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The Upside Down Show
Genre	Comedy Preschool Surreal comedy Slapstick
Created by	Belinda Ward David Collins Shane Dundas
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
Composer	David Chapman
Country of origin	Australia United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producers	Michael Bourchier Kurt Mueller
Producer	Wendy Gray
Cinematography	Ian Jones
Editor	Simon Martin
Camera setup	Both single-camera and multi-camera
Running time	24 minutes
Production companies	Blink Films Sesame Workshop Noggin LLC
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon (Australia) Noggin (United States)
Release	October 13 (2006-10-13) – November 13, 2006 (2006-11-13)

The Upside Down Show is a children's television series produced by Blink Films and Sesame Workshop. It was made for Noggin, a channel co-founded by Sesame Workshop. The series is set in a strange apartment building where the doors lead to a variety of unusual rooms. It is presented by brothers David and Shane (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 series was inspired by the Umbilical Brothers' adult-oriented comedy act SpeedMouse, which was also based on the idea of an imaginary remote. Producers from Sesame Workshop saw SpeedMouse and ordered a pilot episode based on it, which became The Upside Down Show. The pilot was successful, and in 2005, Noggin 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; Shane Dundas likened The Upside Down Show to making "an adult show for kids."

In 2010, the Umbilical Brothers announced that they had completed a script for a special-length episode titled The Upside Down Movie, which would act as a proper finale for the series. The movie had been in development since 2008. Nickelodeon Australia provided funding for the movie's scriptwriting, 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 are trying to find support for it.

History

Origins

The show's concept is based on SpeedMouse, a live comedy act that the Umbilical Brothers performed for adult audiences in the 1990s. 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." Producers from Sesame Workshop enjoyed the remote control in SpeedMouse and felt that the physical comedy would lend itself to a family-oriented television show. Sesame Workshop approached the Umbilical Brothers with plans to develop a series, and the Brothers accepted. The Upside Down Show was the Brothers' second venture into family television, after Umbilical TV, a set of short films that the Brothers made in the 1990s.

Production

In developing the series, the creators set out to make an "adult show for kids"—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!'" 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 for." In an interview with The Age, he said, "Basically we'd try to get away with as much as we could. Sometimes the cameras stopped rolling because there were a few moments that were too risque for kids."

A half-hour pilot episode was made from December 2004 to March 2005. The pilot never aired on television, but it was screened at MIPTV Media Market in April 2005. The pilot followed David and Shane searching for the beach, and this storyline was later reworked into an episode of the main show. For the pilot, the show's art department glued the entire living room set to the ceiling to give the look 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. David and Shane also wore different costumes: simple T-shirts with swirl designs on them.

The pilot was successful, and Noggin ordered a full season of 13 episodes in 2005. They aired in fall 2006. On December 27, 2006, in an interview with the New York Post, Shane Dundas said he was unsure if the series would be renewed for a second season, and that Noggin would make a final decision in February 2007 about renewing it. On June 1, 2007, the Umbilical Brothers wrote on their website that Noggin decided not to order a second season.

Broadcast

In the United States, the series was first shown on the main Nickelodeon channel as a "sneak peek" on October 13, 2006. After this, the show was seen exclusively on Noggin, which aired every episode over a month-long period from October 16, to November 13, 2006. Noggin aired the episodes slightly out of order; it showed "Art Museum" and "Farm" (episodes 3 and 11 respectively) as the premiere episodes, 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 August 25, 2006, and did not air the last episode until February 2007. Reruns would continue to air until March 1, 2012.

The Upside Down Show also aired on four international channels: Nick Jr. UK, Nickelodeon Asia, TVOKids in Canada, and Boomerang in Latin America. Nick Jr. UK ran the first episode on April 10, 2006, with reruns continuing until January 2007. Nickelodeon Asia premiered the show on August 9, 2006, and it continued to play reruns until 2010. TVOKids aired the show from September 2006 until 2008. Boomerang aired the show from September 1, 2007, until late 2007.

Unfinished finale movie

In August 2008, the newspaper The Australian announced that the Umbilical Brothers were making a movie adaptation of the show. The Umbilical Brothers also announced this on their Facebook page, writing that "there is a script in development for a movie version of The Upside Down Show." A month later, the newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald published an interview with Shane Dundas and David Collins, in which they revealed that the project would be titled The Upside Down Movie and that it was planned to start filming within the next year. In January 2010, David Collins announced that the script had been finished, and that the project would act as a proper series finale. Collins also confirmed that Nickelodeon Australia was "hugely supportive of trying to get the film made and have been partially funding the script development." 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.

Characters

• Shane (played by Shane Dundas) is David's younger brother, who is more frenetic, impulsive, 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.

• David (played by David Collins) is the older of the two brothers who has super-sensitive hearing and a super-sensitive sense of smell. He is more laid-back and straight-laced than Shane but still tends to get distracted by small things. He loves the Schmuzzies and acts as their good friend, translator, and mentor.

