Goodnight Kiwi (TV series)

Not to be confused with the sign-off animation with the same character, Goodnight Kiwi.

Goodnight Kiwi
Developed byTVNZ
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes11

Goodnight Kiwi is a New Zealand TV show where well-known New Zealanders are presented reading children's books. It is intended to be watched before bed, and is based on the TV sign-off animation, Goodnight Kiwi. Each episode is around three minutes long and available on TVNZ+.[1] It includes animations, original illustrations and live performances.[2] The episodes begin with a variation of the original Goodnight Kiwi animation, where the kiwi and cat jump into the satellite dish.[3]

It was announced in October 2019 and released on 11 November of the same year. This was after it was hinted in July that Goodnight Kiwi may make a comeback to television.[2] To promote the series, Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells got into bed together on an episode of Seven Sharp and read a bedtime story to each other.[4] Wells was nude in the bed, which brought some criticism although the majority of people found it funny. It was one of the most read stories of The New Zealand Herald in 2019.[5] The show was made in partnership with The Warehouse, who started a 'buy one give one' campaign after the series started for the books appearing in the episodes. It was made 25 years after Goodnight Kiwi stopped being displayed on television sign offs.[6][7] The series is aimed at inspiring children to read books and help with their literacy. On the Christmas episode, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern read Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy.[7]

Presenters

Well-known New Zealanders read a bedtime story in each episode, these include:[8]

References

  1. ^ Ward, Tara (15 November 2019). "Review: Kids' TV show Goodnight Kiwi is short but very, very sweet". The Spinoff. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Thornber, Lorna; Forrester, Georgia (26 October 2019). "Goodnight Kiwi and Cat are coming back to TV". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  3. ^ Nealon, Sarah (20 November 2019). "Hilary and Jeremy's childhood memories of the original Goodnight Kiwi". Stuff. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells get into bed together to promote the return of Goodnight Kiwi". Stuff. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Nude in bed: The Seven Sharp bit that 'definitely crossed the line'". The New Zealand Herald. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  6. ^ "TVNZ reviving Goodnight Kiwi". Newstalk ZB. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to front Christmas episode of Goodnight Kiwi". The New Zealand Herald. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Goodnight Kiwi (TV Series 2019)". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 18 May 2023.