Any true Canadian will remember with a sigh of nostalgia hearing the haunting opening theme from Hinterland Who's Who and the incredible monotone voice describing our national wildlife. Every one of the advertisements is available online, including perennial favourites like the beaver, the muskox, and the snowy owl. Apparently, the folks at the Canadian Wildlife Service also have a sense of humour as they've included some hilarious spoofs of the original series.
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Who am I?
Daniel Burka
I'm the creative director at Digg and I'm a partner at silverorange. I've also helped found Pownce where I design the UI.
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Comments
Jason - April 13, 2004 6:19 pm
too sweet.
Wow.....these bring back memories. Now if we can only get a collection of the old NFB vignettes, we'd be set
Isaac Grant - April 13, 2004 9:22 pm
Rumor has it that these are going to be revived for a new generation. Hopefully they'll keep the music.
Ryan Hillier - April 13, 2004 10:36 pm
My favorite thing about the spots is that throughout every one, there are always birds chirping or singing. No matter what the season or location.
Mandy - April 14, 2004 12:43 am
There are Hinterland's on tv right now. The loon being the one aired most.
You can get a DVD of some of the NFB classics, including my personal favourite, the Log Drivers Waltz.
Cyn - April 14, 2004 8:30 am
A comedy group I was in (The Drill Queens) used to do one about the Cape Breton Entertainer Family of Species. The MacIsaac, MacNiel, McMaster, MacDonald and The Rankin. We spoofed a Rankin's song and ended it with some fake Gealic and a big spit.
ffoeg - April 14, 2004 10:19 am
Hinterland Who's Who are great pieces for sure. That haunting theme is unforgettable, which i believe is why i enjoy the music of Boards of Canada. They have a great haunting electronic sound, mixing strange sounds with beats and equally strange samples, and i am almost positive they sample the Hinterland collection because this stuff takes me right back there. There are even some old Leslie Nielsen samples on the "Geogaddi" album, talking about Subterranean Seamounts from an educational video.
Pretty interesting stuff!
Rob MacD - April 14, 2004 10:36 am
The new HWW's do have the same tune, but it's played a bit faster, and (as a result?) the new commercials I've seen seem to be too rushed. I was always impressed by the ease and pace of the original ads.
In the Sketch22 comedy extravaganza we're planning this summer, we have a sketch that incorporates the original theme, as we document the pummeling of an irritating, obnoxious piping plover.
Rob - April 14, 2004 1:04 pm
Frickin' Ffoeg beat me to the punch! I also throw my support behind Boards of Canada. The track on Geogaddi with the Leslie Nielsen commentary is called "Dandelion" in case you only have time to track down one of their tunes.
dave curry - March 13, 2005 2:04 pm
Could someone tell me where I could download just the music from hinterland who's who.
Steve Knox - August 10, 2005 4:46 pm
I too would love a copy of the theme music.
I consider myself pretty web savvy but have been unsuccessful in finding it.
karen petkau - October 30, 2005 11:48 pm
hey, does the lack of response mean that no one found the music? because if anyone has got it, i would really appreciate knowing where and how i cna get it too...
thanks