June 22, 2025 • 21 mins
Do you know any moon jokes? We do! They're out of this world. These jokes will eclipse all others...
- How does the moon hold up its trousers?
With an asteroid belt! - What was the first animal in space?
The cow that jumped over the moon!
This week's episode of Happy Pants is, you guessed it, all about the moon. Geraldine, Jo and some of our young friends share interesting moon and space facts, plus you'll hear music that sounds like moonlight, and the story Moonfish by Graeme Base. An annoying bug makes a short appearance, so be sure to tune in!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:04):
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:13):
Good day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine
and my name is Joe. And together we're your happy
pants team for today. I just love the color of
our happy pants today. They're not quite white and not
(00:33):
quite silver. There's just a touch of the softest blue
to me. They look like moonlight. Feels soft and cool
and smooth. This color makes me think of the way
honeysuckle flowers smell. On a gentle autumn night. By the
light of a silvery moon. Oh, we haven't looked in
(00:55):
our pockets yet. There are always interesting things there. I'll
go first. Oh! Oh, that's so pretty. A necklace of
stone beads. Oh, they are pretty. They're not white and
not silver. And look how they glow in the light.
(01:16):
They're like moonlight. Oh, of course they are. Moonstones. What?
They came from the moon. No, silly. Moonstones, like other
semi-precious stones, form deep in the Earth's crust millions of
years ago. They got their name because the color reminds
(01:37):
people of moonlight. Silvery white with a bluish glow. Now,
what do you have in your pockets, Geraldine? Well, in
this one, there's a disc and it says play me. Oops.
Nearly missed it. Another disc in this pocket. It says
play me too. Well, if Happy Plants says play me,
(01:57):
that's what we'd better do. Many years ago, when this
tune was played for the first time ever. The audience
thought it sounded like moonlight. So that's the name it
was given. Moonlight Sonata. Sonata means song. Ah, that made
(03:14):
me feel all relaxed and dreamy. How about the other one?
It's called Clair de Lune, which I think means light
of the moon. If you listen, you might hear the
moon peeping out from between the clouds, turning everything on
which it falls. Silver. Isn't it clever how those two
(04:40):
different composers could write piano music? That gives you the
feeling of the silvery moon. I think I know what
Happy Pants wants us to talk about today. Well, we
certainly had some pretty clear clues. The first song gave
it away. Everyone knows Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Debussy and
(05:03):
Clair de Lune are pretty well known too. And then
to top it off, there was that moonstone necklace. What
do you reckon, Joe? The moon indeed. Geraldine. The moon? Well,
what do we know about the moon? It certainly isn't
made of green cheese. There used to be all sorts
(05:25):
of peculiar beliefs about the moon, and that was one
of the silliest. Some people even believed that it was
moonlight that turned people into wait for it. Vampires. They
also believed that moonlight could send people mad. Stand out
under the light of the full moon and you could
(05:46):
lose your mind. They called people who didn't behave like
everyone else lunatics. Because Luna was the old name for
the moon. And the moon had obviously sent them mad.
Another belief was that fairies danced by the light of
the moon. And everybody knew that fairies could cast spells
(06:07):
if you happened to see them when they didn't want
to be seen. Back then, many people believed strange things
that we know today are not true. But in olden times,
many people thought they were absolutely correct. Our moon was
caused by an accident. Yep. Like a car crash, but much,
(06:28):
much bigger. When the earth was pretty new, before anything
lived here, a planet sized asteroid came hurtling through and
smashed into Earth. Pretty careless driving, I reckon. Well, the
crash was so huge that it caused part of the
earth and part of the asteroid to melt. Some of
(06:48):
the molten stuff was flung into space where it collected together,
cooled down, and eventually formed the moon. The rest collected
with the remnants of Earth and eventually made the planet
we know. Wow. That means the Earth has some moon
rock in it, and the moon has some Earth rock
in it. The Earth is much bigger than the moon,
(07:11):
so its gravity pulls on the moon and stops it
from flying off into space. It's like an invisible string
holding the moon in place while they both whiz around
the sun. The moon has its own gravity pull, but
because it is much smaller than the Earth, the pull
isn't as strong. So the moon's gravity pull is just
(07:32):
enough to pull the sea back and forward. We call
that movement the tide. Tides are really important in keeping
the seas and lakes a good place for water creatures
to live. Tide moves the water from place to place,
and that carries food. When the food is spread around
like that, lots of different plants and animals get a
(07:55):
share and that keeps the oceans healthy. Tides also move
warm and cool water around. That causes winds, and the
winds move clouds that bring rain to a thirsty land.
