The Dinky-Di’s: Friends on Freedom’s Frontier was an Australian animated television series that aired on TVNZ 2 in New Zealand in 1992,[1] Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad in Malaysia from 1994 to 1998,[2] in Italy on 21 August 1995,[3] on the Nine Network and RTQ in Australia from 6 December 1997 to 30 May 1998,[4] in Brazil, Korea and the Arab World in 1997,[5][6] in Poland on 10 January 1998,[7][8] and in Russia in 2001.[9]
The show’s premise follows a group of anthromorphic animals, the titular Dinky-Di’s, who go around the world saving rare and endangered animals and plants, while educating the audience on the importance of environmental preservation. Led by Aussie Roo (a kangaroo) and Cass Koala (a koala), this group consists of animals from all over the world (main: Chopa Crocodile, Plato Pus, Ernest Eagle, Equulus Emu and Zennie; others: Lazur Lion, Orikawa Bear, Cauda Kiwi, Bill Buffalo, Pleiades Panda, Lennie Llama and Sidney Seal) who have many different specialities that serve to the Dinky-Di team, and are well organized with a command centre, computer network, and high-tech flying machines. The group of rescuers fight against Mephisto, an eco-terrorist who is always engulfed in shadow, and his henchmen: Rancid Rodent (a rat), Hugo Hyena (a hyena), Ganny Goanna (an iguana), Serpent Sam (a dragon), and others. Mephisto’s true identity, however, is a true mystery to the Dinky-Di’s, and one which, when solved, will be a major step towards slowing damage to the planet.
The series was created by Melvyn Edward Bradford, produced by Roo Films, Proprietary Limited in 1989-1993, distributed by Motion Picture Management Studios Australia, and animated by Pacific Rim Animation. The theme song “Friends On Freedom’s Frontier” and the episodes’ songs, such as “Cross The Line (Start, Don’t Stop)”, “Don’t Run With The Pack”, “Love Comes To The Rescue”, “Don’t Look Back”, “Don’t Call Me A Hero”, “What About The Animals” and “Reach Out”, were composed and produced by Matthew Sloggett, with lyrics by Bradford and Bob LaCastra, while the soundtrack was composed by Garry McDonald and Laurie Stone and mixed at Grevillea Studios. The voices were recorded at Sunshine Studios.[10][11][12][13] Gennie Nevinson is the only voice actress listed in the credits, and her website says that she voiced all the female characters, including Cass Koala, Equulus Emu, Cauda Kiwi, Beatrice, Hydra Hen and Pleiades Panda (I actually came across the show by discovering Nevinson’s website when I was trying to find which characters she voiced in The Twelve Tasks of Asterix; she voices Cleopatra). Though her website does not mention that she provided the voice of Orikawa Bear’s son, I am pretty sure that he is Nevinson as well. Ric Melbourne must have voiced Aussie Roo, as well as Chopa Crocodile (his voice is basically a slightly higher version of Aussie) and G.T. Garuda, since A) The Dinky-Di’s was his only voice acting role and his only other credit is as a host in an episode of Countdown in 1974, B) his name is listed under Nevinson’s in the credits, and C) he seems to be the only voice actor who sounds a bit more realistic and less exaggerated, even with the American accent (which seems odd because Aussie is a kangaroo, and kangaroos are native to Australia). Ernest Eagle, Sidney Seal, the second Iceburglar (pitched-down voice) and the narrator all sound like Lee Perry’s American accent (specifically around the 0:19 and 0:31 marks) and his Ulysses in Hercules (Burbank), so it is definitely him doing them. Considering that Perry did animal noises for Hans Doberman in a YoGo commercial and his 2018 Character Demonstration at 4:07, he might have done animal vocal effects for the series as well, including the goat and the whales (pitched-down voices). Grahame Matters likely did additional voices such as Bill Buffalo’s secretary (compare to his Bottle Top Bill). Tony Bellete’s BrisVoiceOver profile mentions that he has ‘been everything from a talking train to a T. Rex in four animated features (The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Burbank), Beauty and the Beast (Burbank), Hercules and The Diamond Cutter) and two series (The Dinky-Di’s and The Shapies)’. The Dinky-Di’s was the first animated production that Bellette did voices for. He played various characters on the show: Plato Pus, Zennie, Lazur Lion, Orikawa Bear, Bill Buffalo, Mephisto, Rancid Rodent, Hugo Hyena, Ganny Goanna, Serpent Sam, Lazur’s boss, Mephisto’s henchman, the Baron of Babel, the first Iceburglar, Doctor Hope, the Archduke of Avaris, and the Guard Bear. Plato, Rancid and Lazur’s boss sound like Bellette’s Bob Oblong from The Shapies; Zennie’s voice is a dead ringer for the ‘Stay focused, dudes, it is real!’ voice at around 02:20 in Bellette’s Animation Demonstration; Lazur and Orikawa sound like King Henry in The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Bill, Hugo and Sam sound like Quasimodo; Ganny is a higher version of the ‘Sorry all,’ voice at around 02:08 in the Animation Demonstration, and Mephisto’s henchman is basically T-Rex from The Shapies, as well as a deeper Rancid. Mephisto, the Archduke, the Baron, the first Iceburglar, Doctor Hope and the Guard Bear’s voices are pitched down, but are still recognisably Bellette; Mephisto and the Guard Bear sound like a more guttural, sinister Hercules (more apparent in Mephisto’s case when he angrily yells at the Baron for his failure), the Baron sounds like a raspier version of Bellette’s ‘Now for some real fun!’ voice at around 00:18 in the Animation Demonstration, the first Iceburglar has the same dumb voice as Quasimodo, Doctor Hope has the same warm, elderly tones as Mirror Man from The Shapies, and the Archduke sounds like Bellette’s deep ‘I saw someone here!’ voice at around 00:15 in the Animation Demonstration. As for the bilbies (particularly the one captured by Sam and Hugo), it sounds like actual animal effects (either recorded for the show or stock sound effects) were used for them.
