Croco and his ridiculous wife Suka are wonderfully funny, crooked characters with great potential. Croc, an Aussie Homer Simpson with his TV dinner and beer, is poor and powerless in this first episode. Suka is the housewife with big dreams.

This clip highlights the beautiful and distinctive background design for the series, created by animation background designer Richard Zaloudek. The fact that everyone in Greenpatch has a black-and-white TV is a quirky creative touch that adds to the look of series. The contrast between the coloured characters and the black-and-white TV is gorgeous.

Trouble in Bushtown synopsis

Skippy the kangaroo is a capable, trustworthy, ‘copter flying park ranger who is the unofficial leader and resident good guy in idyllic Bushtown. In this, the first episode of the series, the aging Mayor is finally retiring and Skippy is appointed election officer to ensure the new Mayor is elected fairly. It is a hotly contested election between a field of unimpressive candidates. Skippy discovers that the greedy Croco is working a scam. In the confusion the unthinkable happens, and lazy, dishonest Croco accidentally becomes Mayor. This is beyond Croco’s wildest dreams and life in Bushtown will never be the same.

Curator's notes

The character of Skippy uses the same name as the famous Australian live-action TV drama series, but otherwise this Yoram Gross series is totally different. In this animated series, Skippy has become the hero rather than the sidekick.

Following on from the successful The Adventures of Blinky Bill series (1992), this was the second major Yoram Gross children’s TV animation series. The creative look of this 2D animation is signature Yoram Gross with flat, bright, clean-lined characters laid over muted pencil-drawn backgrounds.

Trouble in Bushtown establishes the series story arc of Croco accidentally becoming the resident shonky villain in Bushtown. The voices for the entire cast in this 26-part series were created by three multi-talented voice actors. Robyn Moore (who also voiced Blinky Bill, all five Dot movies, Tabaluga, [1997] and Flipper and Lopaka [1999]) does all the female voices ranging from the sensible Matilda to the raucous Suka. Keith Scott (Blinky Bill, Tabaluga, Staines down Drains [2005], The Fairytale Police [2002], Flipper and Lopaka) and Jamie Oxenbould (Tabaluga, Flipper and Lopaka) do all the male voices between them. Jamie Oxenbould is the voice of Skippy.

Series 1 of Skippy Adventures in Bushtown was first broadcast on the Seven Network in 1999.

Notes by Annemaree O'Brien