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This article is written in British English. |
| This version has its own spelling conventions (such as colour, travelled, centre, realise, defence, artefact) and some terms that are used may be different or absent from other varieties of English. This should not be changed without broad consensus. |
Rat Labyrinth is a Kuboian children's game show created by Dominic Halls and Tone Riddles, and also presented by the latter. Taking inspiration from Fort Boyard and The Crystal Maze, the show involves a group of children entering the titular dome in order to obtain a platinum gem stolen by a group of rodent creatures called the Ratinators. It premiered in 1994 as part of the Bumper's Block programming block on Vision Network, though the last two series instead aired as part of the channel's normal branding.
Format[]
The how featured four contestants who have never met before. The main part of the show involved each of the children taking part in four different challenges (one each), which often had a time limit of two minutes. Completing the challenge awards the team with a Golden Balloon, though they always moved on to the next challenge regardless of the outcome. The children were guided through the dome by Tone Riddles and his assistant Tack the Rat.
After the fourth game, the children would enter the Rat Dome. Here, the children had three minutes to run around a large maze collecting keys and bringing them to a large door in the centre. The children had two lives to do this, with Golden Balloons won in previous challenges netting extra lives. Red spotlights called Rat Detectors would move around the maze, and would take a life if one of the children stepped into one. Bringing five keys to the door in the middle would open it and reveal a chest with the platinum gem inside of it. Losing all lives or running out of time would cause the Ratinators to escape with it.
Regardless of whether the children won or lost, they would always be given a "goodies bag" which contained snacks and merchandise.
History[]
Rat Labyrinth began development in 1992 as a Kuboian version of The Crystal Maze. However, it was re-worked into its own show so it could fit in a half-hour timeslot on Bumper's Block. Dominic Halls approached Edward Reizer to see if he was up for being the show's presenter, with Reizer agreeing to do so as well as help Halls come up with ideas for a format.
Rat Labyrinth is the first time Reizer adopted the Tone Riddles stage name. As Reizer had previously voiced Mr. Riddles in the animated series The Incredible World of Riddles, Halls suggested to adapt the Mr. Riddles nickname for familiarity purposes. However, Reizer decided to mix the nickname using his middle name, Tone, believing it "sounded funny and appealing".
Casting[]
In September 1993, Bumper's Block aired short advertisements asking viewers "Would YOU like to appear on television and win prizes?" and showed a website where parents could put their children down to appear on a physical game show. Riddles mentioned how he was "very shocked" at how many children were put down to appear on the show, and felt bad for turning down many candidates simply because entries were already full.
In order to appear on the show, children had to be aged between nine and twelve years old and had to have been living in the country for at least two years. Allegedly, children were expected to be under a strict weight limit or would otherwise be rejected.
The idea to include Tack the Rat into the show was on Halls' request, claiming that children would be more likely to audition if the show had a "fun mascot character". Arnoud Flack reprises his role as Tack from the television series of the same name.
Filming[]
Rat Labyrinth was filmed in a custom-built arena at Gutstone, East Kuboia. Generally, two episodes were filmed a week. According to previous contestants, they had to stay over in a private house for two nights, with the children being put in a room with a Super NES, a set of VHS tapes and a shelf of books and board games so they could bond with each other. Riddles and one of the camera crew stayed in two rooms next-door to keep an eye on them.
Episodes were shot over a single day, and took anywhere from ten to twelve hours to film. The contestants were not given any uniform, instead just wearing their normal everyday clothes. However, they were allegedly told not to wear tops with logos and "recognisable designs" on them. Riddles himself, on the other hand, would always wear a black formal suit when filming episodes for the show. According to Riddles, the children were usually tired when filming episodes, and Halls gave them fizzy drinks to keep them awake.
Episodes[]
| # | Premiere | Finale | Ep. | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10th September 1994 | 26th November 1994 | 12 | February-March 1994 |
| 2 | 12th August 1995 | 28th October 1995 | 12 | March-April 1995 |
| 3 | 17th August 1996 | 2nd November 1996 | 12 | March-April 1996 |
| 4 | 16th August 1997 | 1st November 1997 | 12 | March-April 1997 |
| 5 | 15th August 1998 | 5th December 1998 | 17 | September 1997-January 1998 |
Legacy and possible revival[]
In 2021, Riddles, Flack and several of the show's former contestants were interviewed for a YouTube documentary. In it, Riddles mentioned he would like to do "some sort of revival" for the show's thirtieth anniversary in 2024.