Pictionary (1989 game show)
Encyclopedia
Pictionary
was a children's game show
based on the board game
of the same name, in which two teams of three children competed in a drawing game for prizes. This version was hosted by Brian Robbins
, and aired during the summer of 1989. The show was distributed by MCA TV
, and was a production of Barry & Enright Productions
.
The score was kept by "Felicity" (played by Julie Friedman), who turned a knob to pour plastic beads into a container until they reached the amount of the team's score (though on at least one occasion the knob got stuck and the entire amount of beads was poured into a team's score container!). Felicity inexplicably left the show for several weeks during the middle of the run, during which time the score was kept by Robbins.
Rules explanations and close calls were handled by a bald, mustachioed judge nicknamed "Judge Mental" (real name, former pro arm wrestler Rick Zumwalt), who sat in a mock-up judge's bench atop the scoring device (much like a real judge, he wore a black robe and pounded a gavel), and would always be booed by the audience upon his introduction.
for his/her teammates as possible. Players alternated turns at drawing, and could only draw for 20 seconds on any one picture. After the 60 seconds ended, the opposing team had a chance to play. The team with the most pictures guessed at the end of the round received ten points. In case of a tie, both teams received 10 points.
Near the end of the run, guest stars from children's entertainment took over drawing duties during this round, and all three members of each team attempted to guess the pictures.
of a famous person that was covered by rainbow-colored plastic balls in a tank. To do this, the team had to work together to transfer water
from one side of the studio to the other and into the tank.
The first player was placed in a booth with two hoses, one with water running out of it. The contestant had to connect the two hoses to allow the water to reach a tank suspended above the second player's head. The second player stood under the tank with several pitchers, which he or she had to hold over his or her head to catch the water. The third player, who was required to wear flippers to make it difficult to walk, was responsible for pouring the collected water into the tank of balls (which caused them to rise out of the way of the picture, revealing it from the bottom up), and to return the pitchers to the second player. The team had 90 seconds to transport as much water to the tank as possible, and then had ten seconds to think about an answer to the picture. If they correctly guessed who was in the picture, they won the grand prize.
Pictionary
Pictionary is a guessing word game designed by Robert Angel and first published in 1985 by Seattle Games Inc. The game is played with teams with players trying to identify specific words from their teammates' drawings.-Objective:...
was a children's 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...
based on the board game
Pictionary
Pictionary is a guessing word game designed by Robert Angel and first published in 1985 by Seattle Games Inc. The game is played with teams with players trying to identify specific words from their teammates' drawings.-Objective:...
of the same name, in which two teams of three children competed in a drawing game for prizes. This version was hosted by Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins
Brian Robbins is an American actor and producer, director and screenwriter. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin.-Biography:...
, and aired during the summer of 1989. The show was distributed by MCA TV
NBC Universal Television Distribution
NBCUniversal Television Distribution is the television distribution arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group in the United States, and is a subsidiary of General Electric...
, and was a production of Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions
Barry & Enright Productions , was a United States television production company that was formed in 1947 by Jack Barry and Dan Enright.-History:Jack Barry and Dan Enright first met at radio station WOR in New York, where...
.
The score was kept by "Felicity" (played by Julie Friedman), who turned a knob to pour plastic beads into a container until they reached the amount of the team's score (though on at least one occasion the knob got stuck and the entire amount of beads was poured into a team's score container!). Felicity inexplicably left the show for several weeks during the middle of the run, during which time the score was kept by Robbins.
Rules explanations and close calls were handled by a bald, mustachioed judge nicknamed "Judge Mental" (real name, former pro arm wrestler Rick Zumwalt), who sat in a mock-up judge's bench atop the scoring device (much like a real judge, he wore a black robe and pounded a gavel), and would always be booed by the audience upon his introduction.
Round one
The team in control had 60 seconds to draw as many pictures on a telestratorTelestrator
A telestrator is a device that allows its operator to draw a freehand sketch over a moving or still video image. The telestrator is most famously recognized in sports and weather broadcasts to diagram and analyze sports plays or incoming weather patterns. The talent typically draws on a...
for his/her teammates as possible. Players alternated turns at drawing, and could only draw for 20 seconds on any one picture. After the 60 seconds ended, the opposing team had a chance to play. The team with the most pictures guessed at the end of the round received ten points. In case of a tie, both teams received 10 points.
Round two
In round two, seven picture drawings were all clues to a puzzle. One member of one team drew for the entire 60 seconds. If the team solved the puzzle after the 60 seconds, they scored 10 points; otherwise the opposing team had 30 seconds to draw more clues and finally steal the points by guessing the puzzle.Round Three
This round was played in a 90 second-speed round format. Each team chose a player to draw in the round, but once again only 20 seconds could be spent on draw any one picture. The first team to buzz-in had a chance to answer. If the team was correct, they scored the picture, but a wrong answer gave the opposing team the right to make unlimited guesses for the remaining 20 seconds. The team with most pictures guessed won 30 points.Near the end of the run, guest stars from children's entertainment took over drawing duties during this round, and all three members of each team attempted to guess the pictures.
Winning
At the end of the three rounds, the team with the most points won, and advanced to the Waterworks round for a chance at the grand prize. The most points possible was 60 (10 points in the first round, 20 points in the second, and 30 points in the third). If a team won the game 60 to 0, an additional prize was awarded.Bonus Round (Waterworks)
The object of the bonus round was to guess a caricatureCaricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
of a famous person that was covered by rainbow-colored plastic balls in a tank. To do this, the team had to work together to transfer water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
from one side of the studio to the other and into the tank.
The first player was placed in a booth with two hoses, one with water running out of it. The contestant had to connect the two hoses to allow the water to reach a tank suspended above the second player's head. The second player stood under the tank with several pitchers, which he or she had to hold over his or her head to catch the water. The third player, who was required to wear flippers to make it difficult to walk, was responsible for pouring the collected water into the tank of balls (which caused them to rise out of the way of the picture, revealing it from the bottom up), and to return the pitchers to the second player. The team had 90 seconds to transport as much water to the tank as possible, and then had ten seconds to think about an answer to the picture. If they correctly guessed who was in the picture, they won the grand prize.