Do we like them?

Do we like Fat Cat?

A character from Fat Cat and Friends (1972-1991)

Our score: 9 out of 10. A warm, gentle host who spent nearly two decades keeping little kids company. He does no harm, and we'd back him without hesitation.

Fat Cat is the star of Fat Cat and Friends, an Australian children's show that began in 1972, first screening in Adelaide on Network Ten. He is an orange-ginger puppet cat in a green bowler hat, red braces and a blue bow tie. He hosts a mix of songs, stories and games with his puppet pals and human co-stars.

The show was a daily fixture for young viewers for close to twenty years, and several performers voiced and operated Fat Cat over that time. He is a kindly, silly presence rather than a hero on a quest, so the score reflects consistent, harmless warmth.

In 1991 the show was cancelled after a children's programming committee said the character was not clearly defined and might confuse the young. That caused a public outcry. Fat Cat has since lived on as a beloved nostalgic figure and a fundraising mascot.