Crashbox

Last updated
Crashbox
Crashbox logo.jpg
Genre
Created by
  • Eamon Harrington
  • John Watkin
Directed byDave Thomas
Voices of
ComposerMatthew Morse
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Eamon Harrington
  • John Watkin
Production locations
Camera setup Single-Camera
Running time24-30 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network HBO Family
ReleaseFebruary 1, 1999 (1999-02-01) 
April 1, 2000 (2000-04-01)

Crashbox is an educational children's television series co-created by Eamon Harrington and John Watkin for HBO Family that ran from 1999 to 2000 in the United States. It was HBO's second series (their first being Braingames 15 years earlier) focusing on educational skits.

Contents

Crashbox was one of the original programs for the relaunch of the HBO Family channel in February 1999. [1] [2] [3] Although it has never been released on physical media like DVD or VHS, it has consistently been reran on HBO Family and is found on various streaming services.

Production

Crashbox was created by Planet Grande Pictures (consisting of Eamon Harrington and John Watkin) and is animated by Cuppa Coffee Studios, headed by Adam Shaheen. Planet Grande Pictures engaged Cuppa Coffee Studios for 8 months to complete 13 hours of programming. [4] [5] Some of the segments produced for Season 1 were reused for the first half of Season 2, while production of the second half went underway in late 1999. [6]

Along with the 52 aired episodes, it has been stated that a total of 65 episodes were at one point produced/planned, as mentioned during an demo reel for Planet Grande Pictures. [7] Most sources state that only 52 episodes were produced, and only 52 episodes have been registered in the Library of Congress. [8]

Premise

The show takes place in the insides of a game computer where green game cartridges (which are sculpted out of clay) are created and loaded by rusty tin robots, occasionally with short sketches of them "repairing" damaged games. The format of each episode is The Electric Company -esque, with sketches not connecting nor following a sequential plot. Each half-hour episode consists of seven (occasionally eight) 1-to-5-minute educational games, covering subjects like history, math, spelling, and nature. [9]

Segments

The following are the games of the show listed in alphabetical order:

Near the end of each episode, the closing segment "Crashbox Rewind" takes place, where the robots rewind through certain segments (typically four or five) to showcase what the viewers have learned. The seven segments marked with an asterisk (*) are never played during Rewind. At least two-to-four of these segments appear in every episode (only in Season 1).

Cast

Major voice cast
SegmentCharacterActor
Factory, Cafeteria, MaintenanceRobotsJerry Stiller, [14] John Watkin (uncredited), Peter Lurie (uncredited), Mari Weiss (Season 2, uncredited), Nancy Cartwright (Season 2; uncredited)
Captain BonesCaptain Bones S. Scott Bullock
Dirty PicturesCleaning Maid Maggie Baird (uncredited)
Old Fossil Greg Eagles (uncredited)
Distraction NewsDora SmarmyMari Weiss
Ear-We-AreLeft EarJohn Watkin
Right EarAlan Schlaifer
Eddie BullEddie BullRitchie Montgomery
Haunted House PartyHorrid OneJohn Watkin
ButlerAlan Schlaifer
Lens McCrackenLens McCracken S. Scott Bullock
Mugshots [10] Detective Verity Wisenheimer [10] Maggie Baird
Paige and SageValley Girl Dawn Maxey
Poop or ScoopAnnouncer Danny Wells
Psycho MathProfessor Rocket Joseph Motiki [15] (Season 1/2A; uncredited), Arif S. Kinchen (Season 2B)
Radio ScrambleJumpin' Johnnie Jumble [6] Peter Lurie
Revolting SlobPolite Female Voice Edie McClurg
Revolting Slob Mike McShane
Riddlesnake [11] Riddlesnake Raj [11] Veena Bidasha
Sketch PadSketch Pad Greg Eagles
Ten 2nds [11] AnnouncerAlan Schlaifer
Think TankCaptain Bob Greg Eagles
Wordshake [12] Chef Pierre [13] John Watkin

Seasons

Season 1

The first season of Crashbox premiered on HBO Family on February 1, 1999. [3] The first seven episodes aired throughout the first week of February. The remaining 19 episodes aired on weekends, typically in batches of twos, with Episode 26 closing the season on April 17.

Season 2

The first half of Crashbox's second season first premiered on HBO Family with Episode 27, which aired on August 1, 1999. The twelve other episodes of Season 2A premiered on weekends in batches of twos up until September 12.

Segments from the first half of Season 2 reuse select segments from Season 1, with the games "Ear-We-Are", "Wordshake", and "Paige and Sage" being dropped from the game lineup. Lens McCracken is featured in Season 2A but will later be dropped for Season 2B.

The second half of Season 2 premiered on February 19, 2000, with Episode 40; Crashbox 41 premiered the following day. Episodes 42-51 aired on the following weekdays in batches of twos, with Episode 52 airing on April 1, 2000, serving as the series' final episode.

Distinctly, Episodes 43, 45, 48, and 50 were produced in 1999 (as seen in their credits), in contrast to the rest of Season 2B, which was produced in 2000.

Interstitial Spinoffs

Along with the series premiere in 1999, two interstitial series were aired on HBO Family. "Smart Mouth", featuring Dora Smarmy from "Distraction News", has her explaining unusual vocabulary words with personal experiences. "Who Knew?", featuring Professor Rocket from "Psycho Math", features him talking about strange facts and trivia.

Both series have 80 episodes each, and aired on HBO Family, Magnet from 2001-2005, Jam from 2005-2016, and during movie breaks. Both series were removed from syndication following the HBO Kids rebrand in 2016, and only a few episodes survive to this day.

Syndication

Starting in 2001, HBO Family launched two TV blocks marketed towards kids; Jam, which was marketed towards a preschool demographic, and Magnet, which was marketed to an older, afterschool crowd. Crashbox, along with its associated interstitial spinoff series, Who Knew? and Smart Mouth, aired on the Magnet block up until it was discontinued in 2005.

Crashbox retroactively joined the Jam block in 2005, in spite of the show being marketed towards a TV-Y7 audience compared to the mainly preschool-oriented programming already on the block. The show aired routinely on the block up until 2016, where the block was rebranded to HBO Kids. The show premiered on the new block a day after the rebrand, on January 18, 2016, and was moved to the afternoon along with The Electric Company for weekdays. [16]

Crashbox 14 served as the series' premiere on HBO Kids, with the rest of Season 1 airing on weekdays up until February 22, 2016. Episodes 27-37 were skipped after Episode 26 premiered, while Episodes 38-52 premiered on the block as usual. Episode 1 first aired on March 15, 2016, [17] with the rest of Season 1 following it. Season 1 then aired again up to two [18] [19] times [20] [21] until Season 2B returned to the schedule in July. [22]

Following the removal of various Sesame Workshop shows, Crashbox was moved to an early morning timeslot a few years later, and airs routinely on the channel.

Removed Episodes

Following the 2016 rebrand of HBO Family's preschool block, Jam, to HBO Kids, Crashbox aired most of its first season in the afternoon (skipping Crashbox 1 in favor of Crashbox 14). Episodes 27-37 were skipped after Episode 26 premiered. [23] Only Episodes 38 [24] and 39 [25] were ever aired on the HBO Kids block. The final times Episodes 27-37 aired was on Jam from January 4 [26] to January 8, [27] 2016.

Episodes 27-39 have not aired on the channel since February 2016. The episodes are not available on most of HBO's digital or streaming services, including HBO Now, HBO Go, and Max; HBO has opted not to add the episodes onto the latter service due to the repeated segments used from the first season. [28] As of 2023, Crave is currently the only site that features all of Season 2 (erroneously listed as part of Season 1), including Episodes 27-39. [29]

Most sources pre-HBO Kids, such as HBO's various streaming services, promos for said episodes, and most TV Guides, list Episodes 27-39 of Crashbox as part of Season 2. [30] In following years, the removed episodes were sometimes grouped with Season 1, despite being produced for Season 2; Notable examples include Crave and Jiocinema. Besides the aforementioned services, most official HBO sources (before the removal of these episodes) considered these removed episodes as part of Season 2.

Reception

The series received generally positive reviews from audiences and parents on Common Sense Media, with a 4 out of 5 star rating. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ABC Kids (TV programming block)</span> U.S. childrens television programming block (1997–2011)

ABC Kids was an American Saturday morning children's programming block that aired on ABC from September 13, 1997 to August 27, 2011. It featured a mixture of animated and live-action series from Walt Disney Television Animation and Disney Channel, aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 14. This was the only time Disney Channel content aired on over-the-air television in the United States.

