Kellie Crawford, Kathleen de Leon Jones, Nathan Foley, Tim Harding and Charli Robinson were the founding members.

Hi-5 were one of Australia's highest paid entertainment groups, placing in the Business Review Weekly's annual list several times, earning an estimated A$18 million in 2007.

After a short-lived television revival in 2017, the group's production company wholly relocated to Singapore and began employing a roster of temporary performers for touring purposes until 2019.

[2][3] She and co-producer Posie Graeme-Evans developed the series as preschool entertainment, blending educational theories with a musical appeal to capture children's attention.

[6] Featuring five performers, the cast were intended to act as the audience's older siblings or friends, rather than adults teaching children.

[3][11] The creators saw the need for "life-affirming" television for rapidly maturing preschoolers and found most children learn from programs which use music and movement.

[13] The original cast consisted of Kellie Crawford (née Hoggart), Kathleen de Leon Jones, Nathan Foley, Tim Harding and Charli Robinson.

[12] In addition to their regular tours, Hi-5 appeared annually at Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne, broadcast live by the Nine Network on Christmas Eve.

[30][31] Sun Park was introduced as her temporary replacement; de Leon Jones gave birth to her first child in July.

[48] The change of ownership saw Harris and Graeme-Evans end their involvement with the franchise, which was placed under the direction of Martin Hersov and Cathy Payne, Nine and Southern Star executives.

Crawford reported in October that she would be leaving at the end of the year to explore other options, and a month later, Foley outlined his plan to exit and focus on his adult music career.

[52] The Daily Telegraph's Sydney Confidential reporter alleged that Hi-5's production company had asked Crawford and Foley to leave, and that the producers were "opting to recruit younger, cheaper performers".

[52] In February 2009, Lauren Brant, Fely Irvine and Tim Maddren joined Nicholson and Burgess to complete the group's new line-up.

[58] They did not receive the same positive critical reception as the original members; one reviewer found fault with the new line-up's vocal abilities.

[59] The group joined World Vision Australia as ambassadors in 2009, beginning their work in the Philippines while on a promotional tour, and completing a volunteer trip to Cambodia in 2012.

[66][67] In June 2012, the Nine Network announced that because of their ongoing financial difficulties, they had sold the Hi-5 brand in its entirety to Malaysian-based equity group, Asiasons.

[68][69][70] Datuk Jared Lim, Asiasons's managing director, described plans to expand Hi-5 throughout Southeast Asia, while keeping the group's presence in Australia intact.

[75][76] Brant's final performances were in July 2014 for the Australian House Hits tour, in which the cast wore costumes she designed under her new fashion label, Loliboli.

[76][81] After being cast in an Australian musical production of Xanadu in January 2016, Melham left the group, and new member Gabe Brown took his place in February.

[84] The Nine Network renewed its partnership with the Hi-5 franchise in October 2016 and expressed plans to revive the original television series with a new cast in 2017.

[87] After auditions were held in November 2016, new members Courtney Clarke, Shay Clifford, Joe Kalou and Bailey Spalding were revealed in December, joining Dearing to form the fourth generation of the group.

[98] Harriott worked regularly with a group of lyricists, including Chris Phillips, Leone Carey and Lisa Hoppe.

[101][102] Foley cited the Wiggles as an influence of Hi-5, but noted the respective groups had different musical styles, with Harriott's compositions resembling top 40 rather than nursery rhymes.

[103] Original member of the Wiggles and classical musician Phillip Wilcher commended the gentle educational appeal of Hi-5's music, and declared that they seemed to "know the subtle difference between childlike and childish.

[7][8][26] The series' creators loosely based it on an underlying educational structure influenced by Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences.

[25] Group members expressed that performances were adapted to include more songs and physical elements in countries where English is not the main spoken language.

[48] The franchise was placed under the direction of Martin Hersov and Cathy Payne, Nine and Southern Star executives, while Harris and Graeme-Evans ended their involvement with the company with the sale.

In her blog for The Daily Telegraph in 2011, Sarrah Le Marquand found fault with Brant's musical abilities, claiming that while she was an enthusiastic entertainer, she had limited vocal talent.

[133] Similarly, in a 2011 survey by the Australian Council on Children and the Media, parents condemned the costuming of the group, stating it was inappropriate for the audience and "premature sexualisation".

[135][136] Critiquing the debut of a new line-up at Carols by Candlelight in 2016, David Knox wrote that the performance was unmemorable, and suggested that their strengths were not demonstrated at the event.