Wed, Feb 24, 1999
Kevin is a friendly little crocodile who likes to play with his friends Doris the Duck and Toby the Turtle. Victor on the other hand is a big, nasty crocodile. He lures Kevin away from his friends and promises to teach him a few real crocodile tricks such as grinning maliciously, looking mean and tail slamming. Little Kevin is keen to learn, but the harder he tries to be mean and nasty the more he fails. Doris and Toby fall over laughing when Kevin demonstrates his 'mean grin'. After three failed attempts Victor decides it's time for a demonstration. He catches Toby's tail in his snappy teeth. Kevin has to decide who his real friends are now. He rescues Toby and concludes it's better to be a nice crocodile.
Mon, Mar 1, 1999
Joey's dad is a champion bouncer. But when the time comes for the little kangaroos to leave their mums' pouches it becomes clear that Joey can't jump! He just falls flat on the ground whenever he tries. Jimmy and the triplets make fun of him. In the middle of the night Joey wanders to a billabong feeling sad and lonely. Suddenly Rolf the Frog jumps from the pool. The crazy frog manages to cheer Joey up with his jokes. He offers Joey his magic jumping boots. Joey tries the boots on and . . . yes he can jump! Joey's mum and dad are over the moon. At the Junior Jump Competition, of all the young kangaroos it's Joey who jumps the highest. But Jimmy is jealous. He draws the referee's attention to Joey's boots. Joey's heart sinks when Mr. Platypus declares that he will have to jump without his boots. Rolf encourages Joey whispering 'They're only beginner's boots. You don't need 'em anymore!' And he's right. Joey wins, even without his boots!
Mon, Mar 8, 1999
Snowbert lives all alone on the North Pole. He makes snow sculptures and talks to himself a lot. Sometimes he longs for a friend. One morning while Snowbert is fishing a seal pops up in the ice hole. Sidney the Seal is wary of Snowbert first but soon the two become friends. Every day they meet at the ice hole. They play dominoes together, build snow sculptures and have snowball fights. Snowbert is very happy to have a friend. But then one frosty morning the ice hole has closed. Snowbert searches everywhere for Sidney calling his name in vain. When night falls he returns to his snow house feeling very lonely. It's midwinter. Snowbert sleeps a long, long time. When he finally wakes up it's spring. Snowbert's house is floating in the middle of a large pool. Sidney is swimming in the water together with three of his seal friends. Snowbert is so happy he jumps in the air.
Mon, Mar 15, 1999
Henrietta isn't like the other hippos : She's hairy! The others always laugh at her and this makes her feel very sad so she decides to leave the river and look for a new place to live. First Henrietta tries the desert, but it's too hot for her. Dennis the Dromedary takes her to the jungle. Henrietta likes the sounds and colours of the jungle. But then she gets stuck in the giant web of Lot's O' Legs the spider and has to be rescued by Giggles and Tickles who take her to the Blue Mountain. Henrietta climbs over some huge boulders to the top of the mountain. There she meets the Snip Snip Bird who promises to give her a new hairdo. He starts to groom and cut Henrietta's hair with his claws and beak transforming her into a hippo princess. Henrietta thanks the Snip Snip Bird before returning to the river. The other hippos are very impressed with Henrietta's hairdo. They want to know all about her adventures, but when Henrietta shakes herself dry after crossing the river her princess hairdo is ruined. There's an awkward silence. 'Come on Henrietta tell us the rest of your story', says a little hippo. Henrietta takes a breath and continues her tale.
Mon, Mar 22, 1999
Giggles and Tickles love to play tricks on the other animals. First they tell Raymond the Crocodile that there's a pretty crocodilla in the river. Raymond starts to chat up a painted log. Then they slip a coconut into Audrey 's nest. Audrey is a bit surprised at the sight of this hairy egg but she tries to hatch it anyway. Next they tease Zed the Zebra. Finally the monkeys move on to their 'waiting around the rock trick.' They soon have lots of animals waiting for a surprise behind a rock. After a few hours the animals get impatient. Nelson asks where the surprise is. The monkeys laugh hysterically. 'The surprise is... We've been playing a trick on you!' The animals don't think it's funny though and they decide to send Harry the Hyena to teach the monkeys a lesson. When Harry meets Giggles and Tickles he can't stop laughing. Giggles and Tickles are perplexed. They haven't played any tricks so what could be so funny? Or could it be that they've lost their laugh? The monkeys go in search of their lost laugh. They look everywhere. When they look behind the rock they are confronted by the other animals. 'You haven't lost your laugh, silly monkeys. Harry is laughing because he's a laughing hyena!' Feeling relieved Giggles and Tickles start to chuckle and soon all the animals join in uproarious laughter.
Mon, Mar 29, 1999
Zed knows he is the fastest animal in Africa. After all he's the only one with 'go faster' stripes! When the other animals challenge him to take part in an obstacle course he is confident he will win. Zed, Nelson, Nathalie, Herbert, Ronald and Georgina line up for the race. The Snip Snip Bird gives the start signal. Then he flies up in the air to comment on the race. Zed has taken the lead, but after little while he has to stop in front of a dense forest. Nelson the Elephant bulldozes the forest flattening all the trees. The second obstacle is a river. The animals struggle trying to cross the river swimming. Nathalie the Antelope on the other hand jumps over the river with one elegant leap. But it doesn't take Zed long to recapture the lead. A bit further he gets lost in the 'High Grasses'. Only Georgina the Giraffe is tall enough to be able to look out over the grass. Now the terrain becomes rocky. Here Ronald the Rhino is in his element. He barges into the rocks breaking them in many pieces. The next obstacle is the Blue Mountain. The animals patiently wait for Ronald to break it to pieces, but this rock is a bit too big for him. Herbert the Warthog starts to dig a tunnel through the mountain. The others follow. Zed takes the lead once more. He's so confident he pauses to admire the reflection of his 'go faster' stripes in a water hole. It takes just a split second: All the others overtake Zed finishing joint first in a photo finish. Zed has learnt a lesson!
Mon, Apr 5, 1999
Jazz the Jaguar, Leopoldo the Llama and Dudley the Sloth are playing football. Adam wants to play too but the others say he's too small, so he just sits on the side and watches the game. Jazz and Leopoldo juggle with the water melon like top class South American footballers. Dudley is hanging down from a makeshift goal. He only moves his paws but never misses a ball. But then the watermelon is shattered when it lands on a cactus. Jazz has an idea. He turns to Adam. 'You wanted to play football didn't you? Well now you can. You can be the ball'. This wasn't quite what Adam had in mind. He curls himself up into a ball and the match continues. Poor Adam is kicked all over the field. He rolls into a puddle and catches a cold. Then Leopoldo kicks him in a cave. Jazz, Leopoldo and Dudley approach the entrance of the cave. A terrible roar resounds from the cave. Could it be a monster? They will have to rescue Adam. But the trio isn't as brave as they would like to be. With shaking knees they enter the dark cave. They find Adam sitting in a pool of light. Again they hear a terrible roar. Jazz, Leopoldo and Dudley jump up terrified, but Adam just laughs. 'That's not a monster', he says. 'That's just me!' The others laugh sheepishly when they realise the noise they heard was just the echo of Adam's sneeze. Afterwards they all play football together.
Mon, Apr 12, 1999
Georgina is a multi-talented Giraffe. She performs for the other animals: singing, dancing, doing all sorts of acrobatic tricks with her long neck. But when she sings ' I'm so clever, I'm the best, I'm much better than the rest, LALALA!' she not only manages to get a knot in her neck but she also receives very little sympathy from the other animals. Only Molly the Hippo feels sorry for her. After a few unsuccessful attempts to untie the knot Giggles and Tickles take Georgina to their Uncle Gordon who is a knot doctor. Various animals with various knots are queuing in front of the Gorilla's cave. After a long wait it's Georgina's turn to enter the dark cave. Gordon Gorilla examines Georgina's neck closely and consults his knot-book. 'You will have to sing the song backwards', he concludes. So Georgina sings LALALA backwards (ALALAL) and as she moves her head in a reversed sequence, the knot magically unties itself.
Mon, Apr 19, 1999
All the animals in the Savannah are bored, especially Herbert. Out of frustration the warthog kicks a small rock. It makes a pleasing sound. Herbert tries to tap different sized rocks slowly building up a rhythmical pattern. Music has been invented! Zed the Zebra joins in shaking two gourds. Aardvark uses his long snout as a trumpet. The musical trio ask Reginald the Lion if he wants to join in too, but Reginald is not interested. He wants to be left alone while he is doing a nap. Herbert, Zed and Aardvark move a bit further away and resume their practice session. However, Reginald can still hear them and gets very annoyed. The animals move further and further away, until they reach the Old Volcano. The next day a concert is planned in the crater of the volcano. Animals have come from far and wide. When the band starts playing, a row of weaver birds flying over the volcano pick up the catchy tune. They are still whistling the tune when they pass near Reginald. Now the lion is really cross! He marches to the volcano and roars in protest: 'RRRROAAARR!!!'. But instead of frightening the animals, Reginald's roar has the opposite effect: It seems to fit in perfectly with the music. The audience goes wild for Reginald. Now the lion has no choice but to join in. The concert a great success!
