Zinghoppers

The Zinghoppers are a children's show that features three animal characters: Penelope The Possum (vocal, bass), Olo The Donkey (vocal, guitar) and Coconuts The Kangaroo (drums). They are joined by their friend Conductor Jack (a friendly train conductor played by musician, songwriter and entertainer Conductor Jack Norton - who usually plays the banjo or ukulele). In 2008, the Zinghoppers announced a live show by Conductor Jack called, "Conductor Jack and Friends".

The band was named "Artist Of The Year" (2000) by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and hailed as "nearly brilliant" by the Washington Post. The characters and songs were created by husband and wife team of Jack and Kitty Norton and developed by a team of Early Childhood Educators from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic.

In 2007, the Zinghoppers were featured performers at the Mall of America, Minnesota State Fair, South Dakota State Fair, and released their first CD, "Hop, Hop, Hop". Later that year, the band relocated from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Phoenix, Arizona to film a season of "The Zinghoppers Show" for a local Arizona PBS television station affiliate.

The band, show and all related properties are under the exclusive ownership of Wonderiffic, LLC - a production company in Cookeville, Tennessee.

References

Crawford, Jim (7 November 2007). "Zinghoppers invade Valley to kids’ delight". The Desert Advocate Newspaper, Carefree, Arizona.