Is Tory Australian guru thinking what Australian children's TV is thinking?

Bananas in Pyjamas
Bananas in Pyjamas: the Tory slogan is remarkably similar to the show's catchphrase

The Conservatives today dismissed suggestions that they borrowed their election slogan from an Australian children's TV series.

As party slogans go, "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" has captured the imagination of headline writers and already inspired Tony Blair to ask voters, "Are you remembering what we're remembering?" in a reference to the Tories' last stint in office.

But last night Newsnight featured a brief clip from an unidentified Australian TV series that uses the same catchphrase, begging the question "Was Michael Howard thinking what Bananas in Pyjamas were thinking?"

The fact that Mr Howard has hired the Australian prime minister's guru Lynton Crosby to advise him on his election strategy will fuel suspicions.

The Tory slogan is remarkably similar to the catchphrase of the long-running pre-school puppet show, which follows the adventures of two cheeky bananas in pyjamas, rather unimaginatively called B1 and B2.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, B2?" asks the first banana. "I think I am, B1," replies B2. "It's Bananas in Pyjamas time!"

The exchange will be instantly familiar to the show's millions of fans, which airs on children's channel Nick Jr - Nickelodeon's junior stablemate.

Conservative central office said today the similarity of the two phrases was "pure coincidence".

"The slogan grew organically out of the fact that a lot of the concerns of the British people are the same concerns as we have," said a spokesman. "Whether Lynton used to watch the show with his children in Australia, I have no idea."

A spokesman for Nick Jr said: "We are flattered that politicians watch Bananas in Pyjamas. If any of the other parties need inspiration we have plenty of other characters to choose from."

Labour or the Liberal Democrats might like to follow Spongebob Squarepants' lead, whose catchphrases include "I'm confident in my ability to successfully succeed", and "Panic is the enemy".

Bananas in Pyjamas has proved popular around the world, with more than 200 episodes made so far. It airs in 70 countries with 100 million viewers worldwide.

Familiar from Conservative advertising hoardings around the country, and prominent on the lectern whenever Michael Howard makes a speech, the slogan has become a familiar phrase in the general election debate. However, it has also been subverted by the Tories' opponents, with sketchwriters asking: "Are you drinking what they're drinking?"

Bananas in Pyjamas began on ABC in Australia in 1992. Each episode features the two bananas playing a trick on one of their friends, who include three teddies, Amy, Lulu and Morgan, and the scheming Rat in a Hat.

ABC's publicity for the show said Bananas in Pyjamas is "one of Australia's greatest exports - up with the likes of Greg Norman and Kylie. They have travelled the world, visited the White House and met the president of the United States. To top it off, they were also included in the closing ceremony at the Sydney Olympics. You don't get any bigger than that."

But one review on the Internet Movie Data Base website described it as the "most frightening television show ever produced. The Bananas in Pyjamas look like escaped convicts and they live in a surrealist nightmare world where nothing is as it should be."

Mr Howard recruited Mr Crosby after he helped the Australian prime minister, John Howard, return from the political wilderness to achieve four successive election victories.

