HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!

 

ALF CLAUSEN DEAD AT 84

 

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Best known for working on The Simpsons for 27 years, he composed the theme for Spacecats in a continuation of his association with creator Paul Fusco following his work on ALF.

LORETTA SWIT DEAD AT 87

 

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Best known for her portrayal of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on M*A*S*H, she played Mad Hatter’s disagreeable supervisor Marcia Cates the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Mad as a Hatter”.

TOD SMITH DEAD AT 72

 

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He was a comic book artist that worked on Marvel’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Masked Rider comics.

PETER DAVID DEAD AT 68

 

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Best known for his prolific runs on The Incredible Hulk, Supergirl and Star Trek comics and novels, and as the co-creator of Spider-Man 2099 and the evil Hulk, the Maestro. Characters he co-created, such as The Nasty Boys and a version of X-Factor, appeared on X-Men: The Animated Series. He also wrote several episodes of Young Justice, a comic series he previously wrote for DC Comics. Spider-Man Unlimited, in its early planning stages, was originally going to based on Spider-Man 2099.

BABY LOONEY TUNES

 

BABY LOONEY TUNES
(Syndication, Cartoon Network, September 16, 2002-April 30, 2005)
 
Warner Bros. Animation

  

            A late entry in the babyfication trend started by 1984’s Muppet Babies, Baby Looney Tunes was Warner Bros. Animation’s first preschool animated series. The concept originated back in the 90s when companies released merchandise featuring the Looney Tunes characters as babies called Looney Tunes Lovables. Kathleen Helppie-Shipley, head of Warner Bros. Classic Animation, had wanted to do a series of educational videos that never moved forward. When Warner Bros. Consumer Products wanted to promote the Baby Looney Tunes licensees, they decided to do a feature-length, direct-to-video collection of shorts in the traditional slapstick Looney Tunes fashion. Earl Kress wrote the shorts with Spike Brandt, Gary Hartle and Kirk Tingblad set to direct each one. However, funding for the project suddenly disappeared. Brandt loved his short so much that on his own time and expense he cobbled together a full presentation. The higher-ups were impressed by it, and after a little convincing and negotiation, funding was found to produce “Little Go Beep”, which featured baby versions of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Additionally, Warner Bros. decided to make the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies libraries exclusive to Time Warner networks, making it easier to produce a series for release on Warner channels.

Babies Tweety, Taz, Bugs, Sylvester, Lola and Daffy.

            For the actual series, Warner had to follow more strict guidelines to achieve a TV-Y rating. That meant Baby Looney Tunes couldn’t rely on the slapstick and visual gags the franchise was known for. The show instead dealt with real world problems and morals that children would encounter and could relate to; including sharing, emotions, playing with others, inclusion, dealing with change, baking and more. Despite not being designed as educational, an expert was retained to examine the series. The main babies included Baby Bugs (Sam Vincent), just barely the oldest of the bunch that made him the leader; Baby Daffy (Vincent), who tended to be self-centered; Baby Lola (Britt McKillip), a fiercely independent tomboy that tended to take charge; Baby Sylvester (Terry Klassen), who was shy and anxious and tended to be manipulated by Daffy; Baby Tweety (Vincent), the youngest and smallest with an insecurity about his size, a deep curiosity, and a very logical brain; and Baby Taz (Ian James Corlett), who often mistook things for food and tended to break things with his spinning. They were eventually joined by Baby Petunia (Chiara Zanni), the most intelligent of the group with an adventurous streak, and Baby Melissa (Janyse Jaud), an easy-going girl with a highly logical and practical mentality. Caring for the babies was Granny (June Foray, the only American in the otherwise Canadian cast), sometimes with the help of her nephew, Floyd Minton (Brain Drummond). Other baby characters made appearances either in cameos during song numbers or as guest stars.

Granny taking care of the kids.

