Mattel Television to Develop ‘Whac-A-Mole’ Game ShowMattel Television to Develop ‘Whac-A-Mole’ Game Show

Mattel and Fremantle have announced plans to develop a reality game show based on the classic amusement game “Whac-A-Mole.” 

The “Whac-A-Mole” game show is the second project in a slate of new unscripted television programming developed by Mattel Television. The game show will be an elimination competition during which opposing teams will face off to become the ultimate “Whac-A-Mole” champion. The unscripted series will incorporate life-sized “Whac-a-Mole,” races and obstacle courses, along with a surprising twist.  

“We’re so excited to have the iconic Whac-A-Mole brand as our newest playground,” says Jayson Dinsmore, president, alternative programming and development, Fremantle. “Partnering with Mattel to bring this classic game to television in a dynamic and synergistic life-sized world is a dream come true.”  

“Whac-A-Mole is a beloved, action-packed arcade game with a deep fan following, and the interactive nature and comedic energy of the game makes it a great franchise for episodic television,” says Adam Bonnett, executive producer, Mattel Television, who is leading the development project for Mattel. “Jayson and the team at Fremantle have had unparalleled success creating iconic reality television series and are the perfect partners to help us bring this classic game to life in new ways.”  

In addition to the game show, this spring, Mattel will be re-releasing “Whac-A-Mole,” the original tabletop game and introducing “Whac-A-Mole Match-A-Mole,” which incorporates the traditional gameplay into a matching card game.

The Whac-a-Mole game show follows Mattel’s recent announcement of plans to develop “The UNO Game Show” with Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens and Greg Lipstone of Propagate, the production company behind “Charmed,” “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” and “Chopped,” and John Quinn, producer of “Card Sharks” “Let’s Make a Deal” and “Match Game.”