American Television Shows Featuring Puppetry Codexery

Animal Crack-Ups

Celebrities guess animal antics for charity.

Animal Crack-Ups is an American game show that aired on ABC, initially in primetime and later on Saturday mornings. The program was based on a Japanese series and featured celebrity contestants answering questions about animal video clips. It was hosted by Alan Thicke and produced by the companies behind America's Funniest Home Videos.

Quick Facts

Genre
Game Show
Based on
Wakuwaku Dōbutsu Land
Writer
Todd Thicke
Presenter
Alan Thicke
Voices
Susan Blu
Starring
Debbie Bartlett
Theme music
Alan and Todd Thicke; Gary Pickus
End theme
"Animals Are Just Like People Too" by Alan Thicke

Facts from the source article.

Gameplay

Four famous faces took part in each episode. Host Alan Thicke would show a video of an animal, then stop it to ask a question about what had just been shown. The contestants offered their guesses, and the video resumed to reveal the correct answer. Anyone who guessed right earned a point, represented by a stuffed toy placed in front of their podium—a monkey during the first season, and a hedgehog afterward. Co-host Debbie Bartlett handed out these toys. The contestant with the most stuffed animals won the game and a $2,500 prize for their chosen animal charity; ties meant the money was split between the charities. During the two commercial breaks, a hedgehog puppet named Reggie the Hedgie, voiced by Susan Blu and performed by Lisa Sturz, shared animal trivia and read letters from viewers at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes of Animal Crack-Ups are there?

Animal Crack-Ups has 69 episodes across 3 seasons.

When did Animal Crack-Ups first air?

Animal Crack-Ups first aired on 8 August 1987.

When did Animal Crack-Ups end?

Animal Crack-Ups last aired on 1 September 1990.

More in American Television Shows Featuring Puppetry

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →