Weekend Rewind: The children's presenters who hold special places in our hearts

Jason Gunn and Thingee still hold special places in our hearts. Photo / Youtube

NZ On Screen’s Zara Potts takes a look back at some of the de facto child minders we’ve loved over the years – children’s television presenters.

What's the secret to a good children's television presenter? Is it being able to tell a joke that will appeal to kids of all ages? Is it the ability to look silly while still being cool? Is it a wardrobe that's colourful and kooky? It's all those things and more.

Kids can be very harsh critics and they can easily spot whether television hosts are the real deal and – luckily for us – we have had some brilliant kids television hosts over the years. Many of them, although now heading for retirement themselves, still hold a special place in our hearts.

Television was still a relatively new medium in the 70s, but many clever parents quickly clocked on to the fact that while it may just have been a box in the corner, it was also a very good (and cheap) babysitter.

ANDY SHAW

One of the first de facto child minders, was Andy Shaw, who hosted Here's Andy in the mid-seventies. Adept at pulling good faces, Andy acted as a host, linking the afternoon's programming live to air – which unfortunately means very little was recorded for posterity. This selection of opening sequences includes animated scenes of dancing animals, and images of Andy clowning around, or dressed up as muscleman and spaceman.

Watch snippets from Here's Andy here:

STU DENNISON

Mention the words "Nice One" to anyone born in the 1970s and chances are that they'll respond with a big thumbs up. Nice One was beloved by kids who were partial to flares and long hair. Stu Dennison was the bearded, school-uniform-wearing, not-quite-grown-up host of after school television in the late 70s, and his antics were much imitated by kids all over the country. In this 1978 Christmas special, Stu's corduroy flares and waistcoat ensemble pretty much steals the show.

Watch the Nice One - Christmas Show here:

CHIC LITTLEWOOD AND FRIENDS

The late 70s and early 80s were a boom time for children's television programming and children's hosts had everything a parent could want to entertain kids. Chic Littlewood, on his show, ChicChat, ran a good line in puppets. He did a spot of ventriloquism with his sidekick dog, Nowcy, but in this excerpt, the real star of the show is a mouse called Willie McNabb, voiced by Auckland theatre doyenne Alma Woods. Be warned: the theme song will drive you mad with its helium-like singing!

Watch ChicChat here:

TRACY BARR

Slightly hipper than her counterparts, was Tracy Barr who hosted TV2's after school show Tracy '80. And boy, was it 80s. From the neon green and pink opening titles to the Solid Gold- style theme song, this was a show for the cool kids. There are still life size puppets, but they are secondary to the lovely Tracy and her very Kiwi accent. The show featured a resident band, Kairo, which covered popular hits of the time.

Watch Tracy '80 here:

OLLY OHLSON

Another early 80s star was Olly Ohlson – his catchphrase "Keep cool 'til after school" could be heard ringing out in playgrounds across the land. The show also broke ground in its use of te reo Māori on screen. This episode sees a game of Maorimind (a te reo test based on Mastermind) and the building of a road-sign for the longest place name in New Zealand – an 85-letter te reo gobstopper that Olly rolls out with aplomb: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateatu...

Watch the Maorimind episode of After School here:

THE WHAT NOW CREW

It wasn't just weekdays where children could delight in the antics of hosts that were game for anything – weekend morning television also offered up fun, pranks and a little bit of learning wrapped up in madcap antics. What Now? was the first TV show to have live phone-ins. The series is known for its challenges that sometimes result in participants being 'gunged'. A roll-call of presenters includes Steve Parr, Danny Watson, Simon Barnett, Jason Gunn, Michelle A'Court, Tamati Coffey, Antonia Prebble, and more.

Watch the What Now? 25th Anniversary Birthday Special here:

PHIL KEOGHAN

3:45 LIVE! was an afternoon programme for kids that screened on TV2. Before he became world-famous as host of The Amazing Race, Phil Keoghan was a presenter on the show in tandem with Hine Elder. The show was aimed at a slightly older audience evidenced by the on-the-couch interviews with stars such as Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics), and rap singer Redhead Kingpin.

See excerpts from 3.45 LIVE! Here:

JASON GUNN & THINGEE

But arguably, the biggest children's TV star was Jason Gunn (along with his blooper-friendly offsider – Thingee) who was adored by little kids everywhere. The Son of a Gunn Show took in everything from song and dance numbers, and educational segments, to spoofs and impressions (often Frank Spencer) as Gunn et al played in loco parentis to a generation of Kiwi kids.

Watch the infamous Thingee eye-pop here: