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| ShortSummary = After visiting the Very Hairy Room, Shane grows a head full of hair and is afraid to get a haircut. David and Puppet give Shane an imaginary haircut, but he needs a real one at a barbershop. They look for one and find the ''Very'' Very Hairy Room, which just makes Shane's hair longer. Next, they find hairbrushes growing like plants in the Hairbrush Room and being used as microphones in the Concert Room, but they do not find anything to cut hair with. Shane's hair grows so long that the Schmuzzies move into it, which makes him rush to find the barbershop. He does, and Mrs. Foil acts as the barber, bringing Shane back to his old bald self. | ShortSummary = After visiting the Very Hairy Room, Shane grows a head full of hair and is afraid to get a haircut. David and Puppet give Shane an imaginary haircut, but he needs a real one at a barbershop. They look for one and find the ''Very'' Very Hairy Room, which just makes Shane's hair longer. Next, they find hairbrushes growing like plants in the Hairbrush Room and being used as microphones in the Concert Room, but they do not find anything to cut hair with. Shane's hair grows so long that the Schmuzzies move into it, which makes him rush to find the barbershop. He does, and Mrs. Foil acts as the barber, bringing Shane back to his old bald self.Opening Activity: David uses the remote on Shane.
Wrong Turns: Very, Very Hairy Room, Hairbrush Room, Rock Concert Room
Instant Replay: To replay the girl (Jade) combing her hair.
Souvenir: Stickers
Vocabulary: Apprehensive (nervous), ditty (a very short simple song), stalling (delaying)
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
Trivia
Bob, David's blanket, debuts in this episode.
| LineColor = 9dde28 | LineColor = 9dde28
}} }}

Revision as of 23:12, 19 August 2020

The Upside Down Show
Genre
Created by
Directed by
  • Peter Cudlipp
  • Julie Money
Starring
Voices of
  • Emma de Vries
  • Virginia Goodfellow
  • Mat McCoy
  • Alice Osborne
  • Adam Smillie
ComposerDavid Chapman
Country of origin
  • Australia
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael Bourchier
  • Kurt Mueller
ProducerWendy Gray
CinematographyIan Jones
EditorSimon Martin
Camera setupBoth single-camera and multi-camera
Running time24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release16 October 2006 (2006-10-16) –
2 February 2007 (2007-02-02)

The Upside Down Show is a children's television series produced by Sesame Workshop, Noggin LLC, and Nickelodeon. 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 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 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; 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. Nickelodeon Australia provided funding for the movie's script development, 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.

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. 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 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"—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."

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 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 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. Shane and David also wore different costumes: simple T-shirts with swirl designs on them. In April 2005, the pilot episode was screened at MIPTV Media Market, but it was never aired on television.

The pilot was successful, and Noggin ordered a full season of 13 episodes in 2005. They aired in fall 2006. 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 it. 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 Upside Down Show after a single season. Unlike Nickelodeon USA, the Australian branch of Nickelodeon was strongly committed to the series and wanted to continue it.

Broadcast

In the United States, the series was first shown on the main Nickelodeon channel as a "sneak peek" on 13 October 2006. 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. Noggin aired the episodes slightly out of order; it showed "Art Museum" and "Farm" (episodes 3 and 11) 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 25 August 2006 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." 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. 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

David, Shane, the Schmuzzies, Mrs. Foil, and Puppet are featured in every episode. Some of the other characters (the Action Fingers, Fido, Spot, and Bob) are imaginary figures or objects personified by David and Shane.

  • 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. 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. 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 accent.
  • The Schmuzzies – 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 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 them to knock before entering a room. The Voice sometimes asks for specific types of knocks before letting the boys into 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. He likes to make sarcastic comments, especially toward Shane. Bob appears in "Barbershop" and "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.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
Pilot"Pilot"TBDTBDApril 2005 (2005-04) (MIPTV screening)
Unaired (TV)		None
Nickelodeon commissioned an unaired pilot episode of the show, which started production in December 2004 and was screened at MIPTV Media Market in April 2005. The pilot episode followed David and Shane searching for the beach, with early versions of the Schmuzzies, Mrs. Foil, and Puppet (who was named "Stretch" at the time). The storyline of the pilot was eventually rewritten and adapted for the episode "Beach," but no footage from the pilot was used.
1"Movie Theater"Julie MoneyJoseph Mazzarino25 August 2006 (2006-08-25) (Nick Australia)
18 October 2006 (2006-10-18) (Noggin)		101