<i>Tales from the Crypt</i> (TV series) American horror anthology television series

Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series, which ran for seven seasons on the premium cable channel HBO from June 10, 1989, to July 19, 1996. The show's title is based on the 1950s EC Comics series of the same name, published by William Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein. Most of the program's episodes are based on stories that originally appeared in that comic or other EC Comics of the time, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories, and Two-Fisted Tales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick at Nite</span> Nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon

Nick at Nite is a nighttime programming block on the American basic cable channel Nickelodeon. The programming broadcasts from prime time to late night. The block initially consisted of syndicated sitcoms and films from the 1950s to the 1970s. Nick at Nite gradually shifted its programming to primarily airing sitcoms as recent as the mid-1990s to the 2010s.

<i>The Whitest Kids U Know</i> American television show

The Whitest Kids U' Know (WKUK) is an American sketch comedy show starring a comedy troupe of the same name. The group consisted of Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, though other actors occasionally appeared in their sketches. They were accepted into the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in 2006 and won the award for Best Sketch Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNICK</span> US television programming block

SNICK was a two-hour programming block on the American cable television network Nickelodeon, geared toward older audiences, that ran from August 15, 1992, until January 29, 2005. It was aired on Saturdays starting at 8 p.m and ending at 10 p.m. ET, with a replay on Sundays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In 2005, SNICK was revamped as the Saturday night edition of TEENick. Nickelodeon continues to run a Saturday night programming block today, though since the TEENick name was removed from the lineup in February 2009, the block no longer goes by any name.

<i>The Good Night Show</i> American television programming block

The Good Night Show is a defunct television programming block for preschoolers that aired on the Sprout channel. It was designed to help preschoolers get ready for bedtime. The block featured recurring themes based on preschoolers' nightly routines, such as dreams, brushing teeth, and cleaning up before bed.

An aftershow or after-show is a genre of television talk show whose topic is another television program. An aftershow is typically broadcast immediately after a new episode of its corresponding program, to help retain the audience, and to provide additional discussion and content related to the program. Aftershows may also include guest appearances by a show's staff or cast, and emphasize viewer contributions. A similar, earlier concept in sports broadcasting is the post-game show.

<i>Wilbur</i> (TV series) Canadian TV series or program

Wilbur is a Canadian live-action/puppet animated children's television series that premiered in the Kids' CBC block of CBC Television on October 30, 2006. In the United States, it first aired on the Ready Set Learn block on Discovery Kids on April 16, 2007, later moving to TLC starting on April 23, 2007, airing until March 21, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Network (Indian TV channel)</span> Indian television channel

Cartoon Network is an Indian cable and satellite television channel operated by Warner Bros. Discovery under its international division. The channel is the Indian equivalent to the original American network and was launched on 1 May 1995 as the first television network in India dedicated to children. The channel primarily airs animated programming in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FXX</span> U.S. pay television channel

FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and feature films for a primary demographic of men ages 18–34.

Freeform is an American basic cable channel owned and operated by ABC Family Worldwide, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of the Walt Disney Company. Freeform primarily broadcasts programming geared toward teenagers and young adults – with some skewing toward young women – in the 14–34 age range, a target demographic designated by the channel as "becomers". Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films, and made-for-TV original movies.

Vice News Tonight is an American news program that aired on Vice TV on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. It was originally broadcast on HBO as the channel's first-ever daily series, premiering October 10, 2016. HBO cancelled the series after three seasons, ending September 2019. The program was relaunched in 2020 on the Vice TV network. In April 2023, Vice announced that Vice News Tonight would be cancelled, with its final show airing on May 25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Disney Channel</span> Historical timeline

Disney Channel is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Kids</span> American childrens television channel

Universal Kids is an American children's television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of NBCUniversal, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast.

<i>Esme & Roy</i> TV series or program

Esme & Roy is an animated children's television series created by Dustin Ferrer and Amy Steinberg. The series is produced by Canada-based animation studio Nelvana and Sesame Street creator Sesame Workshop, in association with Corus Entertainment.

HBO Kids was an American preschool/children's television morning block operated by Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO), a division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The block ran on HBO Family, HBO's sister station that targets children and families.

