Skatoony
Skatoony is a 2010-2013 American/British/Canadian children's animated game show, pitting live-action kids against cartoons. The series was co-produced with FremantleMedia Animation, Blink Studios, and Marblemedia with Smiley Guy Studios. The series used to air on Cartoon Network in the UK. Reruns are still occasionally shown on Teletoon in Canada. Now it is online in the US on Toon Goggles. On US television, the show currently airs on Starz Kids & Family.
The show is hosted by 'Chudd Chudders' and 'The Earl'.
History
In 2001, Skatoony began as a competition microsite on the Cartoon Network UK website co-developed by James Fox and Brian Boyle, who the latter left Cartoon Network before the series premiered. In 2006, the first full-length Skatoony TV show premiered on the Cartoon Network UK channel. However, a few phone-in shows such as Skatoony Quizmas, Ready Steady Skatoony and Skatoony Truckatoony existed before as a sort of continuity during school holidays. These phone-in shows ended in 2005. The British version of Skatoony was filmed at MTV Studios at Camden and in London with schoolchidren from around the world auditioning as contestants.According to creator James Fox, the process of producing a Skatoony episode was very complicated and developed over all of the series.
On February 9, 2009, Marblemedia announced they would be producing a North American version of the series Skatoony for]. The Canadian adaptation, titled Skatoony North America to differentiate it from other adaptations follows the same format. The North American version of Skatoony is filmed in Toronto, while the French version is filmed in Montreal with a different set of contestants; however, the outcome of the animated contestants remains the same between both versions. Jonathan Wilson voices Chudd Chudders while James Rankin provides the voice of The Earl, and new addition to the North American release, a NA replacement for Skatoony boss Tony Eagle-Eyes named Charles La Puck, which is voiced by Jeff Lumby. A Middle Eastern adaptation of Skatoony debuted on April 5, 2011 on Cartoon Network Arabic. Original Skatoony creator James Fox serves as an executive producer for all Skatoony releases and met every single kid contestant on the show.
In addition to the British format, one contestant in each episode of Skatoony North America will be a guest contestant from a show from a Canadian animated series. Accordingly, a significant figure from the series will also be seen in the Skatoony opening sequence. Other children's series are often the subject of the questions asked on the shows. Guest contestants are taken from the following series:
| Series | Seasons | Notes |
| Total Drama | 1–3 | Contestants for Season 1 are characters exclusively from Total Drama, and the contestants for Season 2 are new characters exclusively from even though Izzy also appeared, and was not a contestant during TDROTI even though she made a cameo appearance. During season 3, there was a mix of the original characters from TD and the new characters from TDROTI along with 4 characters from Jimmy Two-Shoes. Chris McLean appears in the opening sequence and also appeared as a contestant in the Season 3 episode "Pop Video", and Sierra appears in the Skatoony audience in each episode, even when there is no guest. |
| Jimmy Two-Shoes | 3 | Jimmy Two-Shoes airs on Cartoon Network in Australia and on Disney XD in the US. Heloise is seen online, and was a contestant in the Season 3 episode "Follow that Quizblock". |
A similar situation occurs in Skatoony Arabia where guest contestants were taken from the animated series, Freej instead. With the exception of Skatoony North America, all non-English language Skatoony releases uses animation footage from the original British version, which is why Tony Eagle Eyes are the hosts' boss instead of Charles La Puck.
Guest contestant replacement
In Skatoony, the quizblock has 6 colored squares - green, red, pink, purple, blue and yellow. The children get the green, pink and blue squares, and the cartoon contestants get the red, yellow and purple. The guest contestants take the place of a cartoon character from the UK version. In the episode 'Skeleton Crew in Da House' in NA, Scabz was originally a contestant but he left before the 1st round and was replaced by Harold.Season 1
Season 2
Note: The episodes "Space: The Final Souffle", "Pre-School Problem", and "It Could Be You!" are all skipped because they have no guest.Season 3
Seasonal episodes
Factories in which eliminated contestants are catapulted to
Season 1
1) "Knights and Daze" - Sandpaper Factory2) "Invasion" - Dentist's Convention
3) "I Stink, Therefore I Am" - Manure Factory
4) "Pirates" - Sewage Factory
5) "Skeleton Crew in Da House" - Porcupine Sanctuary
6) "Xcquankly" - Mousetrap Factory
7) "To the Quiz Cave" - Really Hard Mattress Company
8) "Quizoo" - Africa, Australia, and The North Pole
9) "Hoo Loves Ya, Baby!" - 80's Disco Nightclub
10) "Quiziatori Gladihost" - Secondhand Sock Depot
11) "Superheroes" - Broken Glass Factory
12) "Dinosaur" - Liver and Onion/Chopped Liver & Tripe Ice Cream Factory / Tar Pit
13) "Hooray for Bollywood" - Rat Perfume Factory
Season 2
1) "Body Swap" - Concrete Pillow Factory2) "Sports Academy" - Angry Pig World
3) "Space: The Final Souffle" - Planet Dung
4) "Pre-School Problem" - Dirty Diaper Factory
5) "Trash Talk" - Land o' Trash
6) "Vikings" - Toenail Warehouse
7) "Stop the Pop" - Faulty Bagpipe Superstore
8) "Inside La Puck" - Miniature Village
9) "It Could Be You!" - Compost World
10) "I Spy, You Quiz" - Spikey Spike Factory / Spikey Spike Shipping
11) "Out to Sea" -Super GassyGut Beans Shipping
12) "Freakshow" - Fernando Fernando Fernando and Xcquankly's Freakshow Circus / Human-Animal Hybrid Genetics Lab
13) "Destination: Moon" - Galactic Garbage
Season 3
1) "CJ's Birthday" - Sweaty Footballer's Pants Depot / Faulty Bagpipe Superstore2) "Amusement Park" - Rejected Hot Dog Meat Factory
3) "Follow that Quizblock" - Leftover School Dinners Dump
4) "Style Trial" - Pointy Pin Factory
5) "Pop Video" - Home for One Hit Wonders
6) "Quiz to the Future" - Broken Clock Factory / Tar Pit
7) "Broke Charles" - Worm World
8) "In Your Dreams" - Giant Frog Factory
9) "Unusual Suspects" - Gravy Recycling
10) "Café Le Quiz" - Hot Dog Factory
11) "Host of Doom" - Robo-World: Turning People Into Products for Over 20 Years
Seasonal episodes
1) "Halloween" - Rotten Pumpkin World2) "Stoopid Santa" - Fake Holly Factory
Format
The show's format is that three child contestants and three cartoon character contestants, making 6 contestants in all, compete in a quiz show lasting three rounds. At the end of each of the first two rounds, the two lowest scoring contestants are eliminated. The first round is always Bang On! or Bogus?, a rapid-fire true-or-false questioning round; with "Bang On!" meaning true, and "Bogus!" meaning false. The last two rounds vary between episodes. As contestants are eliminated, they are usually catapulted out of their seats as the hosts sing "You're Outta Here!". The losing contestants are catapulted into a factory containing a nasty thing like 'Compost World' or 'Leftover School Dinners Dump' or 'Dirty Diaper Factory' or 'Concrete Pillow Factory', and then they are not seen for the remainder of the episode. Vignettes featuring eliminated animated contestants interacting with Chudd or the Earl also appear during the progression of the show; in Skatoony North America, this extends to the web extras available on the Skatoony website. The first round always ends with having one live-kid and a cartoon contestant being eliminated.At the end of the third round, only 1 of the 2 remaining contestants gets eliminated through ejection, based on who has the lowest score at the end of the round. At the end of three rounds, the remaining contestant takes on the Skatoony Quiz Champ Challenge, where they must answer ten questions correctly in 90 seconds. After 45 seconds, the clock will temporarily stop, and Earl's Halfway Deal will be offered, trading in time for correct answers. In one episode it was turned into a frog.
- Season 2: A Nintendo Wii
- Season 3: An iPod Touch In one episode it was a chocolate scale model of Charles La Puck.
Rounds
Round 1 challenges
- Bang On! or Bogus? - Chudd is gonna say a lot of silly stuff, some of it is true, but some of it is false. When the contestants think it's true, they say "Bang On!" And when the contestants think it's false, they say "Bogus".
Round 2 challenges
- Draw What You Hear, and Shout Out When You Know What You've Drawn! - Chudd will use words to describe what it is to be drawn, and contestants must infer what is being drawn from Chudd's instructions. Chudd will continue with the description until one contestant answers correctly.
- Same Sound Name Round - Each contestant is given three placards, each depicting a picture corresponding to a particular word, with all three words rhyme with each other. Chudd's questions this round will have an answer that will either match or have the same pronunciation as one of these three placards. Contestants are only awarded points for presenting the correct placard: giving the correct answer verbally while presenting the wrong placard does not award points.
- Wearin' the World? - Each contestant is given three hats, representing three countries. All of Chudd's questions this round have answers corresponding to one of these three countries, and contestants must wear the correct hat in order to be awarded points. Giving the correct answer verbally while wearing the wrong hat does not award points.
- Alphabet Soup - Each contestant is given four of alphabet symbols embedded in a liquid. Chudd's questions will have answers that begin with or have the same pronunciation as one of the letters of the alphabet. Contestants are only awarded points for presenting the correct letter of the alphabet; giving the correct answer verbally whilst holding the wrong letter does not award points. It was only played once in the Season 2 episode "Body Swap".
- Colourful Language - Each contestant has 4 boxes in front of them, each with a different colour. Chudd's questions will be about the colours written on the box. They have to give the colour written on the box, not the one coloured. It was only played once in the Season 3 episode "Pop Video".
- Throw If You Know - Each Contestant wears a big round hat with three balls, each with a different type, Chudd's questions will be about them. If they get it right, they have to throw the correct ball to Chudd. In the Season 3 episode "Amusement Park", the balls were replaced with moons, stars, and planets.
- Blindfold Buffet - In front of the contestants are five different foods/animals, which are answers to the questions that are answered. They have to pick up a handful of the right answer, then buzz in. However, all the contestants are blindfolded, so that they cannot see the food in front of them. Contestants are only awarded points for presenting the correct food; giving the correct answer verbally whilst holding the wrong food does not award points. This round is never played in the Skatoony studio, and it was played in the Season 2 episodes, "Space: The Final Souffle" and "Out to Sea".
- Cheery Tunes - You have to guess the tune of a nursery rhyme Earl plays. It was only played in the Season 2 episode "Pre-School Problem"'.
- Goldie Pops' Same Sound Name Round - Goldie Pops' personal game, which was only played in the Season 2 episode "Stop The Pop". Similar to Same Sound Name Round, except the three rhyming answers are in tanks of yucky sludge, and the contestants must pick the answers up with their teeth, like apple bobbing. It was called 'Goldie Pops' Deeply Dipping Game' in UK.
- Color Me Quizzy - The contestants have three boxes of colored paint in front of them. They have to dip their face in the correct color, then hit their buzzer. Contestants are only awarded points for the correct color that is on their face; giving the correct answer verbally whilst the wrong color paint is on their face does not award points. The children contestants wear goggles to protect their eyes. In the Season 3 episode "Cafe Le Quiz", they substituted the paint for mustard, barbecue sauce, and mushy peas.
- Quick Pic Picking! - You have to guess the animal pic Chudd is describing. It was only played once in the Season 2 episode "I Spy, You Quiz".
