''Animal Crack-Ups'' is an
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
which aired in primetime from August 8 to September 12, 1987, after which it aired on Saturday mornings from September 12, 1987, to December 30, 1989, and again from June 2 to September 1, 1990.
It was produced by
ABC Productions in association with
Vin Di Bona Productions (both companies also produce ''
America's Funniest Home Videos
''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on a recurring segment on the Japanese variety show '' Fun TV with Kato-chan and ...
'') and hosted by
Alan Thicke
Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...
, who was on ''
Growing Pains
''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that ran on ABC for seven seasons from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The series follows the misadventures of the Seaver family, including psychiatrist and fathe ...
'' at the time. The program was based on a Japanese
Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
JORX-DTV (channel 6), branded as , is the flagship station of the Japan News Network in the Kantō region. It is owned-and-operated by , a subsidiary of TBS Holdings. TBS Television is one of the "five private broadcasters based in Tokyo." ...
series, ''Wakuwaku Dōbutsu Land'' (
わくわく動物ランド).
The show's theme song was "Animals Are Just Like People Too", created by Thickovit music (Alan and Todd Thicke and Gary Pickus).
[Library of Congress. "Animals are just like people too : Theme from Animal crack-ups." Copyright registration PAu001011105.]
Gameplay
Four celebrities competed. Host Thicke introduced a video clip about an animal; at some point, the video was paused and Thicke asked a question about the clip. The celebrities give their answers, after which the remainder of the clip was played, revealing the answer.
Any celebrities giving the correct answer received a point; score was kept by placing a stuffed animal (a monkey in the first season, a hedgehog in later seasons) in front of the celebrity's podium. Co-host
Debbie Bartlett provided the stuffed animals. The celeb with the most toy animals/points won the game and $2,500 for their favorite animal
charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
. If a tie occurred, the money was split between the charities.
On segues to two commercial breaks, a
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...
puppet
A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...
named "Reggie the Hedgie" (voiced by
Susan Blu
Susan Blu, better known as Sue Blu, is an American voice-actress, voice-director, and casting-director in American and Canadian cinema and television. She most notably voiced Arcee in '' The Transformers: The Movie'' and Seasons 3 and 4 of '' Th ...
, performed by
Lisa Sturz) gave animal facts to the home viewers and read home-viewer mail.
International versions
References
External links
Vin Di Bona Productions*
Clip of the show's theme song with scenes of animals
1987 American television series debuts
1990 American television series endings
1980s American children's comedy television series
1990s American children's comedy television series
1980s American children's game shows
1990s American children's game shows
1980s American comedy game shows
1990s American comedy game shows
American Broadcasting Company game shows
American television series based on Japanese television series
American television shows featuring puppetry
American English-language television shows
Television series about animals
Television series by Vin Di Bona Productions
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