Since its original run, the series has faded into obscurity. It was also not as successful as it could have been. Originally scheduled to be completed by 1992, it experienced a series of lawsuits and legal battles during production and was delayed, before eventually airing in New Zealand in 1992, Malaysia in 1994, Italy in 1995, and Australia in 1997. A 93-minute direct-to-video compilation film titled Mephisto’s Web was commissioned in the first half of 1993 and completed in February-March 1994, but was never released, with the accounting firm, Krampel Newman Partners Proprietary Limited, scamming/duping Mel Bradford and cheating him out of his money.[11][12][13][14][15] The original link to that case is now deleted, but I managed to recover some text from it:
‘Q11: Our next case, Krampel Newman Partners and the Commissioner of Taxation, concerns a Division 10B film scheme. Justice Ryan heard the case.
A: The idea was to recycle footage from a cartoon known as Dinky-Di’s made for television into a feature film. A number of investors were put together to invest in the…’
In the late 2000s, four revivals of the show were attempted: a series of Flash-animated shorts named The Dinky-Di’s 2, a graphic novel, a stop motion pilot and a computer-generated imagery sequel. The Dinky-Di’s 2 was a continuation of the original show, where the Dinky-Di’s were to face a new villain, Maraudo, and his holographic alien henchmen. The series would have also had a robot named DDRobo, who would do some very amazing things in the Dinky-Dis’ High-Tech Control Room.[15][16][17] Bradford had been trying to find peace within himself, despite being an agnostic. He would often sit at a local church and ponder the existence of God. He asked his dear friend and neighbour YouTuber Alilb Ani that he be with him to sit at the top of Razorback Lookout. As they sat overlooking the valley, he was in a sorrowful mood, a glistening tear running from his eye. Bradford told Ani, ‘All that I ask for; continue my legacy.’ He feared all that he had and all that he was would one day be discarded like rubbish, his memory and his achievements forever lost. On the evening of 3 November 2010, Bradford and Ani were discussing many things, some of which were the characters of The Dinky-Di’s 2, and others were deep profound discussions of God. He said, ‘The thing that I have noticed with God and being on or offside with him is sometimes we are being offside with ourselves more so.’[18] He was also planning on giving the series a Digital Video Disc release, and had given YouTuber Genevieve Purchase, her husband Neil Purchase, and their daughter some of the original celluloids, which they framed to keep them in superb condition.[19] On 4 November 2010, Bradford died of a cerebral aneurysm caused by coronary artery disease at his computer desk in a humble unit in the town of Coolangatta near the boarder of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. His service took place in Parkwood, Queensland on 23 November 2010. Most of his possessions, including his works of The Dinky-Di’s, were thrown out in the rubbish just as he had feared they would be treated. Ani jumped in the dumpster after them and salvaged what he could, including an old demonstration reel made for investors and overseas networks that Bradford perhaps never got around to converting, and if so may hold the key to lost episodes. When he revealed this in 2013-2014, YouTuber Marmalade000000, a hardcore Dinky-Di’s fan and an agnostic like Bradford, was shocked and furious. He had heard about Bradford’s passing from Matthew Sloggett, and believed that he deserved so much better than being taken away by God and having all his life’s work thrown out.[19] Bradford’s daughter Natalie, who has a YouTube channel named Beautiful Boho/EarnestDreaming, commented that she would like to speak with Ani.[20]
Out of the 26 episodes, only five have resurfaced; the first half of the first episode, Lost, One Dinky-Di,[21] full versions of the Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Polish dubs of said episode,[22][23][24] a music sequence from the Korean dub of said episode,[25] a full version of the Brazilian Portuguese dub of the second episode, The Compututor,[26] three-minute and seven-minute clips from the fourth episode, The Bilby Tale,[4][27] the twelth episode, Baron of Babel (in English and Russian),[28][29] the twentieth episode, Funga Wunda (English and Russian),[30][31] and full versions of the Russian dubs of Good Wood, Duke of Deceit, Sea Beneath the Sea, Beneath the Sea, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Journey to Pedra Blanca, Java Lava, Tapir Caper and Mirage Master.[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] “Friends On Freedom’s Frontier” and “Cross The Line (Start, Don’t Stop)”,[40][41] the theme song for the Italian dub of the show,[42] the opening of the Korean dub,[43] backgrounds and character designs by Andrew Trimmer for episodes such as Baron of Babel, Good Wood, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and the season finale Small Hippo, Big Bust;[44] copyrights for The Howling Crystal and Winds of the Whio filed in the United States Copyright Office in January 1990, and a work-in-progress test title animation for The Dinky-Di’s 2 have also been found.[45][46][47] The Bilby Tale, Straits of Sorrow, The Howling Crystal and Mirage Master were available to watch on Kooltube1 (Mel Bradford’s website) at some point.[16][17] Lost Media Wiki user Rynosaurus discovered that the first four episodes and a 10-minute promotional tape currently sit in the National Archives of Australia, having been submitted to the Australian Government in order to have them classified for television broadcast. He said, ‘From what I could find… It looks as though it was broadcast on the Nine Network here in Australia around 1985.’[48] YouTuber The Dark Knight commented on the upload of Baron of Babel, “There are two Gulf Countries that have a copy of the show. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Kuwait’s television logo is seen at the bottom right of this video. I tried contacting them to no avail.”[49] There are also YouTube Poops online made from some clips of the missing episodes by Marmalade000000, but he no longer has access to them.[50]
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