In_the_Night_Garden - Ninky Nonk
Discussion
Anyone seen this? it's insane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Night_Garden
Igglepiggle, played by Nick Kellington, is a blue creature similar to a teddy bear. He always carries his red blanket with him, and tends to fall flat on his back when surprised. He arrives at the beginning and leaves the Night Garden at the end of each episode in a boat, for which the blanket doubles as a sail. Igglepiggle has a bell in his left foot, a squeak in his middle, and a rattle in his left hand. His best friend in the garden is Upsy Daisy [4]. He is the only character not to sleep in the Night Garden, apart from one time when he fell asleep on Upsy Daisy's bed, and also the only character to walk on the garden path. Igglepiggle is clearly not a native of the Garden but a visitor,
Upsy Daisy, played by Rebecca Hyland, is similar to a rag doll, and appears to be of Afro-Caribbean origin. She has her own special bed, which can move around the garden; sometimes Upsy Daisy has to catch her bed when it decides to run away. Her catchphrases are "Upsy Daisy" and "Daisy Doo!" (on one occasion she said 'og pog', Makka Pakka's line) Her hair stands on end when excited, and her skirt inflates to a tutu when she dances or pulls the ripcord on her waist. Upsy Daisy has an orange megaphone on a stand and enjoys singing through it, much to the chagrin of the other residents.
Makka Pakka, played by Cameron O'Donovan, is more rounded than Igglepiggle, smaller than any of the other costumed characters, has three spikes on his head (one on the top and two on the sides), and is a creamy colour. He lives in a little cave and likes cleaning things, such as his collection of stacking stones, and sometimes the other characters themselves. Makka Pakka often stacks freshly cleaned stones into piles of three or sometimes more, the trio constructions resembling the protuberances upon his head and body. He sleeps on a stone bed, often cuddling a smooth flat stone. He travels around the Garden pushing his trolley, the Og-Pog. The Og-Pog carries Makka's sponge and soap, his red trumpet, and a bellows-like apparatus called Uff-uff which he uses to dry items after cleaning them. His house is approached by a stone-walled ditch, as his home is set half-buried in the ground. He sometimes seems to be acting as a Groundskeeper to the garden. Makka Pakka is widely recognised as the most popular character.
The three Tombliboos - Unn (Andy Wareham), Ooo (Holly Denoon), and Eee (Elisa Laghi) - are like dolls dressed in costumes with stripes and spots: red and green (Unn), brown and pink (Ooo), and pink and yellow (Eee). The names Unn, Ooo and Eee reflect phonetically how a young child might say the numbers One, Two, Three, and the Tombliboos always appear in this order by saying their names. They live and sleep in a shared bed in the middle of a bush, in the large spaces between the branches. The Tombliboos enjoy playing the drums and keyboard, which they have in their bush home, although not with any particular musical prowess, and they also enjoy playing with their large stacking cubes. Their trousers (which fall down at random moments) are often seen hanging on the washing line outside their bush home, and they usually take them down from the line and put them on before going on an adventure. They often brush their teeth before bed.
All the above characters are played by actors in costumes.
The Pontipines (red) and Wottingers (blue) are two families of ten tiny creatures (a mother and a father, plus four boys and four girls) similar to peg dolls, who live in adjacent semi-detached houses at the foot of a tree. The Pontipines appear in most episodes, while appearances by the Wottingers are rare. The Pontipines all dress in a very similar fashion to each other, as do the Wottingers. Each family sleeps in one room, their beds next to each other in two rows of five. The Pontipines are able to enter their home by flying down the chimney, as well as through the front door. They have no feet. The Pontipines enter the Pinky Ponk through a different door from all the other characters, and stay on a separate deck. The Pontipines and the Wottingers are animated using stop motion animation. Mrs Pontipine carries a pair of binoculars around her neck at all times, and she uses them to look for her children when they get lost. The Wottinger father figure lacks the bushy moustache of the Pontipine patriarch. Mrs. Wottinger's hat is of a different design from her red counterpart and the families' clothing while similar in design is not identical.
The Haahoos are five large pillow-like creatures of various shapes and colours with eyes and smiling mouths. They are large inflatables which may approach with deep spring sounds ("boing, boing"). They float slowly around the garden like puffy pillows, calling a low "mmm!" sound to each other as they meet up to go to sleep in a big pillowy pile. The Haahoos appear dancing at the end of some episodes, and are then seen going to sleep, closing their eyes and deflating slightly.
The Tittifers are CGI enhanced tropical birds with their own unique songs. When they sing together, they signal that is it time for the the residents to sleep. There are four small blue Tittifers (blue passerines, possibly swallows - not Blue Lorikeets), three larger pink ones (European hoopoes), two big green ones (White-cheeked Turacos) and one multicoloured toucan (either Channel-billed Toucan or White-throated Toucan) with a huge purple beak.