What else do we know about the moon? Well, we
know that the moon has no light of its own.
Moonlight is reflected sunlight when the moon is full. That's
(08:19):
because all of the surface we can see from the
Earth is in the sunlight. As the moon turns, we
see less and less of the lit up bit until
it gets right. Around. Then, night by night, the lit
up bit gets bigger and bigger until it is whole again.
That takes 29 days. The moon makes one whole turn
(08:41):
every 29 days, but Earth whizzes round in 24 hours
one day. We know that the moon does not have
one side, which is always dark, although people used to
believe it did. The moon does spin, but very slowly.
So every part of the moon has a turn at
(09:03):
being in the sunlight. It just has to wait for
29 days to pass. We only have to wait one day.
We know that there is no air on the moon,
so astronauts have to take their own supply.
S3 (10:30):
Hi, my name is Mackenzie and you're listening to Happy
Pants on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (10:35):
Jo. What's closer? New Zealand or the moon? Oh, oh
the moon. Obviously you can't see New Zealand from here. Um.
My turn. Geraldine. How do you know the man in
the moon is bald? Um. He has no hair. Silly.
(10:58):
The moon looks like a silver ball. Oh, wouldn't it
be lovely if you could catch it? Joe. Have you
noticed that envelope poking out of your top pocket? Where? Oh. Oh,
I'm sure it wasn't there before. Happy pants must have
slipped it in when I was dreaming about moonlight. Well,
it's addressed to both of us. And it says open
(11:22):
with care. Oh, here, you open it, Geraldine. Um, it
was in your pocket. You open it? No. I'm scared.
It's some sort of trick. You're bigger than I am.
You open it. All right, here goes. Oh, it's just
a little cloth bag and a piece of paper with
some writing on it. Here, you hold the bag and
I'll unfold the paper. Oh, it's tied up with silver ribbon.
(11:45):
I'll untie it while you read out what the note says. Okay.
Here goes. Dear Happy Pants Crew, you will have been
talking about the moon, so we thought we would have
some moon fun with you. We have enclosed a small
bag which contains a rhyming dough. Don't open that bag
(12:08):
too late. The bug seems to be crooning a tune
about the moon. Oh, a bad fortune will be rhyming
all afternoon. Oh, could we throw it in the lagoon?
I'd like to maroon it on a pontoon in the lagoon.
Or float it off in a balloon. And hope the
balloon gets caught in a typhoon. Or washed away with
(12:29):
a monsoon at a very little bug. The effect might
wear off soon. Oh. Oh, there it goes, flying back
to where it belongs. Like the moonfish in our story today.
Moonfish was teased and taunted because he was different. So
he left home to find a place where he could belong.
(12:50):
He missed his home and family so much that he
decided to go back, even though he would be laughed at.
He arrived home just in time to save everyone from
a terrible fate. The whole village realized that although Moonfish
was different, it was because he was different that they
were saved.
S1 (13:11):
Yay! It's story time!
S2 (13:14):
Moonfish by Graham Bass. The fish that live in the
pond beneath the dragon moon are happy. They know the
moon will keep them safe. But it was not always
like this. There was a time when they looked to
the skies with fear. Too often the herons came stabbing
(13:36):
through the water with their cruel, sharp beaks, gobbling up
the terrified fish. One day an old couple were wandering
amongst the weeds when they saw a movement. What was this?
Some kind of tiny fish. An orphan. The strange little
(13:57):
fish came home with them. They cared for him as
if he were one of their own. But he was
unlike any other fish. The children teased him for being
different and how he grew. Soon he couldn't fit through
the door. You're a big fish, sighed his parents. Oh,
(14:18):
but we love you. The other fish laughed. He looks
like the moon. Hey, moon fish! I don't fit in.
Moonfish said to his parents. I need to find out
where I belong. They talked long into the night. Finally,
after many careful preparations, Moonfish was ready for his journey.
(14:43):
He hugged his parents and set off on. He went
through strange wild places but nowhere felt like home. Moonfish
met a wise frog. I don't know where I belong,
he said. Are you belong in the water? Croaked the frog,
(15:04):
and returned to his book. Through deep, dark oceans he
travelled through the skeletons of sunken ships and drowned cities.
He came across a carefree dragonfly. I don't know where
I belong, said the Moonfish. Oh, you belong in the sky,
said the dragonfly, dancing off into the blue. He encountered
(15:29):
a pack of slithering eels. I don't know where I belong.
You belong in our bellies, hissed the eels hungrily. Moonfish
hurried off as fast as he could. Moonfish was alone.
He thought of his home and his parents, but he
also remembered those who had taunted him. He struggled with
(15:52):
his heart. Finally his morning came. He turned and headed back.
High above great mountains and snowy fed rivers. Over bare
rocky deserts where giant creatures slithered. When he reached the
familiar weeds, his heart leapt. There were his parents. There
(16:12):
was his home. Suddenly he felt shadows overhead. The herons
had returned. Moonfish leapt forward. Fish scales fell away. Fins
turned to claws. A great dragon burst from the water,
swirling and snarling. The herons flapped away in terror, and
(16:37):
they never came back. The dragon dived back into the water.
The fish cowered in fear, but the old couple looked
and recognized their child. Oh, Moonfish has come home, they cried.
The others gathered round. Could this be the strange ugly
(16:57):
fish they had teased? The fish that lived beneath the
dragon moon. Looked to the sky and are happy. The
moon is their family. And each time he appears, there
are celebrations to welcome him back. Moonfish flies far and
wide across the world and has many adventures, but he
(17:19):
always returns to the little pond where he grew up,
for this is his home. It's where he belongs. That
was a reading of Moonfish written by Graeme Base. The
reader was Joe.
S4 (17:37):
Fun fact you might think that stars are the same,
but each star is a different color depending on its temperature.
S5 (17:46):
Pigs can't look up into the sky. It's physically impossible.
S4 (17:51):
Water covers 70% of the earth. There are more stars
in space than there are grains of sand on a beach.
The sun looks super close, but it would take 70,000
years in our fastest spaceship to reach it. It won't
be possible to walk on.
S5 (18:10):
Planets like Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn or Uranus as they don't
have a solid surface and are made out of gas mostly.
S4 (18:22):
The sun set on Mars appears blue. The average star
is between 1 and 10 billion years old, although some
are even older.
S6 (19:35):
Hey. Hey.
S2 (19:54):
Mm. So, what have we done today? We listened to
some moony music. We learnt a bit about where the
moon came from. We learned that the pull of the
moon's gravity force causes tides, which help mix up the water.
And that helps the plants and animals which live in
the sea. The tides have an effect on the weather, too.
(20:15):
And we had a story about Moonfish, who turned out
to be a dragon. At first he was sad that
he was different, but everybody eventually learned that it was
because he was different, that he was able to save
them when they were in terrible danger. If there was
anything in today's program about which you would like to
know more, or you would just like to say hello.
(20:39):
You can find us on Radio Vision Australia. Keep wearing
those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
S7 (21:00):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land. Across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(21:24):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:13):
Good day, and welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine
and my name is Joe. And together we're your happy
pants team for today. I just love the color of
our happy pants today. They're not quite white and not
(00:33):
quite silver. There's just a touch of the softest blue
to me. They look like moonlight. Feels soft and cool
and smooth. This color makes me think of the way
honeysuckle flowers smell. On a gentle autumn night. By the
light of a silvery moon. Oh, we haven't looked in
(00:55):
our pockets yet. There are always interesting things there. I'll
go first. Oh! Oh, that's so pretty. A necklace of
stone beads. Oh, they are pretty. They're not white and
not silver. And look how they glow in the light.
(01:16):
They're like moonlight. Oh, of course they are. Moonstones. What?
They came from the moon. No, silly. Moonstones, like other
semi-precious stones, form deep in the Earth's crust millions of
years ago. They got their name because the color reminds
(01:37):
people of moonlight. Silvery white with a bluish glow. Now,
what do you have in your pockets, Geraldine? Well, in
this one, there's a disc and it says play me. Oops.
Nearly missed it. Another disc in this pocket. It says
play me too. Well, if Happy Plants says play me,
(01:57):
that's what we'd better do. Many years ago, when this
tune was played for the first time ever. The audience
thought it sounded like moonlight. So that's the name it
was given. Moonlight Sonata. Sonata means song. Ah, that made
(03:14):
me feel all relaxed and dreamy. How about the other one?
It's called Clair de Lune, which I think means light
of the moon. If you listen, you might hear the
moon peeping out from between the clouds, turning everything on
which it falls. Silver. Isn't it clever how those two
(04:40):
different composers could write piano music? That gives you the
feeling of the silvery moon. I think I know what
Happy Pants wants us to talk about today. Well, we
certainly had some pretty clear clues. The first song gave
it away. Everyone knows Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Debussy and
(05:03):
Clair de Lune are pretty well known too. And then
to top it off, there was that moonstone necklace. What
do you reckon, Joe? The moon indeed. Geraldine. The moon? Well,
what do we know about the moon? It certainly isn't
made of green cheese. There used to be all sorts
(05:25):
of peculiar beliefs about the moon, and that was one
of the silliest. Some people even believed that it was
moonlight that turned people into wait for it. Vampires. They
also believed that moonlight could send people mad. Stand out
under the light of the full moon and you could
(05:46):
lose your mind. They called people who didn't behave like
everyone else lunatics. Because Luna was the old name for
the moon. And the moon had obviously sent them mad.
Another belief was that fairies danced by the light of
the moon. And everybody knew that fairies could cast spells
(06:07):
if you happened to see them when they didn't want
to be seen. Back then, many people believed strange things
that we know today are not true. But in olden times,
many people thought they were absolutely correct. Our moon was
caused by an accident. Yep. Like a car crash, but much,
(06:28):
much bigger. When the earth was pretty new, before anything
lived here, a planet sized asteroid came hurtling through and
smashed into Earth. Pretty careless driving, I reckon. Well, the
crash was so huge that it caused part of the
earth and part of the asteroid to melt. Some of
(06:48):
the molten stuff was flung into space where it collected together,
cooled down, and eventually formed the moon. The rest collected
with the remnants of Earth and eventually made the planet
we know. Wow. That means the Earth has some moon
rock in it, and the moon has some Earth rock
in it. The Earth is much bigger than the moon,
(07:11):
so its gravity pulls on the moon and stops it
from flying off into space. It's like an invisible string
holding the moon in place while they both whiz around
the sun. The moon has its own gravity pull, but
because it is much smaller than the Earth, the pull
isn't as strong. So the moon's gravity pull is just
(07:32):
enough to pull the sea back and forward. We call
that movement the tide. Tides are really important in keeping
the seas and lakes a good place for water creatures
to live. Tide moves the water from place to place,
and that carries food. When the food is spread around
like that, lots of different plants and animals get a
(07:55):
share and that keeps the oceans healthy. Tides also move
warm and cool water around. That causes winds, and the
winds move clouds that bring rain to a thirsty land.
What else do we know about the moon? Well, we
know that the moon has no light of its own.
Moonlight is reflected sunlight when the moon is full. That's
(08:19):
because all of the surface we can see from the
Earth is in the sunlight. As the moon turns, we
see less and less of the lit up bit until
it gets right. Around. Then, night by night, the lit
up bit gets bigger and bigger until it is whole again.
That takes 29 days. The moon makes one whole turn
(08:41):
every 29 days, but Earth whizzes round in 24 hours
one day. We know that the moon does not have
one side, which is always dark, although people used to
believe it did. The moon does spin, but very slowly.
So every part of the moon has a turn at
(09:03):
being in the sunlight. It just has to wait for
29 days to pass. We only have to wait one day.
We know that there is no air on the moon,
so astronauts have to take their own supply.
S3 (10:30):
Hi, my name is Mackenzie and you're listening to Happy
Pants on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (10:35):
Jo. What's closer? New Zealand or the moon? Oh, oh
the moon. Obviously you can't see New Zealand from here. Um.
My turn. Geraldine. How do you know the man in
the moon is bald? Um. He has no hair. Silly.
(10:58):
The moon looks like a silver ball. Oh, wouldn't it
be lovely if you could catch it? Joe. Have you
noticed that envelope poking out of your top pocket? Where? Oh. Oh,
I'm sure it wasn't there before. Happy pants must have
slipped it in when I was dreaming about moonlight. Well,
it's addressed to both of us. And it says open
(11:22):
with care. Oh, here, you open it, Geraldine. Um, it
was in your pocket. You open it? No. I'm scared.
It's some sort of trick. You're bigger than I am.
You open it. All right, here goes. Oh, it's just
a little cloth bag and a piece of paper with
some writing on it. Here, you hold the bag and
I'll unfold the paper. Oh, it's tied up with silver ribbon.
(11:45):
I'll untie it while you read out what the note says. Okay.
Here goes. Dear Happy Pants Crew, you will have been
talking about the moon, so we thought we would have
some moon fun with you. We have enclosed a small
bag which contains a rhyming dough. Don't open that bag
(12:08):
too late. The bug seems to be crooning a tune
about the moon. Oh, a bad fortune will be rhyming
all afternoon. Oh, could we throw it in the lagoon?
I'd like to maroon it on a pontoon in the lagoon.
Or float it off in a balloon. And hope the
balloon gets caught in a typhoon. Or washed away with
(12:29):
a monsoon at a very little bug. The effect might
wear off soon. Oh. Oh, there it goes, flying back
to where it belongs. Like the moonfish in our story today.
Moonfish was teased and taunted because he was different. So
he left home to find a place where he could belong.
(12:50):
He missed his home and family so much that he
decided to go back, even though he would be laughed at.
He arrived home just in time to save everyone from
a terrible fate. The whole village realized that although Moonfish
was different, it was because he was different that they
were saved.
S1 (13:11):
Yay! It's story time!
S2 (13:14):
Moonfish by Graham Bass. The fish that live in the
pond beneath the dragon moon are happy. They know the
moon will keep them safe. But it was not always
like this. There was a time when they looked to
the skies with fear. Too often the herons came stabbing
(13:36):
through the water with their cruel, sharp beaks, gobbling up
the terrified fish. One day an old couple were wandering
amongst the weeds when they saw a movement. What was this?
Some kind of tiny fish. An orphan. The strange little
(13:57):
fish came home with them. They cared for him as
if he were one of their own. But he was
unlike any other fish. The children teased him for being
different and how he grew. Soon he couldn't fit through
the door. You're a big fish, sighed his parents. Oh,
(14:18):
but we love you. The other fish laughed. He looks
like the moon. Hey, moon fish! I don't fit in.
Moonfish said to his parents. I need to find out
where I belong. They talked long into the night. Finally,
after many careful preparations, Moonfish was ready for his journey.
(14:43):
He hugged his parents and set off on. He went
through strange wild places but nowhere felt like home. Moonfish
met a wise frog. I don't know where I belong,
he said. Are you belong in the water? Croaked the frog,
(15:04):
and returned to his book. Through deep, dark oceans he
travelled through the skeletons of sunken ships and drowned cities.
He came across a carefree dragonfly. I don't know where
I belong, said the Moonfish. Oh, you belong in the sky,
said the dragonfly, dancing off into the blue. He encountered
(15:29):
a pack of slithering eels. I don't know where I belong.
You belong in our bellies, hissed the eels hungrily. Moonfish
hurried off as fast as he could. Moonfish was alone.
He thought of his home and his parents, but he
also remembered those who had taunted him. He struggled with
(15:52):
his heart. Finally his morning came. He turned and headed back.
High above great mountains and snowy fed rivers. Over bare
rocky deserts where giant creatures slithered. When he reached the
familiar weeds, his heart leapt. There were his parents. There
(16:12):
was his home. Suddenly he felt shadows overhead. The herons
had returned. Moonfish leapt forward. Fish scales fell away. Fins
turned to claws. A great dragon burst from the water,
swirling and snarling. The herons flapped away in terror, and
(16:37):
they never came back. The dragon dived back into the water.
The fish cowered in fear, but the old couple looked
and recognized their child. Oh, Moonfish has come home, they cried.
The others gathered round. Could this be the strange ugly
(16:57):
fish they had teased? The fish that lived beneath the
dragon moon. Looked to the sky and are happy. The
moon is their family. And each time he appears, there
are celebrations to welcome him back. Moonfish flies far and
wide across the world and has many adventures, but he
(17:19):
always returns to the little pond where he grew up,
for this is his home. It's where he belongs. That
was a reading of Moonfish written by Graeme Base. The
reader was Joe.
S4 (17:37):
Fun fact you might think that stars are the same,
but each star is a different color depending on its temperature.
S5 (17:46):
Pigs can't look up into the sky. It's physically impossible.
S4 (17:51):
Water covers 70% of the earth. There are more stars
in space than there are grains of sand on a beach.
The sun looks super close, but it would take 70,000
years in our fastest spaceship to reach it. It won't
be possible to walk on.
S5 (18:10):
Planets like Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn or Uranus as they don't
have a solid surface and are made out of gas mostly.
S4 (18:22):
The sun set on Mars appears blue. The average star
is between 1 and 10 billion years old, although some
are even older.
S6 (19:35):
Hey. Hey.
S2 (19:54):
Mm. So, what have we done today? We listened to
some moony music. We learnt a bit about where the
moon came from. We learned that the pull of the
moon's gravity force causes tides, which help mix up the water.
And that helps the plants and animals which live in
the sea. The tides have an effect on the weather, too.
(20:15):
And we had a story about Moonfish, who turned out
to be a dragon. At first he was sad that
he was different, but everybody eventually learned that it was
because he was different, that he was able to save
them when they were in terrible danger. If there was
anything in today's program about which you would like to
know more, or you would just like to say hello.
(20:39):
You can find us on Radio Vision Australia. Keep wearing
those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
S7 (21:00):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land. Across our working area, we pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(21:24):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
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