What's that, Big Ted? Play School celebrates 60 years

One of Australia's best-loved childrens programs, Play School, is celebrating 60 years on air. Photo: PR IMAGE PHOTO

There's a bear in there and a chair as well, at an exhibition marking 60 years of beloved children's TV program Play School.

Actor Alex Papps recently clocked up 20 years as a presenter, and after a sneak peek of the show at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image, he predicted things could get noisy.

"I just thought, 'My goodness, they are going to absolutely love it'. It's certainly recognisable as a Play School environment," he said.

The program first went to air in black and white on July 18, 1966, and remains one of Australia's best-loved children's shows.

Play School has been loved by Aussie kids for generations, and isn't slowing down. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)

Papps still remembers watching his very first episode as a presenter go to air, and says the joy of working on Play School has never worn off.

"It's not lost on any of us how we are custodians of the show and that it is beloved," he said.

The exhibition Play School: Come and Play! was put together by ACMI with the ABC, and is aimed at children aged between two and five.

It features a crawl-through rocket clock, a stop-motion Play School house, and a TV set complete with cardboard camera.

A timeline of the program's 32-week production schedule runs along one wall, so children can design their own episodes using coaster-sized pictures of the Play School toys.

There's even a section for children to leave production notes, but it's not clear the crew will take them on board, as the only note left so far is an indecipherable orange scribble.

Actress Miah Madden started on Play School when she was 19, making her the program's youngest-ever presenter.

Now 23, she's often approached by pint-sized fans, who don't realise that she doesn't know them like they know her.

"It's such a heartwarming thing in the age of social media and streamers that there are actually a lot of kids sitting down watching the ABC, waiting for Play School to come on," she said.

Alex Papps (right, with Miah Madden) says the joy of working on Play School has never worn off. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)

The program's philosophy is that the best way to develop a flourishing imagination is through play, and Papps believes its audience has always been special.

"Play School represents a very short time in a child's life where no one expects anything of you, other than to be yourself and to discover who you are," he said.

Play School: Come and Play! is at ACMI in Melbourne's Federation Square, open until July 12.

Australian Associated Press