            Baby Looney Tunes debuted on September 16, 2002, initially syndicated to Warner affiliates before finding a permanent home on Cartoon Network. The series was developed by Sander Schwartz and featured music by Steve and Julie Bernstein, with a theme composed by Lisa Silver and Patty Way. The series ran for 4 seasons and one direct-to-video film. Additionally, two direct-to-video films utilizing puppets were released in 2003. Neither were released outside of VHS, but Musical Adventures was made available to stream on HBO Max and Tubi and Backyard Adventures on Binge in Australia. As for the series itself, it aired in reruns on both Cartoon Network and Boomerang until 2020. It became one of the first shows broadcast on the American version of the preschool programming block Cartoonio on Cartoon Network in 2021 and aired until 2023. The Warner Bros./Discovery merger saw the series air on Discovery Family, and then on retro animation network MeTV Toons. 

JIM SMITH DEAD AT 70

 

You can read the full story here.

He did layouts and storyboards for Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Beany and Cecil (for which he also directed several segments) and Tiny Toon Adventures (where he also did character models and wrote a segment); and storyboards for The Get Along Gang, The Real Ghostbusters, Batman: The Animated Series, The Ripping Friends and Tom and Jerry Tales. 

TURBO TEEN

 

TURBO TEEN
(ABC, September 8-December 1, 1984)
 
Ruby-Spears Productions

 

 

MAIN CAST:
T.K. Carter – Alex
Pat Fraley – Dr. Chase, Eddie
Pamela Hayden – Pattie
Michael Mish – Brett Matthews/Turbo Teen
Clive Revill – Agent Caldwell
Frank Welker – Rusty, Dark Rider, Flip, various

 

 

  Knight Rider burst onto the scene in 1982. The series was about a lone man, Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff), travelling around and doing good wherever he wound up. His partner in these endeavors was a technologically advanced Pontiac Trans Am, the Knight Industries Two Thousand—or K.I.T.T. K.I.T.T. was nearly indestructible, could perform amazing feats at the push of a button, and was in possession of an advanced artificial intelligence (voiced by William Daniels) that could allow it to operate autonomously when needed. Critics found the concept unbearably silly, but audiences showed up and allowed it to run for four seasons. In the wake of its success, an imitator was inevitable.

Promotional artwork of Brett changing into his car form.

            That came in the form of Ruby-Spears Productions’ Turbo Teen. However, rather than give a character an intelligent super car, they decided to make the character the intelligent super car. The series centered on teenager Brett Matthews (Michael Mish) who was out joyriding when a lightning strike sent him barreling into a scientific experiment. Exposed to a molecular beam invented by Dr. Chase (Pat Fraley) for a government agent named Caldwell (Clive Revill), Brett became fused with his car and was able to transform into it when exposed to heat. He not only retained his full faculties as the car, but could move at will and perform an almost limitless number of stunts far beyond the realm of physics. He could only transform back to human form after being exposed to the cold. As this change was involuntary, it often happened at inopportune times.

Brett micro-sized with Alex, Rusty and Pattie.

            While Chase and Caldwell worked to find a permanent cure, they decided to put his new abilities to use and sent him to investigate local mysteries or put a stop to criminal activity around the world under the codename Turbo Teen. Joining him on his adventures was his girlfriend, freelance reporter Pattie (Pamela Hayden), his best friend, mechanic Alex (T.K. Carter), and his dog, Rusty (Frank Welker). A recurring villain was the unseen Dark Rider (Welker); a master of disguise that plagued the Turbo Team in an advanced monster truck of his own design. The Dark Rider had apparently designed a supercar that resembled Brett’s and sought revenge for what he believed was his stolen design. Additionally, their classmates from Hillmount High, Eddie (Fraley) and Flip (Welker), would cause the Turbo Team some trouble by being typical dim-witted bullies constantly looking to show up Brett and his car.

Just a car enjoying some arcade games.

