Hector the Cat
Hector the Cat (also known as Hector Cat, Hector the Road Safety Cat or simply Hector) is a fictional cat and mascot created to aid the teaching of road safety to children in Australia. Educational material relating to the character was developed by the Australian Department of Transport in association with state and territory road authorities.[1] "Hector's road safety song" became well known in Australia when it was shown as a public service announcement on television. The blue and yellow striped cat first appeared on a school calendar in 1971 with a storyline that he had lost eight of his nine lives due to "ignorance of road safety practices".[1] This was followed by a short instructional film. In subsequent years other characters were introduced in calendars, instructional films, and comic books including Millie, his girlfriend (1973), Uncle Tom (1974), Hector and Millie's three kittens (1975) and his space friend Ding Dong (1982).[1][2]
A study in 1978 found that, although children enjoyed the characters and stories, the material had a number of inadequacies. It stressed that road safety research findings and child development theory would need to considered for any future development.[1][3]
The character is currently used by the Northern Territory Transport Group to promote road awareness to children in the Northern Territory, with a newly released song "Stop, Look, Listen, Think" launched in 2010 as part of his Road Safety Show.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Maggs, Alex & Margaret Brown (May 1986). Primary School and Road Safety Curricula: A review of Australian Materials and practices (PDF). Federal Office of Road Safety. ISBN 642513066 Centre. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help) - ^ "Hector's Road Safety Calendar from 1982". Search our Collections. National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Henderson, Michael (November 1991). "Education, publicity and Training in Road Safety: A literature Review - Report No. 22" (PDF). Monash University Accident Research Centre. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ "Hector's message". Northern Territory Transport Group. Retrieved 17 February 2011.