Goodnight Kiwi
Encyclopedia
The Goodnight Kiwi, later also called TV Kiwi, is a character in an animated short
which has been used to signal the end of nightly broadcasts on Television New Zealand
channels. The animation was introduced in 1975 on TV2, and used on South Pacific Television
between 1976 and 1980. Between 1980 and 19 October 1994, the animation was screened again on TV2. This animation returned on 6 September 2007 for use on TVNZ 6
when the channel ends transmission at midnight. TVNZ 7 and TVNZ U continue the Goodnight Kiwi at midnight before overnight service.
The Goodnight Kiwi's companion is simply known as The Cat.
room. Kiwi shuts down the screens, and starts an audio cassette playing an instrumental arrangement of the traditional Māori lullaby
, Hine e Hine
, or sometimes God Save the Queen
. Kiwi walks through the studio while Cat jumps and pulls faces into a camera. Kiwi turns out the lights, puts a milk bottle on the porch and locks the door, while the cat heads upstairs to the studio roof. The Kiwi follows and rides an elevator
(presumably just after it had been used by the cat) to the top of a transmission mast. At the top, Kiwi covers himself in blankets (in which the cat was already curled up) and goes to sleep in a satellite dish
with the Cat sitting on his stomach. The short closes with the words: "Goodnight from TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND." There was a slight variation of the ending, with the TVNZ channel ident
and the announcer fading down the volume to announce "and it's goodnight from Channel . . ." (this being directly followed by the channel number e.g. "and it's goodnight from Channel 2").
When the cartoon debuted in 1975, the Kiwi had been a director. The cartoon began with the Kiwi yawning in the director's chair. Kiwi wakes up the cat, and the two race each other down a series of cameras and other broadcasting equipment. The Kiwi then goes outside, cuts the power and turns on the lights from inside. No footage can claim what happens after that.
An alternate version of the Goodnight Kiwi clip was used by South Pacific Television
somewhere between 1976 and 1980 and saw the Goodnight Kiwi and his companion living in a television camera. At the end of the clip, the kiwi would close the side flaps on the camera and then the South Pacific Television logo would appear as the music faded out.
During transmission breakdowns, a still picture of the Goodnight Kiwi was often used, in poses including one of sweeping the floor and accidentally pulling out a power cord.
The characters are regarded as part of New Zealand broadcasting culture.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
which has been used to signal the end of nightly broadcasts on Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
channels. The animation was introduced in 1975 on TV2, and used on South Pacific Television
South Pacific Television
South Pacific Television was a television channel in New Zealand, which operated between 1976 and 1980.- The Early Days :The channel, then known as TV 2, first went to air on June 30, 1975...
between 1976 and 1980. Between 1980 and 19 October 1994, the animation was screened again on TV2. This animation returned on 6 September 2007 for use on TVNZ 6
TVNZ 6
TVNZ 6 was a digital-only, commercial-free television channel operated by Television New Zealand. It was available in 60.3% of New Zealand homes on the Freeview and SKY Television Digital platforms...
when the channel ends transmission at midnight. TVNZ 7 and TVNZ U continue the Goodnight Kiwi at midnight before overnight service.
The Goodnight Kiwi's companion is simply known as The Cat.
Overview
The one minute long animation begins with Goodnight Kiwi and the Cat in the master controlMaster control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room in television studios where the activities such as switching from camera to camera are coordinated...
room. Kiwi shuts down the screens, and starts an audio cassette playing an instrumental arrangement of the traditional Māori lullaby
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
, Hine e Hine
Hine E Hine
"Hine E Hine" is a Māori lullaby written by Princess Te Rangi Pai in 1907.Hine E Hine was used from 1979 to 1994 as the New Zealand TV Channel 2's "closing-down song", which accompanied a cartoon featuring the Goodnight Kiwi.A cover of the song was recorded by Hayley Westenra for her album...
, or sometimes God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
. Kiwi walks through the studio while Cat jumps and pulls faces into a camera. Kiwi turns out the lights, puts a milk bottle on the porch and locks the door, while the cat heads upstairs to the studio roof. The Kiwi follows and rides an elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
(presumably just after it had been used by the cat) to the top of a transmission mast. At the top, Kiwi covers himself in blankets (in which the cat was already curled up) and goes to sleep in a satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
with the Cat sitting on his stomach. The short closes with the words: "Goodnight from TELEVISION NEW ZEALAND." There was a slight variation of the ending, with the TVNZ channel ident
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
and the announcer fading down the volume to announce "and it's goodnight from Channel . . ." (this being directly followed by the channel number e.g. "and it's goodnight from Channel 2").
When the cartoon debuted in 1975, the Kiwi had been a director. The cartoon began with the Kiwi yawning in the director's chair. Kiwi wakes up the cat, and the two race each other down a series of cameras and other broadcasting equipment. The Kiwi then goes outside, cuts the power and turns on the lights from inside. No footage can claim what happens after that.
An alternate version of the Goodnight Kiwi clip was used by South Pacific Television
South Pacific Television
South Pacific Television was a television channel in New Zealand, which operated between 1976 and 1980.- The Early Days :The channel, then known as TV 2, first went to air on June 30, 1975...
somewhere between 1976 and 1980 and saw the Goodnight Kiwi and his companion living in a television camera. At the end of the clip, the kiwi would close the side flaps on the camera and then the South Pacific Television logo would appear as the music faded out.
During transmission breakdowns, a still picture of the Goodnight Kiwi was often used, in poses including one of sweeping the floor and accidentally pulling out a power cord.
The characters are regarded as part of New Zealand broadcasting culture.
Parodies
- Before SKY debuted its Tui TV Wednesday night lineup on SKY 1, the station produced a parody of the Goodnight Kiwi; using footage from a TVNZ special in 2000, the Kiwi is knocked out after turning out the lights and a tuiTui (bird)The tui is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand. It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family....
turns all the equipment back on and watches a collage of SKY's Tui TV lineup with a beer in one wing. It is not known if SKY got permission to use the original footage. The sequence goes like this:- Beginning is normal.
- When the Kiwi reaches the door, two eyes come out.
- It hits a bottle on the kiwi and the kiwi is knocked out.
- The tui puts its wing finger inside the camera revealing a real finger in the camera.
- When the tui arrives at the screens, the screens are covered with test cards.
- The tui flips two switches and the screens show the collage.
- Eating Media Lunch also parodied the Goodnight Kiwi - the clip plays as normal (save for the kiwi mooning the camera and throwing the cat out of the nest), but instead of the kiwi sleeping, it shoots some New Zealand icons with a sniper rifle from the satellite dish.