Fremantle & Mattel Developing Whac-A-Mole TV Format

Toy company Mattel is ramping up its slate of TV formats based on classic games with Whac-A-Mole set as its latest project.

American Idol producer Fremantle has teamed with Mattel Television to develop a show based on the game, which is best known in arcades, carnivals and amusement parks.

It marks Mattel’s second entertainment development, based on a game, after it partnered with Propagate to develop a show based on Uno.

The Whac-A-Mole game show will turn the game into an elimination competition during which opposing teams will use their skill, strength and endurance to 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 twist.

Whac-a-Mole began as an arcade game in 1976 and was turned into a tabletop game in 2009. This spring, Mattel will be re-releasing the tabletop game and launching a card game Whac-A-Mole Match-A-Mole.

“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,” said 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.”

“We’re so excited to have the iconic Whac-A-Mole brand as our newest playground,” added Jayson Dinsmore, President of 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.”