Play School Opening Titles

Over a year ago, we read a beautiful and clear brief from the people at Play School. I feel briefs don’t often get a shout out in these results driven times. We pitched a carefully composed storybook world – a gentle nod to Wes Anderson in its symmetry and stop-motion charm – grounded in the handmade, craft-table spirit that has always defined Play School. The intention was clear from the outset: to honour 60 years not by polishing the past, but by physically building it. This was especially significant as the 2026 titles mark Kiya’s first ever appearance in the opening sequence – a proud moment of representation. To ensure that felt authentic and culturally grounded, we engaged Noongar artist Kamsani Bin Salleh to paint Kiya and Jemima’s bedroom, including Kiya’s hero turtle artwork.

Working alongside animation director Marieka Walsh – who was embedded across the entire production from pre-production through puppet builds and final animation – and puppet and production designer Jacqui Hudson, we set out to create the new opening titles in close collaboration with the ABC’s Play School set design team. Every frame was captured through stop-motion puppetry, filmed using a robotic arm and Dragonframe to achieve precision without sacrificing warmth. The technology moved like clockwork; the materials still felt like cardboard, glue, paint and imagination. Terry Bail and the team at Archology constructed the centrepiece of our vision – an extraordinary approx. two-metre wide house, built as a fully practical miniature world. Real windows. Real depth. Real shadows.

The props drew directly from the show’s legacy of hand-crafted creativity – visible brush strokes, paper textures, timber edges. Nothing overly slick or perfect. Nostalgia wasn’t treated as a filter, but as a structural material. We also produced the iconic “Through the Windows” segment, along with the end credit sequence extended that tactile world, using simple set backdrops, a gentle wind through the hills hoist, and subtle post work on drifting clouds.

The Play School house now lives beyond the screen. It is currently on display at ACMI as part of their 60 Years of Play School exhibition, and will travel nationally as a moving exhibition across Australia. We are incredibly proud that these titles will broadcast on Australian screens for the next 15 years – and that the physical house itself will endure in television history. Homemade props, stop-motion craftsmanship, robotics and a whole lot of love and care – honouring six decades of Australian childhood while building something tangible for the next generation.

Concept

Initial sketches

Design

Pallet

House – exterior

House – interior

Realised interior

Test animation

Animatic

Stop motion tests

Prop and set building

House

Puppets

Knick knacks and set pieces

Shoot

Post production

Showing it to the crew

Aired on ABC Kids