Match Mates
Encyclopedia
Match Mates was an Australia
n children's television
game show
that was broadcast afternoon on Nine Network
Australia between 1981 and 1982. It was produced by the Grundy Organisation
for Nine Network's Children's Programming. Actor David Waters
was the emcee.
that also had elements of Sale of the Century
and the later game Hot Streak
.
written in the form of a rhyming couplet
that was missing the last rhyming word. The first child to buzz with the correct word won control of the puzzle.
puzzle
. The emcee also gave a clue to the rebus' solution which was related to the "ripper rhyme". Starting with the child who won the "ripper rhyme", each child chose two numbers, one at a time, from the puzzle board. Each number revealed a different picture. In order to "match", the chosen pictures must be related in some way to each other. If the pictures "matched", the corresponding rebus pieces were revealed and the child was then given the opportunity to solve the puzzle. If the pictures did not "match" or if the child could not solve the puzzle, the opposing child received control of the puzzle. The first child to solve the puzzle won the round and advanced to Round Three.
One number, represented by a drawing of an ear, contains a sound that is associated with one of the pictures on the puzzle board.
One number, represented by a drawing of a butterfly net, contains a verbal clue that is read by the announcer and is associated with one of the items on the puzzle board.
from one child to another. With three of the children having their backs turned to the action, the emcee mimes out a situation to the first child. When finished, a bell sounds and the first child must then repeat the mime to a second child. When the bell sounds again, the second child must repeat the mime to a third child, and then the third child must repeat the mime to the last child. At the end, the emcee then asks the last child to identify the situation that was observed and pantomimed; followed by the third child, the second child, and finally the first child. At the end of the round, the children select a toy or game to keep from a table full of toys at one end of the set.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n children's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that was broadcast afternoon on Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
Australia between 1981 and 1982. It was produced by the Grundy Organisation
Reg Grundy Organisation
The Reg Grundy Organisation was an Australian television production company founded in 1959 by businessman Reg Grundy . It has since branched out into Europe and the USA. The company first produced game shows, before branching into soap operas in 1973...
for Nine Network's Children's Programming. Actor David Waters
David Waters (Australian actor)
David A. Waters is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as David Bridges in the television series Prisoner.Waters was born in the United Kingdom in Braintree, Essex...
was the emcee.
Object
Four children compete against each other playing a game similar to the adult game show ConcentrationConcentration (game show)
Concentration was an American TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win...
that also had elements of Sale of the Century
Sale of the Century (Australian game show)
$ale of the Century was an Australian game show that aired on the Nine Network from 14 July 1980 – 29 November 2001. Tony Barber hosted an early version of Sale of the Century under the title of Temptation from 1970–1976, and was also the initial host of Sale, replaced by Glenn Ridge in 1991...
and the later game Hot Streak
Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak is an American television game show that aired on ABC from January 6 to April 4, 1986. British television personality Bruce Forsyth hosted the series, the only time he hosted a series outside of his native United Kingdom...
.
Toss-Up Question (Ripper Rhyme)
The children were asked a "ripper rhyme" by the emcee. A general knowledge questionQuestion
A question may be either a linguistic expression used to make a request for information, or else the request itself made by such an expression. This information may be provided with an answer....
written in the form of a rhyming couplet
Couplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
that was missing the last rhyming word. The first child to buzz with the correct word won control of the puzzle.
Rebus Puzzle
Both children were shown a puzzle board of twenty numbered squares. Each square concealed a picture (either a drawing or photograph) AND part of a rebusRebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
. The emcee also gave a clue to the rebus' solution which was related to the "ripper rhyme". Starting with the child who won the "ripper rhyme", each child chose two numbers, one at a time, from the puzzle board. Each number revealed a different picture. In order to "match", the chosen pictures must be related in some way to each other. If the pictures "matched", the corresponding rebus pieces were revealed and the child was then given the opportunity to solve the puzzle. If the pictures did not "match" or if the child could not solve the puzzle, the opposing child received control of the puzzle. The first child to solve the puzzle won the round and advanced to Round Three.
Sound Effect
One number, represented by a drawing of an ear, contains a sound that is associated with one of the pictures on the puzzle board.
Catch-a-Clue
One number, represented by a drawing of a butterfly net, contains a verbal clue that is read by the announcer and is associated with one of the items on the puzzle board.
Toss-Up Question (Who/What/Where am I?)
The children were shown a succession of increasingly larger clues to the identity of a person, place, thing, etc.; given by children recorded on videotape. The first child to buzz in with the correct answer won control of the puzzle.Super Word Puzzle
Both children were shown another puzzle board of twenty numbered squares. This time the board was split into two different sets of ten numbered squares. Numbers one through ten on top contained pictures. Numbers eleven through twenty on the bottom contained scrambled words related to the pictures. Each square also concealed part of a "super word", a word where each letter was separated by a space. The pictures, scrambled words, and "super word" all related to the toss-up identity. Starting with the child who won the toss-up identity, each child chose one number revealing a picture from the top half of the puzzle board, and one number revealing a scrambled word from the bottom half. In order to "match", the chosen picture must be related in some way to the chosen scrambled word. If the pieces "matched", the corresponding "super word" letter or space was revealed and the child was then given the opportunity to solve the puzzle. If the pieces did not "match" or if the child could not solve the puzzle, the opposing child received control of the puzzle. The first child to solve the puzzle won the round, the game, and a $50(AUS) savings account. All runners up received consolation gifts, including toys and games.Match a Mime
The children tried to communicate a specific situation using pantomimeMime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
from one child to another. With three of the children having their backs turned to the action, the emcee mimes out a situation to the first child. When finished, a bell sounds and the first child must then repeat the mime to a second child. When the bell sounds again, the second child must repeat the mime to a third child, and then the third child must repeat the mime to the last child. At the end, the emcee then asks the last child to identify the situation that was observed and pantomimed; followed by the third child, the second child, and finally the first child. At the end of the round, the children select a toy or game to keep from a table full of toys at one end of the set.
Trivia
- Before the first two rounds, the children participating in the round entered the stage by way of playground slides on each side in the back of the set. The emcee also entered on one of the slides at the beginning of the show.
- Before each commercial break, the home audience was asked a question for which the answer was revealed after the break. Some questions involved identifying an item by the sound it makes or answering a multiple choice question.
Educational Consultant
- The Educational Consultant for Match Mates was Dr. Millicent Poole, a professor of education in Australia and New Zealand.