Trivia / Zoobilee Zoo

• The Cast Showoff: Although the concept of the series required having an ensemble cast that could sing and dance (most of the performers being stage actors), each of the main cast received at least one spotlight episode where they dominated.
• The Danza: Ben Vereen as Mayor Ben.
• Dawson Casting: Stevie Louise Vallance and Stacey Scotte as Whazzat Kangaroo, and Michael B. Moynahan as Lookout Bear. Whazzat specifically is stated to be “under 12” in the episode “Grown-Up for a Day,” and Vallance has gone on record saying that she was told that Whazzat was supposed to be nine years old. Vallance was 26 during filming, while Scotte’s age when she took over the role is unknown, but it’s obvious that neither actress was a child. Meanwhile, Moynahan was never told how old Lookout was, but has said that he assumes the character was 12 or 13. He was 23 during the filming of the original series, and continued to play the role on and off for over a decade.
• Fan Community Nicknames: “Zoobaroos,” after what Mayor Ben calls the viewers in almost every episode. In fact, while the show was still airing, it was possible to get a button that said “I’m a Zoobilee Zoo Zoobaroo.”
• The Other Darrin: Michael Sheehan played Bill Der Beaver in two episodes ("Land of Rhymes" and "Grown-Up for a Day") as opposed to series regular Sandey Grinn.
• Troubled Production: Zoobilee Zoo was filmed in Southern California and the actors revealed that their soundstage was incredibly hot. During the filming of the series, temperatures got to 130°F; this was made even worse with the Zooble costumes and makeup. What was even worse was that the stage was not air-conditioned. In between takes, the cast had to sit by giant fans to cool off from the heat!
• Vindicated by Reruns: The series wasn't highly rated during its first run, but found an audience in reruns—in syndication, some PBS stations, and on TLC—making it something of a cult classic.