Enjoy some munty nostalgia at the ‘Mr Squiggle & Friends’ exhibition landing at the National Museum in July

In the canon of historical pop culture, no era was quite so twisted as 1970s television. Worldwide, viewers were treated (subjected, depending on how you view it) to an avalanche of madcap characters, freakish mascots, and very kooky icons of entertainment and, in some cases, education.

One such character, perhaps not as nightmarish as say, Mr Blobby in the 1990s, is Australian invention, Mr Squiggle. Designed to look something like a pre-Elf-on-the-Shelf / half-dunce-student-in-the-back-row-of-the-classroom, Squiggle was a marionette who had a thick red pencil for a nose, and who reportedly came from “93 Crater Crescent on the Moon”, flying into Earth daily in his pet rocket (named Rocket) to catch up with other marionette characters and a rotating roster of human presenters.

Most of the presenters – particularly the women – did a rather good job at dealing with these characters’ off-kilter remarks and sometimes dubious subject matter, but I’ve got to say, some of the blokes came across as more munted than the marionettes themselves. Certainly more daft. Jump to 3:20 to see what I mean.

For those who want to relive some magical, kooky televisual memories, and for those who just want to see what all the twisted fuss was about, the National Museum of Australia is soon to present an exhibition entitled Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington. The exhibition will run from 4 July to 13 October 2025, and will feature more than 800 objects from creator Hetherington’s extensive archive of artworks, scripts, sets and puppets including, of course, Mr Squiggle and his friends.

Gus the Snail was a main character on the children’s TV show ‘Mr Squiggle’ who’ll certainly be part of the exhibition. Gus was ahead of his time with mobile device carrying, having a TV stuck on his actual slug back.

Even in an age of limited media, Mr. Squiggle was presented on television in various formats – from five-minute slots (catering to kids’ short attention spans pre-YouTube videos) to a one-and-a-half-hour variety show featuring said rotating presenters and the occasional local celebrity.

At its height, Mr Squiggle & Friends was one of the most popular children’s programs in Australia and toured theatre and conventions, entertaining several generations who grew with the program. It became one of the longest-running children’s programs on Australian television, despite originally only asked to fill a six week gap on the ABC’s airing schedule.

Mr Squiggle and Friends: The Creative World of Norman Hetherington lands at the National Museum of Australia on 4 July. More information at nma.gov.au.

Later in the year, the National Museum will also be hosting an exciting exploration of the global cultural phenomenon of the Korean ‘wave’, Hallyu! packed with aspects of K-pop, K-drama and K-fashion. But that’s later in December so I’ll get more info about it to you in the second half of the year.

Thanks, Miss Jane.
Antonino Tati

The National Museum of Australia is situated on Lawson Crescent, Acton, ACT. Entry is free though costs apply for some events and special exhibitions.