Jellabies

Did You Know?

• Since 2000, there has been a Jellikins roller coaster at British theme park Fantasy Island.
• Amutec had rights to make a Jellikins coin-operated ride featuring Bouncey in his bumper car from 2001 up until a currently unknown year.

Format

A CGI animated show called Jellabies was created by Jonny Lewis, a 3D artist and animator, along with Optical Image Ltd in Worcestershire, UK. It followed jelly-made children living in Jolly Jelly World, a magical place at the end of the rainbow. Their main task was making rainbows using the Jelliscope, a device that also worked as a computer and teleporter to monitor global weather. Each Jellaby had its own vehicle, but for longer trips they used the Jelly Train, which had just a cab and one passenger car. Rik Mayall narrated. The series ran from 1998 to early 2003. In some regions, including the UK, it was called Jellikins and featured characters with gummy bear heads, except for Duffy the dragon, who stayed the same. That version aired on GMTV until January 2004.

History

Jonny Lewis, working with his brother Mikel, created the characters and a pilot for a show inspired by Jelly Babies candy, using 3D Studio Max. To afford development on his home computer before securing funding, Lewis lived in a dusty basement in Malvern. The pilot earned a series commission from GMTV, and later aired in many other nations, becoming Britain’s first fully 3D computer-animated TV series. Optical Image got sponsorship from Basset’s. Animators Meena Kamurai Pai, Andrew Lindsay, Richard Smart, Andy Day, Ian Friend, and Harjit Birdi helped produce each episode in just five days. Dave Lowe and Vo Fletcher wrote and composed the music.

Characters and voice cast

The main characters represent the colours of the rainbow and speak in gibberish, while Duffy has a distinct growl-like voice. The narrator is Rik Mayall. Pepper is red, lives in a treehouse, and carries a backpack with paintbrushes. Bouncey is yellow, lives in a bumper car, and has a mischievous, energetic personality. Denny is blue, lives in a boat on Jelly Lake, is laid-back, and usually wears a vest. Strum is purple, lives at the train station, plays the saxophone, and is the most level-headed. Amber is orange, lives in a hot air balloon, and in Jellikins wears a knit hat. Coral is Amber's twin sister, living in a house made of building blocks. Duffy is a green dragon who lives in the Jelly Caves.