Mon, Apr 26, 1999
Pauline isn't having much luck catching fish in the lake. The fishes are just too clever and slippery. Then she spots a stork who has left his catch unguarded. Pauline takes the fish and hides it in her bill. 'I'll eat this now and catch another fish for stork later.' Pauline flies away with the fish in her bill. A little later she spots Herbert the Warthog who is having a bite of a big juicy water melon. Pauline distracts Herbert and takes off with the watermelon. Later still she spots Reginald the Lion who's holding a chunky piece of meat. Pauline grabs it too. Her bill which is now stretched to full capacity. She runs and runs but she can't take off because of the weight. She has to walk to her nest. Later Pauline is settling down on her nest ready to enjoy her meal. She has laid the food out carefully and is pondering what to have first. Suddenly a deputation of animals arrive. Pauline quickly hides everything back in her bill. Stork, Reginald the Lion and Herbert the warthog warn Pauline to be on her guard. . . It seems somebody's been taking things without asking! After the animals have gone Pauline feels really guilty. She realises she must return the food. One by one she returns the meals. The next morning Stork, Reginald and Herbert arrive near Pauline's nest carrying an enormous birthday cake topped with fishes. Now Pauline won't go hungry after all.
Mon, May 3, 1999
Once every seven years in the savannah the Juicy Fruit Tree bears fruit. The single fruit is legendary amongst the animals for its bigness and nobbliness and deliciousness. Unfortunately the favourite foodie treat of every animal is only ripe for one day, so when a flower appears on the tree word travels fast! All the animals get really excited. One morning the animals awaken to the most wonderful smell. As they wonder what it is, TOBY the TORTOISE reminds them that it's the one day of the year when they can gather the delicious fruit. Each of the animals races off in a state of excitement to be the first to harvest the fruit. Poor TOBY is so slow that he can't keep up. When the animals arrive they realise that the Juicy Fruit is almost impossible to harvest because the tree is ridiculously tall with an incredibly smooth, straight trunk! AUDREY the OSTRICH reminds everyone that they only have one day: When the sun sets the Juicy Fruit will drop down from the tree!Each of the animals tries in turn to get to the top of the tree where the fruit is hanging tantalisingly out of reach. As sunset approaches, TOBY finally arrives and takes matters into his own hands. He climbs up GEORGINA's long neck, reaches out, and plucks the fruit. The animals are delighted, but in the excitement TOBY drops the fruit. It falls, and as it falls, each animal in the chain makes an unsuccessful attempt to catch it. Just when it seems the fruit will be lost, NELSON flicks out his trunk and flips the fruit up into the air. TOBY slides down the tree and catches it, rugby style. TOBY is everyone's hero.
Mon, May 10, 1999
NELSON the ELEPHANT is frustrated with doing elephanty things. One day, when he observes a little weaverbird, he decides he wants to be a bird too and learn to fly! He sets about his self-imposed task with extreme dedication and seriousness. Unfortunately, flapping his ears and jumping doesn't work. Sometime later as Nelson walks through the savannah in a sulk he bumps into a Helicopter tree dislodging a whirling Helicopter tree seed which gives Nelson a brainwave.The recently inspired NELSON builds a flying rotor made from three banana leaves and attaches it to a harness on his back. He asks NATHALIE the ANTELOPE to turn the leaves to wind up the rotor and yes: It works! He manages to hover a foot above the ground and flutter round the savannah looking smug. Using his ears to steer, NELSON sets off on his maiden flight. For a while all the animals are pleased for NELSON... but then he makes a great big nest in the Baobab tree and tries to hatch five watermelons... with disastrous results. Feeling sad and dejected, NELSON heads back to the baobob tree and sits in his nest sulking. Now the other animals feel sorry for NELSON. The SNIP SNIP BIRD says the animals need a big strong elephant to pull away a log that has rolled in front of the snakes' burrow. NELSON gladly obliges. Then NATHALIE the ANTELOPE's flower garden needs watering. NELSON is happy again because he feels important and announces his retirement as a bird. He has broken the world elephant flying record and that's enough. The sky is for birds!
Mon, May 17, 1999
A thunder and rain storm sweeps across the plains one night. The animals take shelter beneath rocky outcrops, amid the long grasses, in the trees, and watch with the storm. Toby the Tortoise is absolutely petrified. One especially loud crack explodes right overhead. He ducks inside his shell, shuddering with fear and vowing never to come out of it again.The next morning Doris the Duck and Kevin the Crocodile call on Toby but he doesn't respond to them. They wonder at his silent and still shell. Audrey sends the other animals away then she asks Toby if the reason why he won't come out is because he's frightened. Amazed by her perceptiveness, he peers out at her and admits he's afraid of thunder. She says it scares her too, and when it gets really loud she buries her head in the sand; as long as she can't hear it, it doesn't bother her. Then she has an idea, she gives Toby ear-muffs made out of peanut shells - which draws him out of his shell. Just then a dark cloud appears and Toby suggests to Audrey that she put on some ear-muffs. Audrey puts on some of ear-muffs and settles down next to Toby. We see the animals running for cover beneath Nelson. When they run past Toby and Audrey they are surprised to see them looking happy and relaxed. Audrey hands them all sets of ear-muffs and they all watch the show together, sitting under Nelson's legs to shelter from the rain. Nelson hold a tiny leaf with his trunk over his head to keep the rain off.