            The Knight Rider inspiration was very evident. Aside from being self-driving, Brett’s car and his car form was very much modeled after a 1984 Trans Am; however colored red instead of black. To avoid a lawsuit from General Motors or paying them a licensing fee, the car did have some differences: the tail lights were reminiscent of the third generation Chevrolet Camaro, the pop-up headlights were removed with the turn signals serving as the headlights, and the center roof bar that would make it a T-top was removed (however, the official press photo was not shy about showing a very clearly black Trans Am). As with K.I.T.T., a voice modulator was present on the dashboard that reacted to whenever Brett spoke in car form; however, it was located in the lower center rather than over the wheel and was represented by a horizontal line and waves instead of vertical lines (or a flashing box, in Knight Rider’s earlier episodes). The Dark Rider having a connection to Brett’s vehicle form and driving his own much larger super vehicle was similar to the character of Garthe Knight (Hasselhoff), the evil son of K.I.T.T.’s creator who drove a souped-up semi-truck named Goliath. Not to mention that Brett just happened to be driving the exact make and model of a super car that was already in development (before meeting K.I.T.T., Michael Knight drove a regular black Trans Am in the series pilot). Then there was the fact that in car form, Brett could pull of impossible stunts (more so than even Knight Rider, since they didn’t have to worry about the expense of replacing actual cars) and was seemingly indestructible.

The original concepts for Cary Becomes a Car by Jack Kirby.

            The concept for the series started out a bit differently. Originally pitched as Cary Becomes a Car, the legendary Jack Kirby whipped up several concept sketches. Under Kirby, the series had a decidedly more action flare. Cary was still a teenager, but his transformation appeared to be more deliberate. Although it was written that Cary transformed into a Camaro, the car he drew more closely resembled a Ford Mustang. This sketch was featured in the biographical graphic novel Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics by Tom Scioli during the section on Kirby’s Ruby-Spears tenure. There were also concepts for several villains—many with car-themed names: Mogal, the Magi-Mechanic was a sorcerer that carried around a magic tool box; Super Sonica was a super-speed witch; Hot Rodney Rumpkin was an overweight race car driver always in the company of his butler, Dingy Doolittle; and Barney Brannigan, a leprechaun-esque figure that conjured up crazy obstacles for drivers. Most notable was Speed Demon, described as a “sinister driver of unknown origin shadows hero”. He seemed to be the prototype for what would become The Dark Rider—albeit minus being an actual demon. Additional Kirby sketches have surfaced showing the slow evolution from Cary Becomes a Car into Turbo Teen, including depictions of Brett as a hatchback encountering more science-fiction fare; Brett as a sportier-looking car surrounded by a legion of human characters and early versions of Pattie and Rusty; and Pattie and Alex riding in Brett’s final form while evading some unusual-looking enemies (under the name Turbo-Teens). Along with Kirby, characters were designed by Duncan Marjoribanks, Doug Wildey and Thom Enriquez.

Brett transforming.

            Turbo Teen debuted on ABC on September 8, 1984. It and the network’s other new offerings were promoted the night before in the Saturday morning preview special The ABC Saturday Morning Preview Park hosted by “Weird Al” Yankovic. The series was developed and story edited by Michael Maurer, who also wrote a couple episodes alongside Mark Jones, Matt Uitz, Evelyn A.R. Gabai, Dennis Marks, Michael Ray Brown, Cliff Ruby, Elana Lesser and Ted Pedersen. Animation duties were handled by Hanho Heung-Up Company and Toei Animation, with XAM! Productions working on layouts. Bill Perez designed the opening titles that laid out the entire origin story, with John Kimball animating its transformation scene. Udi Harpaz composed and conducted the music under the supervision of Paul DeKorte.

Glow time means 3D time!

            ABC had originally planned to have certain shows within its 1984 line-up—Turbo Teen being one, The Mighty Orbots another—include a faux 3D effect. This was accomplished by producing those programs with a higher percentage of moving overlays and underlays panning at different speeds, coupled with a pair of 3D glasses that had one polarized lens and one blank lens to give the illusion of depth. Turbo Teen’s 3D sequences were signaled by flashes within the show to indicate when to put on and take off the glasses. However, story director Tom Minton stated that ABC was told by their legal department at the last minute that they couldn’t promise every viewer that experience or supply enough free glasses to viewers. As a result, all advertising about the gimmick had to be dropped and those became very expensive and pointlessly elaborate sequences.

The Dark Rider's monster truck.

