I don’t know if it’s something in the water down there or what, but Australia seems to all of a sudden be churning out popular kids’ bands faster than any other country on the planet. First The Wiggles, then Hi-5 (although the group most of us enjoy today in the U.S. is not the Australian original, the inception took place Down Under), and now The Funkees.

What’s a Funkee, you ask? Behold:

They’re a little bit American Idol and a little bit Techno and a whole lot of kid-friendly with that elusive feels-like-the-big-kids’-music vibe that will make them irresistible to the ankle-biting set and their older siblings (and parents) alike.

The Funkees’ pet charity, the McGuiness McDermott Foundation (located in the band’s hometown of Adelaide), profiled them this way:

Imagination Entertainment CEO Shane Yeend has great faith in the foursome saying “The Funkees will just fit into today’s market better because they are edgier and kids like that. They are set to become a child’s first pop band, but will still cover all the learning and educational aspects”

The four band members are all from Adelaide – Lauren D’Costa (Poppi), Ricky Spears (Turbo), Aaron Collis (Disco D) and Sarah Lloyd (Roxee) and they have some very talented professional support including stylist and body painter Emma Hack and fashion designer Razak.

The official web site has all sorts of bright, shiny tidbits about the group (but it also talks to you when you mouse over things, which makes me twitch a little), and for the truly devoted fans, the Funkees Freebies page has desktop wallpaper, coloring pages, and even an online Memory-type card matching game for your little one to play.

And—of course—the only place in North America to get your Funkees’ CDs and DVDs is at the Ty’s Toy Box Funkees Store, so unless you’re planning to be in Adelaide, you might want to check it out.

(For now, my Vegemite-consumption-leads-to-children’s-music theory is still unproven, but new research may prove The Funkees and their predecessors are linked to yeasty sandwich spreads, yet.)