Puppet directs a movie starring David and Shane as spacemen, pirates, and cowboys. While Puppet prepares for the movie's premiere, David and Shane try to find the movie theater. First, they find Mrs. Foil's laundry room, where they mistake spinning laundry for their film. There, the Action Fingers help two socks reunite with each other. Next, David and Shane find a dance studio, where they see themselves in a mirror and believe it is their film. On their way to another room, the brothers are stopped by the Schmuzzies, who play a rhyming game with them before letting them to the next room. The room turns out to be a white void with a single chair, which they mistake for a theater seat. In the end, the brothers discover a door with their faces on it. It turns out to be a poster for their movie, revealing the theater.Opening Activity: Shane polishes an imaginary item called a "Snooglenook." Wrong Turns: Laundry Room, Dance Studio, Chair Room Instant Replay: Used twice: first to show Mrs. Foil that the Action Fingers messed up her laundry, instead of Shane and David, and then to show a girl's dance moves. Souvenir: A camera Vocabulary: Stupendous (really great) 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 at the end) Trivia A part at the end of this episode is a reference to King Kong, where Shane is pretending to be King Kong and David is flying a plane. This was the first episode made for the main series (and the second overall, after the pilot). It is also listed as the first episode on the show's Amazon and DVD releases.

Despite this, Noggin aired two other episodes before it: Art Museum and Farm. Those two episodes premiered on October 16, 2006, and Movie Theatre aired two days later on October 18, 2006
2"Barbershop"Julie MoneyJudy Freudberg20 October 2006 (2006-10-20)102

After visiting the Very Hairy Room, Shane grows a head full of hair and is afraid to get a haircut. David and Puppet give Shane an imaginary haircut, but he needs a real one at a barbershop. They look for one and find the Very Very Hairy Room, which just makes Shane's hair longer. Next, they find hairbrushes growing like plants in the Hairbrush Room and being used as microphones in the Concert Room, but they do not find anything to cut hair with. Shane's hair grows so long that the Schmuzzies move into it, which makes him rush to find the barbershop. He does, and Mrs. Foil acts as the barber, bringing Shane back to his old bald self.Opening Activity: David uses the remote on Shane. Wrong Turns: Very, Very Hairy Room, Hairbrush Room, Rock Concert Room Instant Replay: To replay the girl (Jade) combing her hair. Souvenir: Stickers Vocabulary: Apprehensive (nervous), ditty (a very short simple song), stalling (delaying) 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 Trivia

