Goodnight Kiwi

Television (Full Length) – 1981 - 1994

Long before 24-hour television, Goodnight Kiwi bade viewers goodnight at the end of each day's broadcasting. The short piece was animated by Sam Harvey to lullaby 'Hine e Hine'. For a generation of kids, it became a beloved symbol of staying up past your bedtime. The plucky kiwi shut up shop at the TV station, put out the milk, and went to sleep with The Cat. Earlier versions screened from 1974 to 1980, before this one, which ran until 1994. It later resurfaced on TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7, and 2008 saw a new version. The character — called TV Kiwi by TVNZ — also featured on postage stamps and in hit movie Boy.

Don’t think too hard about why a supposedly nocturnal bird slept at night, or why that cat never ate him. Just watch and enjoy and think how quaint it was that an entire nation used to be sent off to nigh-nighs by this furry little fella.
– Spinoff writer Tara Ward, 15 November 2019