Buzzy Bee

Last updated
A children's ride in the shape of a Buzzy Bee in Warkworth Buzzybeeride.JPG
A children's ride in the shape of a Buzzy Bee in Warkworth
A Buzzy Bee-themed float in the Waiuku Christmas parade (2012) Waiuku Christmas Parade (2012).jpg
A Buzzy Bee-themed float in the Waiuku Christmas parade (2012)

The Buzzy Bee is a popular toy in New Zealand. It resembles a bee with rotating wings that move and make a clicking noise while the toy is pulled along the ground. Possibly based on another earlier concept, [1] it was designed and first produced in Newton, Auckland in the 1930s, by Maurice Schlesinger. [2] [3] It became popular during the post-war baby boom. Its bright colours and clicking sound call are familiar to many New Zealanders, making it one of the most well-recognised items of Kiwiana. Since this time however, the Buzzy Bee has branched out into various merchandise including books, puzzle and clothing.

Contents

Promotion

It received a good deal of free promotion with the visit of The Prince and Princess of Wales in 1983 with their infant son, Prince William of Wales, who played with a Buzzy Bee.[ citation needed ]

As an iconic New Zealand symbol, the Buzzy Bee caricature was used on the keel of NZL84, one of Emirates Team New Zealand's entrant yachts for the America's Cup held in Valencia, Spain, in 2007.[ citation needed ]

Adaptations

In June 2007, plans were unveiled for a Buzzy Bee stage show "Buzzy Bee's Big Day Out". The company behind the show also revealed that they had made an animated show reel and were finalising details of a distribution deal, and that they hoped to begin work on an animated series for television. [4]

An animated TV show, Buzzy Bee and Friends, premiered on TV2 in 2009. [5] 52 episodes were produced. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Gumby</i> 1957 American clay animation franchise

Gumby is a cartoon character and associated media franchise created by Art Clokey. Gumby is a blocky green humanoid made of clay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabbage Patch Kids</span> American doll brand

Cabbage Patch Kids are a line of cloth dolls with plastic heads first produced by Coleco Industries in 1982. They were inspired by the Little People soft sculptured dolls sold by Xavier Roberts as collectibles. The brand was renamed 'Cabbage Patch Kids' by Roger L. Schlaifer when he acquired the exclusive worldwide licensing rights in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy T. James</span> New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor

William James Te Wehi Taitoko, better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and was a household name during his lifetime.

<i>Shortland Street</i> New Zealand television soap opera

Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 7,900 episodes and 32 years. It is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.

Chris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist and movie reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate. The Tall Dwarfs were noted for their unpolished sound and intense live shows. His 4-track machine was used to record most of the early Flying Nun singles.

Three, stylised as +HR=E, is a New Zealand nationwide television channel. Launched on 26 November 1989 as TV3, it was New Zealand's first privately owned television channel. The channel currently broadcasts nationally in digital free-to-air form via the state-owned Kordia on terrestrial and satellite. Vodafone also carries the channel for their cable subscribers in Wellington and Christchurch. It previously broadcast nationally on analogue television until that was switched off on 1 December 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rove McManus</span> Australian comedian and television host

John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian triple Gold Logie award-winning comedian, television and radio presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the eponymous variety show Rove and was also the host of the comedy talk show Rove LA. He is the co-owner of the production company Roving Enterprises with business partner Craig Campbell. He hosts Whovians on the ABC.

<i>broTown</i> New Zealand adult animated series and sitcom

bro'Town is a New Zealand adult animated comedy television series and sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. It starred David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi and Oscar Kightley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Open (TV channel)</span> New Zealand free-to-air television network

Sky Open is a New Zealand free-to-air television network. It airs a varied mix of programming, largely imported from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

<i>Herman and Katnip</i> Famous Studios theatrical cartoon characters

Herman and Katnip is a series of theatrical cartoons featuring Herman the Mouse and Katnip the Cat, produced by Famous Studios in the 1940s and 1950s. Arnold Stang and Allen Swift were the regular voices of Herman, while Sid Raymond was the regular actor for Katnip, although one or both of the characters would occasionally be voiced by Jackson Beck and Jack Mercer, respectively.