Bob, David's blanket, debuts in this episode.
3"Art Museum"Julie MoneyBilly Aronson16 October 2006 (2006-10-16)103
Shane creates an artistic masterpiece and tries to hang it on a door, but Puppet keeps opening it to practice dramatic entrances. Shane tries to put his art on the fridge and even on Mrs. Foil, but he and David decide that it belongs in an art museum instead. They search for it and find the Sticky Room, where everything gets stuck to each other; the Fog Room, where it is too foggy to see Shane's painting; and the Museum of Finger Painting, where a boy shows the brothers how to finger paint. David and Shane eventually open the door to their stuff closet, which leads them to a real art museum. There, Mrs. Foil leads a tour group of Schmuzzies to see Shane's artwork.
4"Pet Shop"Peter CudlippTony Geiss23 October 2006 (2006-10-23)104
David is jealous of Shane's pet fly, Fido, and decides that he wants a pet of his own. Puppet volunteers to play the role of his pet, but David says he thinks of Puppet more as a friend. David and Shane search for a pet shop in the Puppy Room, but there are no puppies to adopt. They later ask a parrot for directions in the Parrot Room, but the parrot just repeats whatever they say. The Schmuzzies make some rhyming suggestions about which pet David should get (all ending with "-oon"), which ends up opening a door to the Moon. In the end, David finds a pet shop run by Mrs. Foil, and he decides to take Mrs. Foil's chair home as his new pet: Spot the Chair.
5"Camping"Peter CudlippP. Kevin Strader25 October 2006 (2006-10-25)105
After reading a bedtime story to the Schmuzzies and singing a lullaby for Puppet, David and Shane try to go to bed. They discover that their bedrooms have been replaced with a marching band and a stampede of elephants, so they set out to find somewhere else to sleep. First, David and Shane find the Snoring Room, where loud snoring keeps them from sleeping. Next, they find beds in the Wake Up Room, but everything in the room is designed to wake them up. Finally, they enter the Shape Room and mistake two shapes for beds, until a girl explains what the shapes are. In the end, they find Mrs. Foil's campsite, where they sleep in sleeping bags.
6"Picnic"Peter CudlippLuis Santeiro27 October 2006 (2006-10-27)106
Puppet and the brothers take Shane's pet fly, Fido, on his first-ever picnic. The brothers search for a spot to have their picnic and find three places: the Sandwich Room, where they get their picnic food; the No-Room Room, where it is too cramped for a picnic; and the Wind Room, where gusts of wind prevent them from setting up the picnic. David and Shane give up and think they will never have a picnic for Fido. Shane tries to cheer Fido up with a ditty (later joined a reluctant David, Puppet, and the Schmuzzies), but nothing works until Fido's family comes over and leads the group to a perfect picnic spot outside. There, they play picnic games with Mrs. Foil and throw Puppet around like a ball.
7"Airport"Julie MoneyJoseph Mazzarino30 October 2006 (2006-10-30)107
The Schmuzzies tell Puppet that his cousin, Mary Annette, is coming to visit and is waiting at the airport. Puppet needs to rehearse his family's traditional welcome song, so David and Shane offer to pick Mary Annette up. They search for the airport and end up in the Bird Room, which makes them act like birds. They fly away into the Paper Airplane Room, where the Action Fingers help refold Mrs. Foil's paper airplane. Third, David and Shane jump into a dictionary and find a room filled with words, where a girl teaches them "plane" in sign language. After the brothers take part in Puppet's welcome song, Puppet suggests climbing the ceiling to find the airport, which works and brings Mary Annette to the apartment.
8"Beach"Julie MoneyJudy Freudberg1 November 2006 (2006-11-01)108
When David and Shane lose their beach ball, Puppet suggests looking for it at the beach. David and Shane find three rooms with beach-like qualities, but none of them are the beach. The Underwater Room has water but no sand, the Desert Room has sand but no water, and the South Pole is too cold to be a beach. The Schmuzzies try to tell the brothers that they have seen the "schmeach schmall," but by the time David translates for the Schmuzzies, the beach ball is gone. Eventually, David and Shane find a door with water and sand coming out from under it, which leads them to the beach. They reunite with their beach ball, play around in the sand, and accidentally ruin Mrs. Foil's sand castle. Luckily, the Action Fingers rebuild it, and the brothers leave the beach after giving their beach ball to Mrs. Foil as a gift.
9"Marching Band"Julie MoneyBilly Aronson6 November 2006 (2006-11-06)109
David and Shane invent their own imaginary instruments and want to join the local marching band. Puppet wants to join as well: at first, he tries to be a bandleader and leads the Schmuzzies around the apartment, but he later decides he would rather be the bandleader's baton instead. David and Shane find the Funny Music Room, where every object makes a melody, and the Marching Room, where four kids show the brothers how to march. They even find the Sky Room, where they join a singing bird's band, but there is nowhere to march. Eventually, David and Shane follow the sound of an orchestra and find the marching band, where Puppet is the baton and Mrs. Foil plays her tuba full of Schmuzzies.
10"Birthday Party"Julie MoneyP. Kevin Strader8 November 2006 (2006-11-08)110
The Schmuzzies are throwing a "Schmirthday Schmarty" and invite Puppet and Mrs. Foil. Puppet gives invitations to David, Shane, and the viewers as well. With no directions on their invitations, the brothers try to figure out where the party is being held. They search in the No-Fun Room, where Mrs. Foil tells them no celebrations are allowed. They look in the Surprise Room, where there are surprises behind every door but no parties. David and Shane follow a "Happy Birthday" singer to the Opera Room, but it turns out that it is just an opera about a birthday. The brothers return to their apartment, where they discover that the party is for them.
11"Farm"Peter CudlippJoseph Mazzarino16 October 2006 (2006-10-16)111
The apartment residents have a band called the Talking Airheads, which features Shane on guitar; David on drums and a cowbell; the Schmuzzies on the marimba; Fido the Fly on trumpet; and Puppet as the songwriter. The band faces a setback when David's cowbell, attached to an imaginary cow named Clarabelle, disappears. David and Shane try to find the cowbell in the Great Big Bell Room, where Mrs. Foil has a giant bell but no cowbells. They fish for the cowbell in a boat out at sea, where they help Mrs. Foil go "tuba diving" with her tuba, and go for a ride in the Bicycle Room. All the while, Puppet tries to bring Clarabelle to the apartment by playing farm songs, which inspires David and Shane to look for her at Mrs. Foil's farm. They find Clarabelle and bring her back for their big musical performance.
12"Ice Cream Truck"Peter CudlippBilly Aronson10 November 2006 (2006-11-10)112
Puppet teaches David and Shane about ice cream. The brothers decide that they must try some, so they search for the ice cream truck. They find the Frozen Room, where an ice-skating Mrs. Foil has ice cream of her own, and the "This Way" Room, where the ice cream truck is on the wrong side and cannot be reached. They stumble into an ice cream game show hosted by Mrs. Foil, but the brothers lose the game after failing to scoop ice cream the right way. Back at the apartment, the Schmuzzies have gotten entire tubs of ice cream for themselves, and they show David and Shane where Mrs. Foil's ice cream truck is. The brothers have trouble waiting their turn, but they finally get some ice cream from Mrs. Foil.
13"Mini Golf"Peter CudlippJoseph Mazzarino and Josh Weidman13 November 2006 (2006-11-13) (Noggin)
2 February 2007 (2007-02-02) (Nick Australia)		113
David and Shane are baffled when a mysterious orange sphere (a mini golf ball) appears in their living room. At first, they think it is a planet and journey to outer space to return it. An alien explains that planets are much bigger, and the brothers fall back to Earth, accidentally dropping the ball with a pair of playful Schmuzzies. Next, the brothers think the orange thing is an orange fruit, but Mrs. Foil explains how real oranges are very different. David and Shane decide it must be a ball and try to play with it on a basketball court, but it does not bounce. Puppet uses the thing as "Yorick" for a Shakespearean monologue and tells the brothers what it actually is, prompting them to visit the mini golf course, where they play golf with Mrs. Foil.

