Kuu Kuu Harajuku
Season 1 SABC3 (*193) 14:30 Animation
“It’s all about girls and girl power and being strong and wanting to do great things despite adversity,” says Gwen Stefani of her show Kuu Kuu Harajuku (2015-current). The singer and sometimes-judge of reality show The Voice US (2011-current) adds that “what is fun is that it shows viewers that it’s okay to be different. Everyone has their own personality and so do the characters in the show.” Here’s what you need to know:
The show is themed on Japanese 1
fashion hub Harajuku and how the Tokyo suburb influences trends. Creator Gwen themed her 2004 solo album Love Angel Music Baby on Harajuku after a trip to Japan – she also had four backup dancers called The Harajuku Girls.
Gwen originally pitched the show 2
in 2004 but it wasn’t picked up until she re-pitched to Australian network bosses in 2013. Nickelodeon picked it up in the US and ordered 26 episodes for the first season.
The show bosses wanted Gwen to 3
voice a character but she refused, saying that “this isn’t my show. I want great voice artists to give life to the characters – G, Love, Angel, Music and Baby”. As a tribute, the animators drew blonde G to look like Gwen.
Kuu Kuu is animated in Malaysia 4
and the US, but the voices come from Canada and Australia. They are added in post-production at Moody Street Productions in Oz, the same studio responsible for animation Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011-2016).
While Gwen performs the theme 5
song Kuu Kuu Harajuku, she didn’t actually write the lyrics. Plus, it isn’t just a quick 40-second jingle like other theme tunes – it’s a full-length song.