<i>Madeline</i> Childrens media franchise

Madeline is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature film. As a closing line, the adaptations invoke a famous phrase Ethel Barrymore used to rebuff curtain calls, "That's all there is, there isn't any more". The stories take place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris. The teacher, named Miss Clavel, is strict but loves the children, cares for them, and is open to their ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbow Entertainment</span> Defunct American production company

Sunbow Entertainment was an American animation studio and distributor, founded on June 23, 1980, and owned until May 4, 1998, by Griffin-Bacal Advertising in New York City and in the United States. Griffin-Bacal's first animations were animated commercials for Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line. The success of the animated commercials led partners Tom Griffin and Joe Bacal to form the company. Due to their close working relationship with Hasbro, Sunbow came to be recognized as the toy giant's unofficial television arm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pacific Pictures</span> New Zealand television production company

South Pacific Pictures is a New Zealand television production company. The company produces drama series, mini-series, telemovies and feature films for the domestic market and international market. SPP's largest property is Shortland Street the half-hour soap opera for TVNZ 2. In 2006, the company released Sione's Wedding and in 2002, the Oscar-nominated feature film Whale Rider. In 1998 the company produced the feature film, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were Warriors.

Leigh Hart is a New Zealand comedian, radio announcer and performance artist who is also known as "That Guy". He has made various appearances on New Zealand television, including SportsCafe and his own show, Moon TV.

<i>The Fairies</i> (TV series) 1998 Australian TV series or program

The Fairies is an Australian preschool live-action children's television series created by Jenifer 'Jen' Watts and is based on two fairies: Harmony and Rainbow Rhapsody. They also have friends, including Elf the Fairy Cake Maker, Barnaby the Bizzy Buzzy Bee and Wizzy the Wizard. Each episode of the third TV series would contain songs and dance routines. Originally it was a direct-to-video film series released by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Australia in 1998 and ABC Video in 2000, before becoming a TV series in 2005. ABC for Kids released the TV series on DVD in 2005–09, with merchandise releasing in Australia and America throughout the program's run and tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strawberry Shortcake</span> Cartoon character

Strawberry Shortcake is a cartoon character used in greeting cards published by American Greetings. Strawberry Shortcake's character was originally conceived as a mascot for a line of fruit-flavored candy before officially evolving into the beloved character today. The line was later expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products featuring the character, as well as an extended cast of friends and pets. In addition, the franchise has spawned television specials, animated television series and films. The franchise is currently owned by the Canadian children's television company WildBrain through the holding company Shortcake IP Holdings LLC.

<i>Sooty</i> British puppet media franchise

Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in The Sooty Show in 1955. The main character, Sooty, is a mute yellow bear with black ears and nose, who is kind-hearted but also cheeky. Sooty performs magic tricks and practical jokes, and squirts his handler and other people with his water pistol. The franchise itself also includes several other puppet characters who were created for television, as well as an animated series, two spin-off series for the direct-to-video market, and a selection of toy merchandising.

<i>Zigby</i> 2009 multi-national TV series or program

Zigby the zebra is an anthropomorphic children's fictional character created by Scottish-born English author Brian Paterson. Zigby appears in a series of picture books and board books as well as in a 3D-animated television adaptation. It aired on Treehouse TV from 2009 to 2011 in Canada and it was previously aired on CBeebies in the UK from 2009 to 2014.

Warwick Henderson, is a New Zealand gallerist, art collector, art fair pioneer and author of "Behind the Canvas – An Insider's Guide to the New Zealand Art Market" and "The Fascinating History of Toys and Games around The World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Brown (author)</span> New Zealand author

Justin Brown, also known as Justin Christopher, is a New Zealand best-selling author, television producer, music writer, podcast host and former radio presenter. He is best known for his works in non-fiction, humour, travel and children's fiction.

References

  1. "Nasty sting in the tale of 'our' Buzzy Bee icon". The New Zealand Herald . 8 July 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. Williams, Tony (2007). 101 Incredible Kiwis: How New Zealanders Lead the World. Auckland: Reed Publishing.
  3. "The History of Buzzy Bee". Buzzy Bee & friends. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. Joanna Hunkin (2007-05-22). "Multi-million dollar Buzzy Bee stage show to hit the road". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  5. "TV Show". Buzzy Bee and friends. Lion Rock Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 66. ISBN   9781476672939.