Tales from Outer Suburbia is an animated series inspired by Shaun Tan’s much‑loved picture book. Across ten magical episodes, we follow siblings Klara and Pim as they move to a new suburb with their mum, Lucy. Everything feels a bit different without their dad around, but as they explore their new streets, they soon realise their neighbourhood is far stranger and more exciting than they ever expected.
Klara, a thoughtful young artist, becomes fascinated by their unusual neighbours, including two mysterious cat‑like girls and a girl who seems to sleep forever in a dark house across the road. Pim treats the suburb like his own adventure map, discovering incredible creatures at every turn. They meet a water buffalo in an empty lot, help a deep‑sea diver who has wandered into the suburbs and even build a junk dinosaur that comes to life. Their world only gets stranger and more wonderful as they become friends with a tiny leaf man named Eric, catch a glowing moonfish from the night sky and find a lost dugong on their front lawn.
Created by Highly Spirited Productions and Flying Bark Productions, this whimsical series celebrates curiosity, bravery and the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. Through all their weird and wonderful adventures, Klara and Pim learn how to face change, look out for each other and discover their own sense of belonging in a world full of delightful surprises.
About Tales from Outer Suburbia
The television series
The episodes
The series includes 10 episodes, each 22 minutes in length.
Episode 1: 'Water Buffalo'
Klara and Pim arrive in their new home, daunted by the upheaval. Klara meets two strange girls - edgy, street-smart Cat and mysterious, reclusive Esme. Meanwhile, Pim runs away and discovers a huge, enigmatic Water Buffalo.
Episode 2: 'Broken Toys'
Exploring their neighbourhood, Pim and Klara come across a curious stranger - a lost deep-sea diver who seems to need their help. Can the siblings work together and figure out where he belongs?
Episode 3: 'Distant Rain'
Budding artist Klara considers braving an art competition, while Pim and Lucy bond by writing stories together. As they all struggle to express themselves, a peculiar storm is brewing in the skies above.
Episode 4: 'Making a Friend'
With Klara enthralled by an intriguing neighbour and Lucy starting a new job, Pim needs someone to play with. He builds a dinosaur friend out of junk and is stunned when it comes to life. But their fun quickly gets out of hand.
Episode 5: 'Eric'
Klara, Pim and Lucy are feeling disconnected and out of place, but they’re all forced to find a new way of looking at the world, when a mysterious, tiny houseguest comes to stay.
Episode 6: 'Inner Courtyard'
Pim and Klara stumble into a strange and beautiful garden within their own house - and have a wondrous encounter that will forever change the way they see their mum. But can they make it out before it’s too late?
Episode 7: 'Moonfish'
Pim grapples with big feelings about his absent dad, so Grandpa takes him sky-fishing to lift his spirits. Meanwhile, Grandma helps Klara realise she can no longer deny her own overwhelming emotions.
Episode 8: 'Badlands'
Klara and Pim go with Grandma and Grandpa on a thrilling treasure hunt, beyond the borders of suburbia. Faced with perplexing challenges, can they stick together and find their way home?
Episode 9: 'Dugong'
Klara’s self-doubt threatens to swallow her whole, while Pim’s birthday takes a strange turn when a dugong inexplicably appears on the front lawn, far from the ocean and in desperate need of help.
Episode 10: 'Turning'
Klara nervously heads to the city for her art competition, with supportive Pim in tow. But when the journey doesn’t go as planned, Klara’s despair leads to a confrontation that will change her and her neighbourhood forever.
The characters
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Klara
Klara is smart, creative and sometimes a bit awkward, with a dry sense of humour that not many twelve-year-olds have. She feels like she is changing as she gets older and is trying to make sense of her parents’ breakup and the strange things happening around her. When Klara feels overwhelmed, outer suburbia becomes even stranger, with odd creatures, shifting time and dream-like places appearing around her.
Klara wants to be an artist but often doubts herself. Over time she learns to share her work with others and discovers that not everyone needs to like it for it to matter. Her art helps her feel calm, and even when she wants to be independent, she still finds comfort in her bond with her younger brother Pim.
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Pim
Pim is full of energy, bravery and excitement, treating every day like a new game. His six-year-old curiosity makes it easy for him to accept the unusual things in outer suburbia, whether it is magic, odd creatures or strange events. He notices that Klara is becoming more serious, so he follows her everywhere, even when she wants some space.
Pim’s imagination and playful nature help his family stay positive during tough moments. He reminds everyone how important it is to laugh and enjoy the little things.
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Lucy
Lucy is Klara and Pim’s mum. She works very hard and often worries she is not doing enough for her kids. She is caring and imaginative, and hopes that showing responsibility will help her children learn, although she sometimes worries it might send the wrong message.
Throughout the series the kids discover surprising things about Lucy and realise she is not as ordinary as they once thought.
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Grandma and Grandpa
Grandma and Grandpa are very different, even though they live together. Grandpa is neat, chatty and always ready to help Lucy and the kids. Grandma is mysterious and sometimes disappears on unusual trips. She also seems to understand the strange side of outer suburbia better than most.
They live in a perfectly symmetrical house split exactly down the middle, which looks odd but suits their unusual personalities.
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Esme and Cat
Esme and Cat like to say they are “basically sisters,” even though they argue a lot. Esme has a cat’s head and human hands and lives in a small underground space. She is a talented artist who helps Klara understand that being sensitive and thoughtful can make her art stronger.
Cat has a human head and cat paws and is bold, confident and carefree. She does whatever she wants without worrying about what people think, and her charm makes her fun to be around. Underneath all of that she is a trickster who sometimes feels lonely, even if she hides it well.
The crew
Meet some of the crew, the people who worked behind the scenes to create the series, in this video.
The cast
Meet some of the cast, the people who voiced the characters, in this video.
The World
Learn more about the creation of 1980s suburbia in this video.
The animation process
Tales from Outer Suburbia was created using CG Animation with a stop motion look. Watch this video to hear Series Director, Noel Cleary share more about the animation process:
The music
The music in Tales from Outer Suburbia helps build the dreamy, mysterious feeling of the series. It uses soft melodies, unusual sounds and shifting textures to highlight moments of wonder, excitement or curiosity. Some songs include gentle vocals that add warmth, and the handcrafted sound design makes the world feel a little bit familiar but also a bit strange. The creators say the music carries the quiet magic of the show and helps audiences feel the emotions in every scene. Read more about the music here.
Listen to the full soundtrack here.
The book
Tales from Outer Suburbia (Allen & Unwin, 2008, NSW) is a multi-award-winning book from The New York Times best selling author, illustrator and Academy Award-winning director, Shaun Tan. It’s an anthology of 15 short, illustrated stories about strange events that occur in an otherwise familiar suburban landscape, usually from the viewpoint of children and teenagers. Wise animals, lost explorers, tiny exchange students, sinister machines, secret portals and forgotten rituals are all encountered.
The true subject of each story is how ordinary people react when their ordinary expectations are disrupted: each bizarre situation offers an opportunity for both revelation and misunderstanding, revealing some universal aspects of human nature.
Tales from Outer Suburbia blurb
Do you remember the water buffalo at the end of our street?
Or the deep-sea diver we found near the underpass?
Do you know why dogs bark in the middle of the night?
Shaun Tan, creator of The Arrival, The Lost Thing and The Red Tree, reveals the quiet mysteries of everyday life: homemade pets, dangerous weddings, stranded sea mammals, tiny exchange students and secret rooms filled with darkness and delight.
The book is available for purchase here.
Please note: Episode 7: 'Moonfish' is inspired by a different Shaun Tan book, Tales from the Inner City.
Credits
Tales From Outer Suburbia is a Highly Spirited and Flying Bark production. Adapted from Shaun Tan’s multi-award-winning book Tales from Outer Suburbia.
Tales From Outer Suburbia is a Highly Spirited and Flying Bark production for the ABC and BYUtv. Major production investment from Screen Australia and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation in association with ABC. Produced in New South Wales and Western Australia with Siamese and financed with support from Screenwest. International sales by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
