The Minnesota comedy duo reveal how they stumbled into children’s entertainment—and, in doing so, made the ultimate punk statement.
To be perfectly candid, I was rather reticent to do an interview with children’s comedy duo Koo Koo. Blinded by my own stigma, it didn’t sound like something I’d be interested in. But after some convincing, I reluctantly agreed. Expecting a pair of ostentatious performer types, I was actually floored by this Minnesota duo.
Koo Koo are punk.
Dialling in from Minneapolis and Los Angeles, Bryan Atchinson and Neil Olstad greeted me with a mix of charm and wit. “We met a bunch of Aussies in hostels when we backpacked through Europe after college,” Atchinson laughed. “You guys literally took up half of every hostel.” Olstad added, “We supported Frank Turner and The Smith Street Band on tour once. That’s where we learned about Aussie rules and how to say ‘heaps.’”
Having just announced their first Australian tour, it’s no wonder why the pair were so stoked to chat with an Aussie. When asked about what they are most excited about doing in Australia, Atchinson grinned: “I literally just want to eat as much candy as possible”. After informing him about the existence of Caramello Koala’s and Freddo Frogs, I saw his face light up like a Christmas morning.
Koo Koo’s journey into children’s entertainment wasn’t planned—it was, in Atchinson’s words, “a complete accident.” Back in college, they’d been in a short-lived folk band and wanted to break the mould at local battle-of-the-bands competitions. “Every band was over-the-top and sexual,” Atchinson recalled. “We decided to do the opposite—clean lyrics, no swearing, no gimmicks. We just wanted to make our friends laugh.”
“At that time in Minnesota too, everyone’s band was over the top and really sexual” adds Olstad. “Our gimmick became that we were going to be entirely clean. We wouldn’t swear and take off our clothes. We didn’t even mean for it to be a kid’s group, we just wanted to stand out from all the other bands.”
Songs without swearing or innuendo naturally appealed to younger audiences. Friends encouraged them to lean into children’s music, and 16 years later, they’re still thriving.
“We stood out because we played harder than any kids’ band,” Atchinson explained. “We don’t tone it down or pull any punches. You can still do a wild show. Kids can handle it, and adults can enjoy it. We think of the parents in the room as much in the audience as the kids.”
Unlike many children’s performers, Koo Koo’s inspiration wasn’t other kids’ bands. “It was The Flaming Lips and of Montreal,” Atchinson said. “Bands that did wild, theatrical live shows. We wanted to take the props and gimmicks and work them into the songs. We’re like the Muppets in that way.”
Now, the band’s videos are now used globally in classrooms for “brain breaks.” Kids mirror their movements, and parents find themselves just as entertained. Atchinson, now a father, jokes about whether his son might gain credibility from his dad’s role. “Maybe kids will think twice before punching him in the face,” he laughed.
In the truest sense, Koo Koo embodies punk. To be punk is to go against the grain, reject conventions, and built something entirely original. Koo Koo have done all that and then some. And that’s about as punk as it gets.
Koo Koo 2025 Australian Tour Dates:
Sydney – January 31 – Factory Floor
Melbourne – February 1 – Stay Gold
Brisbane – February 2 – The Outpost
Tickets for these shows can be accessed here.
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