Laser Time – Game Shows Children Play

laser-time-episode-nickelodeon-game-shows

Where in the World are all the awesome TV game shows for kids?! Looking back on Double Dare, Guts, Legends of the Hidden Temple and damn near everything else churned out by Nickelodeon Studios…

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28 thoughts on “Laser Time – Game Shows Children Play

    1. There’s a great article on how fucked the final challenge was. The primary reason was the kids how no idea what to do or where to go. It was also seemingly designed for adults, so kids how trouble reaching things on tables or climbing, pretty funny.

  1. way to leave the Canadians in the dust guys. jeeeeeeeez

    naw I’m just shitting around, I went to a taping of Hidden Temple as a kid, and caught the occasional Nick game show on my grandparents’ satellite back in the day.

  2. Haven’t listened yet, but what’s happened to game shows for ANYONE?
    Fuck your Deal Or No Deal, bring back Gladiators!!

    Also when I was about 15, watching less kids’ shows, the BBC came out with this fucking hilarious children’s game-show named BAMZOOKI.
    The kids would stamp and scream at garbage-looking CG sphere shivering about on a table, but if you’re older than 10 then you know that nothing is actually there, and this is all a very depressing set-up.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nau11dK4Eds#t=2m45s

    1. They did for a bit in the early 2000’s on NBC. It didn’t go over very well and was cancelled after about a season and half to two seasons.

  3. I think you guys missed a few…

    – FunHouse (USA Network), hosted by GamePro TV host and Johnny Quest voice actor JD Roth. (the REAL adventures of Johnny Quest).

    – Starcade (precursor to Nick Arcade), but that may have been more for young adults than kids.

    – Make the Grade

    I also remember one where the kids got to run into a stage area where they had to pick items that they think the other member of their team picked.

    In addition, though not a game SHOW, we cannot forget the Nickelodeon/ToysRUs Shopping Spree.

  4. I wanted to be on all of those shows so badly when I was a kid.

    I noticed they didn’t mention Figure it Out (probably after their time); the show where “celebrities” try to guess some random kid’s non-talent. That show is the only reason I know Danny Tamberelli’s name.

  5. Sorry Chris, you’ll get no love for me on this topic.

    I always hated Nickelodeon game shows.

    When I was a kid, I was just racist againt live-action in general. Anytime anything came on that wasn’t a cartoon I’d turn off the TV because I thought it all sucked. Hey Dude, Salute Your Short, every gameshow. Hated all of it.

  6. Anyone remember that videogame game show where the winner got to take a shopping cart and grab as many games/ systems as they could in the time allotted? I wanted to do that so fucking bad… I don’t know the name but I refuse to google it because.. NERD DISCUSSION

    also toysrus used to have a similar contest that I would always enter and never won because no one in the 80s actually won contests.

    -cough- @cyberpunkbuffet on twitter because I have no friends

  7. As a Canadian born in 93, I only got Uh-Oh and Video and Arcade Top 10. If memory serves one of those has a guy in a gimp suit dropping slime on children.

  8. Sorry Chris, but I didn’t have cable growing up so I missed out on a lot of what was talked about. I think I did watch a bit of Double Dare 2000 (kids got slimed so I’m assuming that’s what it was). One show that was mentioned that I did watch a lot though was “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”

  9. Yeah sorry Chris, your gif is severely badass.
    Nick studios closing was news to me and it sucks. I live in Canada but luckily my grandparents had a dish so we could get nickelodeon. I did get to go down there once and see Legends of the Hidden Temple filmed (and possibly Clarissa, I can’t remember that well). But I’m kind of ticked off that they got rid of all that since my daughter is almost 3 and I was thinking of planning a trip down to Universal and Disney in the next couple years. I don’t like how Universal sheds all their old attractions, especially since the kids who enjoyed them are having kids and the nostalgia could have brought them a lot more business.

  10. That Wild & Crazy Kids theme is just gonzo. Always felt a little weird about the robo singer adding in the “wet” descriptor at the end of the tune.

    Though I’m sure you recorded this episode before seeing it, the new Venture Bros. premier tied into this theme very nicely with the quiz show subplot.

  11. Great episode guys. Loved watching guts as a kid. Thanks for helping me relive a part of my old life for a little while. I know you guys were fans of nick, but I don’t think ive ever heard you guys talk about the Amanda show starring Amanda bynes. Her skits and charecters were pretty funny. Don’t know if they hold up well but they were good at the time.

  12. Great episode, but I’m way too old and didn’t know anything about the game shows you talked about, except maybe knowing a title or two.
    Of course, I loved hearing about them.
    My favorite game shows (the ones I started watching as a kid) are of a different variety.
    My favorites are;
    Password (both regular and Super Password)
    Pyramid (all varieties)
    Price is Right (still great. If I’m off work, I never miss it)

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