- Animal Swap-a-Butt - Fernando Fernando Fernando has his group of hybrid freaks. The contestants must guess the two correct animals, to earn a point. It was played in the episodes "Freakshow" and "In Your Dreams".
- Talkin' Backwards! - Chudd goes around the quizblock and asks each of the contestants a question in turn; but they have to give their answer back to front. Seen and played in the Season 3 episodes "CJ's Birthday" and "Follow that Quizblock".
- Blinking Brain Box - For this game, Chudd wears a helmet that shows his thoughts, but they are jumbled. The contestants must figure out what he is thinking of, they can earn up to five points, depending how fast they can figure out what Chudd is thinking and it made the easiest way to eliminate both toon contestants in each episode. This game was played in the Season 3 episodes "Quiz to the Future" and "Host of Doom".
Round 3 challenges
- Hoo Flung Dung! - In this round, Hoo, the "artistic gorilla", will throw his "paint" onto a canvas. The "paint" will form into a particular shape, which the contestants must identify. A particular feature of this challenge is the fact that some of the "paint" is splattered on the contestants.
- DangerBox - Presented in front of each contestants are three boxes, each of which contains a particular type of food, be it something nice or nasty. Contestants must open a box and eat its contents before giving the answer to each question Chudd asks. Contestants may not pick a box more than once. Refusing to eat what's in a box will deny the contestant both the question and the points with it.
- Fast Food - The contestants compete head to head in a speed quizzing challenge. Each contestant will have as much time as it takes for the other to consume a specified quantity of food.
- Egg Noggin! - Presented in front of each contestant is a row of eggs, some of which are raw and some of which are hard-boiled. The two contestants must listen to the general knowledge questions, and then buzz in when they know the answer. Contestants are awarded one point for each correct answer. Regardless of whether the contestant answers correctly or not, contestants must then select an egg and break it against their forehead. A bonus point is awarded if the egg chosen is hard-boiled, but if it is raw, the egg yolk will go all over their face! Enough eggs are provided so that neither contestant runs out of eggs.
- The DangerGrid of Doom - The DangerGrid of Doom is a huge robot with a panel of 12 numbers, each containing a nasty surprise such as drenching the contestant in various yucky goo or a deduction of points. Contestants answering correctly may choose one panel from the grid as a nasty surprise to unleash on their opponent. Conversely, contestants answering incorrectly are subject to a nasty surprise chosen by their opponent from the grid. In the Season 3 episode "Host of Doom", the Dangergrid of Doom was the new host/main antagonist of the episode, but his round was never played.
- Viking Flung Dung! - Same rules as Hoo Flung Dung, but only played in the Season 2 episode "Vikings".
- Stinky Drinky - Contestants have to answer general knowledge questions. If you get it right, your opponent has to drink one of the yucky drinks lined up in front of them. But get the question wrong, and you have to drink one. Just like Blindfold Buffet, this round is never played in the studio; it was played in a spooky cave, inside their boss' stomach, and out in the desert in the middle of nowhere.
- Mystery Pie Roulette - Contestants have to answer general knowledge questions. If you get it right, your opponent has to eat one of the pies lined up in front of them. Except there isn't mince in there at all, It's something horrid! But get the question wrong, and you have to eat a pie. In the UK it is called "Mince Pie Roulette".
Final Round challenges
- Skatoony Quiz Champ Challenge - At the end of three rounds, the remaining contestant takes on the Skatoony Quiz Champ Challenge, where they must answer ten questions correctly in 90 seconds.
- Earl's Halfway Deal - Halfway through the round the Earl will offer the contestant a deal. He will give the person extra points however he will also take away some time, the player has a choice of whether to accept the deal or to reject
- Time to Play for a Prize! - The Tooskany version of the Skatoony Quiz Champ Challenge, seen in the Season 2 episode "Trash Talk".
- La-Re's Magical Middle Moment - The Tooskany version of Earl's Halfway Deal, seen in the Season 2 episode "Trash Talk".
Children elimination chart