Swap Shop is an Australian children's television series that screened on the ABC from 1988.[2] The show features comedy, stories, animation and has musical guests performing original songs.[3] It debuted on 20 June for an initial 12 episodes.[1] A Christmas episode aired on 23 December[4] and the second season began on 1 May 1988.[5]
| Swap Shop | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's |
| Written by | Russell Taylor |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | James Valentine / Roger Mason |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 56 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Judith Simpson |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 20 June 1988[1] – 1990 |
Synopsis
editAunt Mimi and George run a shop where things are swapped instead of purchased.[6]
Cast
edit- Melissa Jaffer as Aunt Mimi
- Tim McKenzie as George
Episodes
edit- Moo
- Shorts
- Snores
- Drips
- Chopsticks
- Aliens
- Birthday
- Thief
- Tea
- Woof
- Tutu
- Vote
- Mummy
- Christmas
- Star - part 1
- Star - part 2
- Video
- Hiccups
- Ole
- Fire
- Air
- Tents
- Shoes
- Hello
- Flyers
- Sing
- Gift
- Novel
- Break
- Renovation
- Tick Tock
- Yeah
- Flood
- Swim
- Hero
- Clubs
- Nightmare
- Cereal
- Treasure Hunt
Reception
editSian Watkins of the Age said, "The Ideas behind Swap Shop are hardly innovative — Sesame Street has been doing similar things for years — but nevertheless it's light and fun a hint of something comic."[7] Judith Whelan from the Sydney Morning Herald, commenting on tangents from the main story lines, wrote, "It is these extra bits that make the series work."[4] Commenting on the first episode of the second seaso,n Jim Schembri of the Age notes, "Most of this episode is congenial but disposable and a bit too down beat."[5]
Soundtrack
editAn EP (1988) and a record (1989), both titled Swap Shop, were released featuring songs from the show.[6][8]
References
edit- ^ a b Oliver, Robin (20 June 1988), "What's new?", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Swap Shop - ABC 1990 - Pilot "Moo". YouTube. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021.
- ^ Camm, Mark (13 June 1988), "Time to switch to Swap", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ a b Whelan, Judith (19 December 1988), "Top-quality fare from ABC, SBS", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ a b Schembri, Jim (27 April 1989), "One for a rainy day", The Age
- ^ a b Camm, Mark (25 July 1988), "A swap shop without junk", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Watkins, Sian (16 June 1988), "Welcome hint of slapdash", The Age
- ^ "Swap Shop music fun", The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 June 1989