Child's Play (game show)

Child's Play was an American television game show where adult contestants tried to guess words based on definitions given by children. The Mark Goodson production aired on CBS from September 20, 1982, to September 16, 1983, when it was replaced by Press Your Luck. Bill Cullen hosted the show, while Gene Wood, Bob Hilton, and Johnny Gilbert shared the announcing duties.

Main game

Two contestants competed. The object of the game was to correctly define words based on videotaped definitions given by elementary school-age children. In the first round, a word was given to the home audience, and a video clip of a child defining that word was played. Once the clip ended, the contestant had a chance to guess the word for one point. If the contestant was incorrect, his/her opponent was given a chance to guess after viewing a clip of another child defining the same word. If incorrect, the contestant regained control and viewed another clip before making one last guess. This round continued until the first commercial break.

The second round was known as the "Fast Play" round. Both contestants were given the opportunity to guess what word the child was defining, hitting a buzzer to interrupt the video clip and guess the word. If the contestant was correct, he/she received two points; if incorrect, the rest of the clip was played and the opponent was given a chance to guess. The contestant with the highest score when time expired won $500 and played the bonus round.

Bonus round

Two different bonus rounds were played on Child's Play. In the first round, known as "Triple Play," the contestant was given 45 seconds to guess six words correctly. Each word had three written definitions by three different children ("Child A," "Child B," and "Child C"). Each correct guess was worth $100, while getting all six before time expired gave the contestant $5,000.

About halfway through the show's run, Triple Play was replaced with the "Turnabout" round. Five children were brought into the studio, and the contestant had to describe seven words to the children within 45 seconds. The contestant won $100 for each word that a child guessed correctly while the children split $100. Seven correct guesses gave the contestant $5,000 while the children split $1,000.

Episode status

All episodes of Child's Play exist, and reruns have aired on GSN.

Miscellaneous

Bill Cullen promoted Child's Play during a guest appearance on The Price is Right with Bob Barker in 1982. This was the only time Cullen appeared on the modern version of the show that he hosted from 1956 to 1965.

External links

• Game Show Utopia: Child's Play