Adventures of the Little Koala (1987 - 1988)

     I started these posts to dive into the Saturday morning cartoons that I enjoyed as a kid. This next one is a show that I did enjoy as a kid, just not on Saturday mornings. But whatever. Rules were made to be broken. Slams were made to be Kablama’d. Let’s get into it.

      

The Premise: A little koala named Roobear enjoys several lighthearted adventures with his group of fellow anthropomorphic animal friends. 

     Adventures of the Little Koala was a Japanese cartoon originally known as Koala Boy Kockey. I don’t know why they changed the name. I guess, like with Robotech and Battle of the Planets, making things sound more generic was just how the US did things back in the day. The show was apparently the result of a big koala craze that swept the world in the 80’s and spawned multiple shows about the furry little creatures. Shows like Noozles… this.. this show… okay that’s all of the koala shows that come to mind, but it was a craze, man! I’m talking Moo Deng level excitement! 

     The show aired in 1984 but I didn’t catch it until it made its way to the US in 1987 as part of the Nick Jr. programming block. It might have even been Baby Nate’s first anime! How cute is that? Several of Little Koala’s animators went on to work for Studio Ghibli making such masterpieces as Nausicaä and the one with the big chonky cat things – My Neighbor Totoro! Those things were kind of like koalas. 

     This level of craftmanship in something as “simple” as a television show for young children is what I love most about Adventures of the Little Koala, as well as several animated programs from the same era. I tuned in for the fun colors and silly hijinks, but was instilled with an appreciation that I could hang onto and grow to love even more as I matured. It’s why I try not to be dismissive of children’s programming. Something so seemingly basic is actually incredibly formative in our taste and the type of people we become. 

Kwicky the Koala! That’s a koala show! I knew there was another one! 

Kablama Slam! Fun Fact: When the show’s theme song mentions Mimi, it shows Betty Koala. I didn’t draw Betty. She’s Roobear’s girlfriend. Why does Roobear even have a girlfriend? He’s like what, eight years old?!