| Number of episodes: | 595 | |
| First episode: | Fantasy | |
| Last episode: | Cultural Festivals | |
| Intro: | Hi-5 Theme | |
| Original airing: | April 12, 1999 - June 16, 2017 | |
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| Original Hi-5 Australian Cast 1999-2006 | ||
| Production Order | ||
| next Hi-5 (USA) | ||
Hi-5 (Australia) is an Australian children's television program, was first shown on the Nine Network in 1999 and is based on the children's music group of the same name. Hi-5 is a children's pop music group much like peer children's entertainers, The Wiggles. Hi-5 has been shown in over 100 countries.
Each series has 45 episodes with nine weekly themes. In 2004 (Series 6), the show was marked by reduced 30 episodes than normal, with 30 episodes in six weekly themes due to the band concentrating more on touring. In 2012, no new series was filmed because the group focused more on touring, alongside with Fely's replacement, Dayen. Instead, a repeat of Series 13 was shown instead.
In 2009, the show marked the beginning of the "second generation" of Hi-5, with all of the original members having departed in 2007-2008. The series was renewed for another five years with the new cast by the Nine Network, which would have the contract expire in 2013.
Harris and Graeme-Evans ended their involvement with the series in 2008 when the program was sold to Southern Star and the Nine Network. The final episode of Hi-5 aired 16 December 2011 as a result of the Nine Network selling the property in 2012. A spin-off series, Hi-5 House, aired on Nick Jr. from 2013 to 2016, produced with no involvement from Nine.
Nine renewed its partnership in with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and announced its plans to revive Hi-5 with a new cast in 2017.
Origins of the program
In 1998, Producer Helena Harris, creator of Bananas in Pyjamas, created "Hi-5" when her two children outgrew the Bananas. She and co-producer Posie Graeme-Evans decided the new show would be aimed at children of all ages, would include educational trends as fun and games, and would feature music and movement that would attract children's attention. Hi-5 aims to cater to a wide range of young children with a wide range of cognitive abilities and learning styles.
Child-development experts work with writers on every script. Each show is built around a simple theme like colours, music, animals, or numbers. Each show is then divided into segments that teach the concept in different ways. Music is seen as the method of joining the segments of the program together as well as highlighting the concepts and themes of each program.
The auditions for the Australian hosts were held in 1998 and the first program was broadcast in 1999. Since then, the original Australian show won five ARIA Awards for "Best Children's Album" (as of 2005), won three consecutive Australian Logie Awards (the Australian awards for Television performance and production recognition) for "Most Outstanding Children's Preschool Program" as of 2005.
Cast members
Original series (1999-2011)
- Kellie Crawford (Series 1–10)
- Kathleen de Leon Jones (Series 1–8, with 3 guest appearances in Series 9)
- Nathan Foley (Series 1–10)
- Tim Harding (Series 1–9)
- Charli Robinson (Series 1–10)
- Sun Pezzimenti (Series 9–10)
- Stevie Nicholson (Series 10–13)
- Lauren Brant (Series 11–13)
- Casey Burgess (Series 11–13)
- Fely Irvine (Series 11–13)
- Tim Maddren (Series 11–13)
Hi-5 House series (2013-2016)
- Stevie Nicholson (Series 14-16)
- Lauren Brant (Series 14)
- Dayen Zheng (Series 14-16)
- Mary Lascaris (Series 14-16)
- Ainsley Melham (Series 14-16)
- Tanika Anderson (Series 15-16)
Revived series (2017)
- Courtney Clarke (Series 17)
- Shay Clifford (Series 17)
- Lachie Dearing (Series 17)
- Joe Kalou (Series 17)
- Bailey Spalding (Series 17)
Puppets
- Chatterbox
- Voiced by Charli Robinson (1999-2002, 2004)
- Voiced by Sophie Katinis (2003-2004)
- Voiced by Erin Marshall (2005-2006)
- Voiced by Noni McCallum (2007-2008)
- Voiced by Natalie Duarte (2008-2009)
- Voiced by Allyce Martins (2010)
- Voiced by Brianne Turk (2011)
- Voiced by Mary Lascaris (2013-2016)
- Voiced by Bailey Spalding (2017)
- Jup Jup
- Voiced by Tim Harding (1999-2007)
- Voiced by Noni McCallum (2008)
- Voiced by Natalie Duarte (2009)
- Voiced by Allyce Martins (2010)
- Voiced by Brianne Turk (2011)
- Voiced by Ainsley Melham (2013-2016)
- Voiced by Lachie Dearing (2017)
Original and former members' reasons for leaving
In order, first to last:
- Kathleen de Leon Jones: Left following the birth of her first child with former Savage Garden member Daniel Jones in July 2006, and permanent leaving in July 2007 to focus on raising her child named Mikayla.
- Tim Harding: Left following a serious motorcycle accident in 2007 where he fractured both legs and suffered a serious spinal injury that required intensive care and reconstruction.
- Charli Robinson: In February 2008, she left to pursue other interests in presenting work, and acting in film and television, in order to "challenge herself".
- Kellie Crawford: Left to explore other career opportunities and to settle down and start a family. Announced in October 2008 that her last show would be at Carols by Candlelight on December 24, 2008 with Nathan and Sun.
- Nathan Foley: Left to concentrate on solo music career. Announced in November 2008 that his last show would be at Carols by Candlelight on December 24, 2008 with Kellie and Sun.
- Sun Pezzimenti: Left prior to her marriage to Nathan Pezzimenti as she did not wish to be constantly leaving her husband to tour with Hi-5. Announced in December 2008 that her final performance would be at Carols by Candlelight with Kellie and Nathan.
- Fely Irvine: Left to pursue other acting opportunities. Her final performance was at the 2011 Carols by Candlelight.
- Tim Maddren: Left after getting a role in The Addams Family Broadway Musical. His final performance was in Cebu City, Philippines, on January 19 2013 with Casey.
- Casey Burgess: Left to pursue a solo music career. Her final performance was in Cebu City, Philippines, on January 19 2013 with Tim.
Replacement of cast
In 2006, Kathleen de Leon Jones became pregnant and Sun Park was found to temporarily replace Kathleen while she went on maternity leave. The beginning of series 9 showed Kathleen introducing the audience to Sun and asking her to look after her space while she had the baby. Later in the series, Kathleen briefly returned to introduce everyone to her baby, Mikayla, but in July, she made the decision to permanently leave the group to focus on being a mother.
In 2007, Tim Harding was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which left him with injuries that required intensive care and rehabilitation. Just prior to this, Stevie Nicholson was hired as an understudy to Tim, so he took Tim's place when he decided he could no longer continue with the group.
In February 2008, Charli Robinson announced that she would be leaving Hi-5, having just completed filming series 10, and would stay with the group until a suitable replacement was found. Soon after, Casey Burgess (daughter of veteran Australian rocker Ray Burgess) was hired as Charli's replacement and began touring with the group.
In October 2008, Kellie Crawford (née Hoggart) announced that she would be leaving the group at the end of the year and a month later, She has to settle down and enjoy life Nathan Foley announced that he would be leaving with Kellie, Nathan left to concentrate on a Solo music career, thus causing rumours to swirl that the pair had been fired in favour of younger, cheaper alternatives. These rumours would never come to be confirmed or denied, but in December 2008, Sun stated that Nathan and Kellie had not been pressured to leave and announced that she too would be leaving at the end of the year. The trio's final performance was at the 2008 Carols by Candlelight.
Auditions were then held to find three new Hi-5 members, although the group had no founding members then. In February 2009, on Mornings with Kerri-Anne, the new line-up was revealed, with Lauren Brant, Tim Maddren and Fely Irvine joining the cast. The cast remained the same for three years until December 2011, when Fely left the group. Her final performance was at the 2011 Carols by Candlelight. Dayen Zheng replaced Fely and the group spent the year touring.
Then, in December 2012, Casey and Tim announced that the year's Carols by Candlelight would be their last with Hi-5 and they would be leaving the group early in the new year.
In June 2012, the Nine Network announced that the Hi-5 brand has been sold in its entirety to Asian equity group, Asiasons, following Nine's ongoing financial difficulties. Hi-5 would no longer be produced by Nine and therefore the thirteenth series became the last. A spin-off series entitled Hi-5 House was created under new management to continue the Hi-5 concept with a refreshed appeal. The new series was produced independently from Nine and aired on Nick Jr. from 2013 to 2016.
The Nine Network renewed its partnership in with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and announced its plans to revive Hi-5 with a new cast in 2017. Executive producer Julie Greene stated "we’re really excited to be working with Nine to develop a reinvigorated Hi-5 show".
Replacement of cast
- Charli Robinson was replaced by Casey Burgess in 2008, who was then replaced by Mary Lascaris in 2013, who was then replaced by Bailey Spalding in 2016.
- Tim Harding was replaced by Stevie Nicholson in 2007, who was then replaced by Lachie Dearing in 2016.
- Kellie Crawford was replaced by Lauren Brant in 2009, who was then replaced by Tanika Anderson in 2014, who was then replaced by Courtney Clarke in 2016.
- Nathan Foley was replaced by Tim Maddren in 2009, who was then replaced by Ainsley Melham in 2013, who was then replaced by Gabe Brown, Chris White and Joe Kalou in 2016.
- Kathleen de Leon Jones was replaced by Sun Pezzimenti in 2006, who was then replaced by Fely Irvine in 2009, who was then replaced by Dayen Zheng in 2012, who was then replaced by Shay Clifford in 2016.
Releases
Videography
All Hi-5 videos and DVDs are released in Australia by Roadshow Entertainment. Each series of Hi-5 is edited and compiled into video and DVD releases. Usually, 3 titles are released for each titles. Series 5, in which only 7 feature songs and Series 6, in which only 2 feature songs were released; Series 10, in which only 2 titles DVDs were released; Series 12, in which 5 titles DVDs were released; and Series 13, in which 6 titles DVDs were released due to the lack of a new series in 2012 until 2017 from Asia.
Main releases
Special releases
2005
- Hi-5 Dance Hits Volume 1 - Songs of the Week from Series 1
- Hi-5 Dance Hits Volume 2 - Songs of the Week from Series 2
2006
- Hi-5 Dance Hits Volume 3 - Songs of the Week from Series 3
2009
- Favourites - Celebrating the first 10 years, with Songs of the Week plus a selection of stories from Series 1-10
2010
- Sharing Stories - All Songs of the Week, plus a selection of stories from Series 11
2011
- Sharing Stories 2 - All Songs of the Week, plus a selection of stories from Series 12
2012
- Sharing Stories 3 - All Songs of the Week, plus a selection of stories from Series 13
Live Tour releases
2009
- Hi-5 Live! The Playtime Concert - 2008 Live Tour (Casey's first appearance and last appearance with Kellie, Nathan, and Sun)
2010
- Hi-5 Surprise! Live - 2009-2010 Live Tour (first appearance with Lauren, Tim M. and Fely)
2012
- Hi-5 Holiday! Live - 2012 Live Tour (Dayen's first appearance and last appearance with Casey and Tim M.)
Discography
All the Hi-5 CDs are released in Australia by Sony Music Australia. Their albums went double platinum (It's A Party), platinum (Jump And Jive With Hi-5, Boom Boom Beat & It's A Hi-5 Christmas) and gold (Celebrate). Four of them reached the top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart; It's a Party (number four, July 2000), Boom Boom Beat (number three, August 2001), It's a Hi-5 Christmas (number four, December 2001) and Hi-5 Hits (number ten, July 2003).
List of albums
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2015
Tours
The band tours annually and have visited several countries in which they are popular, including Australia.
Main tours
1999
2000
2001-2004
2002
2003
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008
2009-2010
2011
2012-2013
2017-2019
Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight
Since 1999 until 2012, and since 2016 until 2017, Hi-5 have performed annually at Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight. For a few years, they held their own short concert before Carols by Candlelight, but they just performed as a part of the Carols. Several cast have noted the Christmas Eve concerts as one of their highlights and because of this, it is often the last performance of departing members.
Educational segments
Each presenter hosts an education-centric segment of the show. At times, they're assisted by their co-presenters to display social skills and group problem-solving skills. In Series 11, it was announced in the official site that the 4 new cast members, except for Stevie, are switching roles in their respective segments, except for Puzzles and Patterns with Fely.
Body Move
- Hosted by Charli Robinson (Series 1-10), Lauren Brant (Series 11-13) and Bailey Spalding (Series 17)
This segment encourages body co-ordination skill development through dancing, hopping, jumping and stepping.
Making Music
- Hosted by Tim Harding (Series 1-9), Stevie Nicholson (Series 10), Tim Maddren (Series 11-13) and Joe Kalou (Series 17)
This musical segment looks at concepts such as beat, rhythm, pitch and melody using pianos, guitars, bells and other instruments and items.
Puzzles and Patterns
- Hosted by Kathleen de Leon Jones (Series 1-8), Sun Pezzimenti (Series 9-10), Fely Irvine (Series 11-13) and Shay Clifford (Series 17)
This segment focuses on logical thinking and mathematics looking at numbers, puzzles, patterns and problem-solving. This segment also features Jup-Jup, an alien puppet who constantly plays tricks.
Shapes in Space
- Hosted by Nathan Foley (Series 1-10), Stevie Nicholson (Series 11-13) and Lachie Dearing (Series 17)
This segment explores shapes, colours, textures and patterns using various kinds of learning aids including coloured boxes, balls and play-dough.
Word Play
- Hosted by Kellie Crawford (Series 1-10), Casey Burgess (Series 11-13) and Courtney Clarke (Series 17)
This segment looks at language and sounds with the help of a puppet friend Chatterbox ("Chats").
Fit Bit Tips
- Hosted by Nathan Foley (Series 10), Stevie Nicholson (Series 10-12) and Tim Maddren (Series 11-12)
From Series 10-12, this segment promotes children's leisure and exercise with the hosts taking part in activities such as soccer, table tennis, meditation, dancing, and others.
Sharing Stories
This penultimate segment in all episodes includes all five presenters, who join together to present a story. This segment is to promote social skills and group problem-solving.
Song Of The Week
The episodes are bookended with a Song of the Week; a pop-style feature song which corresponds with the weekly theme and sets an educational topic for the week's episodes.
Episodes and series
In Series 1-5 and Series 7-13, there are nine feature songs, known as 'Songs of the Week'. Each series has run for nine weeks allowing five episodes to be shown a week (45 episodes), except for Series 6 which had just 30 episodes and Series 17 which had just 25 episodes. To date, there have been completed 595 episodes. Accordingly, Series 6 was composed of six Songs of the Week and previous segments from Series 3-5. The lack of a new series in 2012 was also due to the same reason.
Each section indicates the year in which each season aired, the title of the song on the album and the title used in the show. Each song focuses on teaching the audience general common values in life and childhood, such as love, growth, imagination, fun, acceptance, adventure and more. Each week, there is a theme of the week that the song goes along with and it was sung at the beginning and the end of every episode. The theme is given in the beginning of each episode in animation.
From Series 1 -10 orange cartoon characters participate in activities that goes along with the theme of that week.
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From Series 11 -13, a dinosaur on wheels, a caterpillar on wheels, and a teddy bear participating in some activity that goes with the theme of the week.
The theme name appears in coloured letters and children's voices announcing the theme and then the show begins.
TV Logo History
First TV Logo
(Series 1-7) In the first openings of Hi-5 Australian and the American version, the Hi-5 text had a red outline and the hand is light blue-purple, which had a black outline, along with the green contour. This logo was also used for the Series 1-2 from US version of the programme.
Second TV Logo
(Series 8-10) The logo changed since Series 8 until Series 10 when a new opening occurs. It's the first 3D animated logo, the lines were almost invisible, the hand was recoloured in a darker purple, with a thin green contour. This logo was used from time to time in the video for Holiday tour in 2012 and UK version of the programme.
Third TV Logo
(Series 11-13) The third logo is 3D, the colour of the hand was a lighter purple with the white outline added underneath the green contour. The dash next to the number "5" was more crimson red.
Fourth TV Logo
(Series 17) The fourth logo was changed to a 2D logo. The hand colour was a dark purple, with a light gradient shading in the center. Both the purple hand and the green contour had some highlighted edges.