TONY EASTLEY: The man who gave Australian television the rocket riding puppet with a pencil for a nose has died.
Norman Hetherington's Mr Squiggle landed on Australian television screens in 1959; he was only supposed to make a brief appearance.
But Mr Squiggle became an icon of childrens’ television and stayed on air for the next 40 years.
Cartoonist and puppeteer Norman Hetherington was 89.
Timothy McDonald prepared this report.
MR SQUIGGLE THEME: Here's Mr Squiggle he's lots of fun for everyone. Here's Mr Squiggle, sing a happy tune.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: When Mr Squiggle got creative, a few lines sent in by a young viewer could be turned into almost anything.
MR SQUIGGLE: It's a very fashionable pig.
MISS JANE: A fashionable pig?
MR SQUIGGLE: Pig, yes. He's wearing a donut for an earring, a pair of glasses, rimless, and a tie there.
MISS JANE: Well who would have guessed that!
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Mr Squiggle's creator Norman Hetherington started out as a cartoonist, but he always loved puppetry. So perhaps it was only natural that he should try to combine the two, although at first he thought Mr Squiggle wouldn't work.
NORMAN HETHERINGTON: As a cartoonist I wanted to make a puppet and experiment, a puppet who could draw. I didn't think it would work either but with a very heavy head and a bit of manipulation he seemed to work.
MR SQUIGGLE: Hooray, here we go.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Originally, the show was supposed to be temporary, but it ended up running for four decades.
It was written by his wife Margaret and later co-hosted by his daughter Rebecca.
Cartoonist Steve Panozzo has been friends with Norman Hetherington for about 20 years.
STEVE PANOZZO: What I love is the fact that Mr Squiggle was born before his children and one of them ended up hosting the show 40 years down the track, you know, and I think that's a lovely full circle that it stayed within the family in that way.
It was very much a family production with Margaret writing all the scripts.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Steve Panozzo says there was no trickery in the show and Norman Hetherington simply held onto Mr Squiggle's hat from above to draw the pictures.
Things looked a bit different from where he was sitting, which is partly why so many of the pictures were turned around.
MR SQUIGGLE: Upside down. Upside down.
STEVE PANOZZO: It was so out and out simple that it was innovative. You know it doesn't take a big budget, CGI special effects in order to make something work.
In fact all his inventions, you know the map showing Rocket travelling from the moon to earth and back again, very slide captions, the puppets, the way they were made, the different functions they had, they were all so innovative and creative.
I mean Blackboard, all these wonderful sort of creations all had some sort of innovative touch to them that you know the person making these things had an incredibly inventive brain.
TIMOTHY MCDONALD: Norman Hetherington received a Medal of the Order of Australia, as well as awards from UNSW (University of New South Wales), The Australian Cartoonists Association and the Television Association of Australia.
Steve Panozzo says despite all the accolades, he was more down to earth than his creation.
STEVE PANOZZO: Incredibly self effacing person, very humble. I mean he was showered with awards and accolades and requests, I mean they even went to a science fiction convention as special guests because Mr Squiggle is considered Australia's first astronaut.
MR SQUIGGLE: Do you hear that Rocket. Here we go, over the moon! Goodbye Miss Jane, Goodbye.
MISS JANE: Mr Squiggle, Mr Squiggle.
TONY EASTLEY: Norman Hetherington's Mr Squiggle returning to the moon and to the stars. Timothy McDonald with that report.
The full story...
Mr Squiggle's creator dies
Timothy McDonald reported this story on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 08:21:00
