Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - A Nation Tries to Name a Jingle

Episode Date: June 1, 2026

A listener calls in with a jingle she’s had stuck in her head for nearly 20 years, and it kicks off a bit of a deep dive. Listeners send in guesses as we work through everything from TV themes to classic Kiwi ads. We finally land on what seems like the most likely answer… do you know the riddle?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jono Ben and Megan podcast, thanks to Dilma. Goodness really does taste great. Dilma, making the world a better tea. I've got in touch with us all the way from Australia, someone that was living in New Zealand, though, and they've had something stuck in the head for years, and they need your help. She joins us now from across the ditch.

Tara! Hello, how are you? Great, good to have you on from Australia, up and Adam. Yes, already at work. What do you do? I am a PhD student I researched genetics Oh okay

Genetics did you say Yes I'm actually sitting away In a little RNA extraction room right now So my boss can't hear me Okay well we'll speak quietly But something's been keeping I don't know if we need to speak quiet Oh yeah true

We'll speak normal level You speak quietly Okay That's how it works Thanks for explaining how the phone works We can all whisper So something's been bugging you Something from New Zealand

It's been years that this jingle has been stuck in my head and I would love to figure out what it is. Now it's followed you over to Australia this jingle. You can't get it out of your head. Now you've sent us a voice member of you whistling the jingle. Yes. We'll play that down. Perfect because I cannot whistle under pressure. Okay, here we go.

At the end it feels familiar but I can't think of it. So you think this is a radio or a TV jingle? Where do you think it's from? Sure, it must be radio. Well, it feels familiar, but then a lot of jingles are kind of in there. Oh, yeah. How many years ago were you hearing this jingle? Oh, look, it would have been like early 2000s, you know,

oh, sorry, like late 2000s, early 2010 when I was a kid. Okay, so, you know, over sort of 16, 17 years, this has haunted you. It's been haunting me. I've been people for years. And have you asked many people if they know what it is? I've asked just about everyone that must have grown up in Northland every time I meet someone. Okay. All right.

Well, someone listening right now and I won't know. 4487 on the text. Yeah, it's not ringing any bills for me. Look, no one in Australia has known it. So I'm thinking this is pretty, like, part of me is thinking this is some kind of like farming or fishing or like part of me is like the Northern Regional Council. But I don't think, you know. It's haunting you. taunting you.

All right. Well, you speak at whatever level you want to speak at. We'll speak at the same. And we'll see if we can find out for you. All right. Perfect. Thank you. We'll try and close this chapter in your life.

I mean, you can't go on without it, can you? Without the answers. Oh, look, it would be amazing. It would fill something inside me. She can't move forward. She can't move forward. Okay.

Oh, it's so familiar, eh? It's that last bit. If you're listening right now, if you're listening right now, 4-487 on the text, 0800 of the hits. That's helped Tara. out and see if we can land on it.

Someone's, oh, geez, yeah, thank you so much. The hits audience, really helpful audience. It's already filling up with, is it Fraggle Rock? Is it a placemakers ad? A couple for G.J. Garden Home? It's a G. It's a G.J.

That's a Gett. Oh, that's a Gett. Oh, that's a Gettage. We'll work it out. We'll work it out. And keep the sticks coming through. We'll get back to those necks on the hits. The commonality here is that everyone's on board with the

that's playing the strings on everyone's hearts. Yeah, it feels very familiar. We've had a lot of great suggestions so far that we feel like we might be close. Do you know what, Megan? No, but a lot of people have said the GJ. It's a G.J. It's a G.J. It's a G.J.

Okay, so Malia, you're pretty sure it's GJ. Oh, yeah. As I've heard of, you know, it's one of those little squirrels that run around in your head. and yeah like it's an oversad so yeah it's a DJ it's a DJ it's a DJ Gunna home it's a DJG got to home Yep that's the right

So if we line that up next to the whistle Could be Could be We're gonna have to call her back and pitch some of these And also the fact that her whistle might not be 100% right Which is yeah whistling's tough too Remember that game

The humdinger or something you've got to do Which is not whistling but I'm never good at the humdinger well so um milia just do you know that you're talking to the creator of the novice jingle oh really yeah it's ben it's it's it's something me can i don't know what it's been claimed to fame to fame millia he wrote that would you like him like he's the one that goes oh novis it's not yeah it's not the novice i can tell you it's not the novice jingle what are your uh thoughts and feelings about meeting the novice guy milia oh very very impressed oh never had a second album though that's the trouble some second album.

What had wonder, eh? Couldn't back it up. What happened to the Novus guy? I want to done. Good on you, Malia. Every good one. Appreciate you joining in this morning. Levi,

happy New Year to you. Happy New Year to you too. Now, we're trying to get to the bottom of this Levi, this mystery jingle, Fatar in Australia. What do you think it is, mate? I think it's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the start of it.