           The novel notion of a kid turning into a car was ultimately failed by its execution. Retrospectives about Turbo Teen would sum up its problems as having poor scripts, even worse animation, and a nightmare-inducing transformation sequence whenever Brett changed. Storyboard supervisor James Woodring would go on to lambast the series as “one of the masterpieces of s--t” in various interviews; a sentiment he claimed was shared by others in Ruby-Spears’ employ at the time. Viewers and the network seemed to back up his estimation as Turbo Teen was cancelled by the end of its sole season.

Rolling down the roller coaster tracks.

            Not much was released in terms of merchandise for the show. There was a coloring book published by Golden, and a transforming model kit by Monogram that was originally made for the product-exclusive GoBots character Trans Am. The model was a stock Trans Am complete with a decal of the trademark Screaming Chicken graphic for the hood. However, it could be changed into a humanoid body. The Turbo Teen version got a new head sculpt representing Brett. None of the episodes have been released to home media legally in North America, although some can be found on video hosting sites like YouTube. Internationally, at least 6 episodes have been released on VHS.

Cold soda about to change Turbo Teen back into Brett.

            Turbo Teen hasn’t been completely forgotten and has been referenced in other projects. In the 2000 Futurama episode “The Honking”, robot Bender (John DiMaggio) was run over by a non-hovering car that turned him into a werecar—the robotic version of a werewolf. His transformation sequence was similar to Turbo Teen’s. Robot Chicken directly spoofed Turbo Teen in the 2007 episode “Rabbits on a Roller Coaster”. The Rotten Tomatoes Show also spoofed Turbo Teen in a commercial featuring a live-action version of Brett (Brett Erlich) encountering a Decepticon from Transformers in 2009. The Rick and Morty 2015 episode “The Ricks Must Be Crazy” featured Morty (Justin Roiland) being secretly given the ability to turn into a car by Rick (also Roiland), and, while quick, the transformation was similar to Turbo Teen (right down to Morty’s car form being red). Teen Titans Go! featured the most overt reference of all in the 2019 episode “Teen Titans Vroom!” as the titular team was sent careening by a lightning strike into a top-secret government science experiment that gave them all the ability to turn into cars.

  

EPISODE GUIDE:
“Turbo Thieves” (9/8/84) – A pair of thieves learn of Turbo Teen’s existence and plot to kidnap him to make themselves rich.
 
“The Dark Rider” (9/15/84) – The Dark Rider pursues Turbo Teen while he participates in an exhibition.
 
“Mystery of Fantasy Park” (9/22/84) – Turbo Teen and his friends investigate strange goings on at a local amusement park.
 
“No Show UFO” (9/29/84) – Agent Cauldwell tasks the Turbo Team with investigating UFO sightings.
 
“Micro-Teen” (10/6/84) – Dr. Chase’s team creates a shrink ray that will allow the Turbo Team to go on an infiltration mission.
 
“The Sinister Souped-Up Seven” (10/13/84) – His friends must help Brett get over his amnesia while preventing the destruction of a mission on a reservation.
 
“Video Venger” (10/20/84) – The Turbo Team discover an arcade game is a training program for an invasion on Washington, D.C. when the war machines inside it come to life.
 
“Dark Rider and the Wolves of Doom” (10/27/84) – Dark Rider kidnaps a scientist whose formula can regress dogs to their primitive state.
 
“The Curse of the Twisted Claw” (11/3/84) – The Turbo Team heads to India to stop an archaeological discovery from unlocking a weapon of great destruction.
 
“Daredevil Run” (11/10/84) – The Turbo Team enter a cross-country race as a cover to get a witness to court to testify against a jewel thief.
 
“The Amazon Adventure” (11/17/84) – A trip to the Amazon sees the Turbo Team and Brett’s father embroiled in a conflict with a local thug.
 
“Fright Friday” (11/24/84) – A campfire story about a local legend comes true and endangers the Turbo Team’s friends.
 
“The Mystery of the Dark Rider” (12/1/84) – Turbo Teen must clear his name after a clone robs a bank while also uncovering the identity of the Dark Rider once and for all.

RUTH BUZZI DEAD AT 88

 

You can read the full story here.

