Being Hooman

Being Hooman is an animated comedy series for grown-ups, especially parents and carers. Villain, Wildcard, Hero? are social media reels created to introduce the recurring characters Cat, Koala and Glider. They were created using a variety of animation techniques including rotoscoping, character rigging and frame by frame drawn animation.

Being Hooman is part of a larger transmedia project called Hoomans which is built on the premise that one year ago, the United Nations recognized all jawed vertebrates as legal persons.

This means that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights now applies to them. While many have chosen to remain wild, some have made the decision to live as humans within existing communities.

Hoomans attempts to develop a relationship between picture book characters and parents and carers that is different from the one that their children have. It is hoped these relationships will encourage grown-ups to engage with their children in shared experiences within the wider story world and ultimately strengthen families.

A pool of themes which may covered by Hoomans, depending on their entertainment value and relevance to story, was developed by researching the Declaration of Human rights, Australian Curriculum, and mental health issues affecting children. These themes include family, education, work, rest and leisure, food, clothing, feelings, friendships, hygiene, housing, health and medical care, the environment, safety and protection, pet ownership, growing up and life-cycles.

Being Hooman Synopsis

Being Hooman is set up like the television series Couples Therapy.

The picture book characters from the wider Hoomans project come to talk about the problems they experience in the books but from an adult perspective.

For example, after Honey the hippo rescues the kidnapped Oxpeckers and brings them home, she and her bestie Olivia, another oxpecker are struggling to connect. In another episode an agoraphobic cat who has never been outside, accesses counseling via zoom as she prepares for her new job at a nursing home.

The counselor is a koala who tends to fall asleep during sessions. His offsider, a sugar glider, does her best to prompt him and keep him awake while trying not to be eaten by a very persistent feral cat as well as some of the clients themselves. After all sugar gliders are basically the lollies of the Australian bush, almost everybody wants to eat them.

Setting

The show is set in what was once a butcher shop in a small country town called Erringhi. It provides a menacing atmosphere for animals to go to for help and interesting props for the cat and glider to engage with.

Recurring Characters

Koala

• Koala’s mother was hit by a car and killed when he was a joey and he was reared by humans at a Koala Hospital.

• He understands people.

• He completed a short course in counseling but is not particularly proficient.

• He is generally, a nice guy but has trouble staying awake.

• He occasionally gives long-winded speeches.

• He enjoys singing karaoke.

• He sometimes intervenes between the cat and the glider but can be unpredictable.

Sugar Glider

• She was abandoned in the first episode by parents who returned to the wild.

• She is clever and agile.

• She is loyal to koala and can be a bit clingy.

• She tries to help clients.

• She can be hyperactive and experiences sugar highs after eating.

• At first she is frightened of cat but gradually increases confidence and the conflict becomes more even.

• She laughs at cat when she is feeling safe.

Cat

• He is large and feral.

• He refuses to wear pants and so has remained wild.

• He can read a little and initially thinks the counselor office is still a butcher’s shop.

• He is arrogant, persistent, and cunning.

• He becomes less certain when laughed at.

• He is ineffective at carrying out good plans.

• He is effective at carrying out stupid plans.

Episode Synopses

Anniversary

Koala is finishing setting up his new office and sits down to watch the news. It has been one year since the UN recognized animals as legal persons and it is a special broadcast looking back over that time. There is a knock at the door. A box has been left on the doorstep with a baby sugar glider inside. There is a note which says Please take care of our daughter, we need to go back. The koala checks for the parents outside and then takes the glider inside. She looks up at him with big eyes and wraps her tail around his hand. Koala smiles.

Crocodile

Crocodile has come to see koala as he is struggling with his addiction to eating dogs. His parents and grandparents all ate dogs and that was why he had been rehomed to the reptile park before being released. “Scientifically engineered meat doesn’t have the same character,” he complains. “There are dogs everywhere, Poodles, German shepherds, Chihuahuas! and it is getting more difficult to resist each day.” “I see,” says Koala,” our time is up we will continue next week”. Crocodile is deflated as he turns to leave. Glider hands him a packet of Dog Patches (An ad for them plays on the tv ).” Are they waterproof?” Asks Croc hopefully but Glider shakes her head.

Hippo

Cat is sitting outside the front of the building, washing himself. Noisy miners are swooping him. We hear Glider laugh from inside. Cat becomes curious and reads the sign on the shop window Erringhi butchers He licks his lips and stands on his back legs to press his nose against the window. Inside, Glider squeaks and hides around the corner. Cat is scared away as Hippo and Oxpecker arrive for their appointment. Inside, Hippo tells Koala that Olivia has been acting out ever since she rescued 23 oxpeckers and brought them home. “I couldn’t leave them there” she says, “He was turning them into cat food”. Oxpecker is sitting on the rug with Glider looking sad. Glider acts out the myna birds swooping the cat and Oxpecker laughs. “Oh! would you look at that” says hippo.

Owls

A pair of powerful owls has come in to talk about their issues juggling their new lifestyles and the impact on their relationship. The glider sits alongside the koala as he drifts to sleep and prompts him when he needs to speak. He says things like “and how does that make you feel” and “go on”. The glider is unnerved by the owls’ unwavering gaze on her, they move in unison. She becomes distracted when she notices the cat at the window. When she looks back the owls are almost upon her, their mouths wide open. She prepares to be eaten. The koala bops them on the head, and she is saved. The owls bond over their love of tearing gliders apart and leave happily. The cat is no longer in the window.

Dog

A police dog comes in for his compulsory appointment. He has been biting He has been working as a police dog his whole life and criticizes the new Hoomans ability to adjust. “Just yesterday I arrested a crocodile for eating dogs, can you imagine?”. A strange expression crosses koalas face. Glider runs through obviously being chased. Dog squeals and jumps up on the couch, he is terrified of small furry things. Cat enters at full speed chasing Glider. Time slows down as Dog and Cat make eye contact. Cat skids to a stop and races the other way. There is a lot of banging and crashing from the other room as Koala scoops Glider into his arms. They watch out the window as Dog chases Cat down the street.

Another Cat

Koala sits at his desk and is on a zoom call with Another Cat, giving her a longwinded monologue about managing her agoraphobia. In the background Another Cat sees Cat and Glider are in an arms race with more and more ludicrously sized knives. She tries to alert Koala, but he continues talking and remains oblivious. Cat pauses and makes eye contact with Another Cat. While he is distracted the glider cuts him in half.

Frog

Frog arrives at his appointment, distraught. “Why doesn’t she love me?” he begs Koala. Koala passes him a box of tissues. Glider pats his arm. Suddenly, she is grabbed from behind by Cat and dragged into the other room. We see a meat slicer set up on the bench and the pair struggle as cat tries to slice glider’s head. A tuft of fur is cut from the top of Gliders head, and she gets angry. She pushes Cat away and adopts a superhero pose. Cat looks frightened. Glider grabs him by the tail and drags him to the sausage maker where she stuffs him in, winds him through and then hangs him on a hook. Cat is now a sausage with eyes and lets out a tiny meow.

Cow

A very nervous Cow comes in wondering what her purpose in life is. “I thought the milk bar would be a good fit for me” she says, “but the customers get abusive. They say they want the real thing and grab at my personals”. Cat has been doing just that. We can see his paw from behind the couch feeling around. Cow sighs, grabs Cat by the arm and drags him to the door. “You can stay out until you learn some manners” she says as she throws him outside. Glider claps. “Well, Koala says “have you thought about working in security?”. Cow smiles.

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