Flipper and Lopaka
Flipper & Lopaka is an Australian animated series produced by the Yoram Gross[1] companies: Yoram Gross Films Studio (in Season 1) and Yoram Gross-EM.TV (in Seasons 2 and 3). It has previously aired on Australia's Seven Network at various times and has also aired on Australia's ABC3, a channel dedicated to children's television programs.
| Flipper and Lopaka | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Genre | Adventure Comedy |
| Written by | Glen Dolman |
| Directed by | Yoram Gross (series 1-2) Susan Oliver (series 3) |
| Voices of | Jodie Dry (series 3) Robyn Moore (series 1-2) Jamie Oxenbould Troy Planet (series 2) Keith Scott Josh Quong Tart (series 3) Jane U'Brien (series 3) Shane Withington (series 3) |
| Theme music composer | Clive Harrison |
| Opening theme | "Flipper's Theme", performed by Mark Williams (Seasons 1–2), Gordon Downie and Louise Anton (Season 3) |
| Ending theme | "Flipper's Theme" (Instrumental) |
| Composers | Guy Gross Clive Harrison |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Sandra Gross (Season 1) Tim Brooke-Hunt (Season 1) Dr. Sylvia Rothblum (Season 2) |
| Producer | Yoram Gross |
| Editors | Djordje Lukic (Season 1) Roger Grant (Season 2) Dee Liebenberg (Season 2) David Stiven (Season 2) |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production companies | Animation Filmakers Corporation Yoram Gross Films Studio (Season 1) Yoram Gross-EM.TV (Season 2–3) |
| Distributor | EM.TV & Merchandising AG |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Original release | 10 September 1999 – 24 February 2005 |
Setting
The series takes place on the Millhouse island of Illoka. The islanders survive without the use of modern technology, building huts out of bamboo and fern and eating various fruits found on the island floor. Beneath the surrounding ocean lies Quetzo, a sunken Millhouse island now home to many sea creatures. The series follows Lopaka, a young Polynesian boy who has the mysterious power to communicate with sea creatures and breathe underwater, and his adventures with his many sea-faring friends, including the witty and friendly dolphin, Flipper. Lopaka, Flipper and their friends must work together to thwart the plans of the nefarious Dexter, an octopus wanting to claim Quetzo as his own, and keep peace amongst the underwater domain.
Characters
All seasons
Lopaka - an 11-year-old Polynesian boy, referred to in the show as a menehune, who has the power to converse with sea creatures and to breathe underwater. He was rescued from drowning as a child by Flipper, and they've been best friends ever since. The islanders of Iloka often wonder where Lopaka disappears to every episode, but he usually manages to avoid speaking the truth (if he were to tell anybody, his powers would disappear). He wears a red skirt, and an arm band (which all the males wear on Iloka). Lopaka is a very loyal friend, to sea creatures and islanders alike. He has fluffy brown hair that reaches below his ears, and black eyes.
Flipper - Lopaka's best friend, Flipper is a quick-witted, agile, loyal and friendly bottlenose dolphin, whose parents are the rulers of Quetzo. When trouble arises in the underwater domain, the sea-creature citizens turn to Flipper as their leader. Flipper has a light blue underbelly, with a darker blue back. He is known as the most trusted sea creature in Quetzo, and does his best to help everybody he can.
Ottie, Ray and Puffy - Ottie, a sea otter, Ray, a manta ray and Puffy, a blowfish, are Flipper's good friends, and they usually accompany him and Lopaka in keeping Quetzo safe. Ottie is the only one of the three who can go on land, making him a valuable asset when Lopaka isn't around to help. Ray is kindhearted, and acts as a central motivator of the group, and Puffy, albeit insecure about himself, uses his ability to puff himself out to his advantage.
Dexter - Dexter is a giant, purple octopus whose main goal is to rule Quetzo. He is deceiving, manipulative, and acts as the main antagonist to the story. Underneath his nefarious outlook, when faced with danger he becomes very scared and cowardly. No matter how many times Flipper saves his life, Dexter will always make up a new plan to try and destroy him. He likes to praise himself for his 'excellence', however isn't the brightest sea creature around.
Serge - Serge is a sea snake who acts as the 'brains' to Dexter's motivation. He is bright green, with a devious and sharp mind. Even though Serge is to credit for the ideas that are made to destroy Flipper, whenever they go wrong, Dexter puts the blame on him for everything.
Dolores - Dexter's sister. Dolores dislikes Dexter, as she thinks of him as very selfish, and she is the only one Dexter truly fears. She occasionally has him babysit her daughter, Inky. She becomes friendly with Flipper and his friends and eventually becomes a famous superstar in Seadom.