She played Granny Goodwitch in Linus the Lionhearted; Fi in The Lost Saucer; Gladys in Baggy Pants and the Nitwits; Mrs. Muffinstuffer, Katerina Kobald and Evil Elf in The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries; Mama Bear, Teacher Jane and the Mayor’s Assistant in The Berenstain Bears (1985); Nose Marie, Muffy, and several minor characters in Pound Puppies (1986); Roberta Powers on Saved by the Bell (1989); Dracula’s Mom on The Munsters Today; Miss Fresno in Gravedale High; Dottie Debson and Alien Cow in Darkwing Duck; Nandy in Cro; and Ruthie, Gladys Ormphby, The Grouch Princess, Suzie Kabloozie, Feff, and Chef Ruthée in Sesame Street. She also provided voices for The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983), The Adventures of Raggedy Ann & Andy, The Smurfs (1981), The Addams Family (1992), Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, and The Savage Dragon.

FUN HOUSE / FOX'S FUN HOUSE

 

FUN HOUSE / FOX’S FUN HOUSE
(Syndication, FOX, September 5, 1988-April 13, 1991)
 
Stone Television/Stone Stanley Productions, Lorimar-Telepictures (season 1), Lorimar Television (season 2-3)

 

MAIN CAST:

J.D. Roth – Host

Jacqueline Forrest – Jackie the Cheerleader

Samantha Forrest – Sammi the Cheerleader

John “Tiny” Hurley – Announcer (season 1-2)

Michael “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers – Announcer M.C. Mike (season 3)

Brian Cummings – Announcer (pilot)

 

 

Nickelodeon struck gold when it debuted its kid-centric game show Double Dare in 1986. Double Dare would pit two teams of two kids against each other by having them win money answering trivia questions. If they didn’t know an answer, or thought the other team didn’t, they could pass it over with a “dare” for double the money. But it could be “double dared” back for four times the money, in which case that dared team either had to answer or take a “physical challenge”. These physical challenges often featured deceptively simple and incredibly messy tasks; like building an ice cream sundae on their partner’s head, popping goop-filled balloons with a needle headpiece, plucking cherries out of gelatin with their mouths, etc. Success won them the money; failure gave it to the opposing team. The team with the most money then went on to an even messier obstacle course for a chance to win up to 8 prizes within a minute.

A contestant making soup on top of her partner's head on Double Dare.

In the world of entertainment, a success breeds imitators trying to duplicate that success. One such attempt came in the form of Fun House, created by veteran game show producer Bob Synes. Tasked by Lorimar-Telepictures with coming up with a kid’s show for syndication, Synes presented executive producer Scott Stone with a drawing of carnival midway games leading to a funhouse at the end. Stone scaled down Synes’ ambitions a bit and suggested focusing on just the funhouse aspect of it. Lorimar fronted the money to construct a massive set designed by Phyllis Hofberg, Rick Bluhm, Bill Harris and Anthony Sabatino (for which they won an Emmy), and produce a pilot to sell the series.

The teams and their respective cheerleaders taking their places at the podium.

Like Double Dare, it featured two teams of kids comprised of a boy and a girl either related or friends. These teams were distinguished by red and gold uniforms, rather than the wacky self-made names utilized on Double Dare. Occasionally, young celebrity guests would appear or fill the role of one of the teammates, including Danny Ponce (The Hogan Family); Staci Keanan (My Two Dads, Step by Step); Danny Pintauro (Who’s the Boss?); Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster); Jeremy Miller and Leonardo DiCaprio (Growing Pains); Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman (Roseanne); Tiffany Brisette (Small Wonder); Josh Saviano (The Wonder Years); Jenny Beck (Paradise); Brian Austin Green and Douglas Emerson (Beverly Hills, 90210); Candace Cameron and Jodie Sweetin (Full House); Alexander Polinsky (Charles in Charge); Jaleel White and Kellie Shanygne Williams (Family Matters); Benji Gregory and Josh Blake (ALF); and Tannis Valley (Head of the Class).

The teams sitting in the "Slop Machine", where they got showered in either slime or candy.

