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Host
David Sidoni
Broadcast (Disney Channel)
Madlibs98
Aired Pilot: 2/1997
Series: 7/26/1998 – Mid-1999
Packagers
Slam Dunk Productions
Dick Clark Productions
Disney Channel

"It's time for the show where (anything can happen, because) your imagination/creativity fills in the blanks! It's… Mad Libs! And now, here's your host, David Sidoni!"

Mad Libs featured two teams of two children (red vs. blue) competing in a series of physical and mental games based on the book series of the same name, all while trying to score points and win prizes.

Gameplay[]

Main Game[]

The game was played in four rounds.

Round 1: Viewer Mad Lib[]

In the first round, a videotape of a kid home viewer was shown. The kid recited a Mad Lib previously written by that home viewer. When it was done, the Mad Lib became a game played in a 45-second time limit. Sometimes the game was a race to the finish and required no time limit.

Here's what a typical Mad Lib would look like:
"When I go to school, I eat my (noun), then I brushed my (landmark). Finally I grabbed my (barbershop item) and took the (fruit).

And here's how it would read when finished:
"When I go to school, I eat my CACTUS, then I brushed my EIFFEL TOWER. Finally I grabbed my SCISSORS and took the BANANA.
In this case, the teams would take (fake) scissors to bananas.

Another example would be like this:
"Every day, I feed my cat (name of person) some (name of a cereal). He likes it so much that he (past tense verb) all over the (around the house).

And after completing it Mad Lib, it might read:
"Every day, I feed my cat JOHNNY some CHEERIOS. He likes it so much that he DANCED all over the LAMP.

In this case, the teams would try to put toy cats on lamps.

The team that won the stunt scored 20 points, in case of a tie, both teams scored 20 points.

Round 2: Madder Than You[]

In this round called, host Sidoni gave a category. The teams had to then come up with a series of words, phrases and names that fit the category. Teams went back and forth by holding and passing a white ball with the show's logo on it (referred to on the air as the "hot potato"). The process continued until one of the following happened:

  • A player gave a word that doesn't fit the category
  • A player repeated a word, including a different form of the same word
  • A player passed the hot potato before giving an answer
  • A player ran out of time

If any one of these errors happened, five points went to the other team, and a new category was played. The girls were first in giving words, followed by the boys, and partners on both teams alternated between categories. The round lasted for two minutes. (2½ minutes in earlier shows with the timer not showing).

Round 3: Mega Stunt[]

In this round, the teams played a stunt in which they could actually make a Mad Lib. The stunts changed from show to show. Each item was marked with a word, and the idea was to place four words on their own Mad Lib wall, matching them up to the four categories by the color of the word (red, blue, green, and black). The first team to get the four words completed the Mad Lib and scored 20 points. After the stunt, the Mad Lib was then revealed and read.

Round 4: Mixed-Up Mad Libs[]

This round was a combination of elements from Whew! and Shop 'til you Drop’s Shopper's Challenge Round. In this final round, Sidoni read a series of Mixed-Up Mad Libs (statements with a crazy word inserted into each one). The contestants had to buzz-in and correct the statements with the right word. A correct word from a buzz-in player scored 10 points, but an incorrect word gave the opponent a shot at correcting the statement. After each statement, players on both teams changed places. The round lasted for 90 seconds (1:30), and the team with the highest score when time expired won the game. If the game ended in a tie, a final Mixed-Up Mad Lib was read, and the first player to buzz-in with the correct word won the game; if he/she was wrong, however, the opposing team automatically won. The winning team went on to play the Maximum Mad Lib for a grand prize, while the losing team took home parting gifts including The D Show on CD-Rom, a subscription to Disney's Blast Online and a copy of the Mad Lib books.

Bonus Round: Maximum Mad Lib[]

In the Maximum Mad Lib (or the Max as it was sometimes referred to), the winning team decided who would give and who would receive. When the decision was made, the giver placed five words (given to that player inside an envelope) and placed them anywhere in the five clue areas during the final commercial break. Afterwards, the giver had 90 seconds (1:30) to get get his/her partner to say those words. The host would give the category for each word.

The clue areas changed from show to show, and their names were as follows:

  • Stuff It – The giver would put marshmallows in his/her mouth and then say the word with his/her mouth full of marshmallows. It was up to the receiver to identify what the giver was saying. Similar to the controversial party game Chubby Bunny, this was the only clue area to appear with the same rules in every episode.
  • Lick It – The giver would write the word on a glass panel with his/her tongue, using pink, red, or orange cake frosting.
  • Spell It – This was played in the same way as Lick It, except the giver would write the word on a glass panel with ketchup and mustard.
  • Draw It – This was played like standard Pictionary. The giver would draw a picture of the word using finger paints or some markers, and the receiver would attempt to identify it.
  • Act It – This was simple charades. Self-Explanatory. Any use of sound disqualifies the word from play.
  • Mold It – The giver would use play-doh or clay to make something that looks like the word.
  • Rip It – This was played like Mold It except with paper. The giver would use paper to make something that looks like the word.
  • Sing It – This was played like Pyramid except the giver had to sing out a description of the word (which is one of the ways the Pyramid players describe the word), however, he/she could not sing the word, sing any part of the word, sing the essence of the word, or sings "starts with (initial letter)." If any of these things happened, that word was disqualified from play.

Each time the receiver said a word, the team won it. They could pass on a word and come back to it with time left over. When the time was up, the five words were then inserted into the Mad Lib, which was then read by Sidoni. Next the words that were guessed were checked one-by-one, because one of the words was the grand prize word. If the team got that word, or got all five words before time ran out, they won the grand prize. If if they didn't (or if they got zero words), they still won a consolation prize.

Other Pictures[]

Rating[]

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Music[]

William Anderson

Inventor[]

Based on the book of the same name by Leonard Stern & Roger Price, and adapted by David H. Higgins

Link[]

Mad Libs @ Brian's Game Show Amusement Park

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