Welcome, welcome. Take a seat because we're about to delve into some cooked Australian kids' show history.
Now, we're all familiar with Round The Twist. It's an Australian cultural icon, known for its catchy theme song and incredibly strange plotlines, which often bordered on fever dream-esque territory.
But there's one in particular that I want to discuss today — and that's the "Whirling Derfish" episode.
If you need a little refresher, it revolves around Bronson wanting to win the junior wharf-to-surf race. Sounds normal, right? Nothing suss going on here.
Well, Bronson accidentally swallows a fish — a Whirling Derfish to be exact — which leads to him experiencing some funny feelings ~down there~.
Cue Bronson ~experimenting~ in the bathroom and we discover that his penis has turned into a propeller of sorts, thanks to the Whirling Derfish.
And, of course, there's a shot of Bronson's brother, Pete, exclaiming: "Bronson, you've got a whirly willy."
That's not even the most cooked part of the episode though. Later on, we see Bronson use his "whirly willy" to propel himself through the water.
Plus, on the day of the swimming race, he literally launches himself into the sky, resulting in him FLYING.
The funniest part is that none of the adults think Bronson flying is out of the blue. They just congratulate him on a job well done, while I'm over here being like "WHAT IS THIS SHOW???!!!"
Now, this is not meant to be a roast of Round The Twist, it's merely just looking back at how completely strange and bizarre this children's show was — and how none of us ever questioned it as kids.
I'm just trying to imagine what it would have been like filming this episode and explaining it to the cast. Like, okay, Matthew (who played Bronson), today we're going to film some scenes where you've got a whirly willy, alright? It involves you swallowing a fish.
If memory serves me right, this wasn't even the most bizarre storyline on Round The Twist. I distinctively remember one involving Pete getting pregnant after meeting a tree dryad, as well as some nightmare fuel cabbage patch babies.
Perhaps that's why so many Australians, including myself, haven't forgotten about Round The Twist. It was so weird and fun that it will forever occupy a place in our brains.
Do you remember this episode of Round The Twist? And if so, what are your thoughts on it?
Also, if you remember any other WTF-inducing plotlines from the show, let us know in the comments!