Unlike Double Dare, Fun House placed a greater focus on their “stunts”, which would then segue into a single related toss-up question asked at a colorful podium equipped with buzzers. Three timed stunts were played each episode; either with one player at a time (alternating for each solo challenge) or both teammates together. Stunts could involve using their faces to lift up a pie to find a “win” symbol on the bottom of the tin; bobbing for bagels in chocolate milk; assembling a mixed-up image on giant blocks; batting slimy softballs into the audience; pulling “hair extensions” off a giant model’s head to place on their own while being covered in goop; using their teeth to remove gum from under rows of seats; turning their partner into the world’s largest sandwich; using a giant slingshot to fire water balloons at pictures of the announcer; and more. Synes would come up with a title for the stunt first, and then the crew, overseen by producer Stephen Brown, had to create a stunt to go along with that name. The type of stunts featured were usually related to the overall theme of that week’s batch of episodes in keeping with Stone’s philosophy of everything telling a story. The winning team—or both, in the case of a tie—won 25 points. Answering the question correctly earned them an additional 25 points.

Piloting submarines in the Grand Prix Race.

The fourth and final round was The Grand Prix Race. The teams had to race two laps on a track that circled the studio; switching lanes on the second lap. There were two types of races: one utilizing a vehicle of some kind that was ridden by one teammate and moved by the other, switching between laps, and the other was a footrace with each teammate running a lap. The races all featured a different theme with associated challenges that had to be accomplished. For instance, a toy-themed race saw the contestants riding/pulling little red wagons while picking up various toys placed on the track. Additionally, the teams could snag white and blue tokens from stations around the track for 10 and 25 extra points, respectively. During the second season, a Token Bank was added on the second lap that contained a pre-packaged bundle of tokens worth up to 200 points. The winning team earned 25 points, but the ultimate winner was determined after the acquired tokens were tallied by being dropped into slots at the podium. The team with the most points went on to The Fun House obstacle course, while the losing team left with consolation prizes. Ties were broken with a toss-up question.

One of the many configurations of the Fun House obstacle course.

The titular Fun House stood roughly 3-stories tall and featured several interchangeable “rooms” of varying themes and obstacles. They could include toppling Styrofoam skyscrapers; punching out thinly covered holes in a board; an “ice mountain” climb; crawling through a tunnel full of balloons or one that’s spinning; digging through school lockers; traversing a ball pit; etc. Each room contained 16 oversized price tags either plainly visible or hidden somewhere: 6 red representing different prizes revealed before the course was run, and 10 green ones representing cash amounts ranging from $50 to $300. The contestants had 2 minutes to collect as many tags as possible; grabbing three at a time before switching with their partner. This continued until all tags were collected or time ran out. Additionally, one tag was designated as the “Power Prize” that if collected won them a bonus vacation along with everything else they picked up. For the second season, the Fun House became larger and featured more intricate elements like a swimming pool and shooting water.

Host J.D. Roth kicking off the show while John "Tiny" Hurley covers himself in mud.

Fun House debuted in syndication on September 5, 1988. J.D. Roth served as host for the entire run; becoming the youngest game show host in history at just 19. Aiding Roth on the playfield were identical twin cheerleaders. They escorted the teams to the podium, introduced them, and provided support to them based on what color uniform the teams were assigned: Jackie (Jacqueline Forrest) for the gold team and Sammi (Samantha Forrest) for the red. For the pilot, veteran announcer Brain Cummings was utilized. Cummings had previously announced the first season of the 1984-86 syndicated version of Let’s Make a Deal, which Synes produced. John “Tiny” Hurley took over those duties once the series went into production. Along with announcing, Hurley would appear on camera in wacky costumes, participate in skits, or sometimes in various stunts. Other differences in the pilot included playing for cash instead of points; four stunts played instead of three; The Grand Prix awarding $50 for winning and featuring a third red token worth $10 while blue was worth $50; contestants only being allowed two prize tags at a time in the Fun House, with as many cash tags as they wanted; a “Button Banger” in the Fun House awarding a random cash bonus up to $2000 when hit; and the prize tags being scanned at the podium to reveal the Power Prize, which awarded the contestants every prize in the Fun House. Unlike the $2,000-$3,000 Double Dare or fellow Nickelodeon game show Finders Keepers—which filmed in the same complex as Fun House—paid out in cash in prizes, Fun House offered contestants a potential prize payout in excess of $10,000. Score Productions composed the series’ music along with Matt Ender and Jonathan Firstenberg. Props from the show were used in another Lorimar-Telepictures production, Perfect Strangers, for the episode “Games People Play”. Series stars Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot also filmed a promo for Fun House as their characters Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous.

