Skippy board game

This Skippy board game box is pure late 1960s Australiana – colourful and full of charm. Produced by John Sands, it features cheerful illustrations of the iconic bush kangaroo and her human sidekick Sonny (Garry Pankhurst). Like many branded products that followed the show’s runaway success in Australia and abroad, the game rode the wave of Skippy fever.

This isn’t a mint-condition collector’s item – it’s been lovingly personalised. A former owner has coloured in the spaces between some letters, a sweet reminder of how kids can make their toys truly their own. The game itself was simple: players raced from the old bush road to Ranger Headquarters, perfect for younger fans. Still, it couldn’t quite capture the spirit of the show – the drama, the adventure, the kangaroo-powered rescues and escapes.

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was Australia’s first global TV star. Premiering in 1967, the show was broadcast in 128 countries and dubbed into 25 languages. Several kangaroos played the title role, but the most famous was four-year-old Josephine. This box may be faded, but it’s a bright reminder of a time when a kangaroo captured the world’s imagination.