The Ninky Nonk is a train of five differently sized and shaped carriages. In comparison to the trees and other flora of the forest, it is clearly quite small, but the main characters can easily fit inside it. When it stops or starts, the seat-belted passengers jerk sharply in their seats. The accompanying loud klaxons warn everyone inside. The Ninky Nonk can drive up and down trees and upside-down along branches. The Ninky Nonk seems to stop and go on its own and, like the other characters, "goes to sleep". Exterior shots of travelling are of a toy-sized train, while interiors and static exterior shots are done on sets or life-sized models.
The Pinky Ponk is an airship, speckled with many fins. The characters often use it to travel around the forest. Judging by the farty noises it makes whilst travelling it runs on some sort of gas, although it produces no visible emissions other than the "Pinky Ponk juice" which is dispensed in "sippi cups"[4]. Like the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk is likely a sentient machine. Exterior shots are chroma keyed model shots, while interior ones are produced on a set.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Night_Garden
Igglepiggle, played by Nick Kellington, is a blue creature similar to a teddy bear. He always carries his red blanket with him, and tends to fall flat on his back when surprised. He arrives at the beginning and leaves the Night Garden at the end of each episode in a boat, for which the blanket doubles as a sail. Igglepiggle has a bell in his left foot, a squeak in his middle, and a rattle in his left hand. His best friend in the garden is Upsy Daisy [4]. He is the only character not to sleep in the Night Garden, apart from one time when he fell asleep on Upsy Daisy's bed, and also the only character to walk on the garden path. Igglepiggle is clearly not a native of the Garden but a visitor,
Upsy Daisy, played by Rebecca Hyland, is similar to a rag doll, and appears to be of Afro-Caribbean origin. She has her own special bed, which can move around the garden; sometimes Upsy Daisy has to catch her bed when it decides to run away. Her catchphrases are "Upsy Daisy" and "Daisy Doo!" (on one occasion she said 'og pog', Makka Pakka's line) Her hair stands on end when excited, and her skirt inflates to a tutu when she dances or pulls the ripcord on her waist. Upsy Daisy has an orange megaphone on a stand and enjoys singing through it, much to the chagrin of the other residents.
Makka Pakka, played by Cameron O'Donovan, is more rounded than Igglepiggle, smaller than any of the other costumed characters, has three spikes on his head (one on the top and two on the sides), and is a creamy colour. He lives in a little cave and likes cleaning things, such as his collection of stacking stones, and sometimes the other characters themselves. Makka Pakka often stacks freshly cleaned stones into piles of three or sometimes more, the trio constructions resembling the protuberances upon his head and body. He sleeps on a stone bed, often cuddling a smooth flat stone. He travels around the Garden pushing his trolley, the Og-Pog. The Og-Pog carries Makka's sponge and soap, his red trumpet, and a bellows-like apparatus called Uff-uff which he uses to dry items after cleaning them. His house is approached by a stone-walled ditch, as his home is set half-buried in the ground. He sometimes seems to be acting as a Groundskeeper to the garden. Makka Pakka is widely recognised as the most popular character.
The three Tombliboos - Unn (Andy Wareham), Ooo (Holly Denoon), and Eee (Elisa Laghi) - are like dolls dressed in costumes with stripes and spots: red and green (Unn), brown and pink (Ooo), and pink and yellow (Eee). The names Unn, Ooo and Eee reflect phonetically how a young child might say the numbers One, Two, Three, and the Tombliboos always appear in this order by saying their names. They live and sleep in a shared bed in the middle of a bush, in the large spaces between the branches. The Tombliboos enjoy playing the drums and keyboard, which they have in their bush home, although not with any particular musical prowess, and they also enjoy playing with their large stacking cubes. Their trousers (which fall down at random moments) are often seen hanging on the washing line outside their bush home, and they usually take them down from the line and put them on before going on an adventure. They often brush their teeth before bed.
All the above characters are played by actors in costumes.
The Pontipines (red) and Wottingers (blue) are two families of ten tiny creatures (a mother and a father, plus four boys and four girls) similar to peg dolls, who live in adjacent semi-detached houses at the foot of a tree. The Pontipines appear in most episodes, while appearances by the Wottingers are rare. The Pontipines all dress in a very similar fashion to each other, as do the Wottingers. Each family sleeps in one room, their beds next to each other in two rows of five. The Pontipines are able to enter their home by flying down the chimney, as well as through the front door. They have no feet. The Pontipines enter the Pinky Ponk through a different door from all the other characters, and stay on a separate deck. The Pontipines and the Wottingers are animated using stop motion animation. Mrs Pontipine carries a pair of binoculars around her neck at all times, and she uses them to look for her children when they get lost. The Wottinger father figure lacks the bushy moustache of the Pontipine patriarch. Mrs. Wottinger's hat is of a different design from her red counterpart and the families' clothing while similar in design is not identical.
The Haahoos are five large pillow-like creatures of various shapes and colours with eyes and smiling mouths. They are large inflatables which may approach with deep spring sounds ("boing, boing"). They float slowly around the garden like puffy pillows, calling a low "mmm!" sound to each other as they meet up to go to sleep in a big pillowy pile. The Haahoos appear dancing at the end of some episodes, and are then seen going to sleep, closing their eyes and deflating slightly.