The show proved a success, becoming the highest rated syndicated new show upon its debut and surpassing even Double Dare (in response, Double Dare added theme weeks and upped the ante in physical challenges by reinstating a previous limited time rebranding as Super Sloppy Double Dare). In 1989, Fun House gained two spin-offs. In the United States, there was College Mad House. Hosted by Greg Kinnear, it featured two teams of four college students (two men, two women) from rival universities playing it out. Rather than cheerleaders, Kinnear was assisted by referees Donna Wilson and Richard MacGregor, with Beau Weaver announcing. Stunts involved the men or women going against each other, and then all four together. The content of this show skewed a bit more risqué than the original; involving more gross-out humor and lewd body movements. Rather than the Grand Prix, the fourth round was the Finals Round. Each member of the team took turns answering as many toss-up questions as possible within a minute and a half; with the winner hitting their opponent in the face with a pie or whipped cream each time. The Mad House, which featured college-themed rooms, had each teammate getting 30 seconds to grab as many tags as they could in order to “clean house” by getting them all. Getting all the tags awarded them a trip; otherwise, they kept whatever prizes they collected for themselves with any cash (up to $1000) going to their school. College Mad House only lasted a single year, ending in September of 1990.

Over in the United Kingdom, ITV debuted their own version of Fun House produced by Scottish Television. It featured host Pat Sharp, twin cheerleaders Melanie and Martina Grant, and announcer Gary King. Played in much the same way as the original with minor gameplay and naming differences, it actually outlasted its parent program to run a full 11 seasons, ending in 1999. Their own adult-themed spin-off was planned and a pilot produced, but it never went to series.

Playing hockey with pies.

Unfortunately, Fun House was beginning to lose steam as sloppy game shows were wearing out their welcome. They were finding difficulty remaining in syndication, despite their best efforts. Enter: FOX. FOX was about to launch its new kid-focused effort, Fox Kids Network, and the show they wanted to acquire for it was…Double Dare. Previously, FOX was pivotal in the success of Double Dare; having distributed it and aired it regularly on affiliated stations, and even airing a version of the show, Family Double Dare, on their own network on Saturday nights. After attempting to bring the show over to their new line up, FOX ended its direct affiliation with the series over “creative differences” and abruptly cancelled Family shortly before they were set to begin filming a new season. Regular Double Dare continued on, however, and was still shown on FOX affiliates, and Family was eventually revived by Nickelodeon two years later. Looking for a replacement that could be just as popular, FOX turned to Double Dare’s closest competitor: Fun House.

M.C. Mike rapping his intro.

Renamed FOX’s Fun House for its third season, it joined the inaugural Fox Kids Saturday morning line-up on September 8, 1990. It also became the first weekday Fox Kids show, filling in for the delayed Peter Pan and the Pirates by airing a special week’s worth of programs featuring some of the earlier-mentioned celebrity guests. While essentially the same show, several changes were made. Hurley was replaced by Michael Chambers, a.k.a M.C. Mike, best known as “Boogaloo Shrimp” from the Breakin’ films. He opened each episode by showing off his rapping skills before the title sequence. While Jackie and Sammi still escorted players to the podium, introductions were now handled by Mike. Carrying over from College Mad House, the player that answered a question correctly got to slap a pie into the face of their opponent. The entire set also shed its carnival-like aesthetic in favor of more urban flair; with distorted cartoon skyscrapers and riveted pipe theming.

The all-new Fun House.

