The Upside Down Show
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Upside Down Show'' is a
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...
produced by Blink Films and
Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization and Television station, television company that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's ...
. 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 A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...
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 Nick or Nickelodeon is an Australian and New Zealand children's pay television channel owned by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. It is based on the Nickelodeon, namesake American television channel. Since 1 December 2010 the Australian and N ...
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 he censorsfor." In an interview with ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'', 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 A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
was made from December 2004 to March 2005. The pilot never aired on television, but it was screened at
MIPTV Media Market MIPTV () is an event which takes place annually in Cannes, France, using the facilities and infrastructure which the town has developed over the years to host other important events such as the Cannes Film Festival amongst other events. It is e ...
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 The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'', 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 A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...
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 ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
'' 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 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' 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 A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, ...
. Collins also confirmed that
Nickelodeon Australia Nick or Nickelodeon is an Australian and New Zealand children's pay television channel owned by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. It is based on the Nickelodeon, namesake American television channel. Since 1 December 2010 the Australian and N ...
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 A cold open (also called a teaser sequence) is a narrative technique used in television and films. It is the practice of jumping directly into a story at the beginning of the show before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. In North ...
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 The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
featuring all 13 episodes was released as an
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
exclusive. Since 2018, the Umbilical Brothers have uploaded the entire series to their public
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
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+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
in 2021.


Reception


Critical reception

The series was critically acclaimed for its humor and broad appeal. Larisa Wiseman of
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
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 ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' 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 The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' thought the series was "perfectly calibrated" for children and older viewers. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''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 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'', 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 The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
Silver Honor for Television and a
Logie Award The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Television in Australia, Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The eve ...
in the category Most Outstanding Children's Program.


Notes


References


External links


''The Upside Down Show'' on Noggin.com
(archive) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Upside Down Show, The 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