October 13, 2006 – November 13, 2006
The Upside Down Show is a children's television series produced by Blink Films and Sesame Workshop. It was made for the Noggin channel. The series is set in a strange apartment building where the doors lead to a variety of unusual rooms. It is presented by brothers David and Shane (played by the Umbilical Brothers), who live in the apartment building with their sidekick Puppet, their neighbor Mrs. Foil, and a group of fuzzy creatures called the Schmuzzies. In each episode, David gives the viewers an imaginary remote control that affects the characters and their surroundings.
The series was inspired by the Umbilical Brothers' adult-oriented comedy act SpeedMouse, which was also based on the idea of an imaginary remote. Producers from Sesame Workshop saw SpeedMouse and ordered a pilot episode based on it, which became The Upside Down Show. The pilot was successful, and in 2005, Noggin ordered a season of 13 episodes. The show was written and produced in New York, and it was filmed in Sydney, Australia. The cast and crew featured a mix of Australian and American talent. While creating the series, the writers intentionally included jokes for adults as well as children; Shane Dundas likened The Upside Down Show to making "an adult show for kids."
In 2010, the Umbilical Brothers announced that they had completed a script for a special-length episode titled The Upside Down Movie, which would act as a proper finale for the series. The movie had been in development since 2008. Nickelodeon Australia provided funding for the movie's scriptwriting, but the project needed support from outside investors to start filming, which never occurred. As recently as March 2017, the Umbilical Brothers have stated that they are still interested in making the movie and are trying to find support for it.
Storyline[]
Each episode begins with a cold open showing one or both brothers in the middle of an activity. David introduces "the Remote" by pretending to hold a remote control. He explains that the Remote can control the action on-screen. He demonstrates by pressing various buttons, which control Shane's actions. The Remote also has "wild card" buttons that cause strange or undesired effects. The main one is the "Upside Down" button, which causes the camera to shift to an upside down shot and can only be undone with the "Right Side Up" button. After explaining it, David gives the Remote to the viewer. The brothers ask the viewer to "press the Play button" to start the episode. Before the episode starts, the viewer commonly presses the wrong button and puts the brothers in a bizarre situation. As soon as the play button is pressed, the theme song begins. This sequence features the Action Fingers jumping over the show's title and credits, and it ends with them opening the apartment door.
The rest of the story always starts in David and Shane's living room. Every episode features their sidekick Puppet and the Schmuzzies, who live with the brothers in their apartment. The goal of each story is for David and Shane to get to a certain location. The brothers spend the episode searching for the location through the various doors, windows, and other places in their apartment. The brothers occasionally request help from the viewers, asking them to press buttons on their remote. Their journey takes them to three "Wrong Turn" rooms. The brothers' neighbor Mrs. Foil appears in the different rooms in various costumes, either helping them on their quest or unintentionally causing more trouble.
At one point on their journey, the brothers always encounter a child who teaches them something and sets them on the correct path. Eventually, they locate their destination "for the very first time" and visit the place in fast motion. The show ends with David and Shane back in their apartment. During the last few minutes of the show, they give the viewer an imaginary souvenir to thank them for their help throughout the episode.
TV Show Intro[]
Sound Effects Used[]
- Bank - Double Hit (Heard once in "Marching Band".)
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Duck Quacks Clos PE020501 (Heard once in "Art Museum".)
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Rooster 2 Crow PE021501 (Heard once in "Barbershop" and "Art Museum".)
- Hollywoodedge, Cattle Cow Moo Bellow AT041501 (Heard once in "Farm".)
- Hollywoodedge, Cow Moos Three TimesC PE022901 (3rd moo; heard thrice in "Farm".)
- Hollywoodedge, Elephant Trumpeting PE024801 (Heard once in "Camping".)
- Hollywoodedge, Gusts Heavy Cold Wind PE031601/Hollywoodedge, Whistling Wind Stead PE033301
- Hollywoodedge, Horns 4 Group Party Ne TE030402 (Heard thrice in "Birthday Party".)
- Hollywoodedge, Morning Park Birds Me PE010501
- Hollywoodedge, Single Cow Moo CRT011601 (Heard once in "Farm".)
- Hollywoodedge, Single Frog Croak Cl CRT013001 (Heard once in "Barbershop" and "Art Museum".)
- Reveille Bugle Call (Heard quadrice in "Camping".)
- Sound Ideas, AMBIENCE, COUNTRY - INSECT, THICK, TONAL, INSECTS, ANIMAL (Heard once in "Camping".)
- Sound Ideas, APPLAUSE, CHEERING - INDOOR: SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE, WITH WHISTLING, HEAVY, CROWD 01 (Heard once in "Movie Theater".)
- Sound Ideas, APPLAUSE, CHEERING - INDOOR: SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE, WITH WHISTLING, HEAVY, CROWD 02 (Heard once in "Movie Theater".)
- Sound Ideas, APPLAUSE, CHEERING - OUTDOOR: STADIUM, LARGE CROWD, APPLAUSE, CHEERING 05 (Heard once in "Movie Theater".)
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, SILKY CHICKEN - RAPID CALLS, ANIMAL (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, BODYFALL - BODYFALL ON DIRT, HUMAN 01
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN, CROWD - SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE OF CHILDREN: BIG CHEER, CHEERING 04 (Heard twice in "Birthday Party".)
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN, CROWD - SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE OF CHILDREN: CHEERING 'YEA!', CHEERING 02 (Heard once in "Birthday Party".)
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN, CROWD - SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE OF CHILDREN: 'SURPRISE!', REACTION, YELL 01
- Sound Ideas, CLOCK, GRANDFATHER - WESTMINSTER: TWELVE O'CLOCK CHIME (Heard once in "Camping".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE COW MOO, ANIMAL 02 (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 01 (Heavy use in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 02 (Heavy use in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 03 (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 04 (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 05 (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - SINGLE MOO, ANIMAL 06 (Heard once in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, COW - TWO SHORT MOOS, ANIMAL (Heard often in "Farm".)
- Sound Ideas, DOOR, BELL - SINGLE RING (Heard once in "Picnic", "Airport", "Beach", "Marching Band", "Birthday Party" and 5 times in "Mini Golf".)
- Sound Ideas, DOOR, WOOD - CLOSE 03
- Sound Ideas, DOOR, WOOD - OPEN 04
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRICITY, SPARK - HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK, ELECTRICAL 01 (Heard once in "Pet Shop".)
- Sound Ideas, ELEPHANT - SEVERAL ELEPHANTS TRUMPETING, ANIMAL (Heard once in "Camping".)
- Sound Ideas, ELEPHANT - TRUMPET, ANIMAL 01 (Heard once in "Picnic".)
- Sound Ideas, ELEPHANT - TRUMPET, ANIMAL 03 (Heard once in a low pitch in "Picnic".)
- Sound Ideas, ELEPHANT - TRUMPET, ANIMAL 04 (Heard twice in "Picnic".)
- Sound Ideas, HORN, ALARM - KLAXON ALARM HORN (Heard twice in "Birthday Party".)
- Sound Ideas, HORN, BICYCLE - BULB HORN: TWO HONKS, TOY (Heard once in "Birthday Party" during the cold open segment.)
- Sound Ideas, HORSE - EXTERIOR: WHINNY, ANIMAL 06 (Heard once in "Barbershop".)
- Sound Ideas, PIG - SNORTING, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, PIG, SCREECH - C.U. SCREAMS, ANIMAL (Heard once in "Ice Cream Truck".)
- Sound Ideas, POTTERY - CLAY POT: BREAK, CRASH, SMASH 02 (Heard once in "Movies".)
- Sound Ideas, TELEPHONE, DOMESTIC - OLD DIAL PHONE: BELL RINGING (Heard once in "Beach".)
- Unknown Jet Plane Passby Sound 01 (Heard once in "Airport".)