The Fun House itself was also redesigned to emulate a slice of a city block. Starting at the top rather than the bottom, Roth began the run by turning a large valve to activate the “Whitewater Slide” that let one of the players splash down into a waiting pool and officially start the clock counting down. From there, they could go into the “Hardhat Hallway”, which looked like a scrapyard or garbage-filled empty lot; the “Zippity Zoo Dah”, a zoo full of various stuffed animals, a performer in a creature suit, and bendable cage bars; the “Funky Slop Sewer”, resembling a slimy sewer pipe with fake rats and steamy sewage comprised of green balls in water; the “Recycling Zone”, where pulling a lever dumped trash on the player as well as a prize tag; “Bob’s Mad Mall”, which featured dummies holding shopping bags on rotating doors, one of which held the prize tag; the “Kockeyed Kitchen”, an upside-down kitchen whose cabinets held the tag (and was typically filmed upside-down to make it seem like the player was walking on the ceiling); “Flushing Meadows”, a bathroom-like area with three giant colored toilets that sprayed water up when opened; “Fast Food Fight”, a diner area where the opposing team got to impede the winning team by pelting them with food items; and returning from the original Fun House was the rotating “Tubular Tunnel”. Although cash tags were still in plain sight, the prize tags were now hidden within each area. A large slimy alarm clock called the Crazy Glop Clock was added that gave the team an additional 15 seconds in the Fun House when found.

Celebrity guest Kellie S. Williams receiving a pie to the face for a wrong answer.

Behind the scenes, Lorimar-Telepictures was acquired by Warner Bros. Lorimar-Telepictures served as the distributor during the first season as well as the co-producer, but was replaced by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for the remainder. This, along with Tiny Toon Adventures, would begin Warner Bros.’ association with Fox Kids that would prove mutually beneficial for both the studio’s burgeoning animation efforts and the block’s legitimacy as a major player in broadcasting. British Knights was replaced as the primary sponsor by LA Gear, and everyone on stage wore the sponsoring company’s shoes. Synes, sadly, died in 1990. Stone replaced him with David G. Stanley and renamed his production company, Stone Productions, as Stone Stanley Productions (now Stone & Company Entertainment). Each episode of the third season was dedicated to Synes.

A trade ad celebrating Fun House's Emmy win.

FOX’s Fun House only lasted a short time on the network, airing 22 episodes before it was replaced on the schedule by the short-lived Swamp Thing animated series in 1991. Despite being nominated for four additional Emmys, winning one other, and winning a Young Artist Award, the show disappeared from the airwaves….in the United States. The British version has aired reruns and even got a special one-time revival in 2015 as a promotional gimmick by Fayre & Square pubs and associated Wacky Warehouse play areas. The American version only eventually resurfaced in videos of various quality on YouTube, including the pilot as a feature entry of legendary game show host Wink Martindale’s Wink’s Vault series. Roth would go on to acting and hosting a few more game shows before moving into producing them—including Moolah Beach, which would air during the final year of Fox Kids (meaning Roth both opened and closed the block). Stone Stanly Productions continued producing game shows, including Fun House spiritual successors Legends of the Hidden Temple, geared towards kids, and Shop ‘til you Drop, geared towards adults. Both featured stunt-heavy gameplay in an elaborate setting: a Mayan temple for Legends, and a 2-story mall for Shop. The latter also reused some of Fun House’s music. In 2022, YouTube channel Hosts at Home hosted a Fun House reunion with Roth, Sharp, Stone, and Brown to discuss and reminisce about the show.

The Fun House NES game box.

In 1988, Pressman Toy Corp. published a board game version of Fun House. A travel game was made by Tiger Electronics the following year as part of their Klix Pocket Travel Games series, as well as their customary LCD handheld game. Hi-Tech Expressions produced a video game in 1989 for the Commodore 64 and MS-Dos, and in 1990 for the NES. No version fully captured the show, but the computer versions were closer than the NES’ as they featured some semblance of the stunts while the NES involved just throwing balls at targets and avoiding obstacles in a top-down view. The board game, and eventually the video games, were given out as consolation prizes on the show.

Exercising on the Fun House set.

The oddest tie-in merchandise had to have been the workout videos. Stone had been on a flight with Julie LaFond, who ran the Jane Fonda exercise empire. A conversation about fitness in kids led to a collaboration between Fonda and the show. Fonda came to the set to introduce Roth, who then led the exercise routines. Two videos ended up being made for the Fun House Fitness series: The Swamp Stomp for kids 3-7, and The Fun House Funk for kids 7+. They were re-released together onto DVD in 2005 as part of the Jane Fonda Collection compilation series.