Stinky Dinky Dad Jokes make NZ final

A high-profile Queenstown Dad and daughter duo have been named as finalists in the APRA Best Children’s Song category of the New Zealand Children’s Music Awards for their hilariously fun rendition of a stinky, farting, hoof-hearted’ wonky donkey.

Internationally acclaimed and best-selling children’s author and entertainer Craig Smith, who was raised in Queenstown, recorded his latest song for his recently released book, The Stinky Wonky Donkey, with nine-year old daughter Maia. Smith plays The Wonky Donkey and narrator with Maia, eight at the time they studio recorded the song, playing the little Dinky Donkey.

Smith’s won that award twice before – for The Wonky Donkey and The Scariest Thing in the Garden, along with a myriad of other children’s music and book awards, but he reckons it’s young Maia’s talent that’s landed the song in the final this year.

The Stinky Wonky Donkey, released in November last year, is Smith’s 15th children’s book, many of them in his hugely popular Wonky Donkey series, the first of which was released in 2009 with the original song.

The idea came after a post-rugby joke in a Te Anau bar. “I went home and wrote the song,” he says.

Since then, his humorous, quirky books, born from his original songs, have everyone from tiny tots to grannies in fits of laughter and have sold between 11million and 14million copies worldwide. Smith’s been Number 1 Bestselling Children’s Picture Book author in NZ and NZ’s second biggest seller across all genres behind celebrity cook and food writer Annabel Langbein.

Only released five months ago, The Stinky Wonky Donkey has already been Number 1 in NZ and is still on the Top 10 Bestsellers list.

At one stage around 2018-2019, The Wonky Donkey was Number 1 Bestselling Children’s Book in the world. It’s been US Retail Number 1 and Number 1 on Amazon for three weeks, outselling former American First Lady Michelle Obama’s biography.

Smith says he’s chuffed just to make the finals of the NZ awards again and this one’s made even more special because his one stars Maia too. “She’s got a good voice,” he says.

Maia, who unfortunately can’t go to the awards dinner in Auckland on 5 May says she’s “kind of excited” to see if they win.

But in the meantime, she’s enjoying a school holiday road trip adventure with Dad, who’s performing four live children’s shows in Christchurch this week and one in Ashburton, all expected to attract crowds in the hundreds.

For a chuckle, check it out – Craig and Maia’s recording of The Stinky Wonky Donkey on YouTube.