| Host | |
| David Waters | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| Grundy Organisation Nine Network Children's Programming | |
Match Mates was a game show that was a little like Concentration for kids.
Gameplay[]
Each round started with a question. The first player to buzz-in with the correct answer got control of the board first. The two contestants playing picked off numbers two at a time. Each time they uncovered a match, two pieces of a puzzle were revealed. The first player to solve the puzzle won the round.
The First Two Rounds[]
Two different players competed at a time in each round.
Toss-Up Question (Ripper Rhyme)[]
The round started with a "Ripper Rhyme" (a general knowledge question written in the form of a rhyming couplet) that was missing the last word. The first player to buzz with the correct word (thereby completing the rhyme) won control of the board.
Rebus Puzzle[]
Both players were shown a puzzle board of 20 numbered squares. Each square concealed a picture (either a drawing or photograph) AND part of a rebus puzzle. The emcee also gave a clue to the rebus' solution which was related to the "ripper rhyme". Starting with the one who won the "ripper rhyme", each player chose two numbers, one at a time, from the puzzle board. Each number revealed a different picture. In order to "match", the chosen pictures had to be related in some way to each other. If the pictures "matched", the corresponding rebus pieces were revealed and the player was given the opportunity to solve the puzzle. If the pictures did not "match" or if the player couldn't solve the puzzle, the opponent received control. The first player to solve the puzzle won the round and advanced to Round 3.
Special Clues[]
- Sound Effect – In Round 1, one number, represented by a drawing of an ear, contained a sound that was associated with one of the pictures on the puzzle board.
- Catch-a-Clue – In Round 2, one number, represented by a drawing of a butterfly net, contained a verbal clue that was read by the announcer and was associated with one of the pictures on the puzzle board.
Round 3[]
The winners of the first two rounds competed against each other; this time, however, instead of a rebus, they were trying to solve what was known as the "Superword".
Toss-Up Question (Who/What/Where am I?)[]
The players were shown a succession of increasingly larger clues to the identity of a person, place, thing, etc. given by children from all over Australia as recorded on videotape. The first player to buzz in with the correct answer won control of the puzzle.
Super Word Puzzle[]
Both children were shown another puzzle board of twenty numbered squares. This time the board was This time the board was divided in half; the first ten numbers had pictures behind them, and the last ten hid scrambled words & phrases. Behind some of the boxes were letters to a word/phrase/name which were in the proper order. The pictures, scrambled words, and "super word" were all related to the toss-up identity. Starting with the one who won the toss-up identity, each player chose one number revealing a picture from the top half of the puzzle board, and one number revealing a scrambled word from the bottom half. In order to "match", the chosen picture had to be related in some way to the chosen scrambled word. If the pieces "matched", the corresponding "super word" letter or space was revealed and the player was then given the opportunity to solve the puzzle. If the pieces did not "match" or if the player couldn't solve the puzzle, the opponent received control of the puzzle. The first player to solve the puzzle won the game and a $50 savings account. All runners up received consolation gifts, including toys and games.
Match a Mime[]
At the end of the show all four contestants would do a special game where they had to act out the same gestures as the previous person. With three of the children having their backs turned to the action, Waters would mime out a situation or story to the first child. When he had finished, a bell sounded and the first child then had to repeat the mime to the second child. When the bell sounded again, the second child had to repeat the mime to the third child, and then the third child had to repeat the mime to the last child. At the end, Waters asked the last child to identify the situation/story that was observed and pantomimed, followed by the third child, the second child, and finally the first child. At the end of the round, the children selected a toy or game to keep from a table full of toys at one end of the set.
Trivia[]
- Before each of the first two rounds, the children participating in the round entered the stage by way of playground slides on each side in the back of the set. The emcee also entered on one of the slides at the beginning of the show.
- Before each commercial break, the home audience was asked a question for which the answer was revealed after the break. Some questions involved identifying an item by the sound it makes or answering a multiple choice question.
Educational Consultant[]
The Educational Consultant for the show was Dr. Millicent Poole, a professor of education in Australia and New Zealand.
Inventor[]
Based on the American game show Concentration by Jack Barry and Dan Enright
YouTube Links[]
A Full Episode