Baby Races
GenreGame show
Written byJoseph Neustein
Directed byGeorge Choderker
Presented byFred Travalena
Narrated byGene Wood
Country of originUSA
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producerRobert Sherman
Running time30 minutes
Production companies
  • Robert Sherman Productions
  • Family Productions
Original release
NetworkThe Family Channel
ReleaseSeptember 12, 1993 (1993-09-12) –
March 6, 1994 (1994-03-06)

Baby Races is an American game show that aired on the Family Channel from September 12, 1993, to March 6, 1994. After the last episode aired, the show went into reruns until August 27, 1994. It was hosted by Fred Travalena, and the announcer was Gene Wood. The executive producer was Robert Sherman. It was also filmed at the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida (now Disney's Hollywood Studios).

Gameplay

The contestants on the show were young children who came with their parents to play in a series of events.[1] Two teams play on each show.

Events

Some of the events were:

  • Sandbox Golf - the children play miniature golf. They try to put a golf ball into a hole using miniature golf clubs.
  • Cow Catcher - the children ride on their parents' back and try to round up some toy cows and place them in a corral.
  • Paint by Numbers - the children throw number shaped sponges dipped in paint at their parents.
  • Sit On It - The parents make sandcastle towers using buckets, and the children demolish the towers by, as the name suggests, sitting on them.
  • Spill the Beans - the children carry plates of beans on their heads and dump the beans in a bowl held by one of their parents. At the end of the round, the bowl is placed on a scale to determine the score, with the result always rounded up to the next whole number.
  • Wacky Woodpecker - the children, wearing a cone-shaped paper "beak," used the beak to pick additional beaks out of two on-stage "trees."
  • Worm Toss - the children toss worms one at a time across a mat (representing water) into oversized pants worn by their parents.
  • Anteater Antics - the children tried to pick up magnetic ants using a magnetic beak.
  • Thermometer Ball - the parents picked up their children, lifting them up and down so that the children could "slam dunk" small basketballs into a large tube.

Games were played in a 45-second time limit (with the exception that the first game, the only one where the children competed directly, sometimes lasted for 30 seconds), and each item in each game was worth one point (occasionally two), with each kid's last game being played for two points an item.

The toy store

At the end of the game, each child received a certificate showing his or her total score, and selected a prize from a "toy store" in front of a video wall. Participating adults also received prizes.

Critical reception

Evan Levine of the Houston Chronicle called the show "mostly silly".[2] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, criticized Travalena's hosting style as "lame" but thought that some of the stunts were "relatively creative".[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Jennifer Mangan. "MAKING POINTS KIDS TAKE AIM AT POOR, OLD DAD ON FAMILY CHANNEL'S 'BABY RACES'". September 8, 1993. Chicago Tribune. p. 7. ProQuest 283568240. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Baby Races' is mostly silly". Houston Chronicle. January 30, 1994. p. 5. ProQuest 295867767. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
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