The Tittifers are CGI enhanced tropical birds with their own unique songs. When they sing together, they signal that is it time for the the residents to sleep. There are four small blue Tittifers (blue passerines, possibly swallows - not Blue Lorikeets), three larger pink ones (European hoopoes), two big green ones (White-cheeked Turacos) and one multicoloured toucan (either Channel-billed Toucan or White-throated Toucan) with a huge purple beak.
The Ninky Nonk is a train of five differently sized and shaped carriages. In comparison to the trees and other flora of the forest, it is clearly quite small, but the main characters can easily fit inside it. When it stops or starts, the seat-belted passengers jerk sharply in their seats. The accompanying loud klaxons warn everyone inside. The Ninky Nonk can drive up and down trees and upside-down along branches. The Ninky Nonk seems to stop and go on its own and, like the other characters, "goes to sleep". Exterior shots of travelling are of a toy-sized train, while interiors and static exterior shots are done on sets or life-sized models.
The Pinky Ponk is an airship, speckled with many fins. The characters often use it to travel around the forest. Judging by the farty noises it makes whilst travelling it runs on some sort of gas, although it produces no visible emissions other than the "Pinky Ponk juice" which is dispensed in "sippi cups"[4]. Like the Ninky Nonk, the Pinky Ponk is likely a sentient machine. Exterior shots are chroma keyed model shots, while interior ones are produced on a set.
Anyone with sub school age children will be very familiar with all this. My 3 year old is bored with it but my 16 month old daughter loves it ! It is very odd when you first watch it but you acclimatise to it quite quickly - TV programs for very young kids have always been a bit weird - The Clangers, Magic Roundabout and The Wombles weren't exactly representative of normal every day life were they ?
Personally I'm convinced that there are subliminal undertones in it to get the parents engaged - I'm sure that Iggle Piggle has been secretly bashing Upsy-Daiy's back doors in on the back seat of the Pinky-Ponk for some time now.
Personally I'm convinced that there are subliminal undertones in it to get the parents engaged - I'm sure that Iggle Piggle has been secretly bashing Upsy-Daiy's back doors in on the back seat of the Pinky-Ponk for some time now.
Edited by Seight_Returns on Friday 19th December 13:03
Plotloss said:
The Pontipines rock.
They've filled a void in my life since I lost the Dozers in Fraggle Rock.
I was going to post about this, however i thought i may get laughed out of the forum, so i decided not to, however i agree, the pontipines do indeed rock.They've filled a void in my life since I lost the Dozers in Fraggle Rock.
my daughter loves it!!
Can't stand the bloody Pontipines.
I love the way the scale of things is completely screwed up. In one scene, the Ninky Nonk is 8 feet tall, and in the next it's 1 foot tall and driving up a tree.
Our 14 month old boy loves it, and Makka Pakka is the best character. There is something sinister about Iggle Piggle and Upsie Daisy.
I love the way the scale of things is completely screwed up. In one scene, the Ninky Nonk is 8 feet tall, and in the next it's 1 foot tall and driving up a tree.
Our 14 month old boy loves it, and Makka Pakka is the best character. There is something sinister about Iggle Piggle and Upsie Daisy.
Plotloss said:
The Pontipines rock.
They've filled a void in my life since I lost the Dozers in Fraggle Rock.
I know I could probably find the answer to this on you-tube, but you sound like a clued up bunch of Dozer fans so I'll ask first: you remember the things that they were constantly building? (bridges I seem to recall) Am I right in thinking they used edible building supplies? Possibly sugar based?They've filled a void in my life since I lost the Dozers in Fraggle Rock.
....or did I imagine the whole thing
phil_h_88 said:
I worked on the film crew for In the Night Garden for about 6months in 2006-7 as a Camera Grip. 10 hours a day of hearing 'Upsy Daisy' repeated tends to get on the nerves a bit!
I'd love to see a 'Making of' show. But I figure they'll never do one as if the kids see it, it will destroy it for them.Jesus Wept...
Why bother playing with your kids or teaching them to read when they get home from playschool when you can just plonk them in front of the telly with this on!!?? Hey, if you can be bothered, you can even fetch them a packet of crisps for dinner while you grab another tin of strongbow!
Then, later on, BBC news solomely announce that more children are falling behind.
Any wonder why there is a whole generation of retards waiting in the wings when we fill their heads with junk like this from such an early age.
And, yes, I've watched it. Its junk.
Why bother playing with your kids or teaching them to read when they get home from playschool when you can just plonk them in front of the telly with this on!!?? Hey, if you can be bothered, you can even fetch them a packet of crisps for dinner while you grab another tin of strongbow!
Then, later on, BBC news solomely announce that more children are falling behind.
Any wonder why there is a whole generation of retards waiting in the wings when we fill their heads with junk like this from such an early age.
And, yes, I've watched it. Its junk.
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