* Shane — Shane Dundas plays "Shane", who is bald and wears cargo pants, hi-top
sneakers, and a blue t-shirt featuring the symbol for "slow motion", as found on
most electronic devices (although most people seem to think it's the "play"
symbol).
* David — David Collins plays "David", who has unruly, dark, curly hair and
wears either cargo shorts or capris, sneakers and a striped polo shirt. He has
super-sensitive hearing (only functional when he makes a "do-do-do-do" sound
effect at the same time).
* Mrs. Foil — The only other regularly appearing human character, Mrs. Foil is
the boys' friendly neighbor. She is blonde and wears a bright pink ladies'
business suit, ladybug pin, orange stockings and pink shoes. She has been known
to play a mean tuba. Mrs. Foil is portrayed by actress Amanda Bishop (who also
appears in various segments, not necessarily as Mrs. Foil but as a 'lady').
* Puppet — Puppet is a mottled brown hand puppet representing no specific kind
of creature, is a 3 year old. He lives with the brothers and often assists them
in their antics. Puppet is performed and voiced by puppeteer Mat McCoy.
* The Schmuzzies — The Schmuzzies are a friendly bunch of fuzzy, furry ball-shaped
creatures who pop up now and then in various places. They come in several
different bright colors and speak a language called Schmuzzish ("Schmello,
Schmuzzies!"). Shane seems to be apprehensive of the creatures, while David is
friendly with them and is fluent in their language (which he says he studied for
seven years, "part time").
* Fido, the Fly — Fido is Shane's pet fly, who lives behind a tiny door in the
boys' apartment. Fido communicates to Shane by buzzing (voiced by Shane Dundas.)
* Action Fingers — Occasionally Shane and David have need to call upon the
resources of two rough-and-tumble figures, Knuckles and Pointy. These two digit
adventurers are performed by Shane and David when they "let their fingers do the
walking" over props and scenery.
* Bob the Blanket - Bob is a small white "blanket" (more like the size of a hand
towel) belonging to David (who also does his voice). He has a gravelly voice and
a sardonic wit, plus an American accent.
* The Voice — Every so often a mellifluous male voice speaks to Shane and David.
The Voice usually reminds the pair, in a kind and paternal tone, to perform some
task or courtesy. Most often, he tells them, "Don't forget to knock", then says,
"Come in", when they do so. The Voice is in fact Adam Smillie.
Episode Structure
Each episode begins with a "cold opening" in which the brothers, or usually just
Shane, are in the middle of some activity. After greeting the audience, David
introduces "The Remote" by pretending to be holding a remote control. He
explains how The Remote can control the action on-screen by "pressing" various
buttons and proceeds to control Shane's actions. For example, "Fast Forward"
causes Shane to move and speak quickly, "Pause" causes him to freeze. Invariably
David "discovers" a heretofore unseen button; this "Wild-Card Button", such as "Humongous"
(and its opposite, the "Minute" button) causes some strange and/or undesired
effect. David then offers to give The Remote to the viewer and then "hands it
over" by reaching off-screen downward. The brothers direct the viewer to press
some buttons, to comic effect, and finally request, "Just press 'play'", at
which point the opening credits begin.
The central objective of every episode is for Shane and David to find a certain
room or place. They do this by adventuring through the several red doors in
their apartment, as well as other places (under a table, behind a bookcase,
inside their sofa). The brothers occasionally ask for help from the viewers by
asking them to press buttons on their Remote. Their journey takes them to
several "Wrong Turn" rooms, and they always encounter, in at least one of the
rooms, a child who teaches them something and sets them on the correct path.
Eventually they locate their destination and experience a place, such as a
Barbershop or an Airport "for the very first time."
The show ends with the boys back in their apartment. During the last few minutes
of the show, they give the viewer an imaginary item.
There are a couple of running gags in the show. The first one relates to
pineapples, as Shane or Dave, albeit rarely, have a fake pineapple in at least 3
episodes.
The second one is another "button"-the Upside-Down button. When this "button" is
"pressed", The viewpoint shifts, with a silly sound effect, to an upiside-down
shot of whoever is in the scene. Everyone throws their hands up in the air, and
one of the Umbilical Bros. begs the viewer to press the "Right Side Up" button,
and the viewpoint rights itself.
Opening theme
Action Fingers help turn the words Upside Down the right way up and walk until
they reach a door. Opening credits read "The Upside Down Show (before Action
Fingers turn the 3D title right side up one of the Fingers calls Down-Upside)
starring David Collins, Shane Dundas Created by Belinda Ward and David Collins &
Shane Dundas"
Episode Guide
101--Movie Theater Shane and David make a movie (directed by Puppet), then
search for the movie theatre to watch it.
* Wrong Turns: Laundry Room, Dance Studios, Chair Room
* Main Buttons: Light/Dark
* Instant Replay: To see the little girl do her Routine again
* Vocabulary: Stupendous
* Puppets: The Puppet shouts "Action", Shane and David pretend to be space, then
pretend to be pirates, and finally pretend to be cowboys. Puppet shouts "Cut Cut
Cut Cut".
* Action Fingers: In the Laundry Room they rescue Barbara, a sock caught in a
lint trap, and return her to her socky partner Lefty. They also refold Mrs.
Foil's laundry after crashing into it. This segment is unusual, in that the
Action Fingers are clearly shown to be David and Shane's hands (Mrs. Foil is
about to get angry at them for wrecking her laundry, until they use the Instant
Replay button to prove the Action Fingers did it). In most other Action Fingers
segments, David and Shane simply watch the Action Fingers take off, often not
standing anywhere near the action.
102--Barbershop After visiting The Very Hairy room, Shane is apprehensive about
getting a hair cut. David and his blanket Bob help Shane get to the barbershop.
* Wrong Turns: The Very Hairy Room, The Hairbrush Room, The Concert Room (featuring
The Talking Airheads)
* Main Buttons: Up/Down, Ditty
* Vocabulary: Apprehensive, Stalling
* Puppets: First: Puppet is on Shane's hair during the Figaro Song. Second:
Puppet appears on the star sticker on your Puppet skin.
* Schmuzzies: They move into Shane's long, bedraggled hair, thinking it's the
Very Hairy Room.
* Instant Replay: Replaying the episode's Co-Starring girl brushing hair
103--Art Museum After finding no place to hang his newly created masterpiece;
Shane, along with David, search for the art museum to hang it.
* Wrong Turns: Sticky Room, Fog Room, Museum of Finger Painting
* Main Buttons: Humongous/Minute
* Vocabulary: Elephant, Porcupine, Moat
* Action Fingers: Painted two tubs of fingerpaint, painted spotted orange,
Action Fingers ran and more paints, painted blobs.
* Instant Replay: To see the boy dip his finger in the finger paint and mix red,
blue, and gold to make a color called gurple.
* Fido the Fly: Fido on the hand Fido the fly and push shelf.
* Schmuzzies: They are part of the tour group at the Art Museum. When Shane
despairs over not being able to hang his picture, he makes a reference to the
Schmuzzy Art Museum, even though it never appears in the episode.
* Puppets: First: Opened the door and Puppet said Ta-da. Second: Shane & David
behind pop the box Puppet said Ta-da. Shane tells find Burmese-Kumquat-Lavender,
Puppet to talk dyeing my hair, Shane & David is laughing are hit the Pause
button.
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "See you later, Alligators."
104--Pet Shop Yearning for a relationship like that between Fido and Shane,
David decides he needs a pet and looks for the pet shop.
* Wrong Turns: Puppy Room, Parrot Room, Moon Room
* Puppets: First: The pet Puppets saying ruff. Like a dog. The puppets saying
meow. Like a cat. The puppets saying "gargling". Like a giant squid. Second:
Puppets spelled word -oon, Schmuzzies spelled word -oon. Third: The astronaut
Puppet an appear. Astronaut Puppets sing The Dark Side of the Moon in a Moon
Room. Fourth: Press the don't Rewind button. That's is Rotate button. Umbilical
Brother on a moon (Rotate). Astronaut Puppet go away.
* Main Buttons: Rotate, Ditty
* Instant Replay: To see the dog rotate (roll over).
* Fido the Fly: First: Shane & Fido playing a ping pong tennis, Fido smash hit a
ball lose in 12, 10. Second: Fido on the hand play dead, flying away. Third: Sit
the chair they're Shane dust wipe and gone, Fido is flying away.
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: When holding her cat, she says, "His name is
Elizabeth."
* Schmuzzies: They sing backup for David when the Ditty Button is pressed.
105--Camping After their bedrooms disappear, the boys search for another place
to sleep.
* Wrong Turns: Snoring Room, "Wake Up!" Room, Shapes Room
* Main Buttons: Vertical/Horizontal
* Instant Replay: To see the girl on the wheelchair count the number of sides on
the shape.
* Vocabulary: Enormous
* Fido the Fly: First: Shane two brush, David open the Fido's room and door slam.
Second: Fido the Fly is alarm in the Fido's room. Third: Fido is zipped sleeping
bag.
* Puppet: First: Puppet put imaginary kazoo tuner on your mouth. Second: Puppet
is sleep in the imaginary sleeping bag.
* Action Fingers: First: Get the behind the door, Action Figures stepping a
stairs. Open door and Action Fingers sleeping. Second: Action Fingers is jumping
off stairs, Wrong Yellow & Green lemon, He's flying airplane, I've airplane off.
Third: Walking on a shoulder and cheek, and Action Fingers sleeping.
* Schmuzzies: Shane and David a Rock music and singing with Schmuzzies at night.
106--Picnic Shane and David take Fido the Fly on his first-ever picnic.
* Wrong Turns: Sandwich Room, No-Room Room, Windy Room
* Instant Replay: The boy puts on turkey, tomato, green lettuce on pat down.
* Vocabulary: Scrumptious
* Main Buttons: Inside/Outside
* Puppets: Delivery Puppet bring picnic basket, potato sack, blanket, plate, cup
, and kite.
* Fido the Fly: First: Fido he feel sad on the hand. Second: Fido on the Shane's
hand and talking open his sound. Third: Fido on the hand buzzing 4 times and Put
the Fido the fly in the pocket. Fourth: Put the Fido on his picnic. Fifth: Fido
on the hand lets open Buzzing Room visit all these flies afraid the Shane &
David. Sixth: Pinic with Fido the Fly. Seventh: Fido eat tiny sandwiches on his
hand.
* Schmuzzies: They dances beside Puppet, Song by "Happy Fly Ditty". Song is
freeze. Song is play is the end.
107--Airport Shane and David volunteer to pick up Puppet's cousin (Mary Annette)
at the airport, but have to find it first.
* Wrong Turns: Bird Room, Paper Airplane Room, Word Room
* Main Buttons: Shake, Vibration
* Vocabulary: Helicopter
* Instant Replay: Action fingers ask to see a girl use sign language to sign the
word "plane" again
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Jumbo Jets, Donkeys and Tigers."
* Action Fingers: Two instances. First: Action Fingers crash-land on a paper
airplane, search for Mary Annette inside, then refold it for its owner (Mrs.
Foil). Second: They help to translate for a girl using sign language in the Word
Room.
* Puppets: Puppet sing "Welcome to Mary Annette" Mary Annette swinging around
before the Puppet, Mary Annette fall in the Puppet's stage.
* Schmuzzies: They first relay the message that Mary Annette is at the airport
and needs to be picked up right away. Later, they attempt to sing backup for
Puppet, but start out being too far in front, and then too far in the back of
the puppet stage.
108--Beach After losing the beach ball they were playing with, Shane and David
search for the beach to find it.
* Wrong Turns: Underwater Room, Desert Room, South Pole
* Main Buttons: Upside Down/Right Side Up, Loud/Soft
* Vocabulary: Perplexed
* Fido the Fly: Fido on the hand rolling beach ball on the hedge land into couch.
* Puppets: First: To see the Puppet drink your beverage in the cup on his lemon
they slurp the stawls. Second: Puppet breathing the bigger beach ball on his
Shane & David and stop breath, Shane & David they beach ball getting fart, they
on the couch.
* Action Fingers: They rebuild Mrs. Foil's sand castle after David and Shane
destroy it.
* Schmuzzies: They see the beach ball rolling along the hedge outside the window,
but David and Shane don't turn around in time. They yell "Schmeach schmall!"
which David finally translates using a tiny Schmuzzish-English dictionary.
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Every afternoon at three, bring your own milk.
Which reminds me, did you check the teacup? Fiddle-dee-dee!"
109--Marching-Band Shane and David invent imaginary musical instruments and set
out to join a marching band.
* Wrong Turns: Funny Music Room, Marching Room, Sky Room
* Vocabulary: Cym-banjo, Scruba
* Main Buttons: Accelerate/Decelerate
* Fido the Fly: Fido marching behind Schmuzzies.
* Puppets: Puppets jump up and down behind the couch, and toss me fell the floor
toss again but stick in the ceiling or upside down, Press the Unstuck button,
Umbilical Brothers upside down or Puppet right side up Shane's right side up
button, still Puppet stick, Shane press the unstuck button, Puppet fall off
ceiling, Shane hearing flute like melodic tone. Puppet tell flute like melodic
tone, All singing Mi Mi Mi, Puppet man howl and wolf howl man howl again. Press
the Stop button. Puppet take a breathe.
* Instant Replay: All child is marching feet (slow down).
* Schmuzzies: They march behind Puppet, who initially wants to be bandleader,
but get distracted by a dustball.
110--Birthday Party Shane and David are invited to a surprise birthday party
that turns out to be for them!
* Wrong Turns: No Fun Room, Surprise Room, Opera Room
* Main Button: Celebration
* Vocabulary: Surprise
* Schmuzzies: They attend the "Schmirthday Schmarty," to which they travel via
Mrs. Foil's purse.
* Puppets: First: Puppet delivery the birthday card, Puppet in gruff voice says
"Delivery for Shane and David and you." Second: Puppet move the couch, Puppet
saying "No problem, there no pleasure."
* Fido the Fly: Fido bouncing on the trampoline.
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Toodle Pip!"
111--Farm Shane and David's band, the Talking Airheads, faces a setback when
David's cowbell (which just so happens to be attached to an imaginary cow)
disappears.
* Wrong Turns: Great Big Bell Room, Boat out at Sea Room, Bicycle Room
* Main Button: Seesaw, Steady
* Puppets: First: The Puppet behind band. Clarabelle the Clinking Cowbell back
to the farm. Cow gone. Second: The puppets dancing, Schmuzzies play marimba, The
Umbilical Brother play drum and cowbell (end credit).
* Instant Replay: To see the little boy is ride the bicycle.
* Fido the Fly: Is playing a trumpet.
* Schmuzzies: They play the marimba in Shane and David's band. This is one of
the few episodes in which Shane does not appear to be apprehensive of them.
112--Ice Cream Truck Shane and David seek to discover the delicious, delectable,
and DEEE-LIIIGHT-FUUUUL joys of the frozen treat known as ICE CREAM. They also
need to get three imaginary pets out of their way: Evan the Pig, Helen the Baby
Hippo, and Giorgio the Caterpillar.
* Wrong Turns: Frozen Room, This Way Room, Ice Cream Game Show
* Vocabulary: Delicious, Delectable
* Main Buttons: Heavy/Light
* Puppets: Visit the Ice Cream Truck door here Puppet licks the ice cream.
* Fido the Fly: Is drinking a chocolate milkshake.
* Instant Replay: To see the little girl is scoopage the ice cream.
* Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Cheerio!" (Instead Whoo-hoo!)
* Schmuzzies: They eat two tubs of ice cream and engage in wild conversation
with Shane, in which it is revealed that his uncle is a giraffe, but "only on
Saturdays."
113--Mini Golf Shane and David are baffled when a mysterious orange thingy
appears in their living room. They use deductive reasoning to narrow down what
it actually is like, and where it belongs.
* Wrong Turns: Space Room, Orange Room, Basketball Room
* Main Buttons: Irish Dancing, Blast-Off
* Vocabulary: Baffled
* Fido the Fly: First: Shane flies around non-planet-thingy on the hand, Non-planet-thingy
is falling. Fido wants tickles on his finger, Fido things have tennis key or a
calculator and your found the non-planet-thingy, Fido is flying away. Second:
Fido the Fly stay Shane & David take you swingman, Fido on the hand Shane tells
intructions, Fido is flying away.
* Puppets: Puppet's wearing a red king costume, Grab a ball name Yorick.
* Action Fingers: They use their Action Noses to locate the Orange Room.
* Schmuzzies: Two of them play with the thingy, until David coaches Shane to say
"Schmease" and "Schmank you." David then explains he studied Schmuzzish for
seven years, "part time."