• Mrs. Foil (played by Amanda Bishop) is 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.
• Puppet (performed and voiced by Mat McCoy) is 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 likes to play unconventional roles. He is generally more rational than David and Shane, but is often just as silly as the boys. He speaks with an American accent.
• The Schmuzzies (performed and voiced by Emma de Vries, Virginia Goodfellow and Alice Osborne) are a group of small, fuzzy, dustball-like creatures who live throughout the apartment. They come in a wide range of bright colors and speak a language called Schmuzzish, which is made up of rhyming sounds and modified English words ("Schmello, Schmuzzies!"). Shane is afraid of them and sees them as pests, while David is good friends with them and is fluent in their language.
• The Voice (voiced by Adam Smillie) is the unseen, all-knowing narrator of the series, who often reminds David and Shane to knock on doors before entering.
• The Action Fingers (performed and voiced by David Collins and Shane Dundas respectively) are the superhero alter egos of Shane and David's hands, who arrive to fix any problems they are called for.
• Fido (vocal effects by Shane Dundas) is Shane's invisible pet fly, who communicates through buzzing noises that Shane translates.

Episode structure

Each episode begins with a cold open 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 gives the Remote to the viewer. The brothers ask the viewer to "press the Play button" to start the episode. Before the episode starts, the viewer commonly presses the wrong button and puts the brothers in a bizarre situation. As soon as the play button is pressed, the theme song begins. This sequence features the Action Fingers jumping over the show's title and credits, and it ends with them opening the apartment door.

The rest of the story always starts in David and Shane's living room. Every episode features their sidekick Puppet and the Schmuzzies, who live with the brothers in their apartment. The goal of each story is for David and Shane 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, and in one of these rooms, they often encounter another puppet (or in the case of the episode "Movies", two), who help them get back on track, mostly stating information about their desired location, or object, as seen in the episode "Mini Golf". The brothers' neighbor Mrs. Foil appears in the different rooms in various costumes, either helping them on their quest or unintentionally causing more trouble.

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 David and Shane 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. During the last moment of the show, they play around in their apartment while the end credits roll.

Episodes

Home media

Despite only having 13 episodes, the series has had a total of eight separate DVD releases. In Australia, the show's episodes were released across six DVD volumes, each containing 2-3 episodes. Each DVD disc was made to look like one of the Schmuzzies. In June 2009, the Umbilical Brothers temporarily sold an exclusive "Complete Series" DVD collection on their website, which combined the previous six volumes onto a two-disc DVD set. The collection was a limited edition, and it was discontinued after it went out of stock. On January 19, 2012, an American DVD featuring all 13 episodes was released as an Amazon exclusive.

Since 2018, the Umbilical Brothers have uploaded the entire series to their public YouTube channel, making every episode available to view for free. In the descriptions of several uploads, David Collins included behind-the-scenes trivia about the episodes. The series was available on the Noggin mobile app from 2015 to 2020, and it was added to Paramount+ in 2021.

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." The Hollywood Reporter called the show "outrageously funny and inventive" and "imaginative to the core," saying that David and Shane "will have young viewers mesmerized. Older viewers also will find a trove of silly antics that are easy to watch and joyful to ponder." 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."

Susan Stewart of The New York Times thought the series was "perfectly calibrated" for children and older viewers. 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." Canadian TV producer Pat Ellingson said "adults will get a kick out of the hosts' comic stylings." Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Evan McEvoy called the series "good enough to steal a few viewers from adult morning TV."

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. The series also received a Parents' Choice Award Silver Honor for Television and a Logie Award in the category Most Outstanding Children's Program.

Notes

1. Nickelodeon Australia produced the pilot episode and provided funding for the main series.
2. Some international channels aired the "Movie Theater" episode before the official American premiere. Nick Jr. UK was the first, airing it on April 10, 2006.

References

1. Stewart, Susan (October 16, 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 (December 27, 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. ^ "Television Schedule, Week of October 09". NickJr.com. October 9, 2006. Archived from the original on October 10, 2006.
5. ^ "The Umbilical Brothers – Speedmouse: The Return Of The Roadie at Royalty Theatre – Adelaide Fringe Interview". The Clothesline. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016.
6. ^ Collins, David (January 30, 2010). "Grab Your Remotes and Click for an Upside Down Movie!". Facebook. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. 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. ^ Low, Lenny Ann (November 21, 2008). "Brothers grin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Next year the Umbies will begin filming their first feature film, The Upside Down Movie, a spin-off from their hit children's television series The Upside Down Show.
8. ^ Collins, David (March 9, 2017). "The Umbilical Brothers on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. 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.
9. Savage, Desiree (June 8, 2017). "Umbilical Brothers' show in Wollongong". Southern Highland News.
10. "The human cartoons". Stuff. January 31, 2009.
11. Collins, David (18 January 2019). The Upside Down Show: 'Camping' Fun Fact. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
12. "Raising a laugh is child's play". The Age. August 24, 2006.
13. ^ "Sesame, Nick go Upside Down". C21 Media. March 17, 2005. New York's Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon Australia and local prodco Blink Films are coproducing a new preschool series, The Upside Down Show.
14. ^ Collins, David (3 September 2019). "The Upside Down Show pilot photos". Facebook.
15. ^ Collins, David (2 September 2019). The Upside Down Show: 'Beach' Fun Fact. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. This is a re-imagining of our pilot episode where we went to the beach. The pilot was a little different, and included the art department making the lounge room upside down, with everything, including the couch stuck to the ceiling.
16. ^ "Noggin Orders 'Upside Down'". TVWeek. December 6, 2005.
17. "The Umbilical Brothers - Home". June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on 19 June 2007.
18. "TV Listings: Friday, October 13, 2006". Newspapers.com. Boston, MA: The Boston Globe. October 8, 2006.
19. "N O G G I N: Shows: The Upside Down Show". August 30, 2006. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006.
20. ^ "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.
21. "The Upside Down Show - Starts August 25th @ 6:35PM on Nick Jr". Nickelodeon Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on August 19, 2006.
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23. ^ "Monday on Nick Jr. TV Schedule". Nick Jr. UK. Viacom International. Archived from the original on April 10, 2006.
24. ^ "What's new in Nick". Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. The Upside Down Show (Series Premiere!) - August 9
25. ^ Stewart, Lianne (September 2006). "Broadband or bust: Canuck nets ramp up non-linznch strategies" (PDF). Kidscreen. p. 104. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 15, 2011.
26. ^ "Boomerang estrenó El mundo al revés de Sesame Workshop". September 3, 2007.
27. "Friday on Nick Jr. TV Schedule". Nick Jr. UK. Viacom International. Archived from the original on January 26, 2007.
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29. "Boomerang presenta El mundo al reves". TV Latina. 2007. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019.
30. "From small screen to big". The Australian. News Corp Australia. August 28, 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05 – via UmbilicalBrothers.com. The award-winning children's TV series The Upside Down Show, starring the Umbilical Brothers, David Collins and Shane Dundas, is being developed into a movie by Blink Films.
31. "The Umbilical Brothers on Facebook". Facebook. September 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 16, 2020. 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.
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33. "Nick Jr. Characters: Puppet". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on August 19, 2006.
34. "Nick Jr. Characters: The Schmuzzies". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006.
35. "The Upside Down Show: Movie Theater". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. First Aired: October 18, 2006
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37. ^ "Nick Jr. The Upside Down Show - Episode Guide". NickJr.com. ViacomCBS. 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
38. "The Upside Down Show: Barbershop". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. First Aired: October 20, 2006
39. "The Upside Down Show: Art Museum". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. First Aired: October 16, 2006
40. "The Upside Down Show: Pet Shop". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. First Aired: October 23, 2006
41. "The Upside Down Show: Camping". Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. First Aired: October 25, 2006
42. "The Upside Down Show: Picnic". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. First Aired: October 27, 2006
43. "The Upside Down Show: Airport". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. First Aired: October 30, 2006
44. "The Upside Down Show: Beach". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. First Aired: November 1, 2006
45. "The Upside Down Show: Marching Band". Zap2it. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. First Aired: November 6, 2006
46. "The Upside Down Show: Birthday Party". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. First Aired: November 8, 2006
47. "The Upside Down Show: Ice Cream Truck". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 25, 2013. First Aired: November 10, 2006
48. ^ Collins, David. "Much News - The Umbilical Brothers". Facebook. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020.
49. "The Upside Down Show Season 1 DVD". Nickelodeon. Amazon. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012.
50. ^ "The Umbilical Brothers - The Upside Down Show Playlist". YouTube. November 2018.
51. "The Upside Down Show". Paramount+. October 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
52. Wiseman, Larisa (2006). "The Upside Down Show TV Review". Common Sense Media. Jim Steyer.
53. Moss, Marilyn (October 16, 2006). "The Upside Down Show: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 29, 2006.
54. Lloyd, Robert (October 18, 2006). "Not only good, but good for you". Los Angeles Times.
55. Stewart, Susan (October 16, 2006). "Press Play to Control the Grown-Ups". The New York Times.
56. Clarke, Eileen (October 12, 2006). "A show that goes Upside Down? Whoa..." Entertainment Weekly.
57. McEvoy, Evan (October 17, 2007). "The Upside Down Show". The Sydney Morning Herald.
58. "Complete list of 2007 Creative Craft Daytime Emmy Award winners". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009.
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60. "49th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (2007)". TV Week. May 6, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
61. "Noggin's Aussie show puts kids in control". C21 Media. December 7, 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 Noggin.com (archive)
• The Upside Down Show at IMDb

• 2006 American television series debuts
• 2006 Australian television series debuts
• 2006 American television series endings
• 2007 Australian television series endings
• 2000s American children's comedy television series
• American English-language television shows
• American preschool education television series
• American television shows featuring puppetry
• Australian children's television series
• Australian English-language television shows
• Australian preschool education television series
• Australian television shows featuring puppetry
• Nick Jr. original programming
• Noggin (brand) original programming
• Television series about brothers
• Television series by Sesame Workshop
• 2000s preschool education television series