Home media

Despite only having 13 episodes, the series has had a total of eight separate DVD releases. On 19 January 2012, Nickelodeon released all 13 episodes to DVD as a manufacture on demand Amazon exclusive. 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. The Umbilical Brothers also 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 discontinued in 2015 and has since become unavailable online.

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.

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." 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. Nick Jr. Australia received a Logie Award for The Upside Down Show in the category Most Outstanding Children's Program.

Notes

  1. Nickelodeon Australia produced the pilot episode and provided funding for the main series.

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. ^ Collins, David (2 September 2019). The Upside Down Show: 'Beach' Fun Fact. 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.
  11. ^ "Noggin Orders 'Upside Down'". TVWeek. 6 December 2005.
  12. "The Umbilical Brothers - Home". 19 June 2007. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 19 June 2007 suggested (help)
  13. "TV Listings: Friday, October 13, 2006". Newspapers.com. Boston, MA: The Boston Globe. 8 October 2006.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ "The Upside Down Show - Starts August 25th @ 6:35PM on Nick Jr". Nickelodeon Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.
  16. "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.
  17. "Nick Jr. Characters: Mrs. Foil". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  18. "Nick Jr. Characters: Puppet". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006.
  19. "Nick Jr. Characters: The Schmuzzies". Nick Jr. Australia. ViacomCBS. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006.
  20. "The Upside Down Show: Movie Theater". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. First Aired: October 18, 2006
  21. ^ "The Upside Down Show - Amazon Video". Amazon Video. Amazon. {{cite web}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  22. ^ "Nick Jr. The Upside Down Show - Episode Guide". NickJr.com. ViacomCBS. 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  23. "The Upside Down Show: Barbershop". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. First Aired: October 20, 2006
  24. "The Upside Down Show: Art Museum". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. First Aired: October 16, 2006
  25. "The Upside Down Show: Pet Shop". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. First Aired: October 23, 2006
  26. "The Upside Down Show: Camping". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. First Aired: October 25, 2006
  27. "The Upside Down Show: Picnic". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. First Aired: October 27, 2006
  28. "The Upside Down Show: Airport". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. First Aired: October 30, 2006
  29. "The Upside Down Show: Beach". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. First Aired: November 1, 2006
  30. "The Upside Down Show: Marching Band". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. First Aired: November 6, 2006
  31. "The Upside Down Show: Birthday Party". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. First Aired: November 8, 2006
  32. "The Upside Down Show: Ice Cream Truck". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. First Aired: November 10, 2006
  33. "The Upside Down Show Season 1 DVD". Nickelodeon. Amazon. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012.
  34. ^ "The Umbilical Brothers - The Upside Down Show Playlist". YouTube. November 2018.
  35. Wiseman, Larisa (2006). "The Upside Down Show TV Review". Common Sense Media. Jim Steyer.
  36. Lloyd, Robert (18 October 2006). "Not only good, but good for you".
  37. Stewart, Susan (16 October 2006). "Press Play to Control the Grown-Ups". The New York Times.
  38. Clarke, Eileen (12 October 2006). "A show that goes Upside Down? Whoa..." Entertainment Weekly.
  39. Stewart, Lianne (September 2006). "Broadband or bust: Canuck nets ramp up non-linznch strategies" (PDF). Kidscreen. p. 104.
  40. McEvoy, Evan (17 October 2007). "The Upside Down Show". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  41. "Complete list of 2007 Creative Craft Daytime Emmy Award winners". Los Angeles Times.
  42. "Parents' Choice Awards: Spring 2007 Television". Parents' Choice.
  43. "49th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (2007)". TV Week. 6 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
  44. "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

Noggin original programming
TV channel
Daytime block
The N block
Streaming service
See also
Categories: