A children's ride in the shape of a Buzzy Bee in Warkworth
A Buzzy Bee-themed float in the Waiuku Christmas parade (2012)

The Buzzy Bee is a popular toy in New Zealand. It resembles a bee with rotating wings that move and make a clicking noise while the toy is pulled along the ground. Possibly based on an earlier American concept,[1] it was designed and first produced in Newton, Auckland in the 1930s, by Maurice Schlesinger.[2][3] It became popular during the post-war baby boom. Its bright colours and clicking sound call are familiar to many New Zealanders, making it one of the most well-recognised items of Kiwiana. Since this time however, the Buzzy Bee has branched out into various merchandise including books, puzzle and clothing.

Promotion

It received a good deal of free promotion with the visit of The Prince and Princess of Wales in 1983 with their infant son, Prince William of Wales, who played with a Buzzy Bee.

As an iconic New Zealand symbol, the Buzzy Bee caricature was used on the keel of NZL84, one of Emirates Team New Zealand's entrant yachts for the America's Cup held in Valencia, Spain, in 2007.

Adaptations

In June 2007, plans were unveiled for a Buzzy Bee stage show "Buzzy Bee's Big Day Out". The company behind the show also revealed that they had made an animated show reel and were finalising details of a distribution deal, and that they hoped to begin work on an animated series for television.[4]

An animated TV show, Buzzy Bee and Friends, premiered on TV2 in 2009.[5] 52 episodes were produced.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Nasty sting in the tale of 'our' Buzzy Bee icon". The New Zealand Herald. 8 July 1999. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Williams, Tony (2007). 101 Incredible Kiwis: How New Zealanders Lead the World. Auckland: Reed Publishing.
  3. ↑ "The History of Buzzy Bee". Buzzy Bee & friends. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Joanna Hunkin (2007-05-22). "Multi-million dollar Buzzy Bee stage show to hit the road". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2014-06-28.
  5. ↑ "TV Show". Buzzy Bee and friends. Lion Rock Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. ↑ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 66. ISBN 9781476672939.
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