Did he? M-I-C-E-Y Yeah M-C-K-E-Y Lassie Oh, I can see how you're Yeah M-I-C-E-Y

M-O-U-S-E I'm ready crowbar in that In there to be honest Hey, not bad, not a bad suggestion I appreciate it Thanks Levi One thing's for certain

We are going to get to the bottom of this And if we don't get to the bottom of it At least we'll get up behind the knees of it You know, we're going to solve this What does that mean? I didn't want to reach the Like we don't reach the bottom Yeah

get to the parts behind the knees You might get half out the hamstrings I don't know if we're going to be able to close this case So many texts coming through Super Liquor, Country Calendar Dog Show, theme song We'll see, we'll keep looking on

Oh yeah Flintstones come through Yeah, Cadbury Creamy Okay, we need to do some more deep diving Keep this coming through I feel like we're getting close But I don't know if we're quite nailed it Someone's text soon

4487 Super Super Super Leca Oh it could be It's a U-P-E-R No, not as a super, super-lick, yeah. Feels like you can sing any tunes over the top.

Are all jingles just the same jingle? We're slowly starting to figure out. Melissa and Blair. Happy New Year to you both. Hey guys. Hey. Good to have you on. You've got a suggestion.

Happy New Year. Happy New Year. You think you know what the jingle is. Johno and Dan. Is this Johno and Dan? Yeah, that's the month. We'll politely answer to Jono and Dan. Yeah.

Antiguan. me, yeah. And when's Mike going to turn up? Yeah, I was a lot of... Tell you what, Blair, you're bloody railroading this, bro. Railroading hard. Do you know the jingle?

John, I just on my job. Just doing this. It's what he's come to do, mate. We're heading, we're steering the ship in a direction. You're taking it off course, Blair. Do you know the jingle, Blair? No, I don't, anyway. Oh, my God.

What's that? You don't think it might be the crown at? Oh, the crowd at? Oh, the crowd at. is nothing like the ground or picking it up and putting it down. I don't know if it's the right tune.

That's nice. I went up there with the Nova song. Who wrote that? How good is that? What? Shakespearean author wrote that. It's not really... It's a poet.

Anyway. A Shakespearean author. Well done. Good on you, Blair. I'm going to end this conversation now, Blair. You're a legend. Thank you for calling through. Whether Heather's standing by

from the Met Service. She's coming in to talk about the weather very shortly, but she's saying, turn on my mic. She's like, turn my mic up a bit louder, like M&M at the beginning of that song. I hear more snare on my headphones. You'll be listening to this because you're a husband. A great jingle writer for many years. Iconic.

Yeah. It's not great to live with someone like that, though. What are some of his greatest hits your husband's? Smith & Keith's. Oh, yeah. Trade Depot. The Cold Out and Z. Made butcher.

Oh, wow. You just can't beat the mad butchers meet. Yeah, you know them all. Okay. I look very unimpressed. Is that car trips for you? You're like, I'll listen to it, you know? We do have fun in the spot blocks to see how many jingles.

Gotcha, yeah. All right. Now, you reckon you know what, this whistle? Can we hear it again? Okay, this is from our friend Tara in Australia. This is haunted her all the way over to Australia. Now we're trying to think of it. We're like, it sounds familiar, but we can't quite put our finger on it.

You reckon you got it. I know. I exactly know what it is. Do you want me to whistle it? Yeah, you can whistle it, yeah. And then it ends, and then it ends with a... With a what? What is that?

It's a baby. It's a baby. It's a baby factory. Oh, the baby factory. Yeah, well done. Did you... Is that one from your household, Heather? Yes, it is.

Oh, there we go. You're the person. person to talk to. Now that will be stuck in my head. So we're going to get Tara back on right now and play these ones too and hopefully we can, you know, solve the case. Yeah, she joins us now in Australia. How are you, Tara?

Good morning. Oh, fantastic morning. How about you guys? Yeah, good. God, this brought us a lot of joy on the show. We got your message about the whistle and we've put it out to everyone. And so many different texts. I mean, everything from TV shows, from songs, from jingles, the works.

It really captured the imagination of the nation. It really did. So we collectively as a show, we've landed on what it could be, but there is a couple of options. We kind of need you to decide whether this is what you were thinking of or not. Oh, I'm so excited for this. Sure thing.

Okay, okay. So this is one that we think could be it. This is the Baby Factory jingle. So have a listen to this. Could you hear that? I can hear it. I think I would have remembered if it was like a demonic baby doing it.

That's a little bit creepy. So it's not the baby factory. Oh, it's not the baby factory. Okay. All right. Okay. We were convinced. Okay, not the baby factory.

All right. Okay. There's another one that will come through as well. The G.J. Gardner home. The G. G.J. Gardner home. And ringing any bells.

I think that could be it. Oh! It's a G. It's a GJ. It's a GJ. It's a G.J. You think it's a G.J. Garden at the Home? Like maybe some kind of contractor.

I feel like G.J. Gardener could make sense. G. It's a G. DJ Garda Home. That was very popular in the text. Yeah. We had also Super Liquor was another great jingle as well.

I know that that's around. This is probably confusing you. We had the theme from Fragger Rock. We had Scooby-Doo. We had all sorts of random stuff as well. There was a lot. going on? I think you've

landed it on GJ Gardner. Oh, thank God. Well, good. I'm glad. We'll leave that with you. If you come back to it later and you go,

maybe that's not it, we can reopen the investigation but I think the case is closed. Is there relief? Like, how do you feel? Like, do you know, the amount of messages I've had since yesterday and everyone being like,

this has also been in my family? Oh my God. Thank you so much. You're very welcome. Now you can add lyrics to your wee hum. It's a Gigi. It's a Gigi gardener. You've just solved a mystery

for all. Thank you. There we go. You are welcome. Thank you so much for your text and calls on that one. Case closed.