SKATOONY is a show that combines live-action with animation to pit real-life contestants against cartoons in a game show. The guest toon characters are well known from your favourite shows including TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND and JIMMY TWO-SHOES. We stopped by the set, played the games, got messy and hung out with the cast, contestants and crew!
THE SHOW
SKATOONY is adapted from the Cartoon Network UK show. Each episode is taken from the UK version, updated with Canadian content and then rewritten and reanimated based on the actual Canadian show results.
THE GAME
Through the course of games like “Bang On or Bogus” or “Hoo Flung Dung,” the real and cartoon contestants interact and battle it out in trivia based rounds of questions. Contestants end up eating, touching, drinking or covered in some nasty goo and everyone gets messy! In the end, only one smart contestant wins the bragging rights of “Skatoony Quiz Champ” and goes home with some cool swag. Animated hosts Chudd Chudders and The Earl ask questions that include Canadian trivia and fun facts while the studio exec, Charles La Puck, tries to control the action. Learning has never been so much fun!
HOW THEY SHOOT
The show is filmed on a big green screen set, which allows the animators to animate over the live action after the show is taped with the real-life contestants. The contestants don’t see it when they are in the shoot, but there are all kinds of strange things that happen in the animated show. They don’t realize that lizards are attacking them or that there is a giant gorilla leaping over the set. The contestants have to react and this is where the character stand-ins and the Floor Director help the production—they get the contestants to say and do things based on what will happen in the animated show.
THE INTERVIEWS
We had the exclusive opportunity to chat with two of the animated stars. Charles La Puck is the greedy studio exec in charge of the show and Chudd Chudders is one of the hosts of the show who is obsessed with quizzing.
Charles La Puck (Voiced by Jeff Lumby)
What is your role in the SKATOONY experience?
To make the money for the show. So, I get these kids on, it’s a game show, they do their thing, they go up there, they talk, blah blah blah.
What is your favourite SKATOONY game and why?
“Bang on or Bogus” because it’s quick. It’s a moneymaker!
Chudd Chudders (Voiced by Jonathan Wilson)
What’s one reason why we need to watch SKATOONY?
Watch SKATOONY because I have three heavily mortgaged homes around the world and my tiny little suits are handmade in Peru and they are very expensive.
Do you have any advice for future contestants?
You have to go for it no matter what the contest is. Putting your face in various food products, eating various things, you cannot have any shame. You cannot be shy. You just have to dive right in.
Thank you Charles La Puck and Chudd Chudders! Catch Skatoony on Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT and Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. ET/PT on TELETOON.
Photos courtesy of TELETOON and ASTRAL MEDIA.