The show features a large cast of colourful characters with unusual names who live in a magical forest scattered with large daisies and brightly CGI-coloured flowers. The characters mostly speak short and repetitive phrases and each one has its own special song and dance. The garden is a sunny and colourful environment and the music is jaunty and music box-like. According to Wood: A different company, Golden Bear Toys have also made a range of In The Night Garden... toys, featuring Upsy Daisy and Igglepiggle. These include the "Musical Ninky Nonk Bubble Train" and the "Igglepiggle Wind-up Musical Boat." The Tombliboos are riding in the Pinky Ponk, enjoying their Pinky Ponk Juice. Each of them makes a different funny noise when they sip their juice.

In the Night Garden... is intended to help children relax and achieve calming relationships with their parents. Producer Anne Wood also states: "We became very aware of the anxiety surrounding the care of young children which manifested itself in all kinds of directions, but the one big subject that came up, again and again, was bedtime. It's the classical time for tension between children who want to stay up and parents who want them to go to bed. So this is a programme about calming things down whereas most children's TV is about getting everything up." A ball bounces around the garden visiting one character after another, even the Pontipines themselves. Everybody takes stones from Makka Pakka's pile of 5 stones. The teeny tiny Pontipines take Makka Pakka's last stone. A spin-off special series, titled In the Night Garden... ZinkyZonk Specials was announced by WildBrain in September 2022. The six 15-minute specials are CGI-animated in Canada by WildBrain Studios, with an initial broadcast deal made with Hop! Channel in Israel. The series first premiered in Australia on ABC Kids in September 2022. Upsy Daisy is singing in the garden when the ball bounces along and comes to a rest beside her. Upsy Daisy can't make up her mind whether to sing or play with the ball.In the spring of 2008, several new toys arrived, including roll-along characters, Talking Cuddly Makka Pakka, Ninky Nonk Pop-up tent and more. Hasbro won the 2008 "Best Licensed Toy or Game range" Licensing Award for their In The Night Garden... range.

The Tombliboos are riding the Pinky Ponk, and throughout the ride, as everybody else gets on, it keeps hitting everything in sight.Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy go for a very long walk. Feeling tired, they decide to go by Ninky Nonk. The Pontipines and Wottingers are out for a walk in a garden. Mrs. Pontipine spots the Ninky Nonk through her binoculars. The Pontipines hang out with the Wottingers, ride the Ninky Nonk, and try not to harm the Haahoos. The Tombliboos and Makka Pakka take a ride on the Ninky Nonk. The Tombliboos' trousers fly off and whiz around the Ninky Nonk! The Wottingers are calling on the Pontipines There is no reply, so they decide to go looking for them.