Thu, May 2, 1985
Strange road signs lead Hugo Trapp to Max Box. In a road- house they meet Anita Winkle, waitress and would-be singer. They all head for the big city, winding up performing on a TV show together.
Thu, May 9, 1985
Our three aspiring performers have slept the night in Hugo's car. A policeman's directions to an estate agent inspires a song. The trio's fantasies about the ideal home eventually lead them to, of all things, a houseboat for rent.
Thu, May 16, 1985
Boarding the houseboat for rent, the trio encounters the formidable owner, 'Commodore' Cadbury. She quickly warms to them and leaves them in charge of the S.S. Marietta. The trio gives itself a name - 'Trapp, Winkle and Box'.
Thu, May 23, 1985
Trapp, Winkle and Box find themselves embroiled in the search for Fifi, a lost dog. They discuss and prepare a lost poster, place an ad in the 'Lost and Found' column of a newspaper, check the dog pound and even a railways lost property office. Their efforts are rewarded.
Thu, May 30, 1985
Our trio confuses publicity for a coming attraction with auditions for an acting academy. Preparations for audition pieces take Anita to a sheet music shop, Hugo to a costume hire and Max to an underwater adventure.
Thu, Jun 6, 1985
At a Punch and Judy Show Trapp, Winkle and Box meet all kinds of puppets back stage. Max is inspired to make a numbat puppet, sending Hugo and Anita to a fabric shop for materials. Max's numbat takes on a life of its own.
Thu, Jun 13, 1985
Hugo's grandfather Vittorio has a birthday. The trio take him on a tour of his old school, the church where he was married and other places of special significance. There are flashbacks to the young Vittorio and some other intriguing members of the family.
Thu, Jun 20, 1985
Trapp, Winkle and Box are engaged by agency man Steve Tremor to appear in a TV ad for 'Dazzle' toothpaste. They develop words and music for a jingle and then have the starring roles in the advertisement.
Thu, Jul 18, 1985
Trapp, Winkle and Box venture 'up-river' in search of a local hermit. Ill-prepared for camping, they spend an uncomfortable night in the bush after becoming separated. The hermit comes to their rescue.
Thu, Jul 25, 1985
Arriving at the hospital to visit Max's cousin Jack, Max stumbles on the steps. A broken toe leads him to a hospital's Casualty section, a doctor's consulting room, an X-ray and only later to join the others with young Jack.
Thu, Aug 1, 1985
The trio's early morning singing irritates a neighbouring boat owner. Moving to a park, they decide to try busking. This leads to close encounters with a by-laws officer for Hugo and a curious experience for Max with his numbat puppet.
Thu, Aug 8, 1985
Anita returns to her home town for a 'back to' centenary celebration. She joins relatives and old school friends in preparations for a gala concert and finds herself singing and dancing Scott Joplin's 'The real slow drag', accompanied by the local school orchestra.
Thu, Aug 15, 1985
Hugo is visited by his scientifically-inclined niece Stella for the weekend. She reveals a startling plan: to build a rocket and journey into space. Ever the romantic, Hugo makes genuine efforts to assist her.
Thu, Aug 22, 1985
Hugo and Max discover a magical egg-timer on the Marietta. By inverting it they are transported into a fantastic labyrinth. They encounter bizarre characters such as 'Professor Bandicoot' and 'Madam Crackpot', who play games with language.
Thu, Sep 12, 1985
As Hugo and Max prepare for a kite competition, Tuan, a young Vietnamese visitor, arrives unexpectedly. He is searching for his sister and our trio's efforts to help him lead to some interesting insights into Vietnamese culture. Tuan, in turn, helps them to make a most unusual kite.
Thu, Sep 19, 1985
Anita auditions for the lead part in a musical 'The Bunypuppies' and the trio then heads off to the nearby fruit and vegetable market to do their weekly shopping. After encounters with various stall holders, Anita phones the musical company and learns that she has the part. This involves a tour and she makes a tearful farewell to Hugo and Max.
Thu, Sep 26, 1985
Hugo and Max get involved in devising a stage production based on Lester and Clyde, a children's book about two frogs who feel the effects of pollution of the environment. For the production, they team up with Rosey, a singer and performer they met at the local market.
Thu, Sep 18, 1986
Hugo finds himself appearing on the 'greatest animal quiz show in the world'. He battles his way through various word games with the carry-over champ until a bunyip brings things to a chaotic ending.
Thu, Sep 25, 1986
Discovering a stack of overdue library books in their houseboat, the trio head for the local library. They become so engrossed exploring various sections of it that they manage to get locked in at closing time. How to get a message to the outside world? Everyone has a different idea.
Thu, Oct 2, 1986
The trio audition for a panto with very mixed success. They decide to stage their own show and present their own version of Peter Pan. Things come adrift as they prepare and they find themselves actually face to face with Peter Pan and the evil Captain Hook.
Tue, Oct 21, 1986
The trio find themselves looking after things on Aunty Ivy's farm while she is away. They are left with a puzzling set of instructions, not to mention the odd cow and goat. A helpful neighbour treats them to a good yarn and a bush dance at the local school.
Tue, Oct 28, 1986
Max and Hugo learn that one of Rosie's ancestors, Sarah Pugh, came to Australia with the First Fleet. We go back in time to the heart-rending story of Miss Pugh's imprisonment after she is wrongfully accused of stealing hankies from the Governor's wife. Along the way we see a town crier, a 'wanted poster', newspaper headlines and a 'Rent-a-buggy' store.
Tue, Nov 4, 1986
Hugo wins a poetry competition and a chance to appear on the 'Ralph Prawn Show' on TV. At the studios, Rosie is mysteriously spirited away to the 'Word Factory', a place of fantasy where words are studied, classified and treasured. Rosie has been brought there by the proprietor, Spooner, to explain some puzzling Australian slang.