him to sit at the top of Razorback Lookout. As we sat there overlooking the valley, he was in a sorrowful mood, a glistening tear running from his eye, and he said, "All that I ask for; continue my legacy." He feared all that he had and all that he was will one day be discarded like rubbish, his memory and his achievements forever lost. The evening before Mel died we were discussing many things, some of which were the characters of The Dinky Di's 2 and others were deep profound discussions of God. Part of Mel's last email to me that evening was, "The thing that I have noticed with God and being on or offside with him is sometimes we are being offside with ourselves more so." On 4 November 2010, Mel died suddenly of an aneurysm at his computer desk in a humble unit in the town of Coolangatta near the boarder of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. The post-mortem examination took some weeks to reveal an aneurysm. Though my memory escapes me tortured by the last vision I had, the impression was of a cerebral (brain) aneurysm from the officials. Mel did indeed suffer heart problems. I can not recall with certainty if the aneurysm may have in fact been coronary-related. I was quite traumatised by the event at the time, and only now I've felt strong enough to revisit. His service took place in Parkwood, Queensland on 23 November 2010. Most of his possessions, including his works of The Dinky Di's, were thrown out in the rubbish just as he had feared they would be treated. I jumped in the dumpster after them and I salvaged what I could, including an old reel that perhaps Mel never got around to converting, and if so may hold the key to lost episodes.
↑ "Polish Dub/Credits". Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023 – via YouTube.

Other names for the show

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