Nola - A young Polynesian girl wears a simple Yellow dress and a leg bracelet around her right foot.
Season 2
Professor Troy, Spike and Goose - Professor Troy is a talented scientist who wants to find out the history of Quetso and Illoka, and the reason that it sank. She is good hearted and her son, Spike, is friends with Lopaka and is surprised the Milihune can get along without 20th century essentials. He tries teaching them about it by playing along with them. Goose, Troy's off-beat assistant is a young man of few words; every time he speaks, he does so with an accent. For example, if he were to say "Help me!", he would say it slowly, in a low voice. He wears an aqua vest and jeans.
Season 3
Captain Barnibus Crab, Kim, Simon - Captain Crab is a short, modern-day pirate who has come to the waters of Illoka to search for Neptune's Statue and Neptune's Trident. His barefoot niece, 18 or so year-old Kim has come to assist him, and also gain pirating experience. Kim is an eager pirate, and is the technical wiz of the ship. Simon on the other hand, is a large deck hand/chef. He is accident prone, and will commit piracy, but he is really a gentle giant.
Ultra - Ultra is a pink dolphin, who was taken from her parents as a baby. She grew up in a science lab, and was taken with the pirates to search the ocean floor. After a few incidents, Ultra proves herself a true, worthy companion, and Flipper gladly takes her into the group. Later in the series, Ultra finds her parents, along with a little sister, Delta.
List of episodes
Season 1 (1999)
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lost City | Lopaka's presence in the sea brings him on trial before Dexter but Lopaka and Flipper rescue everyone from Fishing Ship Drift Net. | 10 September 1999 |
| 2 | The Secrets of Quetzo | Dexter plots to take over both the undersea city and Illoka while Lopaka is tasked to take a sacred stone to the Quetzo temple. | 11 September 1999 |
| 3 | The Volcano | Dexter is attracting nasty folk into Quetzo and is about to activate the Illoka volcano. | 12 September 1999 |
| 4 | The White Whale | Flipper meets a white whale and her calf who are hiding from an exploration ship. Flipper saves the whales, who then save the exploration scientist. | 13 September 1999 |
| 5 | Lopaka's Gift | While Lopaka is looking for a gift for Nola's birthday, he goes with Flipper to liberate pearls that Dexter stole. | 16 September 1999 |
| 6 | The Showdown | The killer whale Orci returns to Quetzo to settle a score with Flipper, but the dolphin is able to negotiate a peace with him. | 17 September 1999 |
| 7 | The Good Shark | Some sawtooth sharks and their big partner Fang invade Quetzo, until Flipper convinces Fang, his partners are not his friends. | 18 September 1999 |
| 8 | The Sea Serpent | Dexter's garbage causes pain to a giant serpent. Lopaka is able to help the serpent and his overcome his fear of serpents as well. | 19 September 1999 |
| 9 | The Drought | Dexter plans to freeze Illoka with an iceberg, but instead it saves the island from drought. | 20 September 1999 |
| 10 | Lights, Camera, Dexter! | Dexter takes the opportunity to star in movie by kidnapping the director, but Lopaka and Flipper come to his rescue. | 21 September 1999 |
| 11 | King for a Minute | Dexter's crown switcheroo causes the Illoka Chief to lose his title and put the village at stake, but Flipper and Lopaka restore the Chief's place. | 22 September 1999 |
| 12 | The Castaway | Presumbaly the Chief's lost brother Bunty has returned, but it turns out to be Bunty's pet parrot. However Bunty is around on another island. | 23 September 1999 |
| 13 | The Little Blue Fish | A fish called Jojo feels out of his depth, but he proves his worth as Dexter's saviour. | 8 October 1999 |
| 14 | The Oil Spill | Oil pollution is affecting the people of Illoka. Help from the manatee Charlie reveals it's just one leaky barrel. | 11 October 1999 |
| 15 | The Circus | Inspired by the Illokans' new year circus, Dexter starts his own, leaving Lopaka and Flipper to recover from him the Illoka equipment he stole. | 12 October 1999 |
| 16 | The Sting of the Stonefish | Some stonefish are ostracised in Quetzo and one of them accidentally poisons Nola. Lopaka provides the cure and the stonefish earn their place. | 13 October 1999 |
| 17 | The Secret Weapon | Dexter steals a book from Callabash and uses its secrets to build a cannon, yet Lopaka manages to prevent Dexter from using it. | 14 October 1999 |
| 18 | Dexter's Wedding | Dexter starts his own campaign to run for mayor of Quetzo, but needs a wife to accomplish it, but Flipper saves Dexter from marrying a beguiling jellyfish. | 19 October 1999 |
| 19 | High Tide | A rising tide is threatening Illoka and the Milehouni build a sea wall. Dexter takes advantage of this to declare himself king of Illoka, but Flipper and Lopaka wash him with the flood out of the village. | 20 October 1999 |
| 20 | Dexter's Delinquents | Dexter recruits some bully boys to join him, while Flipper teaches young fish games of Finball. Dexter challenges Flipper's team to a Finball match. Despite Dexter's cheating, Flipper team narrowly wins. | 21 October 1999 |
| 21 | Girl Power | Nola trains hard for an island race, while Dexter's niece Inky joins the Ocean Explorers, both determined to prove that girls have what it takes. Inky outwits Dexter, while Lopaka and Nola both win the race. | 25 October 1999 |
| 22 | Bolo the Runaway | Tired from his chores, Bolo decides to make a run for it. After uniting a lost seal pup with his mother, Lopaka rushes to Bolo's rescue before the ocean current can drag him away. | 1 November 1999 |
| 23 | Surf's Up! | Lopaka introduces surfing to his people. Dexter tries to put a stop to the surfing, an incoming waterspout puts Iloka in danger. The Milehouni make it to safety, but Dexter gets caught in the waterspout. | 5 November 1999 |
| 24 | The Trap | Hoping to earn a reputation, Dexter traps Lopaka to stage a rescue. Bolo saves Flipper from being washed ashore, while Dexter's plan doesn't work the way he wanted it. | 11 November 1999 |
| 25 | The Monster from Quetzo | Dexter traps Flipper in the ruins of a dolphin city and uses a diving suit to invade the island, while his sharks attack the fleeing Illokanians. | 12 November 1999 |
| 26 | The Homecoming | Dexter finds the Quetzo Crown. Flipper rescues Lopaka's father from a storm and Flipper's parents return and prevent Dexter's coronation. | 13 November 1999 |
Season 2 (2000)
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Mysterious Island | With the absence of Flipper's parents, Dexter returns with allies to retake Quetzo. Meanwhile, Lopaka and Nola follow Bolo's trail on the dangerous Tabu Island. | 5 February 2000 |
| 28 | Strangers in Paradise | Dexter relocates to Tabu Island, where a scientist named Troy arrives to study Quetzo, Flipper rescuing her from Dexter. Her son Spike pays a visit to Illoka. | 15 February 2000 |
| 29 | The Eclipse | Dexter steers Troy to Quetzo, so he can steal Flipper's throne. When that fails, he uses the sun's eclipse to his advantage. With help from Troy's submarine, Flipper gets his throne back. | 19 February 2000 |
| 30 | Secret of the Seven Crystals | Dexter decides to do things Troy's way to reverse the Quetzo disaster. Realising Troy's intentions, Lopaka and Flipper seek to be the first to procure the crystals. | 26 February 2000 |
| 31 | Puffy the Pied Piper | Dexter hopes to put Flipper in a bad light during a carnival in Quetzo. He uses Puffy to lure the fish into a trap, but Flipper thwarts the ruse. | |
| 32 | Treasure Hunt | While Spike is going on a treasure hunt event, Flipper prompts Dexter to drive Troy away from Quetzo so Franny the manatee can safely give birth, but then Lopaka has to come to Troy's rescue. | |
| 33 | The Big Wave | Dexter plans to switch the Quetzo crown with a fake one to rig his place as ruler of Quetzo. Lopaka warns Illoka of an incoming tsunami. | |
| 34 | Flying is not for the Foolish | Bolo wants to build a flying machine, prompting everyone else to try. Dexter believes he is destined to fly, which Troy takes advantage of to make money. | |
| 35 | Dexter's Big Gulp | Troy and Goose brave the Temple of the Four Elements and get one of the crystals. Dexter accidentally swallows the crystal. Only Achuca berries can save his skin. | |
| 36 | Magic Medicine | Illoka fever has affected Chief Kapuna and Lopaka goes with Flipper to acquire the cure from Dexter's grotto. Troy becomes highly interested in the curing plant. | |
| 37 | Terrible Titan of Tabu | Dexter gets hold of a Quetzo machine from the Tabu cave to invade Flipper's palace. Nola helps Lopaka find the weakness to the machine. | |
| 38 | The Crystal Cave | Dexter steals a power crystal, while Troy causes a cave in. Flipper comes to the rescue and recovers the crystal while Lopaka set off to prove Spike did not steal Kapuna's mask. | |
| 39 | Big Bones | Dexter steals from Troy an ancient key to unlock a chamber in Quetzo and accidentally triggers a staff to resurrect a dinosaur. Lopaka lures the dinosaur and reverses the summoning. | |
| 40 | Ghosts and Monsters | After a failed attemopt to recover an emerald necklace, Lopaka locates Nola and Spike stranded on an island, and helps inhabitants defeat the Morgue beast. | |
| 41 | Legend of the Sea Dragons | Troy captures a rare sea dragon and Dexter takes a sea dragon egg. Lopaka rescues the sea dragon and her baby and has Dexter takes their place. | |
| 42 | Goose's Ghost | Spike tricks Goose into searching for Captain Cutlass' sunken ship. However their submersible puts Ray and his family in jeopardy. The ghost matter is cleared up and the ship returned to the seabed. | |
| 43 | Electric Soup | Lopaka and Flipper discover a power crystal that conjures storms. Goose messes with the crystal forcing Lopaka to head there and recover the crystal. | |
| 44 | Day of Rest | Dexter babysits his niece Inky, but barracudas kidnap her. Flipper and Lopaka assist in the rescue, while Goose and Spike face a giant spider on their day off. | |
| 45 | All Great Creatures | Flipper captured along with Dexter and the sharks by Troy as birthday presents for her friend's son Jeffrey. Flipper convinces Jeffrey to allow him to remain free. | |
| 46 | The Carnival | Dexter gets Orci to run a carnival in Quetzo for him, making Flipper feel left out. Flipper saves Orci's mother from Troy's trap and Flipper returns to reclaim his place at the carnival. | |
| 47 | The Visitors | Professor Hefty and Jessica come to visit. Dexter unleashes an ancient crab, while Flipper becomes deaf from an explosion. Flipper defeats the crab, while Spike exposes Jessica as a thief. | |
| 48 | Fire and Ice | Dexter gets hold of the fire power crystal and tries to boil up Quetzo, while the ice power crystal freezes Tabu Island. Lopaka gets the ice crystal and unites with the fire crystal. | |
| 49 | Flipper's Twin | Dexter recruits a dolphin raised by sharks named Storm to replace Flipper. Lopaka rescues Flipper, who manages to convince Storm, that Dexter used him to conquer Quetzo. | |
| 50 | Holiday Island | Some holidaymakers come to Illoka, giving the locals a taste of modernisation. Meanwhile, a sea snake rampages due to a tradition neglected, so Lopaka makes a tribute. | |
| 51 | Mirror, Mirror | Flipper finds the power crystal control panel, then gets hold of a weapon and the final power crystal. Lopaka liberates the weapon and crystal to free Spike and Bolo from a mine. | |
| 52 | Edge of Doom | Dexter takes all seven crystals from Flipper and delivers them to Troy. Unable to talk Troy out of her sacrificial experiment, Spike does instead. Dexter's attempt to finish the job, destroys Tabu. |
Season 3 (2003-05)
| # | Title | Summary | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | Something Old, Something New | A series of earthquakes affects Quetzo. Dexter returns and takes over Quetzo. Flipper and a lab dolphin named Ultra along with Lopaka drive Dexter out. | 1 December 2003 |
| 54 | Starstruck | New arrivals come to Illoka consisting of Barnacle Crab, Kim and Simon. They are pirates under the guise of filmmakers. Meanwhile, Flipper aided by a reluctant Dexter rescues Ottie. | 2 December 2003 |
| 55 | Sink or Swim | Bolo stows away on Barnacle's sub but gets trapped. Ultra faces her fear of currents to help Flipper and Lopaka rescue Bolo. | 3 December 2003 |
| 56 | Island Idol | Illoka is holding a talent show and Lopaka finds out that Barnacle and his crew are actually pirates. At the talent show, Lopaka manages to expose them. | 5 February 2004 |
| 57 | Blasts from the Past | Flipper and Lopaka travel to the past, where they return the cursed statue of Neptune to the sea. In another time period they have sink the statue again when Captain Redbeard gets hold of it. | 18 February 2004 |
| 58 | Dolphin Deception | Flipper, Lopaka and their friends carry out a plan to remove Barnacle's ship. Ultra is discovered to be spying for the pirates, but she helps thwart Dexter from sabotaging their plan. | 12 September 2004 |
| 59 | Murky Waters | The pirates have returned. While Flipper drives Barnacle and Kim away, Lopaka saves Simon from drowning. | 14 September 2004 |
| 60 | Leaps of Faith | Simon takes Puffy away. Flipper's rescue attempt gets him captured by the pirates. Bolo trying to attack the pirates gets himself captured. Lopaka rescues them and Ultra joins Flipper. | |
| 61 | Secrets and Lies | Dexter gets hold of some dynamite from the pirates. Lopaka has no alternative but to reveal his secrets to his people. Together the Milahouni and the dolphins thwart Dexter's plan and dispose of the dynamite. | |
| 62 | Crash Course Crisis | With Lopaka's secrets out, he can't get any rest. A gigantic shark causes terror, but Flipper is able to get it unwittingly to save Illoka from the unmanned pirate ship. | |
| 63 | Dads and Lads | Lopaka sustains injuries and is marooned with Bermana on a sand bar. Dexter captures Flipper's father. After Flipper rescues Lopaka, Bermana rescues Flipper's father and Dexter's lot. | |
| 64 | Charming Disarmings | Captain Barnacle is dumping rubbish in the sea. Sparky, a solitary electric eel encouraged by Flipper helps short circuit the pirate ship. | |
| 65 | Friends in Need | Fed up with her uncle, Kim leaves, then gets trapped with Nola and Capuna in a ceremonial cave but sends Lopaka and the dolphins to save them. She then rescues Captain Barnacle and Simon who are trapped in a sea abyss. | |
| 66 | Pipe Dreams | A sour note from Dexter's organ hurts Flipper. Dexter takes Utra hostage, but the Quetzo fish provide Dexter with a pipe allowing Flipper to sabotage the organ and expel Dexter from Quetzo. | |
| 67 | Dexter's Demons | Dexter brings a demonic statue to life which makes all gargoyle statues in Quetzo awaken. The gargoyles turn against Dexter. Flipper and Dexter work together to dispel the magic of the statues. | |
| 68 | Tossed, Lost and Bossed | After a terrible tempest storm Flipper has to rescue Inky, who was captured by vampire fish. Dexter traps Flipper, but Dolores makes Dexter rescue him. | |
| 69 | Bad Boy Flipper | Lopaka and Nola go on the Quest of Courage. Dexter uses a hypnosis charm to get Flipper to do his bidding. Lopaka forfeits the quest and convinces Dexter to help restore Flipper and save Illoka and Quetzo. | |
| 70 | In Sickness and Health | Dexter gets injuries, while the Pirates go to Illoka seeking food. Captain Barnacle eats a poisonous fruit, but the Milehouni provide the cure, while Quetzo aids Dexter. | |
| 71 | Space Junked | A piece of space junk crashses right into the Quetzo school. Barnacle retrieves the space junk, but his rival Slapbeard takes it and captures Kim and Lopaka, but the dolphins summon the coast guard. | |
| 72 | Roboshark | Kim gets a robotic shark but loses the remote to Dexter. Using the roboshark Dexter captures Flipper. The sharks free Flipper to get their jobs back. Lopaka frantically goes after what he thinks is a package of Barnacle's explosives. | |
| 73 | He Ain't Heavy, He's My Statue | Catfish burgalar Lulu La Rue kidnaps Ottie. Ultra rescues Ottie and notices before her capture the statue of Neptune. The only way to rescue Ultra is to get the pirates to winch her out, thus losing the statue to them. | 1 January 2005 |
| 74 | Trident Trickery | Bolo's bluff about the Milehouni having the trident, gets Barnacle to kidnap Chief Kapuna. The Milehouni create a fake trident for Kapuna's release. | 12 January 2005 |
| 75 | Guess Who's Coming for Dinner | The dolphins and Lopaka go on a long journey, leaving Dexter free to take over Quetzo. While Ottie, Ray and Puffy outwit Dexter, Flipper's lot rescues a fish named Bluey and the pirates from a big fish. | 18 January 2005 |
| 76 | Family Ties | Lopaka manages to put the pirates' radar out of action. Ultra comes across her family and with help from her friends and the pirates drive out a gang of hostile swordfish. | 22 January 2005 |
| 77 | Trident Au Go Go | Lopaka, Flipper and Ultra reach the town Seadom, where superstar Dolores has Neptune's trident. Dexter comes, gets the trident and hands it to Barnacle, but Dolores helps recover it. | 23 January |
| 78 | Destiny's Children | Dexter steals the trident and hands it the pirates. As the storms grow, Lopaka manages to persuade Kim to give up the statue. After Flipper and Lopaka drop the statue into the black abyss freeing Quetzo and Illoka from the curses. | 25 January 2005 |
International Broadcasting
Flipper & Lopaka has also been airing in a wide range of other countries including Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Poland, the United Kingdom, Zambia, Germany, Italy, the Middle East, Mauritius, Finland, Zimbabwe, Russia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, South Africa, Israel, Eswatini and Botswana.
References
Citations
- "Marsupial Madness: The Success of Yoram Gross". Animation News Network. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2011.