Dot and the Kangaroo: children's fun pack

With simple animation combined with live action backgrounds of the Australian bush, Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) was the second animated feature film to be made in Australia. This fun pack from 1977 was an offshoot of the film designed to keep children entertained, with a colouring and activity book to help them while away the hours. The expansion of Dot and the Kangaroo into merchandising reflects the film's popularity. Also included in the pack are a play pad, pocket puzzles and wax crayons. 

It's refreshing that Dot and the Kangaroo became such a cultural phenomenon in Australia because it had a female protagonist. The film is about a kind kangaroo who helps a lost girl find her way home. Created by Polish-born Yoram Gross, it is based on Ethel C Pedley’s 1899 book, which is thought to be influenced by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Gross is the same artist who gave Blinky Bill his cinematic debut in 1992. Dot and the Kangaroo's global popularity sparked the Dot film franchise with eight subsequent films – including Dot Goes to Hollywood (1987) and Dot in Space (1994) – released between 1981 and 1994.

British comedian Spike Milligan, co-creator of The Goon Show and sometime Monty Python collaborator, voiced the eccentric character Mr Platypus.