The Fool is the first card in the tarot deck and represents new beginnings, innocence, and being open to whatever life has in store. The Fool depicts a youth walking joyfully into the world. He is taking his first steps, and he is exuberant, joyful, excited
The Fool is often linked with the Court Jester, the one who reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. Few Australians embodied that joyful spirit more completely than Jeannie Little.
Born Jeanne Mitchell in 1938, Jeannie transformed herself into one of Australia’s most beloved entertainers. With her flamboyant handmade costumes, infectious laugh and delightfully unpredictable personality, she burst onto television screens as though she had wandered in from another world. Audiences adored her because she gave them permission to laugh, to play and to embrace the gloriously unexpected.
Working on The Mike Walsh Show throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Jeannie seemed willing to try almost anything. Whether throwing knives, paragliding, singing, dancing or even riding an elephant, she approached each new adventure with infectious enthusiasm. Like the Fool stepping towards the edge of the cliff, she met life with curiosity rather than caution.
Long before television made her a household name, Jeannie was already living creatively. She designed and made her own extraordinary costumes and ran a dressmaking business from an upstairs alcove in Paddington, Sydney, creating gowns for wealthy clients and retired showgirls alike. Her creativity knew few boundaries. She wasn’t simply performing a character; she had crafted an entire world in which imagination always took centre stage.
Jeannie also came to represent something distinctly Australian. She has often been described as one of our rare female larrikins—a mischievous spirit who cheerfully ignored convention without losing her warmth or generosity. Like the Fool, she challenged the idea that dignity requires seriousness. Her gift was to remind us that wisdom often arrives wearing feathers, sequins and a mischievous smile.
The Fool invites us to travel lightly, to trust the journey and to remain open to surprise. Jeannie Little showed that courage isn’t always solemn. Sometimes it laughs out loud, wears outrageous clothes and steps into the unknown with a twinkle in its eye.
Play Like Jeannie
- Raid a Charity Store. Begin wearing eccentric, hilarious and madcap clothes.
- Jeannie was paid peanuts and had to be resourceful. She made jackets out of tin foil and dresses covered with balloons, or pale pink prawn crackers and milk bottle caps. As well as the disposable dresses, Jeanne designed edible hats made of food including pizza, french fries, crumpets, bangers and mash, ice cream cones and frankfurters. Come up with your own crazy design.
- Jeannie had an inexhaustible array of ideas and adventures. Dream up an adventure and set out.
Waltzing With Matilda's 