<i>The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo</i> American late-night talk show hosted by Elmo

The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo is an American late-night talk show hosted by the Muppet character Elmo. It is a spin-off of Sesame Street and was developed exclusively for the HBO Max streaming service. The series, consisting of 13 episodes, debuted on HBO Max on May 27, 2020. The first three episodes were available at launch, after which new episodes were premiered weekly. Each episode runs for 15 minutes. In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 30, 2021, when the show moved to the service's Cartoonito section. However, in August 2022, the series was removed from HBO Max. The series began airing on PBS Kids on February 10, 2023.

Magnet was a children's programming block aimed to preteens that aired on HBO Family. It first aired on August 26, 2001 alongside Jam, a block made for preschoolers. Until 2004, the block aired on afternoons and evenings at 5pm to 7pm every day.

References

  1. "HBO nabs kid eyeballs with sked-centric Web content". Kidscreen. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  2. Richard Katz, "HBO in Family way with heavy push of new fare", Variety , September 9, 1998.
  3. 1 2 Lynne Heffley, "HBO Launches Spinoff With Pair of Excellent Kids' Shows", Los Angeles Times , February 1, 1999.
  4. "Crashbox has British sensibility". Playback. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  5. Eichhorn, P: "Cuppa Coffee brews up a special blend of animation Take One Magazine, Summer, 1999, No. 24
  6. 1 2 "Crashbox 43; One of 4 episodes of Season 2B to be produced in 1999; Johnnie's name is also confirmed here, as it is scrambled as "Hojenin"". play.max.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  7. Pictures, Planet Grande (2015-05-15), Planet Grande Reel , retrieved 2023-08-19
  8. "WebVoyage Titles; Source for Lost Suitcase". cocatalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  9. "Crashbox | Official Website for the HBO Series | HBO.com". HBO. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  10. 1 2 3 "Crashbox 50; Verity is referred to as "Detective Wisenheimer" here". play.max.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Crashbox 1; The spelling of Ten 2nds and Riddlesnake's names as sourced from the show's credits". play.max.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  12. 1 2 "Crashbox 2; The spelling of Wordshake and Radio Scramble's names are sourced from the show's credits". play.max.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  13. 1 2 "Portfolio". 2001-04-23. Archived from the original on 2001-04-23. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  14. Katz, Richard (1998-09-09). "HBO in Family way with heavy push of new fare". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  15. "CRASHBOX - PsychoMath w/ Professor Rocket | Crashbox is the first animated show I ever worked on, and it still airs today on HBO Family. I got a nice note from Stephanie in Montana about it, so I... | By Joseph Motiki | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  16. "Crashbox's HBO Kids premiere with Episode 14". 2016-01-20. Archived from the original on 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  17. "HBO Kids premiere of Crashbox's first episode". 2016-02-23. Archived from the original on 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  18. "The end of Crashbox Season 1's first syndicated run on HBO Kids". 2016-03-23. Archived from the original on 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  19. "Only for it to start airing again, skipping Season 2". 2016-03-23. Archived from the original on 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  20. "Season 1 finishes airing for the second time". 2016-05-18. Archived from the original on 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  21. "Season 1 starts airing for the third time in a row". 2016-05-18. Archived from the original on 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  22. "Season 2 returns to the HBO Kids schedule for good". 2016-05-24. Archived from the original on 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  23. "Crashbox 26 airs on HBO Kids for the first time". 2016-01-19. Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  24. "Episodes 27-37 are skipped, going straight to Episode 38". 2016-01-19. Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  25. "Episode 39 airs for the first and final time on HBO Kids". 2016-01-17. Archived from the original on 2016-01-17. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  26. "Final airings of Episode 27-29 on HBO Family". 2015-12-03. Archived from the original on 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  27. "Final airings of Episode 39 on HBO Family Jam". 2015-12-02. Archived from the original on 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  28. "An Email Response from HBO Max Advanced Support Concerning Episodes 27-39". Discord .
  29. "Season 2A of Crashbox on Crave, erroneously listed as part of Season 1". crave. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  30. "Crashbox's Second Season consists of 26 episodes officially, despite the first half of them being removed". DIRECTV. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  31. "Parent reviews for Crashbox - Common Sense Media". Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2019-08-13.