Bananas in Pajamas | An ABS-CBN's 90s Filipino-dubbed Kids Show Short Retrospective

Bananas in Pajamas was a Filipino-dubbed children's television show which aired every afternoon in ABS-CBN's anime afternoon block, around the block of Zenki, B'T X, and Blue Blink. Bananasa in Pajamas was originally Bananas in Pyjamas, an Australian children's television series that premiered on the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) on July 20, 1992 and have been syndicated and dubbed into many language including the Filipino language. Let's go down memory lane and remember the the Filipino-dubbed Australian kids show Bananas in Pajamas on its Philippine Television run here at Retro Pilipinas.


Bananas in Pajamas - The Show
About Bananas in Pyjamas

Bananas in Pajamas feature anthropomorphic characters, mainly two twin banana brothers named B1 and B2. It chronicles their daily lives along with their three teddy bear neighbors Amy, Lulu and Morgan, and Doding Daga (Rat in a Hat in the Australian version).

Bananas in Pajamas Opening Theme
Bananas in Pyjamas Series Intro



Bananas in Pyjamas Lyrics




Bananas in pyjamas
Are coming down the stairs
Bananas in pyjamas
Are coming down in pairs
Bananas in pyjamas
Are chasing teddy bears
'Cause on Tuesdays
They all try to
Catch them unawares

[second time sung faster]

Bananas in pyjamas
Are coming down the stairs
Bananas in pyjamas
Are coming down in pairs
Bananas in pyjamas
Are chasing teddy bears
'Cause on Tuesdays
They all try to
Catch them unawares
A Retrospective on Bananas in Pajamas
A Look Back on Bananas in Pajamas

What can be said about Bananas in Pajamas' run in Philippine television back in the late 90s? It was a good 15-minute short that served as an intermission to the main course for 90s kids ever weekday afternoon. They serve as a downtime or something cute after or before each anime shown every afternoon in ABS-CBN back then. I only remember that the show was smack right between Zenki or B't X and Akazukin Cha Cha or Blue Blink. The show featured cute anthropomorphic characters/mascots which were all voiced in Filipino making them more relatable to Filipino kids.


With the power of the Internet, we can now take a look back at them with this YouTube clip:







It was a kid-friendly slice of life show which when thinking about it now, was perfectly place as the anime that precede them usually are a bit on the violent (but in a good badass way for boys) side like B'T X and Zenki. As a 90s kid I remember many of us mimicking their popular lines. With iconic lines spoken by the titular Bananas in Pajamas, "Naiisip mo ba ang naiisip ko B1?" which is added by the other banana, "Sa Palagay ko nga B2", the show has cemented itself in the hearts and minds of the Filipino kids who are waiting for the next action packed anime on the ABS'CBN's afternoon block.


How about you guys? What are your fondest memories of Bananas in Pajamas? Share your thoughts and opinion about the Filipino-dubbed Bananas in Pajamas Philippine television run in the comments section below and let's have an awesome discussion.

Sineskwela | An ABS-CBN 90s Educational Show for Children Retrospective

Sineskwela was Filipino educational television show for children that aired in ABS-CBN during the 90s. Sineskwela which was alternatively known as "School on Air", was produced by ABS-CBN Foundation with the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Education (DepEd). Let's go down memory lane with this iconic educational show for kids called Sineskwela. Tayo na sa Sineskwela...


Sineskwela - The Show
About Sineskwela

Sineskwela presented and explained otherwise complicated principles and concepts of science and technology through dramatization and visual effects. It also demonstrated the practical application of science in familiar life situations, thereby allowing the information to be easily understood and appreciated by its young viewers.

Sineskwela was a curriculum-based show and catered to public elementary students from Grade 2 to 6. The DepEd mandated that it be shown in the science class of each grade level at least once a week. Five episodes--one for each of the five grade levels--were shown every week. Each episode presented different problems and situations in which the characters had a chance to explore the world of science. The characters would gather information not just through library research but also through laboratory experiments, field investigations, on-the-scene reporting, and use of visual effects. An example would be the show's characters, Anatom and Agatom, shrinking to the size of molecules and entering biological organisms such as a flower or a dog. In these mini-adventures, they would encounter several personifications of bacteria, pollen, and other possible objects who explain the related scientific theories and phenomena.


The Sineskwela cast included Christine Bersola playing as the character Anatom, Brennan Espartinez as Agatom, Sheena Ramos as Palikpik, Maan Munsayac as Kulitsap, Roobak Valle as Ugatpuno, Frederico Gonzales as Bok, Giselle Sanchez as Ate Giselle, and Winnie Cordero as Ate Winnie.

Source: Sineskwela on WikiPilipinas

Sineskwela Opening Theme
Sineskwela Series Intro



Sineskwela Theme Song
Composed by: Ryan Cayabyab

Bawat bata may tanong,
Ba't ganito, bat gano'n?
Hayaang buksan ang isipan
Sa science o agham...

Tayo na sa Sineskwela
Tuklasin natin ang siyensya
Buksan ang pag-iisip
Tayo'y likas na scientist!

Tayo na sa Sineskwela
Tuklasin natin ang siyensya
Kinabukasan ng ating bayan
Siguradong makakamtan!

Sa daigdig ng agham
Tuklasin ang kaalaman
Halina't lumipad
Sa daigdig ng isipan

Tayo na sa Sineskwela
Tuklasin natin ang siyensya
Kinabukasan ng ating bayan
Siguradong makakamtan

Kaya't habang maaga
Mag-aral ng siyensya
Sa teknolohiya,
Ang buhay ay gaganda... ahhhh...

Tayo na sa Sineskwela
Tuklasin natin ang siyensya
Buksan ang pag-iisip
Tayo'y likas na scientist

Tayo na sa Sineskwela
Tuklasin natin ang siyensya
Kinabukasan ng ating bayan
Si-gu-ra-dong maka-kamtaaaaaan...




What is there to say about Sineskwela? Actually quite a lot. Well, that is for us who grew up watching Sineskwela back in the 90s. Sineskwela was a good educational show. It piqued the curiosity and interest of grade school students in Science and Technology. It re-define how Science should be taught. That Science can be learned and presented in a fun and entertaining way and not as a dull and boring cold textbook type of one. This is probably one of the factor, why I considered Science as one of my favorite subjects back in grade school, well except for the tedious memorization during recitations and exams hahaha. It featured a good format which seems to be lacking with most contemporary educational programming (2015 - as of the time of this writing) that major television networks are coming up with nowadays. Although Sineskwela did use various stock footage from other foreign Science shows way back in the days (maybe for the lack of other resource), the show was still able to properly explain science to kids.



Some episodes of Sineskwela have been uploaded on Youtube for you to have an idea of what the show looks and feels like. Simply search "sineskwela" on Youtube.
Some Sineskwela episodes that truly left a mark with me are the episode dedicated to photosynthesis with discussion of chlorophyll; and water treatment process before it becomes safe and drinkable with a jingle that describes the process of sedimentation, filtration, boiling, and distillation. Sineskwela, just like Beakman's World were a groundbreaking edutainment shows for children that will forever be in the hearts of those who grew up watching them and has a penchant for Science and learning.


How about you guys? What are your fondest and favorite memories, episodes, characters, and topics covered in the phenomenal ABS-CBN 90s Science-theme edutainment kids show? Have you seen newer contemporary Science educational programs that has the same feel and vibe to Sineskwela? Do these new shows work or have done a better work that what most of us grew up with Sineskwela? Share your thoughts and opinion about Sineskwela in the comments section below:

Yosi Kadiri - Department of Health's Iconic Anti-Smoking Campaign Mascot

Yosi Kadiri was a Department of Health anti-Smoking Campaign Mascot back in the 90's. Yosi Kadiri was an iconic 80s and 90s mascot that puts a face to smoking, and its detrimental effects to the health of both smokers and non-smokers. The Yosi Kadiri campaign was heavily marketed to spread awareness and warn about the effects of smoking via outdoor signs, commercial center signages, television, call/home radio, newspapers, magazines, school organs, comic books, and premium items.

Yosi Kadira - The Mission
Yosi Kadiri Campaign

The prevalence of smoking and its detrimental effect on the health of smokers and non-smokers have alarmed government authorities. It is in this context that Yosi Kadiri Information and Education Anti-Smoking Campaign has been conceptualized and implemented.

Yosi Kadiri Campaign aims to reduce the prevalence of smoking among the youth in the 7 to 19 age bracket from 22.7% in 1987 to at least 12% by the end of 1997. Its audience includes non-smoking male and female children and teenagers with emphasis on the 12 to 16 age group.

A mascot called Yosi Kadiri is the Campaign’s spokesman together with a media network composed of outdoor signs, commercial center signages, television, call/home radio, newspapers, magazines, school organs, comic books, and premium items.

The campaign hopes to change the predisposition and predecision to go into the habit of smoking at a certain age at a certain time.

Source: Knowledge Centrum

The grim face of Yosi Kadiri and the actual mascot somewhat disturbed me as a grade school student back in the early 90's. This is probably what the Health Department was aiming for back in the days, to start them young. It somehow helped educating the newer generation (back then) of the dangers of smoking. This campaign and probably my father (even if he is a smoker) warning me that I shouldn't smoke made me not turn into a smoker. In the end, it is still up to the nearest influences that could deter one to engage in such vices.

But like I said, what if one is exposed to an environment tolerating such vices? What you get is Yosi Kadiri becoming the "real face of smoking", and not in the same sense that the Department of Health envisioned the mascot to be. Yosi Kadiri was eventually dropped by the Department of Health in early 2000, and not long, appearing once again in "Inuman Na" music video of by-then rising Filipino pop rock band Parokya ni Edgar. In the world of the young innocent and susceptible students, Yosi Kadiri may have been that malignant face to stop their natural curiosity to try things out, specifically smoking. On the world of adults on the other hand, Yosi Kadiri could very well be the face of how society views them, and that has probably made them relate more to this mascot rather than be scared of it.

Parokya Ni Edgar "Inuman Na" Music Video Featuring The Yosi Kadiri Mascot
Yosi Kadiri in Inuman Na Music Video

To those who grew up around the late 80s and early 90s Yosi Kadiri will forever be instilled in their minds. That disturbing and malicious face of a mascot, what was he DOH thought of that time when they came up with such designs for a mascot? It probably helped with the government's campaign against smoking, but eventually the mascot, just like the 90's has moved on.

What about you guys? How doyou remember Yosi Kadiri? Share your thoughts about the iconic DOH anti-smoking campaign mascot of the late 80s to early 90s on the comments section below: