Shane Dundas and David Collins, The Umbilical Brothers, play brothers who live together in a strange house with a variety of unusual rooms en route to a place they go to for the very first time. When they arrive at their destination, a fast-motion sequence of them visiting the place is shown.
Characters
David – Played by David Collins. He has super-sensitive hearing and a super-sensitive sense of smell. He plays the drums in The Talking Airheads band with an imaginary cowbell attached to an imaginary cow named Clarabelle The Clinking Clanking Cowbell Cow.
Shane – Played by Shane Dundas. He is David's brother. He plays the guitar in The Talking Airheads Band.
Mrs. Foil – Played by Amanda Bishop. She is the boys' neighbor. She is blonde and wears brightly-colored clothes. She can play the tuba.
Puppet – He lives with the brothers and often assists them in their antics. He sometimes appears to be more rational than Shane and David but is often just as silly as the boys. He has a cousin named Mary Annette. Puppet is performed and voiced by puppeteer Mat McCoy. Puppet was built by Puppet Heap. He is the song writer for The Talking Airheads Band. He speaks in American English accent.
The Schmuzzies – They come in a wide range of bright colors and speak a language called Schmuzzish. Shane sometimes appears to be apprehensive of the creatures, while David maintains a good rapport with them and is fluent in their language. They sing and play the marimba in The Talking Airheads Band. The Schmuzzies were built by Puppet Heap.
Fido the Fly – Fido is Shane's imaginary pet fly who lives behind a tiny door in the boys' apartment. Fido communicates to Shane by buzzing. He is an avid tennis player. He plays the trumpet in The Talking Airheads Band.
The Voice – Voice of Adam Smille. An authoritative male voice sometimes speaks to Shane and David, generally reminding the duo to knock before entering a room. The Voice sometimes demands specific types of knocks before giving the boys consent to enter a room.
Action Fingers – Occasionally Shane and David need to call upon the resources of two rough-and-tumble figures, Knuckles and Pointy. These two-digit adventurers are performed by Shane and David when they "let their fingers do the walking" over various props and scenery. They serve as the show's superheroes. Their name is also a pun on "action figures", the male version of a doll.
Bob the Blanket – Bob is a small, white blanket belonging to David. He speaks in a rough voice with an American accent and employs a sardonic wit. Bob only appears in "Barbershop" and very briefly in "Camping."
Spot the Chair – Spot is David's pet chair who plays a game called, "Fly on the Chair" with Fido, who he is good friends with. He only appears in "Pet Shop" and very briefly in "Picnic."
Production and broadcast
The show premiered on both Noggin and Nick Jr. Australia in 2006. In 2006, in a New York Post interview, Shane Dundas expressed doubts about the return of the show for a second season.
Episode structure
Before title sequence
Each episode begins with a cold opening showing one or both brothers in the middle of an activity. David introduces "The Remote" by pretending to be holding a remote control. He explains that The Remote can control the action on-screen. He demonstrates by pressing various buttons, which control Shane's actions. The remote also has buttons such as "Humongous" and "Minute" that cause some strange and/or undesired effects. David offers The Remote to the viewer and "hands it over" by reaching off-screen downward. The brothers direct the viewer to "press the Play button" to start the episode. This results in the viewer accidentally pressing the wrong button and putting the brothers in a bizarre situation. The brothers encourage the viewer to fix the situation by pressing a button for the opposite effect and then press Play. Shane will commonly say "Whatever you do, don't press the," resulting in a repeat of the same bizarre situation before the viewer is again encouraged by the brothers to press the same opposite button as before for the same opposite effect. Finally, the boys encouraged the viewer to press play which they do, starting the show.
Title sequence
The Action Fingers perch on the title, which is flipped upside down. Pointy reads the title as "Down Upside", realizing the mistake, they turn the title the right way up. After jumping off the title, Pointy and Knuckles run and jump over the words "Starring David Collins and Shane Dundas" then the words "Created by Belinda Ward and Shane Dundas & David Collins" drop as the Action Fingers continued running before kicking the words and running up to the red door, Knuckles knocks the door and Pointy opens it showing Shane and David's apartment.
Plot structure
The central objective of each episode is for Shane and David to get to a certain location. They spend the episode adventuring through the various red doors in their apartment, as well as searching other places. The brothers occasionally request help from the viewers, asking them to press buttons on their remote. Their journey takes them to "Wrong Turn" rooms. In at least one of the rooms, they encounter a child who teaches them something and sets them on the correct path. Eventually, they locate their destination "for the very first time" and visit the place in fast motion.
Ending
The show ends with the brothers back in their apartment. During the last few minutes of the show, they give the viewer an imaginary souvenir to thank them for their help throughout the episode.
Running gags
There are a few running gags in the show. The main one is the "Upside-Down" button; when this button is pressed the viewpoint shifts to an upside-down shot. One of the boys asks the viewer to press the "Right Side Up" button, at which point the viewpoint rights itself.
